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  • Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the UUK Mental Health Conference

    Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the UUK Mental Health Conference

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Higher Education Minister, in London on 21 November 2023.

    Thank you, Edward (Peck), and to Universities UK for the opportunity to speak at this important conference.

    The World Health Organisation defines good mental health as:

    ‘a state of mental well-being that enables people to cope with the stresses of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well, and contribute to their community’

    Every single part of that definition has relevance to students’ time at university. But particularly having sufficient mental wellbeing to realise their abilities and learn well.

    Students cannot fulfil their potential, and study for a degree on which to build future success, if their wellbeing is unsupported. Mental ill health is not something students should be expected to push through or attempt to ignore – because we all know that can lead to tragic consequences. Today is about confronting this – and examining what more can be done to help students thrive.

    I’d like to begin by paying tribute to all the student services staff who work on the frontline, day in, day out, to support students. You are there for them on their hardest days at university. You strive to help them find a way through. You do it because you care – because you want the best for your students.

    You, more than anyone, will be aware that increasing numbers of students are needing support.

    In 2022, 23% more students declared mental health conditions when they applied through UCAS. It takes bravery to ‘own up’ to an ongoing mental health issue when you’re about to embark on a new stage of your life, hoping to make new friends, and perhaps even present a new version of yourself. We need to reward this bravery by ensuring the support is there when they arrive at university.

    So on an individual level, mental health support for students is important for their personal academic success.

    But I think it’s important on a societal level too. I see mental health not just as a personal issue, but a matter of social justice. It’s about making sure the opportunity to enter, thrive and graduate from university is open to everyone with the ability to do so.

    We know that today poor mental health reduces the chance of progressing to a graduate job or further study. This shouldn’t be the case. No one should be held back from achieving in higher education because of their background or personal challenges. When we create the right conditions for good mental health, we are in turn allowing students to climb the Ladder of Opportunity to sustainable employment and prosperity.

    This is clear progress. But I know you don’t want to sit back and rest on your laurels, and that is why you are here today.

    Because we have all been deeply affected by the loss of bright, capable and loved young people to suicide at university.

    And we owe it to the memories of those we have lost to take strong and effective action to prevent further tragedies.

    In my year as Minister for Higher Education I have made this an absolute priority. There are 3 pillars to our approach:

    Funding vital services and projects; spreading and implementing best practice; and clear responsibilities for providers and protection for students.

    The first pillar is about investing in the wellbeing of students.

    To provide nationwide access to free mental health resources and confidential support, we provided Student Minds with £3.6 million to set up Student Space. Over 450,000 students have now benefitted from this service, including those who recently braved the “freshers” experience.

    Those early stages of university life bring new opportunities, but also new responsibilities, and the transition isn’t always easy. We are backing university wellbeing services to support these students as part of this year’s £15 million investment in mental health by the Office for Students (OfS).

    Of course it’s not just about the level of investment, but about being clear-headed on which interventions will genuinely transform students’ lives. And that’s why the launch of TASO’s (Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education) Student Mental Health Evidence Hub last month couldn’t have been more timely. As part of our grant to the OfS, it’s the first step towards understanding ‘what really works’ in higher education settings so we can make timely and effective interventions to help students, rather than let problems escalate. You will hear more about this in the afternoon.

    One thing you have told us needs to work better is the join-up between university services and the NHS. I want us to be in a position where a student comes into hospital, and the doctor already knows if that student has seen a university wellbeing officer.

    That’s why the OfS has brought together higher education (HE) providers and NHS trusts across each region in England to address the challenges of joined-up working. It’s about having a single clear view of a student across universities and the NHS so they have a smooth experience of transitioning between services. The outputs of this work are due to be shared by the OfS in the coming weeks.

    The NHS mental health care services that many students rely on are already benefitting from an additional £2.3 billion a year, through the NHS Long Term Plan.

    And the government has gone further, with guaranteed increases through the Mental Health Investment Standard that have brought our total investment to nearly £16 billion in 2022/2023.

    Our second pillar is about best practice.

    We need to create the right conditions on campus for students to thrive through a whole-university approach to mental health. This means not just relying on student wellbeing services. It means everyone, from the Vice Chancellor down to the librarian takes responsibility for creating an environment and culture that supports positive mental health and wellbeing.

    The principles for achieving this are laid out in the University Mental Health Charter. This importantly includes the principle that good staff wellbeing should be supported, recognising the challenges those in the room face on a day-to-day basis.

    The associated Charter Programme supports providers to embed these important principles and follow a process of continuous improvement as they work towards the Charter Award. It is already raising standards within the sector.

    Thanks to the hard work of university staff, and the backing of your leaders, you have delivered an incredible 50% increase in University Mental Health Charter Programme membership over the summer. We’re now at 96 universities, which is a big step – perhaps even a giant leap – closer to our target of all universities joining by September 2024.

    This is the cornerstone of our plan to improve student mental health. I am fully committed to reaching the full target and providing support for the fantastic Student Minds to see it through.

    We also owe a lot to Universities UK. By working closely with charities and experts, it has made great strides in recent years in developing clear mental health support frameworks. And I would like to pay tribute to John de Pury who has led the charge on mental health for UUK so valiantly and who I know is coming to the end of his time in post this week.

    To capitalise on this progress, I wrote to university leaders in June to ask them to take ownership of mental health at an executive level. The sector needs to come together to finish the job of embedding the guidance that has been set out.

    Just a reminder about why we need to do this – why it’s so important:

    Callum Dineen wrote to me last month about the tragic case of his friend, Theo Brennan-Hulme, who took his life at the University of  East Anglia.

    Callum had a simple ask:

    That universities have clear information-sharing policies to protect students and prevent further tragedies, following the UUK Trusted Contacts guidance. That families are given the chance to step in and provide much needed help to their loved ones.

    This was a powerful campaign, with strong support from cross-party MPs – which I wholeheartedly supported.

    I now want to turn to the work of Professor Edward Peck, and take this opportunity to thank him for all the progress he has made since his appointment as HE Student Support Champion. This summer I asked Edward to build on that work and chair the Higher Education Mental Health Implementation Taskforce – a vehicle for delivering real change.

