Opposition Members and the Education Select Committee

Transcription

1 PSA Annual Conference 2015 Parliaments and Legislatures Specialist Group Panel Opposition Members and the Education Select Committee J David Morgan (Associate Lecturer, The Open University) 1 Introduction This Departmental Select Committee was set up in 1979, as the Education, Science and Arts Committee. It has undergone a number of name changes and variation in responsibilities in the subsequent thirty-six years, to mirrors changes in the Department itself. The latest change in name was made on 15 th June Rush noted that the lineage of (the committee) can be traced back through the Education, Arts and Home Office Sub-Committee of the former Expenditure Committee to two of the old Crossman committees the Select Committee on Education and Science, and the much longer-lived Science and Technology Committee. 2 It s responsibilities are governed by Standing Order 152 which states that Select committees shall be appointed to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the principal government departments (in this case the Department for Education) and associated public bodies. 3 The committee has a series of pages on the Parliamentary website. 4 During the 2010 Parliament (55 th Parliament of the United Kingdom), there have been 19 members who have sat on the 11 member committee. Member Party Appointed Left Attendance Graham Stuart Cons 12/07/10 76/76 38/45 41/49 (Chair) Conor Burns Con 12/07/10 02/11/10 4/9 n/a n/a Damian Hinds Con 12/07/10 05/11/12 71/76 13/19 n/a Charlotte Leslie Con 12/07/10 04/11/13 54/76 22/45 4/22 Craig Whittaker Con 12/07/10 59/76 32/45 30/49 Neil Carmichael Con 02/11/10 57/67 36/45 33/49 Chris Skidmore Con 05/11/12 18/03/14 n/a 11/26 14/41 Dominic Raab Con 04/11/13 n/a n/a 17/27 Caroline Nokes Con 18/03/14 n/a n/a 8/8 Tessa Munt LD 12/07/10 11/06/12 64/76 0/3 n/a 1 Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business pxvii 2 Rush, Michael The Education, Science and Arts Committee in Drewry, Gavin The New Select Committees (2 nd Edition) p88 3 Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business

2 David Ward LD 09/06/12 n/a 39/42 37/49 Nic Dakin Lab 12/07/10 07/11/11 43/51 n/a n/a Pat Glass Lab 12/07/10 62/76 33/45 34/49 Liz Kendall Lab 12/07/10 02/11/10 6/9 n/a n/a Ian Mearns Lab 12/07/10 65/76 43/45 34/49 Lisa Nandy Lab 12/07/10 10/09/12 46/76 0/11 n/a Bill Esterson Lab 02/11/10 25/67 23/45 32/49 Alex Cunningham Lab 07/11/11 17/25 36/45 37/49 Siobhain McDonagh Lab 10/09/12 n/a 26/34 31/49 Table 1 Membership of Education Select Committee, first three sessions of 2010 Parliament 5 During the 2010 Parliament 30 reports were published and 159 oral evidence sessions were undertaken. Some inquiries lasted many months, whilst some involved only a single hearing. The committee reported that it had heard from 727 witnesses and received more than 2,300 written submissions. 6 The committee has introduced a number of innovations. It has experimented with Twitter, with questions tweeted in and then put to the witness. 7 In the last session the committee, conducted an evidence check process where we asked the DfE to set out the evidence base for a number of its policies and then invited members of the public to comment on this evidence using a forum which we hosted on the Parliament website. Following these discussions we focused our attention on two policies, on the National College of Teaching and Leadership and those relating to school starting age, and held two one-off evidence sections further to explore the Department's evidence base for its policies. 2 Purpose of this Study This study sought to consider how members of the main opposition party carry out their tasks on the Education Select Committee. In the current context that means the work of the five current Labour members Alex Cunningham; Bill Esterson; Pat Glass; Siobhain McDonagh and Ian Mearns. These five have served together since September The research has sought to explain how the backgrounds; networks; and information flows impact upon the practices and performance of these members. 3 Methodology Committee meetings take place on a frequent basis. Most commonly the committee will hold evidence sessions which are open to the public on Wednesday mornings when the House is in session. There have been additional hearings on other days, and some weeks have not had 5 Sessional Returns ; ; Closing the gap: the work of the Education Committee in the Parliament. 8 th Report of Session HC 1120 (16 Mar 2015) p3 7 See Closing the gap: the work of the Education Committee in the Parliament. 8 th Report of Session HC 1120 (16 Mar 2015) p3-4

