Lords
Debate
11 September 2026
Creative Education Access Bill [HL]
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Featherstone, on her Bill and the way she opened this Second Reading. I also welcome my noble friend the Minister to her place. I look forward to her maiden speech today and to working with her.
Last week we had a debate on the Government’s prioriti…
Lords
Proceedings
10 September 2026
Australia: Social Media Algorithms
My Lords, following on from the earlier points, particularly the point about Ofcom and its use of enforcement powers, the Communications and Digital Committee is just starting an inquiry into the Online Safety Act—in effect, post-legislative scrutiny. We will be looking at that issue, but it is hear…
Lords
Proceedings
23 July 2026
Creative Industries: Qualifications
My Lords, I am pleased to open this debate on the important role of current level 3 qualifications for the creative industries and the potential impact of their replacement with T-levels and V-levels. While this debate affects the wider creative industries, I will focus on music education and the BR…
Lords
Proceedings
20 July 2026
Music Teachers: Recruitment
My Lords, under Conservative-led Governments, the EBacc and Progress 8 worked to squeeze music out of the curriculum. Recruitment targets for music teacher training were missed for 11 out of 12 years. In fact, the number of music teachers fell by 850 between 2011 and 2023. I am sure that the Labour …
Lords
Proceedings
2 July 2026
Live Music
My Lords, I too congratulate my noble friend on an excellent opening speech. My focus today is on the pipeline of musicians and the music teachers needed to train them—a pipeline damaged by young people’s lack of access to music in state schools. Our Labour Government inherited an education system w…
Lords
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Social Media Ban for Under-16s
My Lords, I join my noble friend the Minister in praising the bereaved families, who have campaigned so powerfully on online safety. I welcome the harms-reduction approach that the Government have taken. As my noble friend has outlined, we know that there is much more to do. It is right that the Gov…
Lords
Proceedings
9 June 2026
Digital Safety: Children
My Lords, our debates around the issue of child safety in your Lordships’ House tend to highlight a lack of confidence that the big tech companies will do the right thing. They could make their products safe by design but they do not. If legislation is required after three months, can my noble frien…
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Disadvantaged Pupils: Music Attainment Gap
My Lords, more than six out of 10 schools with the highest level of disadvantage entered no pupils for GCSE music in 2024-25, compared to just one in 10 of the least disadvantaged. The Primary Winds Programme at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire helps to address this gap at primary level by offerin…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 April 2026
Ballet
My noble friend gives me the opportunity to say, yet again, that through both the music and dance scheme and the dance and drama awards for students studying specific level 5 performing arts qualifications, the Government have maintained their support for those students to ensure that access is wide…
Lords
Debate
27 March 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, on the same principle of making it safe, I will speak to my Amendment 219, which would open an extra channel of communication. It would require the person’s GP to disclose relevant information about the person’s eligibility for assisted dying. That information would be disclosed, first, to…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
Curriculum and Assessment Review
My Lords, looking at this debate, what strikes me as the most unloved thing in the Room is the EBacc. The fact that we have an overemphasis on academic standards has squeezed out the fun bits. If I had longer, I would go over many of the speeches, but the noble Lord, Lord Hampton, bringing the condo…
Lords
Committee Stage
16 March 2026
3 contributions
Media Literacy (Communications and Digital Committee Report)
My Lords, it is a pleasure to open this debate on the report of the Communications and Digital Committee’s inquiry on media literacy. In doing so, I will focus particularly on national leadership, the responsibilities of technology platforms and delivery in schools. This inquiry was the first undert…
My Lords, before we start, I ask noble Lords to ensure that they stick to the five minutes’ speaking time. Although the time allowance is advisory, the Grand Committee may sit only until around 7.45 pm. We need to conclude the debate before then, and a vote is expected in the Chamber, so I ask noble…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
13 March 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak to my Amendment 155, which is different to the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad, on patients who opt out. My amendment ensures that when a person has previously cancelled the process of obtaining assisted dying—having considered it as an option and then rej…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Class Inequality in the Arts
We are working with the DWP and Skills England to define and develop the growth and skills offer, and that also includes working with the DfE on how we make sure that as many children as possible can access specialist and general music and dance education. We recognise it is important to revitalise …
Lords
Oral Questions
2 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Streaming and Cinema Sector
My Lords, we will have the Cross Benches next, then we will come to Labour.
