Moved by
Baroness Garden of Frognal
47: Clause 3, leave out Clause 3 and insert the following new Clause—
“Duties of students’ unions
(1) Section 22 of the Education Act 1994 is amended as follows.
(2) In subsection (1), at end insert “and secures freedom of speech within the law for members of the students’ union, students of the provider, staff of the students’ union, staff and members of the provider and of its constituent institutions, and visiting speakers.”
(3) In subsection (2), at end insert—
“(o) the use of any premises occupied by the students’ union is not denied to any individual or body on grounds in relation to an individual or society or other body’s ideas, beliefs or views;
(p) the terms on which such premises are provided are not to any extent based on such grounds;
(q) affiliation to the students’ union is not denied to any student society on such grounds;
(r) use by any individual or body of premises occupied by the students’ union is not on terms that require the individual or body to bear some or all of the costs of security relating to their use of the premises.”
(4) After subsection (3) insert—
“(3A) The code of practice shall set out—
(a) the students’ union’s values relating to freedom of speech and an explanation of how those values uphold freedom of speech;
(b) the procedures to be followed by its staff and its members who are students of the registered higher education provider in connection with the organisation of—
(i) meetings which are to be held on the premises occupied by the students’ union and which fall within any class of meeting specified in the code, and
(ii) other activities which are to take place on those premises and which fall within any class of activity so specified;
(c) the conduct required of such persons in connection with any such meeting or activity; and
(d) the criteria to be used by the students’ union in making decisions about the union’s support and funding for events and activities to which the duties in this section are relevant, and whether to allow the use of premises and on what terms.””
Member’s explanatory statement
This amendment suggests an alternative method for placing duties on students' unions by amending the Education Act 1994, and along with the proposed removal of clause 7 seeks to probe whether the OfS should directly regulate SUs or whether they should be regulated via the relevant provider.