Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Monday 11th November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

Last week, we heard that a record number of parents and children—more than 1 million—were using Sure Start centres. In fact, we have increased the number of sites: there are 3,000 children’s centres and a further 2,000 linked sites. The hon. Gentleman is referring to where management efficiencies have been made, but more parents are accessing our centres than ever before, and I think he should congratulate the centres on their success.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

T7. Last week, I was at the launch of the Sky academy in Osterley, which includes a Sky skills studio, scholarships for emerging talent, starting-out initiatives and living for sport. Will my hon. Friend meet me to discuss how we can create similar initiatives in other sectors and establish a business ambassador for each school?

[The Minister for Skills and Enterprise (Matthew Hancock)]

I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend. She failed to mention that David Beckham was also at that launch, which was no doubt an exciting moment. I pay tribute to the Sky academy and to the work that has been put in to ensure that people going into the media and the arts have not only the skills but the mentoring and inspiration to make the best of their lives. That is exactly what is needed if we are to see more people getting the chance and the inspiration to reach their potential.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Thursday 18th July 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

7. What recent progress he has made on employment law reform.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Jo Swinson)]

We are making good progress on our review of employment law. On Friday the Government published an update including a call for evidence on whistleblowing and outlining that the new employment tribunal rules of procedure will come into effect on 29 July. We are also making changes through the Children and Families Bill to extend the right to request flexible working to everyone and introduce a radical new system of shared parental leave.

[Mary Macleod]

In the last few weeks two Opposition Front-Bench Members have been to my constituency to talk to businesses, and I am so glad they are taking their lead from the Prime Minister, who was there in 2011 to talk to small businesses about simplifying employment legislation. Will the Minister build on the great work this Government have been doing in simplifying the process of doing business for entrepreneurs by reducing the amount of red tape and admin?

[Jo Swinson]

I commend my hon. Friend on her work championing small business in her constituency and beyond. She is absolutely right that we need to drive through the implementation of the reforms we have already outlined. She will be pleased to note that the CBI-Harvey Nash employment trends survey shows a significant improvement in employer perceptions of the burden of employment law. That is good for British business and good for job creation, too.

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[Vince Cable]

That falls well outside my area of competence, but I have a personal interest in it. One thing I learnt from my years in the oil and gas industry is that it is very unwise to predict movements in the price of oil, whether up or down. The hon. Gentleman raises an important and fundamental question that I am interested in and will pursue if it is relevant to my Department.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

Brompton Bicycle Ltd in Brentford is a brilliant example of British manufacturing and engineering. It has been growing at 25% a year over the past three years, sells 40,000 bikes a year and exports 80% of what it makes to 44 countries. Will the Minister meet me and Brompton Bicycle Ltd to talk about how it can find the funding to buy new premises in order to grow even further?

[Michael Fallon]

I would be happy to meet my hon. Friend and Brompton Bicycle. I am already aware of how successful and ambitious a company it is. We will do what we can to help it expand further.

Gender Balance on Corporate Boards

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Monday 7th January 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

As others have said, this is an important debate. I spent 20 years working in business in the City, and I often found that for days on end I was the only woman sitting at the table during meetings. I spoke out about that to the many organisations with which I was connected.

As the Minister said, the coalition set out to change the position—that is in the coalition agreement—and it has done so. Many Members have pointed out today how important that change is to the economy. It is good for business, and, of course, it is good for women. We should focus on the incredible amount of talent that exists among women in the workplace throughout Britain, and on using their skills and experience for the benefit of the economy as well as enabling them to fulfil their own potential. Other Members, including my hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Alok Sharma) and the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Seema Malhotra), have already referred to the advantages for business, and I shall not repeat their arguments. Suffice it to say that we need to use those talents, which can benefit individuals, companies and the country as a whole.

I do not believe in quotas; I believe we need business-led change based on absolute merit. My hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) explained very articulately why that is so important. However, I also believe that businesses should work hand in hand with the Government, who can highlight the issue—as we have today—in order to promote further progress. A great deal of good work has been done, and I congratulate the Minister and the Government on what has been achieved by Lord Davies’s report and the measures that have been introduced to help business.

