Speeches by MacAlister.

“At the moment, there is no record of where the records have ended up. There will be nuns who worked in religious institutions that were involved in these adoptions and no longer exist. We hope that another organisation will have retained those records. In some cases, records have been destroyed. There is no national pi…”

“These issues should be being addressed through the clarity that has been provided through the really extensive guidance that was published last year in response to the Joint Committee’s recommendations in relation to this area. I am very happy to take a look at evidence that the Committee might have and follow up with …”

“Specifically for the group that we are talking about, the recognition in services does matter. To provide a bit of challenge back, Jess, I think it is for clinicians to look at NICE guidelines and clinical advice about the most appropriate response and interventions. As a politician, I would not want to stumble into su…”

“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 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…”

“There is significant variation across the country at the moment in the amount of time it takes for different people coming forward to get their records and a response. There are cases where it is 18 months or longer, and that is unacceptable. Last year, the Government issued pretty extensive guidance with expectations …”

“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 …”

“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 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.”

“It should have already been submitted.”

“Of course; I am very happy to.”

“Let me start by saying that the people who certainly should have no shame or stigma on them and were not responsible were the women and babies involved. You can look at this in a number of ways. The proportion of these mother and baby homes that were run by different institutions tells one story. A very large proportio…”

“We looked at the Joint Committee’s report and particular issues around complaints, and we followed up with some of the intermediary services. The Government followed up pretty soon after the Joint Committee’s report. We recognise that the availability of intermediary services and the funding for them need to be greater…”

“It does not serve that purpose, which is why so many people looking for their records are being bounced from pillar to post between different organisations trying to establish where their records may be. That service does not exist. I do not know what that organisation or database provides, but it is not this function;…”

“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 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…”

“Unfortunately, I cannot see those reactions.”

“The Government are actively considering it, and I put the emphasis on the word “actively”. It is a live conversation. I cannot give the Committee a timetable for it, but I know it is urgent. I know that those who have been directly affected by this awful abuse have had to tell the stories you have heard today many time…”

“The SNP’s track record on education is so poor they needed to pull out of the programme for international student assessment—or PISA—league tables because Scotland was plummeting so low. There is a chance to fix that in the elections later on this year. Skills policy is devolved, but as part of our defence boost we are…”

“We will consider ways to make the student loan system fairer, as the Prime Minister said last week. This Government have already reintroduced maintenance grants and raised the repayment threshold to above average graduate salaries, and we are acting across the board on the cost of living by bringing down inflation and …”