Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 30th March 2017 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

No, no. The junction would have to be the biggest in human history if it were to stretch from Sefton in the north-west of England to Stroud in Gloucestershire, and it does not. We will accommodate the hon. Gentleman at a later stage, but for now he can resume his seat. We are grateful to the fella.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Tuesday 19th April 2016 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

Does the Chief Secretary to the Treasury agree that, by being a member of the European Union, this country benefits hugely from a cross-fertilisation of good ideas across the European Union, the supply chain, and foreign direct investment at 50%? Our trade, too, also benefits from our being in the single market—[Interruption.]

[Mr Speaker]

Order. No! The hon. Gentleman is very, very wide of the question. I have great respect for him. He has put his thoughts on the record, but they have absolutely nothing to do with the question on the Order Paper, to which the Chief Secretary will not therefore reply.

School Expansion

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Monday 19th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We must hear from the Chairman of the Select Committee, Mr Neil Carmichael.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker.

I welcome the statement, but does my right hon. Friend agree that the real challenge is ensuring that all children can go to a decent school, and that the real way of doing that is ensuring that good schools co-operate with less good schools to make all schools great?

Business of the House

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 11th June 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I shall almost certainly not be able to accommodate everyone—there are simply too many Members wishing to speak—but maximising the number of contributors requires single, short supplementary questions, without preamble, and characteristically pithy replies from the Leader of the House

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

Given the widespread interest in productivity, may we have a debate that will allow Members to identify their priorities for improving productivity throughout the United Kingdom?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 11th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call Daniel Kawczynski. Oh dear, the fellow’s not here. Never mind. I call a Member who is always here: Mr Neil Carmichael.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

14. Thank you, Mr Speaker. I am grateful to the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for funding £750,000 of investment in protecting my constituency by improving and maintaining defences along the Severn estuary, notably at Lapper ditch at a cost of £500,000. What assurances can the Secretary of State give me and my constituents, however, that this kind of investment and attention to the problem will be continued over the next few years?

School Governors (Appointment)

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Tuesday 28th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

I beg to move,

That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require that school governors be appointed on the basis of experience relevant to the role; and for connected purposes.

I would first like to thank all the school governors across the land, because the role they play in ensuring that our schools are well managed, well led and well planned is enormous. The tribute I pay to them is heartfelt. They also contribute massively to local communities, and that, too, needs to be recognised.

Our schools are going through a changing landscape. There are more schools with increasing autonomy than ever before, and that direction of travel is continuing. That is quite right, because there is support across this House for academy status, and other schools are beginning to benefit from more autonomy. The structures behind those schools are changing as well, with the introduction of the regional commissioners, the changing role of local authorities and, indeed, the emerging debate on academy chains, and that means that governors and governance are becoming increasingly important. Another driver has been the role of Ofsted in focusing on the importance of leadership and governance as part of the inspection process by making the latter category one of the four that will determine whether a school is graded in the way it wants to be.

Already in Westminster we have seen a large number of actions under the auspices of those who want improved governance across the piece. The Education Committee—I see that its Chair, my hon. Friend the Member for Beverley and Holderness (Mr Stuart), is in his place—has conducted an inquiry into school governance and made a number of recommendations to which the Government have, quite properly, responded. I established the all-party parliamentary group on education governance and leadership almost as soon as I arrived here, with the purpose of talking about school governors and ensuring that their role is properly understood and develops in line with education policy, and that we recruit good governors.

Another thing that has happened is the Inspiring Governors initiative whereby various organisations have formed an alliance, including the Department for Education, the CBI, employment and education bodies, and a whole range of others. They have come together to make sure that we can promote governance to people who may not necessarily have thought of being a governor before. I am running through this activity to demonstrate that there is a lot of thought behind what I am proposing in this Bill—thought that is underpinned by substantial work. Other bodies that are key for our governors include the National Governors Association, the Wellcome Trust, the School Governors’ One-Stop Shop, and Wild Search. They have all contributed to the wider debate about the role of governors.

