Vol. 803 Thursday No. 65 4 June 2020 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Questions Covid-19: Educational Gaps.........................................................................................1431 National Risk Register .................................................................................................1435 Child Sex Predators ......................................................................................................1438 Covid-19: Obese and Overweight People......................................................................1441 Yemen: Humanitarian Aid Funding Private Notice Question ................................................................................................1444 Business of the House Motion on Standing Orders ...........................................................................................1448 Business of the House Motion to Agree............................................................................................................1449 European Union Committee Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee Membership Motions.....................................................................................................1458 Automatic Enrolment (Offshore Employment) (Amendment) Order 2020 Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Automatic Enrolment) (Amendment) Regulations 2020 Weights and Measures Act 1985 (Definitions of “Metre” and “Kilogram”) (Amendment) Order 2020 Payments to Farmers (Crop Diversification Derogation) (England) Regulations 2020 Northern Ireland Banknote (Designation of Authorised Bank) Regulations 2020 Victims and Witnesses (Scotland) Act 2014 (Consequential Modification) Order 2020 Motions to Approve.......................................................................................................1458 Covid-19: Economy Motion to Consider .......................................................................................................1459 Hong Kong: Human Rights Question for Short Debate.............................................................................................1502 Covid-19: Aviation Commons Urgent Question............................................................................................1521 Covid-19: UK Border Health Measures Statement .....................................................................................................................1525 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. No proofs of Daily Reports are provided. Corrections for the bound volume which Lords wish to suggest to the report of their speeches should be clearly indicated in a copy of the Daily Report, which, with the column numbers concerned shown on the front cover, should be sent to the Editor of Debates, House of Lords, within 14 days of the date of the Daily Report. This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2020-06-04 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour Lab Co-op Labour and Co-operative Party LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2020, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1431 Arrangement of Business [4 JUNE 2020] Covid-19: Educational Gaps 1432 House of Lords Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale (Lab): My Lords, I thank the Minister for her Answer and for her Thursday 4 June 2020 personal commitment to this issue, but she will be aware that the vast majority of vulnerable children 11 am across all four nations of the UK have missed out on the home-schooling operation and the availability of Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford. school-based learning over these recent weeks. There is therefore a need for a national action plan in all four nations to ensure that these vulnerable children are Arrangement of Business not left behind. Will the Minister commit the Government Announcement to bring about the same level of effort as we have seen in the health service and in supporting businesses and 11.05 am jobs during the lockdown period, to make sure that these children recover their learning and deal with the The announcement was made in a Virtual Proceeding trauma—and, potentially, abuse—that many of them via video call. will have suffered during the lockdown period? The Lord Speaker (Lord Fowler): Good morning, my Lords. Welcome to what is the last virtual Oral Baroness Berridge: My Lords, since schools closed Question Time. I take the opportunity to thank everyone to most pupils, teachers and support staff have been for making these procedures possible over the past working hard to keep schools open for vulnerable weeks. Next week we plan to introduce the new hybrid children. However, as the noble Lord makes clear, only House, and guidance for Members will be issued very 15% of vulnerable children were taking up this offer. shortly. That will be followed by remote voting, which Yes, we are keenly looking at all the options to ensure is designed to beat the queues. that particularly disadvantaged children are given an Virtual Proceedings of the House of Lords will opportunity to catch up on their learning; those in now begin for the last time. I remind Members that year 10 who are disadvantaged will have access to a these proceedings are subject to parliamentary privilege laptop or device as part of the £100 million package and that what we say is available to the public both in that I outlined earlier. Hansard and to those listening and watching. Members’ microphones will initially be set to mute, and the Lord Lucas (Con): My Lords, a lot of schools have broadcasting team will unmute their microphones shortly gained considerable expertise in online education and before we reach their place in the speakers’list. Members are keen to pitch in to help provide that over the may now need to accept an on-screen prompt to unmute summer holidays and in after-school hours. Will my their microphone.When Members have finished speaking, noble friend commit resources to ensure that this help their microphone will again be set to mute. I ask is efficiently organised and delivered, perhaps through colleagues to keep their contributions as brief as possible, the good offices of regional school commissioners? and then we will be able to get as many people on the list into Question Time as we possibly can. Baroness Berridge: My Lords, as part of that £100 million, the Oak National Academy was set up as a result of 40 teachers putting 180 video lessons per Covid-19: Educational Gaps week online. Some 2.3 million users have accessed that Question service and 8.6 million lessons have been viewed. We are pleased to see how online learning may perhaps be 11.06 am changing education provision for the future, but we Asked by Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale will look at all options to support children—not just for the summer, but into the autumn term as we know To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action that there is a lot to catch up on. they will take to close any educational gaps arising from the school closures due to the COVID-19 Lord Low of Dalston (CB): My Lords, according to pandemic. a report from the Public Accounts Committee published last month, many of the 1.3 million pupils in England The Question was considered in a Virtual Proceeding with special educational needs and disabilities are not via video call. getting the support that they need and end up being excluded from school, damaging their education, well- TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof State,Department being and future life chances. What are the Government for Education and Department for International Trade doing to remedy this situation for vulnerable children? (Baroness Berridge) (Con): My Lords, we will do whatever we can to ensure that no child, whatever their background Baroness Berridge: My Lords, in relation to the or location, falls behind as a result of coronavirus. We situation at the moment, we have of course made have so far committed over £100 million to boost school places available to those with special educational remote learning. We are working at pace with experts needs who have an education, health and care plan, to understand and address the immediate and long-term and we encourage them to attend school where the risk impacts of school closures. This includes considering a assessment shows that that would be best for them. In targeted online tutoring offer and the feasibility of relation to those from disadvantaged backgrounds, support over the summer. the Family Fund will provide £37 million over the next 1433 Covid-19: Educational Gaps[LORDS] Covid-19: Educational Gaps 1434 [BARONESS BERRIDGE] online. If, in accordance with PHE guidance, apprentices year