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Vol. 727 Thursday No. 154 19 May 2011 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions Children: Parenting Education: Bahraini Students EU: Transfer of Iranian Refugees Courts: Super-injunctions Localism Bill First Reading Business of the House Timing of Debates Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 (Amendment) Order 2011 Export Control (Amendment) (No. 3) Order 2011 Motion to Refer to Grand Committee European Convention on Human Rights Debate Civil Legal Aid Debate Employment and Support Allowance (Work-Related Activity) Regulations 2011 Motion to Approve Social Security (Electronic Communications) Order 2011 Motion to Approve Written Statements Written Answers For column numbers see back page £3·50 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. The bound volumes also will be sent to those Peers who similarly notify their wish to receive them. 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All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2011, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/our-services/parliamentary-licence-information.htm Enquiries to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 4DU; email: [email protected] 1483 Children: Parenting[19 MAY 2011] Children: Parenting 1484 Lord Anderson of Swansea: Does the Minister agree House of Lords that it is not the job of the state to do the job of parents? Rather than definition, surely we need action. Thursday, 19 May 2011. Action was promised in the coalition document, but 11 am action there has been none. What will the Government do in terms of fiscal incentives and general improvements Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chester. in the context within which parents can bring up loving families? Children: Parenting Lord Hill of Oareford: I am glad that the noble Lord agrees that there is no need for more definition Question around this. In terms of practical steps that have been taken, I disagree that the Government have done 11.06 am nothing. A range of steps have been taken including extending free nursery care for two year-olds to Asked By Lord Northbourne disadvantaged families, extending the offer to three To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they and four year-olds, doubling the number of people have any plans to define more clearly the responsibilities working in family-nurse partnerships and increasing of parenthood. the number of family health visitors, so a number of practical steps have been taken. Clearly there are The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for families in which parents have problems in performing Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): My Lords, the their duties properly. There are lessons we can learn Government recognise that the vast majority of parents from the extremely important and valuable work of in this country understand their responsibilities and the previous Government with family intervention take them very seriously. They are doing a good job in projects, which we can try to extend. bringing up their children. It is not government’s role Lord St John of Fawsley: My Lords, could the to tell parents how to raise their children. The state Government not arrange economic affairs so that already has clear powers to intervene where parents more parents are encouraged to get married? fail in the care of their children and we have no plans to add to the legislation on this issue. Lord Hill of Oareford: My Lords, the question of what those economic incentives might be is clearly a Lord Northbourne: I am grateful to the noble Lord matter for my friends at the Treasury. I am sure that for that reply. I was particularly interested in the latter the Chancellor of the Exchequer will consider any part of what he said—what one might call the no-nanny- proposals there might be for such incentives and bring state argument. It seems to me that the Government them forward at the appropriate time. are on the horns of a dilemma. As I understand it, it is their policy to increase equality and social mobility. In The Lord Bishop of Chester: My Lords, international February, we had two debates on the importance of surveys of child happiness show the experience of early parenting in which speaker after speaker emphasised childhood in this country not to be as positive as in the importance of early parenting in enabling a child many other countries, particularly in Europe. Therefore, to succeed in school and in life. How do the Government I wonder whether there is not at least some case for plan to ensure as far as possible that parents understand codifying the proper expectations of a child in relation and know the needs of their children, even if they—the to parenthood, as has been the case, for example, in parents—did not have a happy home life? Are the the Napoleonic Code in France for many years. Is Government prepared to make it clear to parents that there a case not for the nanny state but for some they are responsible for providing the parenting their codification that might help the process of personal children need, or at least to raise the issue? and social education in schools? Lord Hill of Oareford: To revert to my earlier Lord Hill of Oareford: My Lords, I am extremely answer, I am not convinced of the need for a codification. aware that few noble Lords in this House have done I do not know how one would set about it or, in more than the noble Lord, Lord Northbourne, to practical terms, the benefits it might bring. The priority champion the case for parenting, and there is broad should be to focus on and to help those families who agreement in this House about the importance of it. most need help, rather than to draw up an approach The noble Lord asked whether we have plans to specify for all parents and families, as I am not aware that parental responsibilities through more legislation, perhaps there is a particular problem in most families and with in the way that it has been done in Scotland. The most parents. answer is that we do not. Our view is that the Children Act 1989 sets out a very clear framework and having a Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: My Lords, does the new definition of responsibilities could complicate Minister agree that one of the most successful initiatives that. I am not sure that setting a declaratory definition designed to help parents to understand their would help. Most parents know what it is to be a responsibilities was the introduction of Sure Start parent and perform their role well. I am not sure that centres? Is he concerned about the level of cuts being those who do not would be helped by something imposed by cash-strapped local authorities, which is written down on a piece of paper. The priority is to estimated to be around 22 per cent in real terms? Will give practical help to those parents, which I think all his department reconsider its decision not to ring-fence sides of the House agree is an important job. the Sure Start centre grant? 1485 Children: Parenting[LORDS] Education: Bahraini Students 1486 Lord Hill of Oareford: My Lords, I agree with the Lord Howell of Guildford: We have certainly made noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Whitchurch, about the representations along those lines, in very strong terms. contribution that Sure Start centres make. Other initiatives, I could not speculate on what kind of result the such as the family intervention project, pioneered by pressures will have, but we have made the point that the previous Government, achieved a lot and we can students are free to carry on activities here as long as learn from that. I agree about the importance of Sure they do not commit a criminal offence. That is the law Start centres. There is a difference of opinion between and we have made the situation absolutely clear to the us about the degree of local discretion and autonomy Bahraini authorities. that one allows, which is why we have removed the ring-fence. We have put enough money into the early Lord Ahmed: My Lords, is the Minister aware that intervention grant to maintain a universal network of MINAB—the Mosques and Imams National Advisory Sure Start centres, which is what we want to do.