So where do we need to be? First, we want school governing bodies to be flexible. We want them to be able to decide how they are constructed, how they develop their plans, and how they interface effectively with their schools. The need for more autonomy for school governing bodies is recognised and required. Strong accountability of head teachers matters. A governing body needs to be able and willing to take on a head teacher who is not delivering—that is absolutely critical. We do not want weak governing bodies; we want strong and supportive governing bodies that are nevertheless capable of making a harsh decision if it ever becomes necessary. Nobody wants to do that without forethought, but the governing body needs to be capable of backing up the decision if necessary.

We need to make sure that strategic thinking takes place in schools. Governing bodies have to set the scene, the ethos and the direction of travel in making sure that the head teacher and everybody else is aware of the process. It is also important to engage with the wider community. No school can survive successfully without proper engagement in the community, and the governing body is part of that process. An effective governing body is the type of structure with good communication skills that can make the difference in this whole field.

We also want better links with employers. We must cultivate circumstances in which schools are talking to businesses much more readily and frequently about the requirements that businesses have. If we are going to start measuring the performance of schools by the destinations of their pupils, we need to be clear that schools bear some responsibility in making sure that their pupils know where they can go and where they should go, and are equipped to get there.

Getting the right people is an important mission. We need to enable employees of businesses to perform on governing bodies if they agree to do so. As the Department for Education has acknowledged, that may require an amendment to the Employment Rights Act 1996, and I would certainly want this Bill to incorporate that. We need to raise the profile of governors so that they can be recognised properly. I include national honours in that, but also civic responsibilities, civic duties and civic recognition.

Strong chairs of governors are absolutely essential and it is worth considering selecting as chair somebody who was not previously on the governing body. We need to choose the best people, not wait for them to come through the pipeline. We need an accelerated process to enable them to get where they need to be. That needs to be debated.

We also need to have a rapid response to failing schools. The Government are taking action, but some local authorities are not necessarily doing so as fast as they should be. The introduction of an interim executive board has often yielded good results and turned schools around, but there is no use in waiting for things to get so bad that turning them around is such a big job. We should be acting swiftly. Governing bodies have a role to play by recognising when they have themselves lost control and need some outside help.

I want to suggest some further steps to pave the way. We need pools of tested and proven governors who are able to address certain situations. The regional commissioners may well want to consider that suggestion as their role develops during the course of the current reforms. It is important that we have governors to choose from, rather than have to search for somebody who will do the job reluctantly. That is essential for good governance in all areas, certainly in schools.

We need to think about the transparency of decision making. The more people understand what governors do and the more they see the responsibility they have and how it can make a difference, the better. Transparency of school governing bodies is important.

A further next step for school governing bodies to take is on the need to be more corporate in how they conduct their affairs. We have already seen that pattern emerge and develop in the further education sector, so I think we should see more of it in the school sector, because it will encourage the sorts of skills, characteristics and processes I have already discussed.

In short, this Bill would make it easier, more attractive and rewarding to be a school governor, because we want the right people with the right skills, enthusiasm and motives to make sure not only that learning is a school’s top priority, but that its other characteristics can be encouraged and developed.

Finally, we are enormously thankful to those governors who currently serve, but we need to move to the next stage, which is a new shape for education, with more autonomy and responsibility. That will, of course, be a greater challenge for governing bodies, and that is why we need governors of the calibre I have described.

Question put and agreed to.

Ordered,

That Neil Carmichael, Alistair Burt, Mr Graham Stuart, Richard Graham, Mr Robert Syms, Sir Alan Beith, Fiona Bruce, Matthew Hancock, Chris Skidmore, Jeremy Lefroy and Robert Jenrick present the Bill.

Neil Carmichael accordingly presented the Bill.

Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 23 January 2015 (Bill 109).

[Mr Speaker]

We will have to delete the name of Mr Hancock, because he now occupies the illustrious post of Minister of State.

