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Vol. 721 Wednesday No. 46 13 October 2010 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDER OF BUSINESS Questions Education: Overseas Students Human Fertilisation and Embryology: Regulation Roads: Cyclists Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill Communications Committee Membership Motion Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology Membership Motion Deputy Chairman of Committees Membership Motion Bloody Sunday Inquiry Motion to Take Note 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. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. 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THE INDEX to each Bound Volume of House of Commons Debates is published separately at £9·00 and can be supplied to standing order. WEEKLY INFORMATION BULLETIN, compiled by the House of Commons, gives details of past and forthcoming business, the work of Committees and general information on legislation, etc. Single copies: £1·50. Annual subscription: £53·50. All prices are inclusive of postage. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2010, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through the Office of Public Sector Information website at www.opsi.gov.uk/click-use/ 509 Education: Overseas Students[13 OCTOBER 2010] Education: Overseas Students 510 Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: My Lords, does the House of Lords noble Baroness acknowledge, contrary to the point of view put by the questioner, that in fact the previous Wednesday, 13 October 2010. Government took action against unscrupulous course providers through the sponsor licensing system? Can 3pm she say how many education providers were closed as a result of those actions? Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chester. Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, the previous Government certainly began to put measures in place. Education: Overseas Students This Government have built on those measures, very Question much strengthened them and are still evaluating whether we have strong enough measures in place. If we want 3.06 pm to take further measures, we shall announce them before Asked By Lord Naseby the end of the year. As to the numbers, 220 institutions have been suspended since the tier-4 system put in To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps place by this Government took effect; 53 of those are they are taking to enforce the rules that require permanent suspensions and 78 are still under evaluation. students coming to the United Kingdom for study Real measures are being taken—with teeth. to have an intermediate, rather than elementary, level of English. Baroness Sharp of Guildford: My Lords, what is the position of language schools, which are extremely The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville- important to some seaside towns? Jones): My Lords, in order to enforce the rule that students must have an intermediate level of English Baroness Neville-Jones: Indeed, and no part of the when applying to study in the UK, the UK Border Government’s policy is aimed at doing anything other Agency will refuse applications in cases where students than enabling genuine language schools to offer genuine who are required to have an English language test set language teaching to genuine students—one of the by an approved provider cannot present the verifiable points made earlier by my noble friend. The English evidence of having so achieved that qualification. These language qualification for those courses is lower because rules came into effect on 12 August. it is designed to enable people either to do a foundation course or to learn basic English, so different rules apply. On the other hand, we intend those students to Lord Naseby: My Lords, that is a very encouraging actually be in genuine institutions. Answer, because I have asked questions in this broad field at least four times, and this is the first time that Baroness O’Neill of Bengarve: Does the Minister we have heard a positive Answer about progress, compared consider that adequate safeguards are in place to with the shambles whereby something like 20 per cent detect impersonation in oral examinations by those of overseas students are still here five years after who present themselves at the borders with supposed graduating. Does my noble friend recognise, like those qualifications? If so, what are they? of us who watched the television this morning, that the wonderful rescue taking place in Chile has been Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, if you are to be achieved by sheer skill, organisation, professionalism required to have an English language qualification and true leadership? Will she ensure that the Foreign before you turn up, that obviously has to have been Office, the UK Border Agency and the home agencies acquired somewhere else. A register has been built up involved, for once, co-ordinate their activities so that of approved institutions, which have to demonstrate genuine students can come to genuine universities and that they are both able and capable of providing the genuine colleges? necessary qualification. They have to have a trading presence in this country and a reputation established Baroness Neville-Jones: I am sure that the whole independently of their application to government. If House would endorse what the noble Lord said about that is done, it is hoped that the qualifications will the skill with which the miners in Chile are being prove genuine. However, there is also monitoring of rescued from what would otherwise have been a terrible those institutions, whereby people go along and inspect fate. As to the skill with which government departments whether they are still providing courses of the right are to operate on overseas students, we have put in level and whether the students are attending. place a number of measures which indeed include co-ordination between individuals in the UK Border Lord Tomlinson: I go back to the question asked by Agency and Foreign Office posts. The system is designed my noble friend Lord Hunt about the number of to do two things. One is to monitor the conduct of institutions that are no longer in business compared sponsoring institutions so that they do their duty by with when the previous Government introduced the ensuring that students who are registered with them review that led to the points-based system. Will the actually turn up. The other is to ensure that the Minister agree with me if I suggest that 2,000 colleges students actually come; and if they do not come, they did not get the necessary level of accreditation ever to will be penalised. If the institutions fail to ensure that be put on the register, and that the number that she their students turn up and do not correct that, they gave was for institutions that were accredited but have will have their licences taken away. since been knocked off the register? Therefore, the 511 Education: Overseas Students[LORDS] Fertilisation and Embryology 512 [LORD TOMLINSON] Baroness Deech: My Lords, I thank the Minister for total number of institutions that are not providing that Answer. Will he assure the House that he will higher education services where they were previously stand by the report of the pre-legislative scrutiny is around 2,300. Does she further agree that it is committee of three years ago and not endanger the imperative for the financial success of higher education statutory functions of the HFEA, including the all- that overseas students come to our higher education important database and the guidance to patients, by institutions, to part-mitigate the cuts that have been splitting up the functions between five other committees, made in higher education and will be made in the thereby saving no money at all and endangering the spending review next week? worldwide reputation of this model of regulation? Earl Howe: My Lords, I recognise the experience of Baroness Neville-Jones: My Lords, I think that this the noble Baroness and I pay tribute to her time as Question is about English language qualifications for chair of the HFEA. The review that we have conducted students arriving in this country. I found it difficult to has been based on a close examination of the functions follow the noble Lord’s logic. Many of the institutions of every arm’s-length body. Whereas some 20 years that were operating without either the necessary ago it may have made sense to look at a single body for qualifications or a licence were clearly being allowed carrying out the functions undertaken by the HFEA, to do so under the previous Government. I have said she will agree that the functions concerned are very that we have suspended some of the institutions that different.