    Firstly, the taskforce is developing a plan for effectively identifying students who need university wellbeing support, so no one falls through the cracks. This needs to include greater data sharing as students make the transition from schools or college to university. There is the opportunity here for exploring whether UCAS could widen the breadth and depth of information collected on mental health.

    Secondly, the taskforce will ensure there is accountability and transparency around the adoption of best practice.

    Thirdly, it will develop a ‘student commitment’, so that students are dealt with sensitively when they face course dismissal or receive difficult assignment results.

    I was delighted to open the inaugural taskforce meeting in July. I saw common cause across a group bringing together different parts of the higher education sector, with Professor Steve West representing UUK, as well as health services, the charity sector, and – crucially – students and parents.

    The recently appointed FE Support Champion, Polly Harrow, will shortly be invited to join the taskforce to ensure we are joining-up our approach across colleges and universities.

    The taskforce will conclude its work in May next year, providing an interim update in early 2024.

    In recent months I have had the privilege to speak directly to families who have lost loved ones to suicide. I have been humbled by their strength and determination to prevent further tragedies, whilst facing the most unimaginable pain and loss. We stand with these families.

    This Government has pledged to reduce suicide rates within five years – with young people, including students, a priority group. We have set out over 100 actions to meet this pledge as part of our comprehensive Suicide Prevention Strategy.

    This includes learning lessons from suicides that have occurred in universities. We will do this through a National Review of Higher Education Student Suicides.

    We are looking to appoint an organisation with the expertise and track record to deliver this important review and we hope to announce further details very shortly.

    I’m sure the sector will embrace this review as a positive endeavour to do better by students. Serious incident reviews will be submitted on an anonymised basis, using UUK’s postvention guidance template.

    We have heard the heartfelt stories from families and friends who have lost loved ones. All eyes are now on those who have the power to make a real difference to students’ wellbeing.

    I will be hosting a roundtable with HE leaders at Leeds Trinity University later this week to discuss how we can answer this call to action.

    As I’ve said before, I am confident we have a strong plan in place, but I don’t rule out going further if needs be. If we do not see the improvements we need, I will not hesitate to ask the Office for Students to look at introducing a new registration condition on mental health.

    Ultimately, we must do what it takes to provide the safety net that students and their loved ones expect and deserve as they embark on the amazing privilege of university life.

  • Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    Andrew Mitchell – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    The speech made by Andrew Mitchell, the Minister for Africa and Development, at the Global Food Security Summit in London on 20 November 2023.

    Ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellencies, friends.

    This is the first of 4 sessions that I mentioned entitled ‘Creating new approaches to ending preventable deaths of children’. And we’ve got here for the session some of the best minds in the world for tackling this subject. We’ve got an hour and a half to try to make real progress and I want to thank everyone in advance for focusing so hard on this vital subject.

    We know that too many children are going to bed hungry and malnourished. It’s a point the Prime Minister set out right at the beginning of his remarks. And we are here united in our determination to change that – bringing all your expertise and experience to bear.

    And as you know, we launched the UK international development white paper today, setting out our long-term vision for addressing critical global challenges. This includes preventing and treating child wasting, through new partnerships and sources of finance.

    The collective effort to produce the white paper drew on the most expert minds in the business, including charities and NGOs, the private sector, academia and our partners abroad. It’s been an enormous undertaking, and I am hugely grateful to those of you who shared your expertise.

    This morning we are bringing that expertise together again, with a focus on child malnutrition.

    This summit is an important opportunity to galvanise action, shifting the dial to do more on prevention. I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can enhance preventative measures, build resilience and optimise funding, in order to have the biggest impact.

    A huge part of this will be vital scientific research. We’ve already seen some big breakthroughs over the years, with ready-to-use foods like plumpy nut, for managing child wasting in the community. This ground-breaking work dramatically reduced the need for inpatient care, increased the uptake of treatment and saved countless lives across the world.

    We need more breakthroughs like this. That’s why the Foreign Office is supporting an ambitious research programme through ELRHA, to build a package of evidence-based interventions in nutrition, health, water and sanitation.

    We are also proud of our work together with UNICEF. Since we launched our partnership three years ago to drive progress on child wasting, UNICEF has recorded some impressive results in the 9 targeted countries.

    Last year, more than 4 million children were reached with essential nutrition support like Vitamin A, a 60% increase on the year before. And the proportion of children given lifesaving treatment for severe wasting increased from a third in 2021 to nearly half last year. We are continuing our work together with UNICEF to catalyse more sustainable financing, build stronger supply chains and help prevent, detect and treat child wasting.

    I am also delighted to announce that we will extend this fantastic partnership to 2030, the year when the white paper ends, and double our funding with an additional nearly £31 million bringing the total to £61 million.

    We will be working with UNICEF and our partners, including many of you here today, to campaign for action to reach at least 350 million mothers and children with services to prevent, detect and treat child wasting in the hardest hit regions of the world. Now I am delighted today to be co-chairing this session with UNICEF’s Deputy Executive Director, Omar Abdi, and I am looking forward to hearing from him very shortly.

    We are also working together with the World Health Organisation and World Food Programme to strengthen the evidence for preventing and treating child wasting. The WHO is today launching new guidelines, including, for the first time, on prevention. And I am delighted that WHO Director General Tedros is with us this morning and I am looking forward to hearing from him.

    We are committed to implementing these guidelines and supporting you, our partners, to do the same.

    As the Prime Minister announced this morning, the new funding for UNICEF includes a further £16 million for the Child Nutrition Fund, which we are inaugurating this morning alongside our partners, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, where we had that fantastic announcement by Sir Chris Hohn of his additional $50 million.

    This is not just a UK-UNICEF partnership. It is, crucially, a partnership with the 10 countries that have joined us in using the Child Nutrition Fund Match-window to double supplies of therapeutic food within their health systems. And we hope more countries will join them.

    I’m glad that Pakistan’s minister of health, Nadeem Jan, is with us, and we look forward to hearing more about this from him.

    It is clear there is a great deal of expertise and determination in this room, so let us use this session, and this summit, to inspire each other to reach greater heights, save lives, and build a healthier future for the world’s children.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • David Cameron – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    David Cameron – 2023 Speech to the Global Food Security Summit

    The speech made by David Cameron, the Foreign Secretary, in London on 20 November 2023.