3 any hearings. These are frequently preceded by a brief private meeting of the committee. Other private meetings and seminars have been held. As part of this research the public meetings of the committee were attended by the author on 15 th, 21 st, 22 nd October; 4 th, 5 th, 19 th November; 10 th December[2014] ; 28 th January; 11 th February; 11 th & 18 th March [2015]. Notes were taken and observations made. Interviews were conducted with three members of the group. Transcripts of all meetings during the period from 15 th October 2014 to 18 th March 2015 were acquired. 8 Other transcripts outside this period; Final Reports; and Sessional Returns for the first three sessions ( ; and ) were also acquired and used for background detail and cross-checking evidence. For this study the transcripts of the following hearings were analysed. All involved evidence given to the committee by Department for Education ministers. Analysis of other evidence sessions is being undertaken for future papers. Date Witness Inquiry Questions 15/10/14 Nicky Morgan Extremism in Schools (HC 473) (Secretary of State) 22/10/14 Nicky Morgan Academies and free schools (HC 258) /12/14 Nicky Morgan Examinations for year olds in England: Follow-up (HC 143) /12/14 Nick Gibb Minister of State (Schools Reform) Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education in Schools (HC 145) /01/15 Nick Boles Minister of State (Skills and Equalities) Apprenticeships and traineeships for year olds (HC 597) /03/15 Nick Gibb Evidence Check: Starting school (HC1039) /03/15 Sam Gyimah Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Childcare & Education) Foundation Years: Sure Start children s centres: follow up (HC 1017) Table 2 Transcripts Analysed Biographical information was obtained from publicly available information and the members themselves. Consideration was given to other related parliamentary activity. The contributions made by the five opposition members in Chamber debates; Westminster Hall debates; adjournment debates; and Oral Parliamentary Questions was considered. Hansard was used for this research. 8 Education Committee website -

4 4 Opposition Members on the Education Select Committee Alex Cunningham: First elected in 2010, Alex Cunningham was appointed to the Work and Pensions committee in his first year. He joined the Education committee in November 2011, replacing Nic Dakin. He represents the North-eastern seat of Stockton North. Since 2011 he has been PPS to Sadiq Khan. Bill Esterson: Born in 1966, Bill Esterson entered Parliament in 2010 for the Merseyside seat of Sefton Central. After gaining a degree in Mathematics and Philosophy, he became an accountant. He was a director of the Leaps and Bounds training consultancy. Esterson served for fifteen years on Medway Council before election to Parliament. In addition to his position on the Education select committee (2 nd November 2010 date) he has served on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committee (12 th July th June 2011) and the Communities and Local Government select committee (7 th November th February 2013). The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2010 describes him as passionate about education and children s services. Pat Glass: After a career in education, Pat Glass was elected to the House of Commons in 2010 for the North-eastern seat of Durham North West. There are less than 20 miles between her constituency and that of Alex Cunningham, whereas her constituency is barely five miles from Ian Mearns. Her experience in education is described later in this paper. Siobhain McDonagh: Elder sister of Margaret McDonagh, a former General Secretary of the Labour Party and now a working peer. Siobhain McDonagh gained a degree in politics before working for the DHSS then Wandsworth Council. She specialised in Housing before being elected to Parliament in She is the only Labour member of the Education Select Committee not in her first parliamentary term. She was an Assistant Government Whip from Ian Mearns: Elected to Parliament for Gateshead in 2010, after 27 years as a local councillor. He was a member of the North East Assembly. An experienced school governor (Chair of governors at 9 Biographical data from Who s Who: The Times Guide to the House of Commons 2010; UK Parliament website: websites of the MPs; and interviews with the MPs.

