Lifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) Bill

Absolutely. I can assure the hon. Gentleman of that, as someone who went to a comprehensive schoo...

I, too, applaud my right hon. Friend’s educational support for people throughout their adult live...

Absolutely. It is important that lifelong learning continues to be accessible to many people. Sad...

We are talking about lifelong learning, but we are now expecting people to work until they are 67...

Subject to the consultation, there will be. I think that there are some age limits at the top end...

My right hon. Friend was just talking about a fair price and a new method for calculating a maxim...

Yes, there have been occasions when some people may have felt that the value of the course they w...

What about carers? Will they still be entitled to carer’s allowance while they study?

I am afraid my hon. Friend is a little ahead of me. This is a subject of the consultation, to whi...

I welcome the commitment to four years because, to follow up on my earlier intervention, some peo...

Yes, absolutely. That is why we sometimes see people take a level 4 or 5 apprenticeship course af...

I call the shadow Minister.

4.2 pm

It is a pleasure to follow the Secretary of State. I share a lot of her view on the importance of...

I very much welcome the Second Reading of this important legislation and the broad principle of e...

I am very much enjoying hearing about my hon. Friend’s father’s views, and I look forward to read...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right: there are those who perhaps did not relish being in the class...

Like my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (David Johnston), I am very interested in my hon. Frie...

I do, and I think that that point has been well made from both sides of the House. With the fourt...

It is a pleasure to follow the Chairman of the Education Select Committee, the hon. Member for Wo...

The hon. Lady is making an interesting case, but does she accept that some people do not want fur...

I see where the hon. Gentleman is coming from, but equally, we are ambitious about making sure th...

It is a great pleasure to be able to participate in this Second Reading debate. I should begin by...

I am learning a lot about my right hon. Friend’s history, which I am finding very interesting. On...

I totally agree with my hon. Friend, who makes a very important point.

Lifelong learning is...

On high quality, does my right hon. Friend recognise, from the independent Wolf review, that at l...

Absolutely. I would also highlight the £490 million in extra funding that the Government are deli...

My right hon. Friend is making an excellent speech. I could not resist the opportunity to welcome...

My hon. Friend makes a brilliant point. I think we would all agree that what we need is upgrading...

I obviously welcome that the fees charged will be limited, but I presume that the colleges will b...

I know that my right hon. Friend has a touch of cynicism. I am an optimist, and I believe that th...

I am grateful for being called to speak in this important debate. The Bill is somewhat technical ...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Waveney (Peter Aldous) and to speak in w...

I recall some of these debates and it was predicted at the time that the universities, in particu...

I am not sure whether my right hon. Friend was in the Chamber earlier when I intervened on the Se...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friends the Members for Newcastle-under-Lyme (Aaron Bell) and ...

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the influencers —be they teachers or parents—who in...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. I do not know enough about why those universities have b...

My hon. Friend speaks with great authority on these matters. I completely agree with his point ab...

My hon. Friend makes another important point, and it leads me incredibly nicely to the point that...

I thoroughly endorse the direction of my hon. Friend’s thoughtful argument. Does he agree that, e...

I completely agree with my right hon. Friend. Part of the reason why that has happened is that yo...

I came into the Chamber after the hon. Gentleman had started his very good speech, so I hope he w...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. I am a politician, so I would never try...

It is an absolute pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Wantage (David Johnston), who ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that some of the contributions about debt, particularly, I regret to sa...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. When we look into how these things work, we see that it is no...

We now come to the wind-ups. I call the shadow Minister.

6.1 pm

I have benefited from training courses and adult education throughout my career, as I am sure man...

I thank the shadow spokesman for the Labour party, the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Ma...

The Minister is a decent individual, so I ask that we have sufficient time to consider the respon...

I repeat that the consultation will definitely be ready by Report stage, if not before; I guarant...

Does the Minister agree that the Bill will be transformational? By enabling people to change care...

My right hon. Friend, who made a brilliant speech, is absolutely right. We will also be resourcin...

Will my right hon. Friend give way? [Interruption.]

I just want to answer some other questions that the Labour spokesman asked first.

To be cle...

Order. Could I ask Members to be quiet, because we cannot hear what the Minister is saying and he...

We will keep the student finance system under review to ensure it is delivering value for money b...

I am hugely grateful to my right hon. Friend for giving way. Clearly, this is a devolved area of ...

My right hon. Friend makes an important point. We will be able to explain further once the consul...

My right hon. Friend will know that the difference between the Report and Committee stages can of...

Order. Once again, there are clearly important interventions being made. I am sure right hon. and...

Of course I will consider the representations made by my hon. Friend the Member for Worcester and...

Does my right hon. Friend agree that as we look to educate people perhaps in middle age into new ...

That is exactly what the Government’s programme is doing. We are investing in employer-led qualif...

As people look to retrain in later life, can we ensure that our armed forces have the support the...

The beauty of the Bill is that it will enable anyone to retrain and do long courses, short course...

Does the Minister agree that as well as the Bill and Government support, the £6.6 million of inve...

Order. Once again it is getting very noisy, and we are not able to hear the Minister’s answers. I...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. I wonder whether you could make an inquiry into whethe...

I think the situation would be helped—I can still hear a lot of noise, even when I am speaking—[I...

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Gary Sambrook). He ...