To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Nash on 1 December (HL3032 and HL3033), whether they consider that independent schools are obliged to meet the requirements in section 78 of the Education Act 2002 to teach a broad and balanced curriculum; and whether such schools...

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Nash on 1 December (HL3032 and HL3033), whether they consider that independent schools are obliged to meet the requirements in section 78 of the Education Act 2002 to teach a broad and balanced curriculum; and whether such schools...

Following the announcement in the Queen's speech yesterday about our intention to introduce a new primary national curriculum from September 2011, I am today publishing the details of what the primary curriculum will look like and announcing improved accountability arrangements for primary schools from 2010. Primary Curriculum The new national...

Following the announcement in the Queen's speech yesterday about our intention to introduce a new primary national curriculum from September 2011, I am today publishing the details of what the primary curriculum will look like and announcing improved accountability arrangements for primary schools from 2010. Primary Curriculum The new national...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Following the announcement in the Queen’s Speech yesterday about our intention to introduce a new primary national curriculum from September 2011, I am today publishing the details of...

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families (Ed Balls) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement. Following the announcement in the Queen’s Speech yesterday about our intention to introduce a new primary national curriculum from September 2011, I am today publishing the details of...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for initiating this debate. I also apologise to her and other noble Lords for not being in my place at the beginning. I shall read her remarks in Hansard with great interest. Like other noble Lords, I have had the...

My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for initiating this debate. I also apologise to her and other noble Lords for not being in my place at the beginning. I shall read her remarks in Hansard with great interest. Like other noble Lords, I have had the...

To call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin; and to move for papers.

To call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin; and to move for papers.

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin. Motion withdrawn.

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin. Motion withdrawn.

My Lords, first, I congratulate my good friend the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on this very timely debate. The two greatest alumni of my Cambridge college—Christ’s College—which celebrated its 500th birthday four years ago, were Milton and Darwin. The quinquennial lecture was given by Professor Sir Paul Nurse, a Nobel...

My Lords, first, I congratulate my good friend the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on this very timely debate. The two greatest alumni of my Cambridge college—Christ’s College—which celebrated its 500th birthday four years ago, were Milton and Darwin. The quinquennial lecture was given by Professor Sir Paul Nurse, a Nobel...

My Lords, it is a great delight and honour for me to open today’s debate about a great man who represented a great era in our history, when scientific and technological developments moved us into a new world. This very building is a product of that age and I have...

My Lords, it is a great delight and honour for me to open today’s debate about a great man who represented a great era in our history, when scientific and technological developments moved us into a new world. This very building is a product of that age and I have...

My Lords, like other noble Lords I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for this very timely debate. No one can read the Origin of Species without being struck first and foremost by the massive integrity and honesty of Darwin. He always admits where he does not...

My Lords, like other noble Lords I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for this very timely debate. No one can read the Origin of Species without being struck first and foremost by the massive integrity and honesty of Darwin. He always admits where he does not...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend Lady Hooper on initiating this splendid debate. It has been so revealing that several noble Lords have such distinguished ancestors associated with Darwin, including my noble friends Lord Jenkin of Roding and Lord Lyell, and the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, but more...

My Lords, I, too, congratulate my noble friend Lady Hooper on initiating this splendid debate. It has been so revealing that several noble Lords have such distinguished ancestors associated with Darwin, including my noble friends Lord Jenkin of Roding and Lord Lyell, and the noble Lord, Lord Avebury, but more...

My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for introducing a rich and fascinating debate. I have learnt much from it. The title it was given was, ""to call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin"." Although mention has been made of them,...

My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for introducing a rich and fascinating debate. I have learnt much from it. The title it was given was, ""to call attention to the celebrations of the bicentenary of Charles Darwin"." Although mention has been made of them,...

My Lords, I feel totally justified in having brought this Motion before your Lordships. It has been a serious, well informed and inspiring debate, and as I anticipated, I, for one, have learnt a great deal. I found it fascinating, in listening to every word from every speaker, is that...

My Lords, I feel totally justified in having brought this Motion before your Lordships. It has been a serious, well informed and inspiring debate, and as I anticipated, I, for one, have learnt a great deal. I found it fascinating, in listening to every word from every speaker, is that...

My Lords, it is customary from this Dispatch Box to thank the originator of the debate, and I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for producing an occasion that we will all recall with a great deal of pleasure, given the diversity of viewpoints that have been expressed and the...

My Lords, it is customary from this Dispatch Box to thank the originator of the debate, and I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for producing an occasion that we will all recall with a great deal of pleasure, given the diversity of viewpoints that have been expressed and the...

My Lords, that was a helpful interjection, and some of my distinguished colleagues will be able to tackle that question much better than I can. I was on the point of moving from that aspect of Darwin’s life to explore a little the controversy over his theory of evolution and...

My Lords, that was a helpful interjection, and some of my distinguished colleagues will be able to tackle that question much better than I can. I was on the point of moving from that aspect of Darwin’s life to explore a little the controversy over his theory of evolution and...

My Lords, the biggest temptation in this debate today will be to look back only in a historical sense at the great achievements of Charles Darwin, to glorify his scientific research and evaluate his achievements. However, on occasions such as this, we must look forward with optimism and inspire a...

My Lords, the biggest temptation in this debate today will be to look back only in a historical sense at the great achievements of Charles Darwin, to glorify his scientific research and evaluate his achievements. However, on occasions such as this, we must look forward with optimism and inspire a...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness on introducing this extraordinarily interesting debate. It is topical not only because it celebrates Darwin’s bicentenary but in other ways to which I shall draw your Lordships’ attention. As the noble Baroness explained, Darwin made a wonderful discovery and his scientific principle is...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness on introducing this extraordinarily interesting debate. It is topical not only because it celebrates Darwin’s bicentenary but in other ways to which I shall draw your Lordships’ attention. As the noble Baroness explained, Darwin made a wonderful discovery and his scientific principle is...

My Lords, I sometimes think that those who draw up the list of speakers for debates such as this have a remarkable sense of humour. I find myself, as president of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, speaking between two Bishops and I cannot help feeling that that is, to some...

My Lords, I sometimes think that those who draw up the list of speakers for debates such as this have a remarkable sense of humour. I find myself, as president of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, speaking between two Bishops and I cannot help feeling that that is, to some...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Chorley, with his description of Charles Darwin’s meticulous observations and record-keeping. That is the theme that I would like to follow. How do we inculcate in the modern generation, particularly pupils at primary schools, secondary schools and through...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Chorley, with his description of Charles Darwin’s meticulous observations and record-keeping. That is the theme that I would like to follow. How do we inculcate in the modern generation, particularly pupils at primary schools, secondary schools and through...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on an imaginative choice of subject for our debate, and what an extraordinarily interesting debate we are having. The subject has brought out an unusual and lengthy list of speakers, containing three bishops—I follow the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on an imaginative choice of subject for our debate, and what an extraordinarily interesting debate we are having. The subject has brought out an unusual and lengthy list of speakers, containing three bishops—I follow the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of...

My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Lyell, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for introducing this debate and for giving us the chance to celebrate the memory of Charles Darwin. I declare an interest; my wife is a Darwin scholar much involved in the publications and conferences going...

My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Lyell, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, for introducing this debate and for giving us the chance to celebrate the memory of Charles Darwin. I declare an interest; my wife is a Darwin scholar much involved in the publications and conferences going...