Speeches by MacAlister.

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026. Thank you, Dr Huq, for chairing this Committee. Teacher training quality is critical across all phases of education, from early years through to adult education. In October 2025, the skills White Pa…”

“There is an opportunity here for a brief respite from what might be happening in the rest of the building and to share some cross-party agreement, so let me say that we were delighted that the previous Conservative Government, and before them the coalition Government, continued many of the reforms that the former Labou…”

“I am not in a position to set out the details of how that would work, but I am confident about giving the commitment that we will do that with those who have been affected by it. The model of Government apologies, when they have been effective, is that they have fully involved those who were on the receiving end of sta…”

“It should have already been submitted.”

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Higher Education (Fee Limits and Fee Limit Condition) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. To begin, I would like to take this opportunity briefly to explain that in the explanatory note for the st…”

“I completely agree. Saying sorry and not meaning it is almost worse than a position of regret. I read the same evidence that you are referring to and can absolutely understand why the words and the meaning of this would need to be very carefully pulled together.”

“I thank Committee members for their contributions today. I will endeavour to respond to the points made by the hon. Members for Rutland and Stamford and for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire, but before I do, let me reiterate the importance of this statutory instrument for putting our higher education sector on a secure …”

“Certainly not. In fact, the current student loan system—I believe it is plan 5—which is due to come online with the first graduates this year, has been increased in line with inflation by this Government. The point stands that the choice of the Government back then was to maintain the threshold where it was and effecti…”

“I am pleased to hear that that is where the hon. Lady was at that time. The Conservative Government and the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition froze thresholds 10 times.”

“Closer to home, the Scottish and Welsh Government apologies came with announcements of support that are not dissimilar to the approach that is currently being taken here in England by the UK Government. The Australian apology came with resources to also provide support for peer support groups. I know, having spoken to …”

“I am sure that the Committee will be delighted that I will give a short answer, and I can provide a point of reassurance. Of course, universities have responsibility to ensure that they contribute to upholding human rights and freedom of speech, and they have an important role to play in that. We have plans to strength…”

“I appreciate my hon. Friend drawing the Committee’s attention to the wider debate around higher education funding at the moment. It is true to say that fee income is only one line of income for universities and that they are facing a whole bunch of pressures in a competitive environment. The Government are committed to…”

“I would be delighted to give way if the hon. Lady will answer this question: how many other times were thresholds frozen by that Government?”

“I do recognise that. In many respects, we do not need to wait for a decision on the apology to start actioning some of those points. Since the Joint Committee’s report and recommendations, some actions have been taken forward by the previous Government and by this Government. It is worth updating the Committee on three…”

“Yes, I can. We have looked pretty closely at the apologies that have been offered by the Scottish and Welsh Governments, and the Australian Government, as well as the support that has been provided alongside them, as did the Joint Committee. We want to make sure that the next steps are not just about statements, but ab…”

“Thank you, Chair, and thank you to the Select Committee for taking evidence on this issue and for this session. I particularly thank Debbie, Sally, Ann and Diana for the really powerful experiences that they have shared, not just today but previously as well. I am Josh MacAlister and I am the Minister for Children and …”

“Yes, and there are a few things that I would like to share in terms of the Government’s position on this issue, which differs from that of the previous Government. I wholly agree with you, Chair, when you say—I believe that you are speaking for the Committee—that there is unfinished business on this issue. The Governme…”

“I cannot put a timescale on it but, as I say, this is urgent; I recognise that. This is not something that we can take a long over. The campaigners have been making the case for many years.”

“The first thing to say is that the priority needs to be on those most immediately affected as adult adoptees, and on the women who had babies forcibly removed from them and their harrowing experiences. What is so troubling about the history of this issue is the degree to which, as you described, it was sustained by tro…”

“It is and I agree. It is also not limited to historical experiences of the adoption process. To be candid, it is also an issue that children’s social care still has with how it functions much of the time. It wields enormous power over families, justifiably so on important occasions where there is significant harm to a …”