We have already heard about the improvements in the FTSE 100 and 250. In the last year alone, 49% of FTSE 100 and 44% of FTSE 250 non-executive directors have been women. That is real progress. According to the FTSE board report published by Cranfield school of management in 2012, if we maintain the current momentum, female representation on boards could be a record 26.7% by 2015 and 36.9% by 2020. The report identified some great performers. Four women are members of Diageo’s board—44% of the overall membership—while three out of eight members of the Burberry board are women, including the chief executive and chief financial officer, and 33% of Pearson’s board members are women. Some organisations are leading the field, and are already doing a great job.

The role of women in Parliament, and in politics generally, was mentioned earlier. I chair the all-party parliamentary group for women in Parliament, which is determined to change the current position. In 2010, the number of female Conservative MPs increased from 17 to 49. Of course there is more work to be done, but we have made significant inroads. In the recent reshuffle, 50% of the 2010 intake who were appointed to Government roles were women.

The solution to the remaining problems lies partly in what the Government can do to encourage female representation and partly in what can be done by those in business, such as head-hunters, nomination committees and investors. Businesses can nurture talent by encouraging and mentoring women, and by changing the organisational culture of which Members have spoken today. Chief executives should lead from the top. If they really believe in a change in the culture, and if they can drive that change through their organisations, they will make a difference. I recently organised a women on boards leadership forum in the House, and was heartened to hear Antony Jenkins, the group chief executive of Barclays, speak so passionately about what the bank has done and will do in order to make a difference. We need more people like him.

I agree with Members who have said that non-executive director roles are still an issue. As was pointed out by the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Meg Munn), we must continue to increase the number of women in both executive and non-executive positions.

As for the directive, it is important for subsidiarity to be respected, and for women to be appointed on merit. This is not something on which we should receive directions from Europe; it is something that we can do ourselves, and we have made progress already.

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[Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)]

I refer Members to my declaration in the register of Members’ interests.

This really is a dodgy dossier of an EU proposal. The reason given for the proposal on page 3 is that it will ease the functioning of the single market, but on page 9 it states that it will address the fundamental objective of gender equality. The polling support by the reliable Eurobarometer is also shaky. In fact, it shows more support for self-regulation than for legislation. The impact assessment states that there is only a weak case for the EU intervening in this area, and there is no rigorous detail of the important work already being done by member states. Only France is held up as a holy grail, with its 40% statutory level—France, with its Strauss-Kahn-style commitment to sexual equality.

More worryingly, the directive proposes stringent mandatory quotas on EU-listed companies, but glosses over the many and complex reasons for the poor numbers of female executives and non-executives. Where is the self-analysis of the EU’s long list of employment rules and regulations, which might have made matters worse for female business leaders over the past few years? Where is the hard-headed debate and evidence of whether current maternity and paternity rules risk keeping women out of the workplace for too long? Where are the apologies for forcing employers into the most soul-destroying transactional relationship with female employees going on maternity leave, rather than encouraging ongoing contact and involvement? EU policies have driven a wedge between employers and female employees.

We should be proud of the work that the Government have done in this area, which I am delighted the shadow Secretary of State recognised. Lord Davies adopted a sensible and pragmatic target of 25% and the focus on transparency has been working. Furthermore, the Financial Reporting Council has now introduced its requirements and there will be a focus on the top 350 companies setting out their aims for the number of women on boards by 2013-15. Furthermore, the Cranfield school of management has recognised that the Government are on track for 37% take-up by 2020.

[Mary Macleod]

Does my hon. Friend agree that the Women’s Business Council, set up by the Government, and the extra funding for female mentors for female business women will also help?

[Julian Smith]

I think it will help, and I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s work on this issue since entering the House.