    Thank you ladies and gentleman and thank you Andrew. A week into my new job and I am delighted this is my first speaking engagement because it is an issue that really matters.

    Thank you to Andrew Mitchell for bringing us here. Thank you to the Somalian President who I met with this morning for his attendance today and thank you to the UAE, our friends in the Emirates for being our co-hosts. And an apology, I am meant to be teaching a course in Abu Dhabi at New York University in January and I’ve had to cancel that because of my new role but I was very much looking forward to another stay in your remarkable country.

    And of course thank you to the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support. It is so good to be back working with you again on these sorts of issues that matter so much.

    This government has a proud record on development and I am proud of what we did on development and I am determined that we put development right back at the heart of our Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, it is so important.

    You have had a long day, with lots of speeches. I have had an extraordinary day going to the House of Lords, doing all the right things, and nodding and saying yes and all the rest of it. So I’ll go home and tell Mrs Cameron she is now Lady Cameron, she’s absolutely furious about that. That is what happened to me today but you have had a long day and had lots of speeches so I just want to make 4 simple points.

    The first is what you have been doing today and talking about today, food security, really matters. I believe in all the SDGs – indeed, I was part of the committee that helped do the original work drawing them up. I care about all of them, but food is foundational to all aspects of development.

    Without secure access to a nutritious diet, nothing can be achieved. And malnourished children can never fully develop their bodies and minds, and it robs them of their futures and it robs their societies of their potential.

    The number of people facing acute food insecurity is the highest it has been in years. And this is just the tip of what I have called a ‘silent crisis’, with a third of the world unable to afford a healthy diet.

    So I promise you this today – the UK will continue to lead efforts like this.

    Now it is great to speak after Minister Dias as Brazil takes on the G20 Presidency. As Prime Minister, I hosted with Brazil summits on Hunger and Nutrition for Growth in 2012 and 2013. Together, we galvanised global action. It was more money invested in better outcomes and that’s what needed again.

    Second, this is an absolutely critical moment. Not just because this silent crisis is growing. But because we cannot separate it from other global crises.

    Putin’s illegal invasion brought this home, as he deliberately sought to rob us of one of the world’s great bread baskets. His cynicism was plain for all to see. He obstructed the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He then walked away from it. He then tried to destroy the very supplies that the world needs.

    But I saw for myself, in Ukraine, in the Port of Odessa, there is good news. Ukraine is pushing Russia back in the Black Sea. And with the new Unity Facility between UK insurance brokers and the government in Kyiv, shipping insurance for their food exports is affordable once more.

    So let the message go out. Ships are sailing, grain is being exported, Ukraine will continue to help feed us all.

    Third point, there is a vital link between food security and development, on the one hand, and the problem of state fragility and conflict on the other.

    Of course, farmers can farm, traders can trade, but without the rule of law, without property and land rights, without peace, without trusted institutions, you cannot get your product to market.

    That’s why it’s time to change the way we do development. That is what Andrew Mitchell’s excellent white paper published today is all about. It captures how Britain will help do this in the future. No more top-down targets that set up fragile states to fail. Instead working with them to make sure we back their priorities, help them deliver, help them to tell the story to their people about what they are doing to bring their countries to security and prosperity.

    We will work as partners on strategies and plans which developing countries can own and deliver.  We will push to unlock the full potential of development finance. I want us to watch as all those multilateral development banks look at their balance sheets and work out what more they can lend and we work with them to get that money into development, into the poorest countries and helping the poorest people.

    Finally, my fourth point – a note of optimism.

    We can tackle this problem. With innovation and technology, we are capable of feeding all the people on our planet. It can be done. We have the technology. We must bring it to bare.

    The Soviet writer Ilya Ehrenburg wrote of the victims of the Holodomor in Ukraine: “not one of them was guilty of anything”. And what was true then is true now.

    Today, we have heard from the experts. We have heard about the tools. We have seen the commitment we need to realise Zero Hunger.

    And I can tell you this, the United Kingdom, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office will be with you every step of the way as we do so.

    Thank you.

  • Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the Food Security Summit

    Rishi Sunak – 2023 Remarks at the Food Security Summit

    The remarks made by Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister, at Lancaster House in London on 20 November 2023.

    Welcome to the Global Food Security Summit.

    I’d like to start by thanking our summit partners – Somalia, the UAE, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…

    And I also want to thank my friend Andrew Mitchell for his incredible work on the International Development White Paper – which we’re proud to be launching today.

    hank you all for your participation and support today.

    We live in a dangerous world – a time of growing threats, strategic competition and conflict.

    Many of these challenges, like the war in Ukraine, have a direct impact on the poorest around in world.

    Others threaten to draw attention away from their plight, putting at risk the vital progress made over recent years.

    With this White Paper, we’re answering those challenges…

    …changing our approach to deliver in a changing world.

    Because we know that you don’t lead merely with strength – but with compassion.

    So we’re going further to help the poorest and support those suffering in humanitarian crises.

    We’re not just applying our aid budget to deliver results on the ground, but also Britain’s expertise in development and our leadership in science, technology and innovation.

    And we’ll do all of this not by acting alone or seeking to dictate the way forward…

    …but through building even deeper partnerships around the world, based on mutual respect.

    It’s only by working together that we will get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track.

    And that starts with redoubling our efforts to deliver the goal on “zero hunger”.

    It can’t be right that today in 2023, almost one billion people across the world regularly do not have enough to eat…

    …that millions face hunger and starvation…

    …and over 45 million children under five are suffering acute malnutrition.

    In a world of abundance, no one should die from lack of food.

    And no parent should ever have to watch their child starve.

    I’m proud of everything the UK is doing to provide immediate relief.

    We’re one of the top 4 donors to UN crisis response.

    We’ve doubled our aid for Palestinian civilians – with an additional £30 million.

    We’re clear that Israel has the right to defend itself…

    …it has been attacked in the most brutal manner possible by an enemy that hides itself in hospitals.

    It must act within international humanitarian law. The situation on the ground is truly tragic and getting worse.

