Mobile Phones in Schools

Debate between Julian Lewis and Josh MacAlister

Tuesday 10th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

I thank my hon. Friend for flagging this issue. The edtech certification process that is out for consultation today asks questions about this, and the intention is for the design of the scheme to go beyond classroom edtech and apply to edtech that may enable the smooth running of a school. That includes complex technical questions about things such as data privacy and collection.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

I presume it is too much to expect a Government Minister to admit that the shadow Education Secretary was right to propose this measure previously and that the Government were wrong to vote against it, so let me ask him something easier to answer. What does he think the measures will be in the evolutionary process that he describes when schoolchildren start returning to the classroom with long essays that have clearly been the result of the application of AI? It will put teachers in an extremely difficult position, and it would be good if we could be ahead of that particular curve.

[Josh MacAlister]

The right hon. Member asks excellent questions in this House, and I am very happy to answer the specific one about homework and AI. He is right to highlight that this is an issue to which we will need to return in years to come. In fact, in many ways homework has already been highly disrupted by the use of generative AI tools. The issue for school leaders and teachers is ensuring there are methods of assessment and pushing learning that have grit and friction. Often that will need to be in the classroom, where we can be confident that AI tools are not being used to do the cognitive offloading, meaning children miss out on the opportunity to grow and develop, which is what our schools should be all about.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Julian Lewis and Josh MacAlister

Monday 1st December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

If my hon. Friend writes to me with the details, I would be very happy to speak to colleagues at the Department for Transport.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

Despite the Secretary of State’s robust answer on Chinese influence on academia, dare I set her a little homework? If she would like to take a look at the relevant section of the non-partisan Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on China, published in July 2023, she would find a lot of interesting and worrying information in it.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Julian Lewis and Josh MacAlister

Monday 20th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Josh MacAlister]

I thank my hon. Friend for his advocacy for his constituents and for the school concerned. A number of schemes are available that may be able to support the school with the situation it faces, and I would be happy to speak to him further about that.

[Sir Julian Lewis (New Forest East) (Con)]

The Arts and Humanities Research Council receives £70 million in public money to fund postgraduate research. What mechanism and powers does the Secretary of State have to check that such substantial funds are not squandered on politically tendentious projects, such as those exposed by Laurence Sleator on page 27 of The Times on Saturday? Will she perhaps take a look at the article and write to me?

[Josh MacAlister]

I am sure that we would be happy to look at the article, but the last thing that people outside this building want is politicians deciding what research should be done, in the same way as we do not want judges being appointed by politicians in this House either.