Transparency is putting pressure on companies to change. The Association of British Insurers and the National Association of Pension Funds are now reporting the number of women on boards and incorporating the figures into the voting information service for investors. Some asset management companies, including that run by the co-operative movement, which Labour Members are close to, have started to request data about board compositions from companies in which they invest. The Government have nudged the private sector to do more, and it is doing more, going with the grain of business and encouraging investor-led decisions to get more women on boards.

The UK is right with its approach of focusing on pipeline. Because companies are being forced to report on the number of women on their boards and the number of female employers, industry groups, mentoring groups and board clubs, which have been mentioned, are springing up, and head-hunters have now signed up to a code of conduct.

The UK is also right to look at overall numbers. My hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) mentioned the drop-off rate when women have children. This is where the EU proposals are so hypocritical. Its equality policies have focused too much on length of leave and rights, and not enough on how to keep women and employers engaged. Here again, the Government have taken the right decision by pushing ahead with right to request, maternity legislation and in relation to child care. As has been mentioned, the main reason the change is happening is the rapid change in social attitudes; we have much more enlightened employers. I know that the City got a hard time earlier in the debate, but in fact the American banks I was working with as a head-hunter were the most forward-thinking on this issue. We also have more enlightened men now. My wife is expecting a baby in a couple of weeks—[Interruption.] Thank you. Only three months ago, I was making the case that she should stay off work for a year to look after our child, but I have since seen the error of my ways and realised that her career is more important. I will be looking to the Minister for nappy changing advice—I hear that he is an expert—in order that I can fill the gap.

Attitudes at home and attitudes in the workplace driven by national Governments nudging business to look at the business logic of maximising women in the workplace are what is going to get us there much better and much smarter than this EU diktat.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Thursday 20th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises which export to international markets.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

8. What steps he is taking to increase the number of small and medium-sized enterprises which export to international markets.

[The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Michael Fallon)]

Exporting is a key part of the Government’s plans to return the economy to sustained and balanced growth. That is why we have increased funding to UK Trade and Investment in the autumn statement—an extra £140 million over the next two years—enabling UKTI to double the number of small and medium-sized firms supported from 25,000 to 50,000 by 2015.

[Michael Fallon]

I congratulate Automotive Insulations on its extraordinary success over the past few years. Of course for an automotive company it may make sense to start with helping to penetrate the European supply chains, but in due course it may want to look further afield. In the end, this is a matter for the company to decide, but of course it is for the Government to provide help and advice.

[Mary Macleod]

Brentford and Isleworth is one of the fastest growing areas for new businesses in the country, with an increase of about 9%. It is important that we encourage SMEs to export around the world so that people can experience what is great about buying British. Will my right hon. Friend support and attend a trade and investment fair that I would like to organise for west London in the springtime, which will give local businesses more information on breaking into emerging markets and help them grow for the future?

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Monday 3rd December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend makes a very good point. It is absolutely important that we ensure that teachers have an opportunity to absorb the changes that we want to make, so that they can do what I know they wish to do, which is to raise the bar for all children.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

Would my right hon. Friend consider putting enterprise into the school curriculum? This Government are keen to see young people set up businesses, which will be important for the future growth of this country.

[Michael Gove]

There are few in the Government keener than me on encouraging enterprise among young people—in fact, there is one: the Under-Secretary of State for Skills, my hon. Friend the Member for West Suffolk (Matthew Hancock). However, I would be wary of treating the curriculum as though it were Santa’s sack—as though we could shove into it everything that we wanted and it would magically expand. If we are to ensure that teachers are free from unnecessary prescription, we need to ensure that great teachers can build the curriculum they want with a proper balance between what we expect centrally and what they determine locally.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Thursday 6th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[Vince Cable]

Small, innovative businesses are absolutely crucial, and the CBI, in particular, has focused on what it calls the “gazelles” in that space. One specific initiative that we introduced—I launched it—and which the hon. Lady may not be aware of is the growth accelerator, which is a system of providing high-quality coaching for 26,000 small and medium-sized enterprises of exactly the kind she has described. All our evidence so far suggests that it is appreciated and is working extremely well.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

3. What steps he is taking to ensure that young people leave further and higher education with the skills that employers need.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Matthew Hancock)]

I am very pleased to answer this as my first question because it highlights a vital problem that Britain must address in order to compete in the world. The number of apprenticeships has increased by two thirds, and by 97% in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I join the tribute paid to my predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), who brought passion and drive to this programme. He would say that we must do more and we will do more, and that is exactly what I hope to do.