    We’re pressing hard for unhindered humanitarian access in Gaza… and for urgent and substantive humanitarian pauses to get in food, fuel and medicine…

    …because the suffering of innocent civilians must end.

    We’re also leading the way in helping Ukraine get its grain out through the Black Sea and into the hands of those in need.

    But because the scale of the global hunger crisis is so staggering, today we’re going further…

    …providing up to £100 million now for those worst hit, particularly across East Africa, the Sahel, and Afghanistan…

    …and in countries like Malawi which are reeling from climate-related cyclones and drought.

    Yet, as everyone here knows, simply responding in the wake of crisis is not enough.

    Climate change, conflict and population rise mean ever greater challenges to food supplies.

    So we need a fundamental shift in the way we approach food security…

    …with a focus on long-term solutions to stop food crises before they start.

    And we need to harness the full power of science and technology to ensure supplies are resilient to threats like conflict, drought and floods.

    That’s why the UK is working to deliver lasting solutions.

    And we’re doing so in four important ways.

    First, by preventing the worst forms of child malnutrition.

    We played a leading role in the design of the Child Nutrition Fund, which supports vital supplies of life-saving food.

    And today I’m pleased to announce we’re building on that with a further £16 million…

    … and helping to bring in more funding, including from our fantastic philanthropic partners.

    Second, we’re using technology to anticipate and prevent food security crises.

    Together with our partners, we’re applying AI to model the impact of climate change on agriculture, so that we can find ways to avoid future crises.

    And we know just how effective this can be.

    Our work with the Government of Somalia helped them avert famine last year.

    And today, I’m pleased to announce that will we help Somalia avoid future crises with up to £100 million of future support…

    …enabling thousands of communities manage water supplies, adapt their farming, and increase their resilience to droughts, floods and other climate shocks.

    Third, we’re supporting developing countries to build more sustainable and resilient food systems.

    We helped set up the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program to crowd-in public and private sector finance.

    And now we’re driving reform of development banks, stretching their balance sheets even further to unlock more resources for food security…

    … and that includes UK guarantees which are releasing $6 billion of the Banks’ resources for development in countries in Africa, Asia and the Pacific.

    Finally, we’re applying our leadership in science to this crisis.

    As the country that over the last few years has led the development of the world’s first and second malaria vaccines…

    …we’re also driving scientific advances in food security which benefit millions globally…

    …as well as supporting our brilliant farmers here at home.

    We’ve already helped develop crops that are drought-resistant and even richer in vitamins…

    …now feeding 100 million people across Africa.

    And we’re going further… launching a new UK CGIAR Science Centre to drive cutting-edge research on flood tolerant rice, disease resistant wheat and much more.

    These innovations will reach millions across the poorest countries…

    … as well as improving UK crop yields and driving down food prices.

    In conclusion, this is the difference that Britain makes – using all our expertise and tools at our disposal – helping people now and for the long term.

    But we cannot do this alone.

    That’s what this summit is all about. And it’s why our approach is all about partnership.

    With your help, we can get the Sustainable Development Goals back on track…

    …deliver a world of zero hunger…

    …and transform millions of lives for years to come.

    Thank you – have a great summit.

  • Penny Mordaunt – 2023 Speech to the UK Youth Parliament

    Penny Mordaunt – 2023 Speech to the UK Youth Parliament

    The speech made by Penny Mordaunt, the Leader of the House of Commons, in the Commons on 17 November 2023.

    Thank you for being here.

    Many powerful men and women have sat in the seats you are sitting in today.

    What may surprise you is that all of them, for at least for some of their careers, would feel nervous, just as I’m sure some of you are nervous about today.

    You might be feeling fear and dread as to how well you are going to do today.

    But to be here, many of you, in fact all of you, will have had to show courage. To overcome the dread and many other obstacles to be here.

    The dread that says that you don’t belong here, or that you’re not good enough to be here.

    So as Leader of the Commons let me give you some advice for today.

    The dread is your friend.

    The dread means you are never going to be underprepared or complacent.

    The dread means you have already overcome your fears because you feel so strongly a call to serve others, and that means you’re going to be good at what you’re going to do today.

    The dread compelled you to know yourself and what is in your hearts.

    So if you are nervous today, that is good, be reassured and use that energy to do something wonderful here. Listen, learn and inspire others.

    I wish you well today and you have chosen an excellent theme and topics, and it has been my privilege to help some of you from my neck of the woods prepare for today – in one of my schools, with teachers, dinner ladies, local authority directors, testing your ideas and answering your questions.

    And I wanted to give you some words of advice to spur you on today and forever to live fulfilled lives in the service of one another.

    The words I am going to say to you now are not the words of Wilberforce or Churchill.

    They are from a student called Keith.

    People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centred.

    Love them anyway.

    If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.

    Do good anyway.

    If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies.

    Succeed anyway.

    If you do good today it will be forgotten tomorrow.

    Do good anyway.

    Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.

    Be honest and frank anyway.

    The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.

    Think big anyway.

    People favour underdogs but follow only top dogs.

    Fight for underdogs anyway.

    What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.

    Build anyway.

    People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.

    Help people anyway.

    Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth.

    Give the world the best you have anyway.

    Members, do not underestimate what you can accomplish, do not doubt the good you can do. And do not forget the importance of having fun while you are doing it.

    Welcome to the House of Commons.

  • Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the Committee of University Chairs

    Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech to the Committee of University Chairs

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, in London on 15 November 2023.

    Good morning and thank you for that introduction. The Committee of University Chairs promotes the highest standards of governance across the UK’s higher education sector. I am delighted to join you today to talk about lifelong learning, and how our reforms will open up your courses to new students like never before.

    From my travels around the country, I know that education is not and cannot be for young people only. Indeed, the definition of lifelong learning, it being the continuous, voluntary, and self-motivated pursuit of knowledge, expertise, and skills, alludes to that fact that learning is not restricted to childhood or young adulthood but occurs throughout working life. Lifelong learning is therefore an essential part the education offer in this country. As a component of the ladder of opportunity, it contributes to education’s true purpose: to provide a route for people of all backgrounds to gain valuable skills and well-paid work.  And it has never been more relevant than to today’s workforce. With an ageing population, an ever-increasing demand for skilled professionals, big data, and automation and artificial intelligence generating what is set to be, a technological revolution of unparalleled proportions, it is apparent to all that individuals will need continuous access to education and retraining throughout their lives.

