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Education and Inspections Bill

The hon. Gentleman is right: those two things are different. The important point to understand, however, is that the Bill does not change schools’ obligation to provide both religious education and a daily act of worship. The hon. Gentleman’s argument is, in a sense, with the legislation and the Government rather than with me. While I agree with the hon. Gentleman that the two things are different, it seems to me entirely proper for them to sit side by side in a good school. The amendments make a number of proposals about who can opt out of those obligations. As the hon. Gentleman will know, at present parental consent is required for any child to opt out—which, again, is entirely appropriate. The amendments suggest that that should not apply to children over 16, which would bring the Bill more closely into line with human rights legislation, although, as the hon. Member for Brent, East said, it would not necessarily do the job completely. The hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) wants to go further, and allow a wider range of children to exercise judgment if they are deemed competent to do so.