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Education and Skills Bill

I am most grateful to the Minister for his reply and for everyone who has commented. If my amendments did somehow find their way into the legislation I would not expect there to be large numbers of children seeking permission to opt out. If it meant a serious discussion with the vicar, priest or head teacher about deep issues of religion, philosophy, and so on, and the child being seriously questioned about what he or she thought and why, I do not think that too many children would want to go through that unless they seriously felt that they wanted to opt out. I cannot see it resulting in a mass opt-out. Assembly is fairly easily dealt with. The religious element could be done at the end, and the other children could do something else or go straight to their next class. Many schools do not do collective worship in any case. They vote with their feet. In response to the noble Lord, Lord Elton, my five-point plan was there to explain my position on the amendments, rather than an expectation of how parents would consider them. I must clarify—the Minister understood this—that I am not against religious education. I feel that the role of teaching that any religion is the one true one should not be done in the classroom; that should be done separately. It is important for social cohesion for all children to know that Christians do not have horns, and nor do Muslims or Hindus, but that we are all people. Learning about what different people believe and how it affects their culture is a very good thing for all children. On the question of when parents lose control of their children, I have carefully kept in the parental opt-out, so that parents have the opportunity of opting out the child. However, if the parents did not feel inclined to do that, Gillick-competent children should have that right. Clearly, I am reflecting the comments of the Joint Committee on Human Rights. I am disappointed that the Minister has not felt able to move any further forward as the time has now come to look again at the matter, which is why I have raised it. I will read his remarks with great care, but I may want to return to this on Report. In the mean time I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. [Amendments Nos. 225B and 225C not moved.] Clause 127 agreed to. [Amendment No. 225D not moved.] Clauses 128 and 129 agreed to.