To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of comprehensive schools did not enter any students for a physics, chemistry or biology GCSE in the last year for which figures are available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of comprehensive schools did not enter any students for a physics, chemistry or biology GCSE in the last year for which figures are available.

First, I thank the noble Baroness for the work that she put in with Alan Milburn and her other colleagues to produce an excellent piece of work and a first-rate report. The noble Baroness is absolutely right to place emphasis on the Careers Service and the provision of information, advice...

First, I thank the noble Baroness for the work that she put in with Alan Milburn and her other colleagues to produce an excellent piece of work and a first-rate report. The noble Baroness is absolutely right to place emphasis on the Careers Service and the provision of information, advice...

With your Lordships’ permission, I should like to make a Statement about Higher Ambitions—The future of Universities in a Knowledge Economy that we are publishing today and placing in the House Libraries. The past 10 years have been a decade of outstanding achievement for higher education in this country. Talented...

With your Lordships’ permission, I should like to make a Statement about Higher Ambitions—The future of Universities in a Knowledge Economy that we are publishing today and placing in the House Libraries. The past 10 years have been a decade of outstanding achievement for higher education in this country. Talented...

My Lords, I thank the First Secretary of State for the Statement and for his courtesy in showing it to me beforehand. Like him, I pay tribute to the great strengths of our higher education sector and to the talented people who work in it. This strategy document has been...

My Lords, I thank the First Secretary of State for the Statement and for his courtesy in showing it to me beforehand. Like him, I pay tribute to the great strengths of our higher education sector and to the talented people who work in it. This strategy document has been...

My Lords, I thank the First Secretary of State for his Statement and say how very welcome it is. We share with him the celebration of what has been achieved by our universities during the past two decades in widening access and exploiting their research opportunities, so that we are...

My Lords, I thank the First Secretary of State for his Statement and say how very welcome it is. We share with him the celebration of what has been achieved by our universities during the past two decades in widening access and exploiting their research opportunities, so that we are...

My Lords, I am very grateful for the relevance and precision of all the questions put to me. I shall respond first to the noble Baroness. As I said in my original Statement, it is important that we reduce the inequity—as she calls it—between full-time and part-time students. In the...

My Lords, I am very grateful for the relevance and precision of all the questions put to me. I shall respond first to the noble Baroness. As I said in my original Statement, it is important that we reduce the inequity—as she calls it—between full-time and part-time students. In the...

I am sympathetic to the sentiment that my noble friend has expressed. If he does not mind, though, I would like to reserve my response for the time when we launch our fees review.

I am sympathetic to the sentiment that my noble friend has expressed. If he does not mind, though, I would like to reserve my response for the time when we launch our fees review.

My Lords, I welcome all the thrust of my noble friend’s Statement as well as the bipartisanship and commitment to continuity in policy on higher education that we have seen today. While agreeing absolutely with him that universities have a duty to be responsive to their students and to provide...

My Lords, I welcome all the thrust of my noble friend’s Statement as well as the bipartisanship and commitment to continuity in policy on higher education that we have seen today. While agreeing absolutely with him that universities have a duty to be responsive to their students and to provide...

I give the noble Lord the firm undertaking that, as we take forward and consult on all the proposals contained in this framework, I and my Universities Minister will want to be satisfied that any change that comes about will not lead to the growth of the trend that he...

I give the noble Lord the firm undertaking that, as we take forward and consult on all the proposals contained in this framework, I and my Universities Minister will want to be satisfied that any change that comes about will not lead to the growth of the trend that he...

My Lords, I welcome the Statement from the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, under whom I have had much pleasure in serving for several years. There is no doubt that the present Government have done many good things, both for universities in general and for research in particular, but, as a...

My Lords, I welcome the Statement from the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, under whom I have had much pleasure in serving for several years. There is no doubt that the present Government have done many good things, both for universities in general and for research in particular, but, as a...

My Lords, everything that the First Secretary has said—

My Lords, everything that the First Secretary has said—

My Lords, I must declare great enthusiasm for what my noble friend said. Some of us tried to run universities under the previous regime and this is a pleasant improvement. It is worth pointing out that some of the Government’s other policies have also assisted higher education. I am thinking...

My Lords, I must declare great enthusiasm for what my noble friend said. Some of us tried to run universities under the previous regime and this is a pleasant improvement. It is worth pointing out that some of the Government’s other policies have also assisted higher education. I am thinking...

Yes, my Lords, I think that I can give the noble Lord that reassurance. In what he says he seems to be endorsing the approach that I have set out this afternoon. First, I would like to stress that, when I talk about research concentration depending on the volume and...

Yes, my Lords, I think that I can give the noble Lord that reassurance. In what he says he seems to be endorsing the approach that I have set out this afternoon. First, I would like to stress that, when I talk about research concentration depending on the volume and...

My Lords, would the Minister say a little more about the concentration of research, particularly in the science, engineering and technology fields? I agree entirely with the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, about collaboration, which can take place in these subjects as well. However, in certain subjects it is difficult to...

My Lords, would the Minister say a little more about the concentration of research, particularly in the science, engineering and technology fields? I agree entirely with the noble Baroness, Lady Sharp, about collaboration, which can take place in these subjects as well. However, in certain subjects it is difficult to...

I certainly agree with my noble friend that as much form-filling and box-ticking as we can persuade others to reduce is welcome, but perhaps I may emphasise one of my noble friend’s other points. Universities are not factories for producing workers; they are educational institutions that exist not only to...

I certainly agree with my noble friend that as much form-filling and box-ticking as we can persuade others to reduce is welcome, but perhaps I may emphasise one of my noble friend’s other points. Universities are not factories for producing workers; they are educational institutions that exist not only to...

I welcome what the right reverend Prelate has said. However, he should not take my definition of economic growth and creating wealth in the narrow way that he implied. When we talk about pain research or other ways of paying attention to the needs of the sick, we are talking...

I welcome what the right reverend Prelate has said. However, he should not take my definition of economic growth and creating wealth in the narrow way that he implied. When we talk about pain research or other ways of paying attention to the needs of the sick, we are talking...

My Lords, I declare an interest as a member of the court of Leeds University. I particularly welcome the references in the Statement to potential, to serving all who benefit, and also to universities’ contribution to their local communities and the important part that that plays within the life of...

My Lords, I declare an interest as a member of the court of Leeds University. I particularly welcome the references in the Statement to potential, to serving all who benefit, and also to universities’ contribution to their local communities and the important part that that plays within the life of...

I welcome what the noble Lord has said and take this opportunity to wish him a happy birthday. It is very important to stress this point: if we are going to ask students to make greater individual payments and to take out loans, which they pay back subsequently, they have...

I welcome what the noble Lord has said and take this opportunity to wish him a happy birthday. It is very important to stress this point: if we are going to ask students to make greater individual payments and to take out loans, which they pay back subsequently, they have...