5 a comprehensive school for 10 years; a primary school for 2 years and 10 years at a special school for children with moderate learning difficulties.) He was awarded a distinction as runner-up in the National DFES Teaching awards Governor of the Year category for the North East & Cumbria Main Findings (1) Attendance and Questions Asked At these seven hearings, the attendance record lists members who was present for all, or some, of each hearing. The number of questions asked has a weakness, in that the question numbers recorded in the transcripts do not distinguish between true questions and comments, and so this might be better worded as interventions. However no distinction is made between a brief pleasantry and an involved question. Furthermore a question number in the transcript can include one or more other interventions. Finally, this is purely quantitative and does not indicate the relative quality of each intervention. Name Party Attendance Questions Alex Cunningham Lab Pat Glass Lab David Ward LD 7 99 Graham Stuart Con Siobhain McDonagh Lab 6 38 Bill Esterson Lab 5 93 Caroline Nokes Con 5 40 Neil Carmichael Con 3 35 Ian Mearns Lab 3 46 Dominic Raab Con 3 42 Craig Whittaker Con 3 34 Table 3 - Attendance and Questions Asked (2) Sources Transcripts of the seven hearings were analysed and eleven categories were identified. In most cases it was clear what source was used. In others it was less clear. An attempt was made to identify the original source when there was a possibility it might have been earlier written or oral evidence given to the committee. This was not always possible, and it may be that some information contained in this analysis as G Reference to material the Member has seen may actually be better reallocated to categories B, F, or H.

6 Total Mearns McDonagh Glass Esterson Cunningham Cat % A Personal Experience B Issue raised with the MP C Local information D Visit by the MP E Media article F Earlier evidence taken by the Committee G Material seen by the MP H Earlier Report by Committee or observations made during an earlier hearing I Issue raised within the House of Commons J Ministerial Communication with MP K Other people have said Table 4 Use of sources in questions A Personal experience Previous professional experience can inform an MP s understanding of an issue and impact upon the questions asked. On the Education Committee Pat Glass has had a 25 year career in Education 10, and was Assistant Director of Education in both Sunderland ( ) and Greenwich ( ). She became a Government Adviser on Special Educational Needs for the Yorkshire and Humber region ( ). 11 Her experience is frequently brought to bear on her work on the committee, and fourteen specific examples of reference to her experience were found. Expressing her concern to the Secretary of State about an apparent lack of urgency she stated, Part of my role before I was a Member of Parliament was as that person who went into a local authority or a school that was failing, and I was expected to have a plan in place very quickly. Some places I went were so dangerous that I had a plan to say, This will happen by the end of today. There just does not seem to be that kind of urgency around this at all. 12 She stated in an exchange over an issue which the committee raised a number of times in its hearings that As a person who has been through these things, I know that unless you go into the heart of the organisation and you see the people who are there and you see how it is run you and you open up the books and you see the whole thing, Ofsted have no idea what is happening 13 Her contacts in education have also been cited in her questions. 14 Her experience with mathematics informed her comment about why some pupils do not go on 10 Website of Pat Glass MP: 11 Who s Who: 12 Q364 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October Q415 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October See Q445 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October 2014; Q1187 Oral evidence: Academies and free schools, HC nd October 2014

