Oral Answers to Questions

Nusrat Ghani Excerpts

Monday 9th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Bridget Phillipson]

I pay tribute to all the businesses across our country that are providing high-quality skills training and apprenticeship starts. However, apprenticeship starts for the under-25s fell by 38% in the period 2015-16 to 2022-23. It will fall to this Labour Government to turn that around.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call Calvin Bailey.

[Mr Calvin Bailey (Leyton and Wanstead) (Lab)]

Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker; I was not expecting to be called so soon.

I thank the Secretary of State for her focus on T-levels and her recognition of the need for a pause. I back up what my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton North East (Mrs Brackenridge) said about the botched nature of the T-level roll-out. Does the Secretary of State recognise that it is a challenge for many services, such as the NHS, to absorb T-level students effectively? Those qualifications need truly to give our young people the opportunities they deserve. Will she meet me and local further education experts to discuss this issue?

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

If Members are bobbing, they should be prepared to be called to speak.

[Bridget Phillipson]

Yes, I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend. In this period of review, we are speaking to employers, training providers and colleges to ensure that we get this right.

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I call Jim Shannon to show us how it is done.

[Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP)]

I thank the Minister for her response to those questions. I know that she does not have direct responsibility for Northern Ireland, but may I ask her about apprenticeships? In defence and cyber-security—in Thales and Spirit AeroSystems—and in agrifood, opportunities should be there for young ladies as well as for young men. What is being done to ensure that there is equality of opportunity for everyone, both male and female?

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[Bridget Phillipson]

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for raising this matter. I would be happy to meet with him to discuss it further.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Minister.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

We have seen attempts by hostile states to influence our higher education sector, which the last Conservative Government took action to counter. Does the Secretary of State therefore share the concerns about reports that Peking University HSBC Business School in Oxford may be partly operating under Chinese Communist party rules, and does she expect the Office for Students to investigate that?

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[Bridget Phillipson]

Like my hon. Friend, I take having strong freedom of expression in our universities, and students being exposed to a range of views—some of which they might find difficult or disagree with—extremely seriously. That is why it is so important to have a wide-ranging education. Officials will ensure that we engage with a wide range of views in this important area as we look at next steps, and I would be more than happy to discuss that in more detail with her.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

I welcome the Secretary of State to her place. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 would have ensured that universities in England had the tools they needed to deal with interference and threats to freedom of speech and academic freedom, wherever they originated. Now that the Government will no longer implement that Act, will she clarify her alternative plans to protect academic freedom in the higher education sector?

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[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Secretary of State.

[Damian Hinds (East Hampshire) (Con)]

At the start of the new term, we all wish everybody well for the academic year ahead. What will Ministers say next September to parents who, because of Labour’s education tax, find that class sizes are bigger and more schools are full, and that fewer children are able to get a place in their first-choice school in Bristol, Bury, Salford or Surrey?

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[Bridget Phillipson]

The hon. Member is right in his characterisation of a system that is adversarial and where so many parents have to fight to get a good education and support for their children. I would be happy to do so, or perhaps my hon. Friend the Minister might take that meeting.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Minister.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

It was in response to growing demand that the last Conservative Government increased the high-needs budget to £10.5 billion and put in place a statutory override so that SEND-related deficits did not overwhelm council budgets. With that set to expire in 2026, what is the Secretary of State’s message to local authorities: is she pushing the Chancellor to extend that protection or for deficits to be written off?

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[Janet Daby]

My hon. Friend is right. This Government have committed to recruiting 8,500 additional staff across children and adult NHS mental health services. That will help to reduce delays, provide faster treatment and ease pressure on busy mental health services. Family hubs are also crucial to providing that.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

I call the shadow Minister.

[Mr Gagan Mohindra (South West Hertfordshire) (Con)]

The previous Conservative Government introduced mental health support teams in schools, and the impact of the covid-19 pandemic is still being felt by students, particularly regarding mental health. Will the Secretary of State commit to continuing those mental health support teams to ensure that students can access the mental health care that they need?

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[Stephen Morgan]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question. Breakfast clubs are about more than just food: they provide opportunities for children to play, to learn and to socialise at the start of the school day. The Government are giving parents more choice in childcare, and are supporting families with the cost of living crisis. Our plans for breakfast clubs will remove barriers to opportunity by ensuring that every child of primary school age, no matter their circumstances, is well prepared for school.

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

We are moving on to topicals; the questions will be short, and the ministerial responses will be snappy.

[Tim Roca (Macclesfield) (Lab)]

T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.

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[Several hon. Members rose—]

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Ms Nusrat Ghani)]

Order. That concludes Education questions. I am sorry that I could not fit everyone in; better luck next time.