    That is why the Lifelong Learning Entitlement will, truly, be transformative for both further and higher education. The entitlement will be equivalent to four years of higher education funding – £37,000 currently – and will galvanise people to train, retrain, and upskill across their working lives. This could be through a full-time degree, or individual modules, or other courses like higher technical qualifications or HTQs. HTQs are designed in collaboration with employers, so students can be confident that they will gain the skills needed to get on in their chosen career. HTQs lead to prestigious, sustainable jobs such as software developer, quantity surveyor and nursing associate – the jobs that employers are crying out for people to fill. So, from the 2025 to 2026 academic year, the LLE will be available for:

    • Full courses at level 4 to level 6, such as a degree or higher technical qualifications.
    • Modules of high-value technical courses at level 4 to level 5.

    This will allow people to adapt to the ever-evolving demands of the world’s sixth-largest economy. The LLE presents solutions and offers answers to this multitude of changes and opportunities.  It only takes a spark to start a fire, and the trailblazing initiative that is the LLE will revolutionise this country’s landscape of education and opportunity and alter for the better people’s perception of possibility in adulthood.

    Education is, without doubt, society’s greatest leveller. Firing the imagination, it opens new doors and ensures nobody is left behind. The Prime Minister has described education as the closest thing we have to a silver bullet: the best economic, social, and moral policy. Widening access to higher education this century has transformed our nation, but we need to do more. And so, we are. With the LLE, we are lighting a fire to forge an ambitious future and provide pathways for everyone, whether that be through education or employment, reskilling, or upskilling.

    So, the LLE will level-up access to later-life learning. It will bring FE and HE together to create a new universal student-finance system. It will enable the configuration of funding around modular, flexible provision, allowing learners to study at their own pace and in a way which suits them. It will expand maintenance support to all eligible learners and all targeted support grants are being extended to part-time courses for the first time. We will be expanding support for living costs to technical courses at levels 4-5, which remain pressing, whatever and however you study. It will remove the restrictions on students taking courses at the same or a lower level to ones they’ve already done. This will allow both new and retuning learners the freedom and the funding to upskill or retrain as best serves the next step in their careers. It will offer people regular start dates, opportunities, as they’ll be able to pick up a module at any time and move more seamlessly between institutions. And finally, it will allow learners to see their loan balance through their very own LLE personal account so they can make informed choices about the courses and learning pathways available.

    This is what is unique about the LLE. This change to student finance will offer diverse educational opportunities, enabling students to learn at a pace that suits them, fitting study around work, family, and personal commitments. Because whether through full-time degrees, individual modules or higher technical qualifications, we want learners to have a real choice in life. They should not feel limited to just one path or one shot at success.

    We have already made tremendous progress at pace on the LLE. Most recently, for example, and something of which I am particularly proud, the Lifelong Learning (HE Fee Limits) Bill became law in September. It has created a new system for applying fee limits, ensuring that the fee cap is calculated on the same basis, whether a learner is studying individual modules separately, or studying them together on a typical full-time course.

    During the passage of the act, I committed to provide further information on fee limits so providers could prepare for the LLE’s introduction. I am pleased to announce that this information is today being published on gov.uk. In this, we are setting out the list of chargeable numbers of credits for every course type, as well as the number of credits that can be charged for in any single course year.

    Of course, not all programmes are credit-bearing courses. Courses such as medicine, veterinary science and dentistry are exceptions, and their fee limits will be set using a default number of credits.

    The publication also includes the list of course types to which this default system applies, to give providers and learners all the information they need to prepare for 2025.

    It also gives me great pleasure to say that we are also setting out further detail today on learner entitlement. The LLE will be available to both new and returning learners.  Whilst new learners will be able to access the full entitlement (equivalent to 4 years full-time tuition), those returning to higher-level education will be able to access their residual tuition loan entitlement. They can use this to access any LLE course, whether a full degree, short course, or a module. This opens up the entitlement to people of many different educational backgrounds, allowing them to refresh their skills or seek brand-new qualifications.

    Details of how we will calculate residual entitlement are also being published today. We will consider both the cash value of loans taken out by learners, and the modern equivalent cost for those who studied under previous funding regimes. In doing so, we have prioritised value for taxpayers, and ensure that learners who want to use the LLE to retrain or upskill can do so on an equitable basis.

    The Lifelong Learning Entitlement represents a significant leap forward in providing accessible, adaptable, and inclusive education. It embodies this government’s commitment to empower individuals to furnace their own education pathways, adapt to change, and contribute to a stronger and healthier economy. Truly, I am so excited to be consistently making great strides on the LLE and its plethora of constituent parts. And I am so enthusiastic that this once-in-a-generation reform of our higher-education sector will enable people to move seamlessly between further education and higher education, taking the opportunities that best serve their career stage and fit around their commitments.

    However, this can’t happen without your support. I hope that the higher-education sector will embrace the burning ambition of the LLE. It has the power to light the proverbial fire, to benefit learners, employers, and universities alike.

    For learners, the LLE will kindle a desire for personal and professional development, allowing them the opportunity to learn, reskill or upskill. For universities and colleges, the LLE will spark discourse about efficient and effective education delivery, inspiring them to think differently, more radically, and to trigger spirited and significant collaboration and co-operation between higher and further education. For employers, the LLE will ignite the talent foundry and cast a stronger and larger labour force. This will allow them to bridge skills gaps in their workforce, encouraging staff to upskill via modular learning and progress professionally in a way that is responsive to their needs.

    I hope I have painted an exciting picture of the developments to come. Together with other DfE initiatives like skills bootcamps, apprenticeships, and our adult learning offer apprenticeships, the LLE forms part of our blazing desire to enhance human capability and productivity, so that every person in this country can pursue the education that they need and deliver on their full potential. I hope you see the possibilities that this landmark reform will present to the sector, and I look forward to working with you to make those possibilities a reality for universities, colleges, and students.