7 to study the subject at A-level. 15 She advised the Minister of State for School Reform, after it transpired that the vast majority of schools had failed to open a specific DfE , Perhaps you should put either Ofsted or funding in the title, because my experience is that head teachers will always open those s 16 No other members mentioned their experience in questions, but Cunningham, Esterson, and Mearns have 60 years of experience between them on local authorities. 17 Cunningham spent 10 years as vice-chair of the Education Committee of the Stockton on Tees (Unitary) Borough Council. 18 Cunningham s professional background was a journalist, which he has said helped him to develop the essential skill of posing forensic questions. 19 Members also have their own experiences as pupils; students and parents. B Issue raised with an MP The study confirmed the frequently made assertion that MPs use their Constituency Service to inform their parliamentary activities. Glass told the Secretary of State that parents came to see me quite a lot about concerns or complaints they had relating to academies. 20 Glass also mentioned conversations with Headteachers. 21 Mearns made a point that on one subject he had never had any correspondence on the issue. 22 This category includes matters raised by constituents, and by others who have raised the issue with the member because of their expertise and membership of the Education committee. Cunningham posed a specific question which the British Heart Foundation had asked him to put to the Minister. 23 C Local Information Related to the previous category is information from the local area of the MP s constituency. Five examples were found in the seven hearings covered. They related to schools or the local council. 15 Q191 Oral evidence: Examinations for year olds in England: follow-up, HC rd December Q408 Oral evidence: Personal, Social, Health & Economic Education and Sex & Relationships Education in Schools, HC th December Who s Who: Interview with Alex Cunningham 19 Interview with Alex Cunningham 20 Q396 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October Q415 Oral evidence: Evidence Check: Starting school, HC th March Q473 Oral evidence: PSHE and SRE in Schools, HC th December Q508 Oral evidence: PSHE and SRE in Schools, HC th December 2014

8 D Visit by an MP Inquiries covered by this study have included committee visits to the United States (Boston, New Orleans) 24, Bristol, 25 and Hull. 26 The committee in its review of the 2010 Parliament noted Our international visits have enabled us to learn from some of the best schools systems around the world, and helped us to evaluate the validity of the Department s frequent use of international comparisons. We were conscious of the danger of becoming Westminster-centric and have visited or taken evidence around the country as much as possible. 27 That evidence though properly belongs in Category F (Earlier evidence taken by the committee). This category covers visits by single MPs on visits not undertaken on behalf of the committee. The three instances found were to the Rachel Keeling Nursery School, Bethnal Green 28 ; a village school (unspecified) 29 and to Germany 30. One member stated that they spent a lot of time in schools talking to Heads; teachers and they were also in regular contact with a local youth forum. 31 E Media Article Articles in newspapers and journals were an occasional source quoted in a question. Two examples were found in these hearings, but they have also been noted in other hearings held by the committee. F Earlier evidence taken by the committee The largest number of references related to evidence from other witnesses in earlier hearings, both in the same inquiry and in other inquiries. This was not unexpected, as one of the key functions of a hearing is for members to compare and test the different evidence which is presented to them. Questions which relate to written evidence submitted by the witness (or their organisation) have not been included. It would be expected that the volume of questions involving earlier evidence would be higher for Ministerial sessions. Five of the hearings were the final hearing of the relevant inquiry, whilst the other two were one-off sessions. Ministers were invited to comment upon specific evidence presented, or respond to concerns expressed. 24 Academies and free schools. 4 th Report of Session HC 258 (27 Jan 2015) pp Life lessons: PSHE and SRE in schools 5 th Report of Session HC 145 (17 Feb 2015) p58 26 Academies and free schools. 4 th Report of Session HC 258 (27 January 2015) p74 27 Closing the gap: the work of the Education Committee in the Parliament. 8 th Report of Session HC 1120 (16 Mar 2015) p4 28 Q108 Oral evidence: Foundation Years: Sure Start children s centres: follow-up, HC th March Q129 Oral evidence: Foundation Years: Sure Start children s centres: follow-up, HC th March Q418 Oral Evidence: Apprenticeships and traineeships for year olds, HC th January Interview with member of the committee (October 2014)

