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Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I do not think that I have ever risen to speak at the point of changeover of chairmen before, and I am not sure of the protocol. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, for his remarks. During the Recess we were able to have discussions about these issues and respond to the concerns raised both in those meetings and during the debates in another place. As a result we are bringing forward amendments in response to concerns about the low proportion of male teachers in primary schools. For this reason, I propose to speak to the amendments tabled in my name which remove the requirement that a witness to the search be the same gender as the learner being searched where this is not practicable. I hope that noble Lords agree that this strikes an appropriate balance, but I gather that the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, does not agree that it does so. However, we are talking about getting the balance right in realistic school situations without weakening the important safeguards in place for learners and, as he suggests, for staff as well. There is a need to maintain consistency across school establishments. We recognise the difficulties that these safeguards present, particularly to primary schools. However, the powers would be used only rarely in primary schools and the protection these safeguards provide are important for both pupils and staff. They will help to maintain the powers in place to ensure discipline and the orderly running of schools. I appreciate the noble Lord’s comments, but we have made moves towards what I believe will strike the right balance. With that, I hope that the noble Lord will feel able to support the government amendments and not press those tabled in the names of his noble friends Lady Verma and Lord De Mauley.