Speeches by Phillipson.

“I recognise that the higher education sector does need a secure financial footing and the pressures that many institutions are under at the moment. That is why I took the difficult but necessary decision to make the announcement last year around changes in funding to provide more investment into the sector but also som…”

“There is a question about take-up, including even among some parents who might be eligible, in terms of a reluctance or perhaps the lack of places that are available, who therefore are not able to take up what they might be entitled to. The early years entitlements are crucial and we know that it makes a big difference…”

“Through the Budget we announced over £8 billion by way of financial support towards the entitlements around early years education and care. That is a crucial part of this. Alongside that it is also around early family support. Yes, it is about the formal offer that we give to children and families but it is also about …”

“I have been clear that this is my single biggest priority because it is where we make the single biggest difference to children’s life chances. It is how we set them up to succeed. It is central to our mission of giving every child the best start in life. It is why as part of the Plan for Change we had that focus on a …”

“I think degree apprenticeships provide a fantastic route for young people. We want to make sure that there are more of them. I want more apprenticeship starts right across the board. There is particularly a challenge alongside degree apprenticeships in level 2 and level 3 apprenticeship starts at the moment, where not …”

“With permission, I shall make a statement on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. In July 2024 I paused further commencement of the Act in response to concerns raised by a cross-section of voices. I took that decision because it is vital that we get this right. Our universities are one of this country’s g…”

“What we inherited from the previous Government was not a genuine attempt to solve a genuine problem; it was a mess designed to put party ahead of country. We saw a misplaced fascination with headlines for themselves, rather than a serious attempt to safeguard freedom of speech and academic freedom. It is precisely beca…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for her questions and her approach, and I look forward to discussing these issues with the Select Committee in due course should its members so wish. My hon. Friend’s point about disagreement is important. Free speech should be robust and we should be able to express our views, but all o…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising those questions. I will start where we agree, and then move on to where I might disagree with him. I agree that freedom of speech and academic freedom are essential, but, sadly, we have seen too many examples of their not being upheld in the way that they should be by uni…”

“Yes, and the answer is that my expectation is that private schools, which can make decisions about how they support pupils and families within their institution, are able to make decisions about how they might put in place that support. To the wider point around the numbers and the movement we anticipate, the numbers a…”

“I am answering the question, which is to say they can make decisions about what they ask of parents by way of contribution. If they believe there to be cases where that might be a challenge in the way that you have described, then those schools as institutions that can make decisions around their own budgets, around pl…”

“Private schools as private institutions are responsible for determining what they charge parents, the level of fee that they apply and they have flexibility as to how—”

“A floor and no ceiling.”

“We do want to keep this under review. You will appreciate that this drifts slightly beyond my responsibility. There is clearly, as you have described there, a connection between schools for which I am responsible and the wider issues around social media use and access to unsuitable material online. This is something th…”

“That is absolutely essential. The same is true for Jewish students and others from minority groups as they go about their business at school and college. Sadly, I have heard too many examples of abuse and intimidation of the sort that my hon. Friend describes. Universities must be robust places of intellectual challeng…”

“I am grateful to my hon. Friend for sharing those comments. I pay tribute to the Union of Jewish Students for the amazing work it does every day to support Jewish students on campus and to ensure that their voices are heard, including at the highest levels of Government. I give my commitment to UJS that I will continue…”

“Thank you very much, Chair, and I will endeavour to do that this morning. I am delighted to be here today and I want to say before I go further how proud I am to be in front of you. There is no job better in government and no better Select Committee to sit on. I want to thank you, Chair, for the early opportunity to up…”

“Yes, of course, and those are the right questions to be asking. I know that people want to be confident about data security and how this will work with appropriate secure governance. That is why through the pilot areas that we will be bringing on board we will make sure we can test all this and ensure that information …”

“I share the hon. Lady’s concern about the mental health challenges that many of our young people are experiencing, and we are committed to rolling out mental health support right across our schools. On the wider challenge of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, I wish to make clear to t…”

“No; I invite the right hon. Lady to look carefully at the measures in the Bill. We will not hesitate to intervene in failing schools—indeed, we will intervene a lot sooner than the Conservatives did in schools that are coasting. Those schools that fall short of the statutory level of intervention will see regional impr…”