9 G Reference to material the Member has seen Material for questions which did not relate to evidence presented to the committee directly came from a number of sources. Ofsted and DfE documents and website materials could provide a significant sub-category. 32 Other sources included reports about the closure of a specific failing school and its reopening with the same head and pupils in the same location, which would not need to be reinspected for four years 33, an exchange of letters between the Secretary of State and Ofqual. 34 Two members of the group confirmed that they received a regular supply of articles from constituents; interest groups and others. 35 H Earlier Reports of the committee; or observations during earlier hearings This category only appears at two hearings. Both were follow ups to earlier reports so the presence of this category is unsurprising. I Issue raised in another forum within the House of Commons A later section of this report will consider how committee activity informs other work in the House of Commons. It is however a two way process, and Ministerial statements provided the source for two questions 36 ; Oral Parliamentary questions provided one 37 ; there was reference to the passage of the Education Bill in and a Public Account Committee report provided the other one 39. J Ministerial Correspondence with member Two instances were found of reference to correspondence between the MP questioning and a Minister. This should be distinguished from ministerial correspondence to the committee. 32 See Oral Evidence (Op Cit) Qs 1272, nd October; Q rd December; Q th December. 33 Q1227 Oral evidence: Academies and free schools, HC nd October Q91 Oral evidence: Examinations for year olds in England: follow-up, HC rd December Interviews with Members of the committee 36 Q332 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October 2014 : Q1205 Oral evidence: Academies and free schools, HC nd October Q420 Oral evidence: Extremism in schools, HC th October Q509 Oral evidence: PSHE and SRE in Schools, HC th December Q1351 Oral evidence: Academies and free schools, HC nd October 2014

10 K Other people have said This category covers attributed and non-attributed comments by third parties. It includes some comments which arose in oral, and particularly written evidence. As noted above, it might include material which should be classified as Earlier evidence to the committee. The committee uses specialist advisers. They can seen at committee hearings, but advise the committee only in private sessions. Lists of advisers can be found in the sessional returns, and in individual committee reports. (3) Involvement in other parliamentary activities The House of Commons offers a number of opportunities outside the committee to discuss education matters. Members of the committee make frequent use of these which include (Oral) Parliamentary Questions - Education Legislative Debates Backbench Debates Estimates Debates 10 Minute Rule Bills Table 5 Other fora for raising education issues. (Oral) Parliamentary Questions Other departments and Prime Ministers Questions Opposition debates Adjournment Debates Ministerial Statements Oral Parliamentary Questions (PQs) are held at the start of business on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 40 when Parliament is sitting, with the exception of the first days of a session. Questions to the Secretary of State for Education are currently taken on Mondays, every five parliamentary weeks. Of the four Education PQs in the period of this study (27 th October; 1 st December; 19 th January; and 2 nd March) there were three interventions by Labour members of the Education committee. On both 1 st December and 2 nd March Esterson was able to ask a supplementary 41 ; while on 1 st December Cunningham asked a topical question 42. Cunningham was able to ask a question at Prime Minister s Questions on 10 th October. 43 He also asked a question on youth unemployment in Northern Ireland at PQs for Northern Ireland. 44 Esterson has asked a question in Health PQs related to a point he made about an Education Select Committee inquiry a few days previously. 45 He has also put a question about online child abuse at Home Office PQs Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business Standing Order st December 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 1 DEC 2014 Series 6. Vol 589. No. 71 Col nd March 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 2 MAR 2015 Series 6. Vol 593. No. 116 Col st December 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 1 DEC 2014 Series 6. Vol 589. No. 71 Col th September 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 10 SEP 2014 Series 6. Vol 585. No. 36 Col th January 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 28 JAN 2015 Series 6. Vol 591. No. 101 Col st October 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 21 OCT 2014 Series 6. Vol 586. No. 46 Col th November 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 17 NOV 2014 Series 6. Vol 588. No. 61 Col 9.

