Parliament has now risen for the conference recess, beginning last week with the Liberal Democrats – for whom Parliament still rises, despite having only 8 Members of Parliament! This week has seen the Labour Party Conference, with Jeremy Corbyn being re-elected as their party leader as many predicted. I will be joining my colleagues and members of the Conservative in Birmingham for the Conservative Party Conference starting this weekend.
Over the last two weeks of Parliament, I have been serving on the Higher Education and Research Bill Committee. Bill Committees are drawn from MPs across the House and scrutinise legislation on a line-by-line basis and we draw on expert opinion from those who will be affected by the legislation as we do so. The Higher Education and Research Bill is particularly important, as it represents the first piece of legislation for 20 years in a sector which has undergone profound changes during that time.
Tuition fees were first introduced by a Labour Government and when they came into effect many people were concerned fees would create a barrier to higher education. This Bill demonstrates that this simply has not happened. Indeed students, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, are going to university in record numbers. One of the main purposes of the Bill is to create the Office for Students (OfS), which will treat students responsibly and place their interests at the heart of the Higher Education sector.
Under the Government’s proposals universities and other higher education providers will only be able to raise fees if they can prove that they are providing excellent teaching for their students. It is only right that students who pay for their university education should demand the best possible courses, which is why I am pleased that this Bill is focused on increasing transparency within the sector.
The Bill will also make it easier for new institutions to offer degree level courses, which will enable specialist providers offering unique courses to open. This will further diversify the Higher Education sector and give our young people the widest array of choices as they leave school and to building their future.