    As we move forward, therefore, let us embrace this revolutionary reform and transformative journey together. Education should inflame curiosity and creativity. It should fuel a passion for learning and a lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Just as a fire spreads and grows, so should education spark a desire to explore and discover new things. With the LLE, we hope that lifelong learning will become the norm. Even more so, we hope students catch a spark and light a fire. We want our education system to be about those fires. So very many of them.

    Thank you.

  • Victoria Atkins – 2023 Speech at the NHS Providers Conference

    Victoria Atkins – 2023 Speech at the NHS Providers Conference

    The speech made by Victoria Atkins, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on 15 November 2023.

    Hello, everyone.

    I want to start by thanking you all for all the fantastic and vital work you do.

    I’m sorry I can’t be with you in Liverpool. But I’m really looking forward to getting to know you and working with you in the weeks and months ahead.

    It’s a genuine pleasure and a privilege to be your Health and Social Care Secretary.

    My belief in our National Health Service, and its founding principles, is one of the reasons I came into politics.

    Now, I know you might hear this a lot. But for me, it is truly personal.

    Like families up and down the country, I owe our NHS a lot. It has cared for me and my family, and brought my wonderful son into the world.

    And I want to make sure that it’s here in fighting fit form for our children and our grandchildren, just as it’s been here for us.

    We have got a lot of work to do. As we continue to bed-in the reforms government brought forward last year to create strong and integrated care systems across England.

    This will be a shared endeavour.

    And it will require all of us to work in partnership. Across our acute hospitals, mental health, community, general practice, and pharmacy.

    As we reduce the pressures that I know you’re facing, we give patients the best possible care, and deliver the Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery Plan for winter.

    We know winter will be challenging. But this year, we have all started to prepare earlier than ever before.

    And using our recovery plan, we can continue to expand capacity, build resilience, and deliver better care. This has to be our number one priority.

    And I recognise that this requires working collaboratively with other organisations and sectors. For example, working with the police to support people suffering from mental health crises.

    And I’m also very conscious that I’m not just the Secretary of State for the NHS – I’m also the Secretary of State for Social Care.

    Our unpaid carers and social care workers look after millions of people every single day. And I cannot wait to work with them too.

    Now, we’ll face challenges along the way. But believe me, I am an optimist. Together, we can overcome these challenges, and take the long-term decisions that will build a brighter future for our NHS.

    And this is the approach I will take to industrial action.

    I’m acutely aware of how the strikes have disrupted patient care, and I’m committed to getting around the table.

    Because, I want to see a fair and reasonable resolution.

    This winter will be challenging, but I know that rising to such challenges is what you all do so well.

    You’ve overcome a once in a generation pandemic. You’ve tackled the longest waits for care it left behind. And you’re delivering reforms that will give patients more choice and control over their care.

    We’ve got clear recovery plans in place. Financial certainty for the rest of the year. And the first-ever, fully funded, reform-focused, long-term workforce plan. Something that I know NHS Providers have been a strong champion for.

    Now, I started this speech by thanking you. I mean it sincerely to you and all of the incredible people who work in our NHS and social care services.

    So, let’s roll up our sleeves and get on with the job. Now is the time to deliver for patients, and deliver for our NHS.

  • Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech at the Association of Colleges’ Annual Conference

    Robert Halfon – 2023 Speech at the Association of Colleges’ Annual Conference

    The speech made by Robert Halfon, the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, in Birmingham on 14 November 2023.

    Good morning, and thank you for that introduction.

    The Association of Colleges is an important voice for further education, and a key contributor to the work of the department. After a year in-post as Skills Minister, I’m delighted to be speaking today on how we are continuing to move skills to the centre of education.

    I first visited Harlow College shortly after being elected as an MP. Thanks to the vision of two exceptional leaders – including Karen Spencer, the current Principal – it has been transformed into one of the country’s leading colleges. I’ve now visited more than 100 times, as well as many other FE colleges, from Loughborough to Oldham, Waltham Forest to Stroud, and Telford to Gateshead. Seeing their facilities and focus on training students for success, helped me understand how FE colleges bring about social justice.

    FE colleges are places of social and economic capital, and I am proud to be their champion in government. From beginning on the backbenches, to chairing the Education Select Committee and my time as Skills Minister – everything I’ve done in Parliament has been to promote skills education and boost support for FE.

    I don’t hold a meeting, or comment on a ministerial submission without asking: “What about FE? What are we doing to help it thrive?”

    As my officials will tell you, further education does not get forgotten on my watch.

    I believe FE colleges are a key pillar of the Ladder of Opportunity, enabling people of all backgrounds to gain sought-after skills and good jobs.

    I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved over the last year. We saw more than 335,000 apprenticeship starts, with full figures for the academic year to be published shortly.

    To help colleges and providers accommodate these new apprentices, in March we distributed £286 million via the Capital Transformation Fund to enhance your facilities. In July we announced £185 million for the 2023-24 financial year, to drive forward skills delivery in further education. This will be followed by £285 million in 2024-25. It will allow colleges and other 16-19 providers to improve recruitment and retention of teachers in high-value technical and academic subjects. In fact I was delighted to receive feedback last month from a college Principal, who was able to give their staff a significant pay award following this announcement. Our investment recognises the importance of your work to the country’s future economic growth and prosperity.

    In order to look to what the future holds, I’d like to glance back to the past. Some of you may know that I’m a great admirer of many 20th Century American presidents. The obvious parallel with my life is that of Franklin D. Roosevelt – who despite being paralysed by polio, taught himself to walk short distances with leg braces and a cane.

    The great wartime president famously pitched his 4 universal freedoms in 1941 to persuade America to abandon non-interventionism and join the war effort.

    As I’m sure you know, those freedoms were: Freedom of speech, Freedom of worship, Freedom from want, and Freedom from fear.

    While I’m glad to say that further education does not face a comparable existential threat, Roosevelt’s freedoms got me thinking about what FE needs to thrive, and where its future lies. I think there are 4 challenges it will need to meet over the next few years. I will outline them here, along with the support government is providing to help the sector face these changes.

    The first challenge is fully resourcing the further education we know we need.