11 Legislative debates, in which a bill passes through the various stages in the House of Commons, do present an opportunity for select committee members to make a contribution in the Chamber at various stages (or if selected to sit on the Public Bill Committee) in committee. There has been no Education bill before the House of Commons in the period of this study. The Opposition parties are allocated Opposition Day debates in accordance with Standing Order The House of Commons Library occasionally issues standard notes listing the subject of these debates. 48 Glass and Esterson participated in the debate on Infant class sizes. 49 Esterson intervened in the opposition debate on Apprenticeships. 50 Backbench debates have given backbenchers (which select committee members traditionally are), an opportunity to discuss matters of concern to them. The Backbench Committee website states The House of Commons Backbench Business Committee has a limited allocation of time outside Government control in which it can schedule subjects for debate suggested by backbench Members of Parliament. The Committee can consider any subject for debate. This includes subjects raised in national or local campaigns, reports by select committees and other groups and issues suggested by constituents, including by people who have signed an e-petition or a traditional paper petition (there is no restriction on the number of signatures required). 51 The debate on Young People in care was requested by the committee and the motion which stood in the name of the Chairman and other members of the committee said That this House notes the Second Report from the Education Committee, Into independence, not out of care: 16 plus care options, HC 259, and the Government s response, HC 647; welcomes the progress made and the commitment to improve the care provided to these vulnerable young people shown in the Government s response; regrets that the Government has not gone further by exploring with local authorities how to ban the use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for this age group and by moving to inspect and regulate all accommodation provided to children in care; and calls on the Government to do all it can to improve the accommodation and care given to these young people. Esterson, Cunningham and Glass all made speeches and further interventions. 52 Adjournment debates offer individual MPs an opportunity to raise an issue of concern. The most well-known are the half hour debates at the end of the parliamentary day. These are 47 Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business Standing Order House of Commons Library: Opposition Day debates: 2010-present. HoC Standard Note SN/PC/06315 (2 nd December 2014) 49 3 rd September 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 3 SEP 2014 Series 6. Vol 585. No. 31 Cols 352, 357, 361, th February 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 4 FEB 2015 Series 6. Vol 592. No. 105 Cols 315, 322, 331, th January 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 27 JAN 2015 Series 6. Vol 591. No. 10 Cols (speeches by Esterson Cols ; Cunningham Cols ; Glass Cols )

12 described in Dod s Handbook of House of Commons Procedure. 53 The debate on Durham Free School on 27 th January 2015 involved contributions from Glass and Cunningham. 54 A particular form of adjournment debates are those debates normally held in a room adjacent to Westminster Hall. These have become known as Westminster Hall debates. Labour members have contributed to the debates on Adult Learning 55 ; Nursery Schools 56 ; Foetal Alcohol Syndrome 57 ; Education for young people with disabilities 58 ; Youth Service Provision 59 ; Ofsted 60 ; and Homeless young people 61. The House of Commons sets aside three days during each year to consider the estimates of public spending by government departments. In practice the topic of debate on these 'estimates days' is chosen by the Liaison Committee who nominate a recent report by a departmental select committee that in turn relates to a particular estimate. 62 Ian Mearns intervened in an Estimates debate on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 63 to highlight an issue that Glass had raised in a Ministerial Statement where she had mentioned relevant work done by the Education Committee 64. After question time Ministerial Statements may be made. These can be initiated by the Government or are a response to an urgent question 65. A period of time for questions in response is allowed. While this is often dominated by the main spokespersons and senior MPs, select committee members may also be called. During the period studied Labour members of the Education select committee intervened in ministerial statements on Child Sex Abuse (Rotherham) 66 ; Preparing Young People for Work 67 ; Birmingham Schools (The Trojan 53 Evans, Paul (2009) Dod s Handbook of House of Commons Procedure 7 th Edition. London: Dods p th January 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 27 JAN 2015 Series 6. Vol 591. No. 10 Cols rd September 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 3 SEP 2014 Series 6. Vol 585. No. 31 Cols 111WH-135WH (Glass Cols 118WH-120WH, 131WH) 56 9 th September 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 9 SEP 2014 Series 6. Vol 585. No. 35 Cols 215WH-234WH (Glass Cols 215WH-221; 231WH; 234WH; Cunningham Cols 215WH-216WH; 225WH; 228WH; 230WH; Esterson Cols 217WH; 222WH; 224WH; 230WH; th October 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 14 OCT 2014 Series 6. Vol 586. No. 41 Cols 24WH-48WH (Esterson Cols 24WH-29WH; 34WH; 46WH; 47WH) th October 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 28 OCT 2014 Series 6. Vol 587. No. 51 Cols 22WH-37WH (Glass Cols 27WH-29WH) 59 3 rd December 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 3 DEC 2014 Series 6. Vol 589. No. 73 Cols 149WH-173WH (Cunningham Cols 149WH-155WH; 156WH; 159WH; 162WH-163WH; 164WH; 166WH; 173WH; Esterson Cols 150WH; 153WH; 160WH; 165WH) th December 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 10 DEC 2014 Series 6. Vol 589. No. 78 Cols 323WH-343WH (Esterson Cols 325WH-326WH) st January 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 21 JAN 2015 Series 6. Vol 591. No. 96 Cols 108WH-130WH (Cunningham Cols 109WH) rd March 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 3 MAR 2015 Series 6. Vol 593. No. 117 Col nd February 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 2 FEB 2015 Series 6. Vol 592. No. 103 Col Standing Orders of the House of Commons: Public Business Standing Order 21(2) 66 2 nd September 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 2 SEP 2014 Series 6. Vol 585. No. 30 Col th December 2014 HANSARD HC DEB 10 DEC 2014 Series 6. Vol 589. No. 78 Col 895

