Queen’s Speech

My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in the debate on the loyal Address covering education, health and culture. In doing so, I declare my interest as chief executive of Universities UK. The loyal Address mentioned three Bills that will have some impact on higher education, and it is on this that I want to focus my contribution to the debate. I shall remark briefly on each of them but I should like to set those remarks in context. This House needs no reminding of either the economic challenges that we face in this country or the role that our universities can play, with the right support, in ensuring the UK’s prosperity in the long term. Universities are the engines of the knowledge economy and creators of cultural wealth and social capital. The central role that they play in meeting some of the grand challenges of the 21st century means that ensuring their continued strength must, and should, be a national priority. The Government have made a substantial investment in supporting universities in science and research, and as this investment has flowed, the UK has continued to improve its research performance; for example, increasing its share of the world’s most influential papers from 12.9 per cent to 13.4 per cent in two years. Since 2001 income from business through consultancy contracts has increased by 128 per cent and the total turnover of all active university spin-outs by 240 per cent. All of this shows that UK universities are a unique national resource. We must ensure that this resource can be properly utilised to help the country in the current economic downturn. The noble Lord, Lord Baker, referred colourfully to the range of issues we are debating today. I want to extend his net a little and draw in some of the comments made by noble Lords on business and the economy on the third day of the debate on the Queen’s Speech. So much of what my noble friend the Minister referred to in his opening speech today is linked to the emphasis on Monday on the maintenance of a highly skilled, highly productive workforce prepared for the future. This is the inspiration driving the noble Lords, Lord Baker and Lord Dearing, in their academies initiative. I, too, am delighted to see the noble Lord, Lord Dearing, who will speak today, looking so well. It is this imperative that drives the Government in the education legislation to which we are referring today. For example, the Government wish to ensure that professionals made redundant as a result of the current economic circumstances should have opportunities to enter, or in many cases re-enter, higher education. The commitment to supporting people to re-enter education lies at the heart of the children, skills and learning Bill, which seeks to introduce an entitlement to an apprenticeship to all suitably qualified young people by 2013, and to offer workers the right to take time off to train. The Bill is a practical expression of the Prime Minister’s often repeated conviction that the UK cannot expect to compete on the basis of low skills—a conviction fully supported by the evidence produced by the noble Lord, Lord Leitch, in his review when he pointed out that 70 per cent of the workforce of 2020 are already in work, and we should focus on them. Together with the demographic dip which Universities UK has analysed in our recent submission to the DIUS debate on higher education, it is clear that the Government’s emphasis on attracting learners from the current working population is the right one. However, it would be remiss of me not to point out that this commitment would be most effectively supported by reconsidering the current policy on equivalent and lower level qualifications, known as ELQs. It seems odd that at the same time as arguing the need for more higher education, particularly for those faced with redundancy—the noble Baroness, Lady Howe of Idlicote, referred to this—the Government have effectively frozen additional student numbers on which that expansion is likely to depend, although I acknowledge that that will not affect provision that is co-funded by employers. With reference to the children, skill and learning Bill, will the Minister expand on that definition of ““suitably qualified””? Will the apprenticeships scheme include progression to higher education so that apprentices could achieve foundation degree status or even go on to obtain higher degrees? Also on this subject, will the Minister clarify the Government’s intentions to offer workers the right to take time off to train? Will this entitlement also include higher level qualifications? I mentioned earlier the role that universities could play in assisting the economy. I am pleased to inform the House that universities have responded with a will to offer help to small and medium-sized businesses suffering in the downturn. Universities UK, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, and GuildHE have produce Standing Together, which highlights the central role of universities in supporting businesses and individuals with skills, advice, knowledge transfer and know-how. The leaflet offers practical support by giving the contact details of what is known as the front door for business at every higher education institution that is a member of either GuildHE or Universities UK. Of course, many universities are adding to the health and wealth of the economy through their own spin-out companies to which I referred earlier. The second Bill I wish to refer to briefly is the borders, immigration and citizenship Bill. International students and researchers contribute extensively to the academic, cultural and economic health of our country. While universities are as committed as any other sector to ensuring the security of our country, they are also trying to balance this with the need to remain competitive with other countries in attracting the best brains—the best students and researchers to this country. It is vital, therefore, that when any immigration measures are introduced, the impact on higher education as an attractive and welcoming place to study and indeed as an export earner, is not compromised. My final remarks relate to higher education and the health service. The health Bill sets out to highlight patients’ rights and the quality of care they can expect to receive. Central to delivering that is the training and education of medical, dental and nursing staff and those in allied health professions. Most universities are involved in providing training or conducting research for the NHS in some way. However, it is clear that in the synergy between the health service and higher education, particularly in relation to workforce planning and commissioning and the multiprofessional education and training levy, known as MPET, there needs to be better communication between the Department of Health and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. I hope that the Minister who opened the debate, who has feet in the academic and the government camp, will be able to take these points back to his department. Universities already play a crucial role in the development of our workforce nationally and internationally and are key to helping the country through this economic downturn. I look forward to the debates that will take place on the Bills within the loyal Address and hope that noble Lords will join me in recognising the importance of our universities and the necessity to ensure that they have the right public support to meet the challenges that face us.