[Mary Macleod]

I welcome my hon. Friend to his new role. Even though he has been in it for only a few days, what discussions is he planning to hold with businesses to understand where the current recruitment skills gaps are? Will incentives be given to students to study the subjects that we believe are critical to the future growth industries in the UK?

[Matthew Hancock]

My hon. Friend is exactly right; I have already been in contact with the Institute of Directors and various employers. Britain must have a skilled work force that meets the needs of employers if we are to compete against the hungry and driven rising nations of the east, and I will do all I can to deliver that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Monday 23rd May 2011 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

1. What steps he is taking to improve standards in underperforming schools.

[The Secretary of State for Education (Michael Gove)]

I want our education system to be the best in the world, which is why we have invested more than £100 million in an endowment fund for the poorest students. We have invested £2.5 billion in the pupil premium, we have expanded the academy programme and we have invested more in expanding elite routes into teaching such as Teach First. We have also raised the floor standards by which we judge schools’ performance. Some 216 secondary schools are below the floor standards with fewer than 35% of their students achieving five good GCSEs, including English and maths, and 1,394 primary schools are below the floor standards with fewer than 60% of pupils at the end of key stage 2 achieving level 4 or above in English and maths. I wrote to local authorities on 1 March asking them to set out their plans for improving their weaker schools. I received those plans back on 15 April and I am reviewing them.

[Mr Speaker]

The answer, I am afraid, was simply too long. I hope that answers from now on will be shorter.

[Mary Macleod]

In my constituency I want the best possible education for all pupils, no matter who they are or where they come from, but organisations such as the CBI are saying that they are concerned by the numeracy and literacy levels of school leavers. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should have a zero-tolerance approach to underperforming schools and that we should prioritise literacy and numeracy levels?

[Michael Gove]

I am sorry, Mr Speaker, that the Government are doing so much that I could not pack it all into one answer. I agree with my hon. Friend that we absolutely need a zero-tolerance policy on illiteracy and innumeracy. That is why we will be ensuring that all students pursue a course in English and maths to the age of 18.

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Thursday 17th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Alok Sharma (Reading West) (Con)]

1. How many apprenticeship starts there have been in the academic year 2010-11 to date.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

6. How many apprenticeship starts there have been in the academic year 2010-11 to date.

[Stephen Mosley (City of Chester) (Con)]

8. How many apprenticeship starts there have been in the academic year 2010-11 to date.

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[Mr Hayes]

I do indeed congratulate them, and I congratulate my hon. Friend on drawing the matter to the House’s attention. I did a little research: the event was attended by 51 employers and resulted in 29 apprenticeship pledges just on the day. My goodness, we are reminded of Virgil: “They can because they think they can.”

[Mary Macleod]

I recently visited Brentford football club community sports trust as part of apprenticeship week and have also written to more than 600 businesses to encourage them to take up apprenticeship places and take on more apprentices. What other advice would my hon. Friend give businesses to encourage them to provide more apprenticeships?

[Mr Hayes]

Businesses need to know that they will recoup their investment rapidly, with even the most expensive apprenticeships paying back in less than three years. Apprenticeships have a real link to productivity and to competitiveness. May I just say that Brentford football club had a very good result on Saturday, when they drew with Milton Keynes Dons?

Building Schools for the Future

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Monday 14th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for making the case. Initially, the Building Schools for the Future criteria were exactly as he described, but subsequently they were altered so that readiness to deliver became a factor. That meant that, for a variety of reasons, the money was not always targeted at the areas most in need. He has made the case for St John Bosco and for other schools in Liverpool very effectively. One of my ministerial colleagues or I will make good on the promise to visit Liverpool.