[Neil Carmichael]

You are absolutely right, Mr Speaker, and I don’t know why he is on this list, because he shouldn’t be.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Wednesday 11th June 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

On Question 7, Neil Carmichael.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

8. Does the Minister of State agree that today’s employment figures prove that the long-term economic plan is working in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, demonstrating that the Conservative party has won the economic argument?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Tuesday 4th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We shall leave the Minister now to recover his breath.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Monday 3rd March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Sheryll Murray is not here. I call Neil Carmichael.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

There are neighbourhood plans in Chalford, Dursley, Eastington and nearly a dozen other areas in my constituency. Does the Minister agree that a good neighbourhood plan is an appropriate protector against inappropriate developments?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 21st November 2013 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am sorry; I was trying to be helpful to the hon. Lady, but let me say in the kindest possible way that Members must learn to be a bit versatile. If they are to come in on an earlier question, I am happy to accommodate them, but they have to adjust to the question. The question cannot be adjusted to them.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

I welcome the news about our pork, and I would like to underline the importance of beef, too, particularly to the dairy sector. That is an important point to make.

[Mr Speaker]

This will require very considerable elasticity and dexterity from the Minister.

Horsemeat

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 14th February 2013 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

rose—

[Mr Speaker]

I call Neil Carmichael. The hon. Gentleman should not look so surprised; he was standing up, and we wish to hear him.

[Neil Carmichael]

With all the cheering, Mr Speaker, I could not quite hear you.

Does the Minister agree that this is really all about the exposure of a very significant deception whereby the rule of law has been broken? Does he also agree that it is important that he has discussions with his European colleagues about bringing in mechanisms to stop it happening again, especially through making sure that the supply chain is properly transparent?

NHS Annual Report and Care Objectives

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Wednesday 4th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman should not keep shouting out. He has asked his question and had the answer. We will now move on.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

Does the Secretary of State agree that one of the lasting achievements of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 will be the integration of health and social care, which will be excellent news for people recovering from strokes or meningitis?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Wednesday 27th June 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The Secretary of State is not conducting a private conversation. If she would be good enough to look in the direction of the House, we might hear her, for which we would all be deeply obliged.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

2. What assessment she has made of the importance of supply chains to manufacturing and engineering in Wales.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Monday 12th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The hon. Gentleman has already asked a question. He cannot have forgotten the fact, because I certainly have not.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

18. What steps he has taken to encourage local authorities to promote business and economic growth.

Business of the House

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 2nd February 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are all better informed. It is not clear whether the hon. Lady has yet received or read the letter; it seems as though she is not in receipt of it and has not read it, but there we go.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

There are two great mysteries in my constituency. First, do we have a giant cat with yellow eyes in Woodchester? Secondly, why are Gloucestershire’s schools suffering so badly under section 251 in the allocation of administrative grants and moving on to become academies? I would like a debate on the cat and school funding, but particularly on school funding, because the subject is important, and we need to encourage the academy programme.

Academies (Funding)

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 16th June 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

Order. The simple answer to the hon. Gentleman’s inquiry is that we are discussing this matter because an urgent question application was submitted to me and granted by me. No further discussion of that point is required.

[Neil Carmichael (Stroud) (Con)]

Is it not the case that this urgent question has certainly underlined the need for a full investigation and inquiry into the discredited system that the last Government used for the funding of schools, which was unfair and inefficient? Is it not ironic that this issue has been raised when schools want more autonomy from such systems? Is it not also the case that we should support—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. That is enough. The hon. Gentleman has had a good outing and I am sure he has enjoyed it.

European Union Bill

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Tuesday 8th March 2011 Commons Chamber

[Neil Carmichael]

You make a very good point. I am sure that the Minister, if he is involved in that negotiation, has taken heed of what you have said.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am always delighted to be told that I have made a good point when I have done so, and even when I have not, but in this case I have not. The hon. Lady might have done.

[Neil Carmichael]

Many apologies, Mr Speaker—it is a long time since I have had quite so many interventions. The key thing here is the quality of the decision. If a Minister came along and tried to defend a decision that this House was unhappy about, this House should say so. That is the right approach.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Neil Carmichael and John Bercow

Thursday 21st October 2010 Commons Chamber

[Hon. Members]

Oh not it’s not.

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I ask the hon. Gentleman to spit it out.

[Neil Carmichael]

My question is: how will the measures that we announced yesterday help to ensure more supply and enable people to get on a waiting list that has some meaning and where there is some chance of their getting a house?