Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money was spent on the recruitment process for the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved.
The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the annual salary is of the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department received 16 applications for the role of Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom. Professor Arif Ahmed was appointed to the role on 1 June 2023, and will begin at the Office for Students (OfS) on 14 August.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education in the same way that other board members of the OfS are appointed, under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017. Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The department has not conducted an assessment of the costs involved.
The Director role is a full-time executive position. It is a fixed term appointment, with the option of being extended up to a maximum of ten years. The role was advertised with a starting salary of £99,164, but this may be higher due to pay rises in some areas of the public sector in 2022. The Director’s working hours and starting salary will be agreed in his contract with the OfS. The Director will be eligible to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the case of Miller v College of Policing, what steps they are taking to ensure that police forces in England and Wales pay due regard to freedom of speech in the discharge of their responsibilities in respect of allegations of criminal activity arising from social media communication.
Answered by Lord Sharpe of Epsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
To address the Miller v College of Policing judgment and wider concerns relating to the recording of non-crime hate incidents, the Government has introduced a statutory code of practice on this recording for police officers in England and Wales, as provided for in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022.
The code, which entered into effect on 3 June following Parliamentary approval, introduces a new threshold test that means that personal data may only be included in a non-crime hate incident record if the event is clearly motivated by intentional hostility and there is a risk of escalation causing significant harm or a criminal offence. The code will ensure non-crime hate incidents are only recorded when it is absolutely necessary and proportionate to do so, and not simply because someone is offended.
This Government is confident that the code strikes the right balance between better protecting people’s fundamental right to freedom of expression, whilst enabling the police to continue to protect vulnerable people and communities.
Reported hate crimes will continue to be recorded in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance on hate crime.
Asked by: Lord Leong (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Sino-British relations following the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre on 4 June, and the recent suppression of peaceful demonstrations in Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As we note in our latest Six-Monthly Report, freedom of speech and assembly continue to be curtailed in Hong Kong as was witnessed on 4 June. The right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly were both promised to Hong Kongers under the Sino-British Joint Declaration and enshrined in the Basic Law. Marking the anniversary of the massacre, the Foreign Secretary said "we will never forget those who stood up for democracy and will always stand by those who defend human rights in China". The Foreign Secretary made plain our views on Hong Kong with Chinese Vice-President Han Zheng on 5 May and at the UN Human Rights Council on 27 February.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of Chinese influence through Confucius Institutes at UK universities since the Integrated Review Refresh in March 2023.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises concerns about overseas interference in the higher education (HE) sector, including through Confucius Institutes. We regularly assess the risks facing academia. The department is taking action to remove any government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judges that it would be disproportionate to ban them.
Like any international body operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression. Universities also have a responsibility to ensure that any partnership with a Confucius Institute is managed appropriately, and that the right due diligence is in place.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate. Section 9 of the Act will require the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions, in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE. This includes the reporting of educational or commercial partnerships and would therefore cover arrangements with, for example, Confucius Institutes.
The department is now going further in the Integrated Review Refresh, launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other provisions designed to protect the academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing.
The government is clear that any challenges to our core values, whatever their origin, will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of the work of Confucius Institutes on freedom of speech at universities.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises concerns about overseas interference in the higher education (HE) sector, including through Confucius Institutes. We regularly assess the risks facing academia. The department is taking action to remove any government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judges that it would be disproportionate to ban them.
Like any international body operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression. Universities also have a responsibility to ensure that any partnership with a Confucius Institute is managed appropriately, and that the right due diligence is in place.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate. Section 9 of the Act will require the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions, in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE. This includes the reporting of educational or commercial partnerships and would therefore cover arrangements with, for example, Confucius Institutes.
The department is now going further in the Integrated Review Refresh, launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other provisions designed to protect the academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing.
The government is clear that any challenges to our core values, whatever their origin, will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Damian Green (Conservative - Ashford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department is taking steps to tackle potential national security risks posed by Confucius Institutes at UK universities.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The department recognises concerns about overseas interference in the higher education (HE) sector, including through Confucius Institutes. We regularly assess the risks facing academia. The department is taking action to remove any government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judges that it would be disproportionate to ban them.
Like any international body operating in the UK, Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression. Universities also have a responsibility to ensure that any partnership with a Confucius Institute is managed appropriately, and that the right due diligence is in place.
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ensure that universities in England have the tools they need to deal with interference with, and threats to, freedom of speech and academic freedom wherever they originate. Section 9 of the Act will require the Office for Students to monitor the overseas funding of registered HE providers and their constituent institutions, in order to assess the extent to which such funding arrangements present a risk to freedom of speech and academic freedom in HE. This includes the reporting of educational or commercial partnerships and would therefore cover arrangements with, for example, Confucius Institutes.
The department is now going further in the Integrated Review Refresh, launching a new and comprehensive review of legislative and other provisions designed to protect the academic sector, to identify what more we could or should be doing.
The government is clear that any challenges to our core values, whatever their origin, will not be tolerated.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions she has had with the Office for Students on its preparedness for implementing the Free Speech Complaints Scheme; and what her timeline is for that Scheme to be operational.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill received Royal Assent on 11 May 2023. The Office for Students (OfS), the independent regulator, is responsible for implementing key measures in the legislation. Officials at the OfS and the department are liaising about implementation of the Act. It is for the OfS to determine how it plans to implement specific measures introduced by the Act, including the new complaints scheme.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the expected costs are of the Office for Science Directorate headed by the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom in financial years (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
In the Impact Assessment published in June 2022, the government estimated that the administration costs to the Office for Students (OfS) would range between £0.5 to £0.8 million per year. This estimate was made before detailed decisions had been taken about the role and renumeration package for the Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom, and what funding his team will require. The impact assessment can be found on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 webpage, accessible at: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/2862/publications.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, where the post of Director of Freedom of Speech in the Office for Students was advertised; who was involved in recruitment decisions for that post; and how many people applied for that post.
Answered by Claire Coutinho - Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero
The role of Director of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom was advertised on the Times Higher Education website.
Officials at the department managed the recruitment process. The essential and desirable criteria against which applicants were assessed were included in the job advert, which can be sent to any members interested. The department received 16 applications for the role.
An interview panel was chaired by Hannah Sheehan (Director of Higher Education Quality in the department) and joined by Lord Wharton of Yarm (Chair of the Office for Students) and Robert Colvile (Director of the Centre for Policy Studies), who joined as an independent panellist.
The Director was appointed by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, in the same way that other board members of the Office for Students are appointed under the Higher Education and Research Act 2017.