The Government want a copyright regime that values and protects human creativity, can be trusted and unlocks innovation. As I mentioned, expert working groups and a parliamentary working group have been convened and stakeholders will continue to be engaged as Ministers consider all options. I have b…
Lords
Debate
27 February 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly in support of my Amendment 483, which would ensure simply that in-person hearings remain the default when assessing applications under the Bill, with remote evidence via video or audio link used only where extraordinary circumstances make an in-person hearing wholly im…
Lords
Debate
6 February 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I am speaking on behalf of my noble and learned friend Lady Scotland, who made clear last Friday that she could not attend today’s Committee debate. I very much appreciate what my noble and learned friend Lord Falconer has just said, but it is worth me explaining Amendment 87A a little and…
Lords
Debate
30 January 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I will speak on face-to-face consultation; my Amendment 483 on this is in a later group.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was briefly made possible for the making of a will to be witnessed by videolink rather than in person. This change could have been made permanent, but instead the Gove…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 January 2026
2 contributions
Schools: Music and Dance Scheme
My Lords, this Government are committed to revitalising and widening access to arts education, including specialist education for our highest-achieving musicians and dancers. We continue to fund the music and dance scheme, providing bursaries to over 2,000 students. This remains means-tested, target…
My noble friend is right that since 2010 funding for the music and dance scheme has been largely static. In fact, in some years between 2010 and 2020 it was cut in cash terms. I understand the concerns of the schools that my noble friend is representing here and, of course, the students and the high…
Lords
Proceedings
14 January 2026
Social Media: Non-consensual Sexual Deepfakes
My Lords, I welcome the Government’s announcement that they are bringing legislation into force this week to tackle this issue, and I welcome the news that Ofcom has launched a formal investigation to determine whether X has complied with its duties under the Online Safety Act. Ofcom should act urge…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 November 2025
2 contributions
Teachers: Music, Drama, Art and Design, and Dance
My Lords, we are working with the sector to re-establish teaching as an attractive profession across all subjects, including the arts. That is why this Government have increased teacher pay by almost 10% over two years and are providing bursaries this year worth up to £10,000 for trainees in art and…
My noble friend is right that we have to deal with the previous Government’s underinvestment in teachers and the narrowing of the curriculum, which limited students’ ability to study music and art and design courses. However, I am pleased to say that we are making good progress on our pledge to deli…
Lords
Proceedings
12 November 2025
BBC Leadership
My Lords, I think it is now broadly accepted that the BBC made a serious error in broadcasting the edited clip on “Panorama”, and that it did not act swiftly enough to issue an apology. But it is deeply concerning to hear today from respected BBC journalists Kirsty Lang and Misha Glenny that they ar…
Lords
Proceedings
10 November 2025
Curriculum and Assessment Review
My Lords, I welcome the Curriculum and Assessment Review, particularly the removal of the EBacc, which has damaged the provision of arts and music education in state schools. I also welcome the emphasis on both media literacy and music provision in the curriculum. It is important to highlight the si…
Lords
Oral Questions
20 October 2025
3 contributions
Musical Instrument Certificates
My Lords, the Government have not yet fully assessed the impact of introducing a fee for musical instrument certificates for touring orchestras and musicians. We will do so based on the information submitted by stakeholders during the public consultation, which will close on 23 October. That consult…
As I said in my initial Answer to my noble friend, we are currently consulting on this range of proposals; it is part of the way we reform our CITES regulatory framework. The idea is that the reforms will support economic growth, reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens and ensure effective protection …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
16 October 2025
Music and Dance Schools: Affordable Access
My Lords, I remind the Committee of my registered interest as chairman of the English Schools’ Orchestra. I pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Blackwell for his long-term championship of the music and dance scheme. The almost one thousand hugely talented students who are supported by the scheme are…