Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

My Lords, I thank the Government for bringing forward Amendment 120. Without it, the Bill would have been a hugely retrograde step. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Young, for tabling the amendment, for the meeting that he held, and for the way in which he told us about it. This may be asking for the cherry on the top of the cake as well, but I hope he can confirm, given the traditions and practices that have grown up around allowing in those with special educational needs, that the whole idea of the work-in-progress attitude will be taken forward. The noble Lord covered most of this, particularly the legal grounds which he described very well, but is it the Government’s intention that the spirit which has been developed is to be carried forward? It will mean that people are not excluded simply because they find a certain qualification difficult. If he could affirm that, I would be just that little bit happier. Again, I thank the Minister for bringing forward government Amendment 120. It removes one of my great worries about the Bill. I might have been slightly OTT in suggesting on the last occasion that we torture the person who drafted the Bill as it was, but it was worth it for the look on the face of the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan, as I said it. We should make sure that we capture the spirit of previous legislation over many years. I thank the Government for the, shall we say, well-timed and gracious way that they have taken these corrective steps.