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

Does my right hon. Friend find it outrageous that under the slow and over-complex BSF process, it usually took about 30 months before construction began? What can he to do ensure that the process is simpler and more efficient for schools such as Chiswick community school and Hounslow Manor school in my constituency?

[Michael Gove]

My hon. Friend makes the very good point that it took 30 months from the moment of starting the process to the first brick being laid. In the project that we have used as a pilot in Doncaster North, the procurement process took just 10 weeks and the school will be delivered one year ahead of schedule. If that is not proof that there was inefficiency in the existing scheme that we inherited, I do not know what is.

Education Bill

Mary Macleod Excerpts

Tuesday 8th February 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mary Macleod (Brentford and Isleworth) (Con)]

I welcome the Bill and congratulate the Government on bringing it before the House.

We have heard many passionate speeches today about education. I agreed with the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) when he said that across the House we want all children to achieve their potential. I think we all agree with that.

Education will determine our country as a nation, creating a strong foundation on which we can build for the future. It is about giving children a great start in life, increasing a child’s options, reducing crime and strengthening our entrepreneurship ability and the growth of our economy in the long term. That is one of the reasons I came into politics. If I could do one thing in politics, it would be to create aspiration for all across society, as my hon. Friend the Member for Tamworth (Christopher Pincher) said. That is why I became a school governor, like so many others here. Like my hon. Friends the Members for Gosport (Caroline Dinenage) and for Salisbury (John Glen), I have been visiting all the schools on my patch, including Heathland school, The Green school, Isleworth and Syon school and Chiswick community school.

I would like briefly to mention three issues, the first of which is discipline. Like my hon. Friend the Member for Central Devon (Mel Stride), I think it is an absolute scandal that every school day nearly 1,000 children are excluded from school for abusing and assaulting staff and fellow pupils. Major assaults on staff have reached a five-year high, and that cannot be tolerated. Discipline, as my mother would say, starts at home, but sadly not all children have this. In my experience of working as a school governor, discipline is absolutely critical to the success of a school. The head of Holland Park school, Colin Hall, who is also a constituent of mine, transformed the school by introducing a structure, values, pride, order and expectations. He introduced a clear code of conduct that was about creating a standard of zero tolerance whereby certain things were no longer acceptable, and the students abided by it. I believe that the measures in the Bill will help to restore that balance of power in schools, giving heads and teachers more support in their efforts to maintain discipline in the classroom.

My second point is about the curriculum. My hon. Friend the Member for Isle of Wight (Mr Turner) mentioned the international league tables for education. It is unacceptable that in the UK we have been falling down those league tables. My hon. Friend the Member for Bristol North West (Charlotte Leslie) spoke eloquently about the OECD figures, which show that we have slipped from 7th to 25th in reading, from 8th to 28th in maths, and from 4th to 16th in science. This has to be changed, and we must sort it out. I want to restore academic excellence in the UK. I agree with introducing the English baccalaureate because we want academic excellence for all. We want all children to have the opportunity to achieve that excellence. Education has traditionally been the core strength of this country, but we have let it slip and need to get it back on track. The proposals in the Bill will raise educational standards and give the next generation the education that it deserves.

On post-16 education, I welcome, especially in national apprenticeships week, the Government’s approach to apprenticeships. That investment is about creating skills and jobs for the future.

Finally, as my hon. Friend the Member for Bedford (Richard Fuller) said, the Bill gives us the inspiration to create free schools. Given that I need a new school in Brentford and Isleworth, I encourage parents, teachers, co-operatives and charitable trusts to create something for the future.

In conclusion, we need to give all children the best possible chance in life by giving them a great education, skills and aspirations so that they can go on to do their best and be the best that they can be. Teachers have a special role in helping children to believe in themselves and achieve their potential. The Bill will allow them to do that by restoring discipline, reducing bureaucracy and raising standards, which will create a better future for us all.