13 Horse affair) 68 ; Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services 69 ; Child Sexual Exploitation (Oxfordshire) 70 Other opportunities could be given by Ten Minute Rule Bills. Bills introduced under the ten-minute rule are one of the ways in which backbench MPs (private Members) can introduce legislation. However, the process is used more as a means of making a point on the need to change the law on a particular subject as there is little parliamentary time available. They mainly provide the opportunity for MPs to test Parliament's opinion on a particular subject. The ten minute rule allows a brief introductory speech of no more than ten minutes and one of the same length opposing the motion to be made in the House of Commons after question time on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when the House is likely to be full 71 No instances were found of use by committee members in the study period. The following table sets out a list of occasions when the committee and its work were specifically mentioned by Labour members of the committee. Date Speaker(s) Forum 02/09/14 Esterson Ministerial Statement 03/09/14 Esterson; Glass Opposition Debate 09/09/14 Esterson; Glass WH Debate 14/10/14 Esterson WH Debate 28/10/14 Glass WH Debate 17/11/14 Esterson Home Office PQs 03/12/14 Cunningham WH Debate 10/12/14 Esterson Ministerial Statement 27/01/15 Cunningham; Esterson; Glass Backbench Debate 27/01/15 Cunningham; Glass Adjournment Debate 29/01/15 Glass Ministerial Statement 02/02/15 Glass Ministerial Statement 03/03/15 Esterson Ministerial Statement Table 6 specific mentions of Education Select Committee 6 Conclusions In an interview with one of the Labour members of the committee, the role of members was described as challenging..holding the government to account in areas that nobody else was looking at. 72 The analysis in this report found that 53.4% of questions come from the opposition members. While ideological differences exist, the committee works together across party lines. Some of the more dramatic moments have come when Conservative members have clashed with Ministers of their own party th January 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 29 JAN 2015 Series 6. Vol 591. No. 102 Col nd February 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 2 FEB 2015 Series 6. Vol 592. No. 103 Col rd March 2015 HANSARD HC DEB 3 MAR 2015 Series 6. Vol 593. No. 117 Col Interview with member of the committee (October 2014)

14 It is intended to take this research further, and a similar analysis applied to non-ministerial hearings. J David Morgan jdavidmorgan@googl .com