    Properly resourcing further education includes allowing colleges to focus on what you do best –teaching vital skills, rather than negotiating bureaucracy and red tape. I will make sure we deliver existing commitments to make things easier, such as bringing together multiple revenue and capital grants in a Single Development Fund. We have already simplified funding rates at Level 3 and below, and reduced the apprenticeship onboarding process by a third. Our Expert Provider pilot is exploring how to further simplify the delivery of apprenticeships, so that you can focus on growth and quality. I have asked officials to think radically about streamlining end-to-end funding processes, and would welcome your input on this.

    Deploying funding where it will hold most value for learners and businesses is really important. Last week we announced the Local Skills Improvement Fund allocations – more than £200 million for colleges and universities to offer training to address specific regional skills needs. Through Local Skills Improvement Plans, priority sectors are now able to steer funding towards the local skills provision needed to grow their workforce and the regional economy.

    Bringing about a skills revolution, where more people choose high-quality technical education, necessarily means more FE teachers. On top of the additional £470 million I previously outlined to help with recruitment and retention, we are also investing in a package of direct support for those entering the workforce. This includes the new measures linked to the Advanced British Standard. We are expanding the Levelling Up Premium to give eligible teachers up to £6,000 annually, after tax, in addition to their pay. That’s those in the first five years of their career, teaching key STEM and technical subjects in disadvantaged schools, and – for the first time – in colleges too.

    It is really significant that the Prime Minister mentioned these incentives in his speech to party conference, an arena where further education hasn’t frequently been acknowledged. When I say we are bringing FE to the centre of our policy plans, I mean it. I hate it when people call further education the Cinderella sector – but as in the story, Cinderella is now well on her way to joining the royal family. FE is central to the world class education system we wish to build.

    This brings me to the Advanced British Standard, and our second challenge: rolling-out T Levels while we develop this new, overarching qualification.

    When the ABS was announced, there was some concern that it had come to bury T Levels. What was the point of 3 years’ roll out, if T Levels were eventually going to be surpassed by something else? I’m here to tell you that one supports the other: T Levels will provide the backbone of the Advanced British Standard. We will continue to roll them out, with more to come in 2024-25.

    Technical education has undergone unprecedented reform over the last decade, and we will continue this programme to simplify the skills landscape and create a stronger set of qualifications than ever before. All of this puts T Levels in a better position than any current qualification. As I say, they will be the backbone of the occupational route of the Advanced British Standard – making them the most “future proof” option you can offer 16-19-year-olds.

    It’s thanks to all those pioneers here today, who championed T Levels from the start, that we can see a way to achieving a long held ambition: parity of esteem for technical and academic education. But we need your continued support. The best advocates for T Levels, who can demonstrate their benefits and versatility to upcoming year groups, are yourselves – Principals, tutors and teachers.

    I’ve really enjoyed meeting college staff who have welcomed the Advanced British Standard, and the breadth of education it will, for the first time, afford every young person. Thousands of T Level students have gone on to take apprenticeships, jobs with top employers and places at university. Now is the time to persuade the Year 11s visiting your open days to consider T Levels, and the life-changing opportunities they bring.

    The third challenge is to re-enforce further education as the Ladder of Opportunity for those who need it most.

    FE’s power lies in the difference it can make to the lives of people who need a leg-up.

    That’s why I’m so enthusiastic about it, and keen that this life-changing difference can reach as many as possible.

    The Lifelong Learning Entitlement will do just that, democratising access to student finance like never before. It is the most exciting opportunity for learners in a generation, opening up skills training to people who previously thought it wasn’t affordable or applicable to them.

    The LLE will transform FE when it launches in 2025. It will provide a loan entitlement equivalent to four years’ post-18 education (£37,000 in today’s fees) for use throughout people’s working lives.

    As well as conventional higher technical or degree level studies, it will be redeemable against  high-value modular courses, provided by FE colleges and universities.

    I think it’s hard overstate just how much flexible student finance will alter attitudes to retraining and upskilling. Like getting on and off a train, learners will be able to alight and board their post-school education when it suits them, rather than being confined to a single ticket. They can choose to build their qualifications over time, using both further and higher education providers. They will have real choice in how and when they study, enabling them to acquire life-changing skills to improve their employment options.

    The prospect of attaining good, skilled work will be in closer reach of everybody.

    And that opportunity is so important. My hero President Roosevelt knew this.

    When he spoke directly to the American people in 1937, he said:

    The inherent right to work is one of the elemental privileges of a free people. Continued failure to achieve that right and privilege by anyone who wants to work, and needs work, is a challenge to our civilization and to our security.

    Endowed, as our nation is, with abundant physical resources, and inspired as it should be with the high purpose to make those resources and opportunities available for the enjoyment of all, we approach this problem of reemployment with the real hope of finding a better answer than we have now.

    The LLE is that real hope of a better answer – that education can live up to its ideals by being available in the right way, at the right time, to those who need it most.

    The LLE has the power to light the proverbial touchpaper – to benefit learners, employers, and colleges alike. I hope it triggers significant new collaborations between businesses, colleges and universities. Your ongoing engagement is crucial to delivering this transformation of student finance, and ensuring it benefits as many people as possible.

    Further education students need just as much support to complete their studies and make a success of their efforts as undergraduates. In fact, they often need more – especially those from a disadvantaged backgrounds. The social justice of helping these students to succeed is a key pillar of the Ladder of Opportunity, and an absolute priority for me.

    That is why I am delighted to announce the appointment of Polly Harrow as the first Further Education Student Support Champion. She will act as a channel between the sector and government, driving a strategic approach to improving the experience of students at colleges. I look forward to working with her, alongside Shelagh Legrave the FE Commissioner, to bring your concerns to the heart of government.

    The 4th challenge we face is the future! The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Artificial Intelligence and the rising demand for green skills.

    AI is the acronym of the moment, but it will have a huge impact on our future – including the labour market. Lots of repetitive administrative tasks will be streamlined, but programmers and task managers will be still needed to build and manage the digital infrastructure. As with other automated systems, complementary human skills will ensure AI is used to greatest effect and to maintain quality outputs. FE will be a crucial part of this new dynamic, with its ability to adapt provision to meet the skills needs of local employers. We’re already seeing great examples of provision innovation, such as Basingstoke College of Technology’s new skills modules on using AI safely and productively.

