Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

431

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

362

Schedule  8,  page  183,  leave out lines 39 to 45.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

363

Schedule  8,  page  185,  leave out lines 16 to 31.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

50

Schedule  9,  page  190,  line  22,  leave out ‘Secretary of State’ and insert ‘Crown’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

197

Schedule  9,  page  190,  line  23,  after ‘members”),’ insert ‘one of whom shall be a

member of another regulatory body,’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

51

Schedule  9,  page  190,  line  25,  leave out ‘The Secretary of State may appoint’ and

insert ‘The ordinary members shall elect’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

198

Schedule  9,  page  190,  line  29,  at end insert—

‘(4)	The chair and chief executive of Ofqual shall be full-time positions.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

385

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  7,  at end insert—

‘(c)	failure to ensure the standard of regulated qualifications is maintained.’.

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

432

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

40

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  14,  at end insert—

‘(2A)

An ordinary member must not have financial or other occupational interests that

might be regarded as constituting a conflict of interest with that of promoting the

objectives of Ofqual.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

52

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  17,  leave out sub-paragraph (4) and insert—

‘(4)	The ordinary members, by majority vote, may remove the deputy from office

if they think it appropriate to do so.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

53

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  19,  leave out ‘The Secretary of State’ and insert ‘The

ordinary members, by majority vote,’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

420

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  23,  at end insert—

‘(c)	failure to ensure the standard of regulated qualifications is maintained.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

417

Schedule  9,  page  191,  line  42,  at end insert—

‘(5)	All payments made under this paragraph shall be published annually together

with the contracts of employment and pension arrangements of the Chief

Regulator and the ordinary members.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

54

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  2,  leave out ‘the Secretary of State’ and insert ‘Ofqual’.

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

433

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

418

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  2,  leave out ‘first’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

55

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  3,  leave out ‘the Secretary of State’ and insert ‘Ofqual’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

415

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  3,  at end insert—

‘( )	The Secretary of State may remove the Chief Executive from office if the

Secretary of State thinks it appropriate to do so.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

416

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  3,  at end insert—

‘( )	The terms of the conditions of service of the Chief Executive, including all

refunds of expenses incurred by the Chief Executive in carrying out his duties

shall be published annually.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

419

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  4,  leave out subsection (2).

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

57

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  7,  leave out ‘the Secretary of State’ and insert ‘the

Select Committee for Children, Schools and Families of the House of Commons.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

58

Schedule  9,  page  192,  leave out line 10 and insert ‘Select Committee for Children,

Schools and Families of the House of Commons.’.

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

434

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

497

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  11,  after first ‘of’ insert ‘other’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This is a technical drafting amendment which clarifies that paragraph 6(5) of Schedule 9 relates

to the conditions of service of members of staff other than the chief executive (whose conditions of

service are already dealt with by paragraph 6(1) to (3)).

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

498

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  13,  leave out paragraph (c).

Member’s explanatory statement

This is a technical drafting amendment. The deleted provision is not needed because remuneration,

allowances and expenses paid to a person are aspects of that person’s conditions of service and

so are already dealt with.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

56

Schedule  9,  page  192,  line  24,  leave out subsection (5).

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

59

Schedule  9,  page  192,  leave out lines 28 to 33.

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

499

Schedule  9,  page  194,  line  12,  leave out ‘this or any other’ and insert ‘any’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This technical drafting amendment is needed to achieve consistency in the provisions in the Bill

that refer to the Bill itself in conjunction with other Acts.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

60

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(f)	the educational standards and performance objective.’.

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

435

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

334

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(f)	the timeliness objective.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

36

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  23,  at end insert—

‘(c)	maintain standards.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

41

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  23,  at end insert—

‘(c)	set out a range of comparators with qualifications in other countries

specified by regulation.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mrs Maria Miller

Mr John Hayes

Bill Wiggin

139

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  26,  after ‘achievement’, insert ‘and knowledge’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

37

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  28,  at end insert—

‘(c)	maintain standards.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

42

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  28,  at end insert—

‘(c)	sets out a range of comparators with qualifications in other countries

specified by regulation.’.

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

436

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

38

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  28,  at end insert—

‘(3A)

For the purposes of subsections (2)(c) and (3)(c), Ofqual shall publish annually

its methodology for determining whether standards have been maintained over

periods of (a) 20 years, (b) ten years and (c) five years.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

62

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  28,  at end insert— 

‘(c)	allow for an objective assessment of how educational standards have

changed over time.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

63

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  28,  at end insert— 

‘(3A)

In order to deliver the assessments standard, Ofqual shall undertake, within 18

months of its establishment, a full review of changes in assessment standards

since 1988.’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

64

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  30,  at end insert ‘and in the independence, objectivity and

credibility of Ofqual.’. 

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

219

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  30,  at end insert ‘over time’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

65

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  30,  at end insert ‘and in pursuit of this objective Ofqual

shall carry out each year sample testing of cohorts at Key Stage 2, 3 and 4 in English and

Maths on a basis that will facilitate credible evaluation of changes in levels of

achievement in these subjects over time.’. 

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

429

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  32,  leave out ‘different types’ and insert ‘range’.

Member’s explanatory statement

Public Bill Committee: 19 March 2009

437

Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill, continued

This technical drafting amendment ensures consistency in the way provisions of Part 7 refer to

“qualifications”. That term is intended to refer to a particular type of qualification, such as a

History GCSE, and not to a particular form of that qualification offered by a specific awarding

body.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

427

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  34,  leave out ‘and’.

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

428

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  36,  at end insert ‘, and

(d)	the range of criteria and indicators which underpin any attainment and

achievement tables published by Ofqual.’.

Mr Nick Gibb

Mr John Hayes

Mrs Maria Miller

Bill Wiggin

32

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  37,  after ‘provided’, insert ‘on a timely basis and’.

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

430

Clause  125,  page  71,  line  38,  after ‘any’ insert ‘relevant’.

Member’s explanatory statement

See Member’s explanatory statement for amendment 431. This technical drafting amendment is

consequent on that amendment.

Jim Knight

Mr Siôn Simon

431

Clause  125,  page  72,  line  1,  leave out from ‘a’ to ‘represent’ in line 2 and insert

‘qualification in respect of which the body is recognised under section 129’.

Member’s explanatory statement

This technical drafting amendment ensures consistency in the way in which the provisions of Part

7 refer to specific qualifications which an awarding body is recognised to award or authenticate

under clause 129(1).

Mr David Laws

Stephen Williams

Annette Brooke

124

Clause  125,  page  72,  line  2,  after ‘money’, insert ‘and that any increases in sums

payable are not above the rate of inflation.’.

---

Revised 19 March 2009