The Committee debated these clauses rigorously, centering on the robustness of the financial models used to develop the student support package. The Minster of State for Further Education reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to delivering progressive and fair higher education reforms, which protect low earning graduates, and assured the Committee that the regulations associated with both higher education clauses would have robust Parliamentary scrutiny.
Several changes were made to the Education Bill during Committee:
- The two clauses giving framework powers to Wales (previously clauses 72 and 73) have been removed. This was necessary after the Welsh Referendum on Thursday 3 March.
- A new Schedule was added as part of clause 13, relating to teacher anonymity. This was a government amendment to bring the provisions inline with the EU e-Commerce Directive.
- Consequential amendments relating to the abolition of the YPLA – changes to primary legislation (to remove references to the YPLA) have now been listed in Schedule 16, so there is no longer a need for the Secretary of State to take a power to be able to do this at a later date.
- An amendment to provide for the powers of intervention into the affairs of further education colleges to be transferred from the Chief Executive of Skills Funding (“the CE”) to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