    And some tasks will always require a human touch. The government’s transformative expansion of childcare is just one of the currents that run counter to the idea that human work is drying-up. Growing the Early Years workforce to deliver these reforms is a government priority, and presents a huge opportunity for colleges and learners. Now is the time to enter this expanding industry, with great training and progression routes.

    Green skills are another important aspect of the future labour market. They should be part of your skills offer – not just to arrest global warming, but to catch the global winds of economic change. The economy and the jobs market are shifting permanently in this direction, and your learners should have the training opportunities to capitalise on that. Harlow College, which I mentioned earlier, has two green training facilities – an advanced manufacturing centre for electric vehicles, and a renewable energy centre. They are already bringing sort-after skilled employment to people in my constituency.

    Our Skills Bootcamps have already seen 1000s of adults get a head start in sectors that need them, including green industries. Bootcamps currently offer flexible training in green construction, renewable energy, natural resources protection and green transport. I would encourage all colleges here today to apply for Skills Bootcamps funding and embrace this unique entry point for adult learners. Officials from the department are running a Bootcamps breakout session tomorrow, which I’d urge delegates to join!

    I want to finish by turning back to President Roosevelt, and his stirring address to Congress in 1941. Elsewhere in the speech he describes ‘equality of opportunity for youth and for others’ as an important part of a strong democracy.

    Many of you here today do so much to advance this measure of progress – working tirelessly to extend equality of opportunity to all your students. That to me is the true purpose of education:  to bring about social justice, so that everyone has the chance to improve their prospects, and contribute to society and the economy.

    I know we have much more to do, within a changing economic landscape – but I look forward working with you to accomplish it.

    Thank you, and I hope you enjoy today’s conference.

  • Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech to the WeCreate Conference

    Lucy Frazer – 2023 Speech to the WeCreate Conference

    The speech made by Lucy Frazer, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 14 November 2023.

    Good afternoon everyone.

    I wanted to start with a huge thank you to all of you for making the time to be here today.

    Today isn’t just about celebrating all the things that make our Creative Industries special, but it is also about looking ahead to the future to see how we, together, can chart a course that keeps these crown jewels of our economy shining for years to come.

    And there’s no better place to look to that future than right here in Manchester.

    As somebody who grew up not too far away in Leeds, I remember Emmerdale, visits to the IMAX in Bradford, and the arrival of the Armouries.

    I soon learned at school that across the M62 Manchester was one of the cradles of the Industrial Revolution – a city dubbed ‘Cottonopolis’ in honour of its place at the epicentre of our thriving cotton industry in the 19th century.

    But Manchester – as you all will know – is also a thriving place for our culture.

    Oasis, Danny Boyle, Lowry.

    Creativity is part of the fabric of this city today.

    Just look at this venue we’re gathered here today in.

    The largest cultural investment in this country since the Tate Modern two decades ago.
    Built on a site already rich in creative history

    This is the former site of Granada Studios – which had hosted the Beatles’ first TV appearance and was home to Coronation Street.

    And now we have this incredible multi-purpose cultural hub that will welcome millions of guests a year, support thousands of jobs across the local creative economy and host hundreds of gigs, exhibitions and events every year.

    I was absolutely delighted to be here when it opened officially a month ago.

    It was clear then – and it’s still clear now – that this venue will be one of the focal points of a vibrant cultural scene in Manchester and the country for decades to come.

    When I was made Culture Secretary at the start of this year, I made growing those creative industries one of my main priorities.

    In the past decade or so, these industries have become one of our most powerful economic engines of growth.

    And if we can help more people across the country to discover and nurture their creative potential, then we will see our economy and wider society grow and grow and grow.

    Earlier this year we set out a long term plan for the future of the creative industries.

    The Sector Vision was developed across government and I’m delighted to be joined here today with Minister John Whittingdale and Viscount Camrose from DSIT, as well as  colleagues from the Departments for Education, and Business and Trade.

    The sector vision was developed jointly, as well as through government, with industry too through the work of the Creative Industries Council, who I met with this morning.

    And I want to work with each and every one of you to deliver on our Creative Industries Sector Vision.

    It’s a blueprint with three very simple aims:

    • to grow our Creative Industries by an extra £50 billion by 2030
    • to create a million extra jobs – all over the country – by 2030
    • and to deliver a Creative Careers Promise that harnesses the potential of young people and constructs a pipeline of talent into our creative industries.

    We’re already making progress towards those ambitious goals set out in our sector vision, unveiling millions in new funding to drive growth in our grassroots and scale ups and banging the drum for our creative careers.

    We are doubling the number of areas in the Create Growth Programme, with almost £11 million additional funding which means we are able to provide targeted support to around 1,800 creative businesses so that they can access private investment and scale up.

    Thanks to this new funding, businesses in the East and West Midlands, West Yorkshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, the South West and the East of England will benefit from tailored workshops, mentoring and training to maximise creative potential.

    Greater Manchester has been delivering this programme and an earlier pilot, and it’s because of the success we’ve seen here in transforming local creative businesses that we are expanding it to other areas today.

    From today, we’re also launching applications to the £5 million Supporting Grassroots Music Fund to ensure support for the lifeblood of our world-leading music sector and cornerstones of our community.

    I am also pleased that today marks the beginning of Creative Careers Week – an initiative supported by my department to inspire the next generation to go into the creative industries so we can build that pipeline of talent and I welcome the many events happening across the country to encourage more young people to consider a job in these inspiring sectors.

    But most importantly today I am here to talk and to listen to you.

    Because we can only achieve our ambitions – this growth can only happen, these jobs can only be created, this pipeline of talent will only be sustained – if you are supported to maximise your potential.

    And that is what today is about.

    Some of you have been working with us already, whether that’s through our UK Global Screen Fund, The Create Growth Programme, the UK Games Fund or the UKRI Creative Clusters programme or our work with the Arts Council.

    It’s great to be joined by organisations such as Production Park, HOME, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, but it’s also exciting to meet new organisations as well

    Today I want to be a call to arms to all of you to share your ideas with us in Government and to work with us to unlock the creative potential of our people and our businesses – particularly here in the North.

    This region is already a driver of growth across the UK economy with major employers, export intensive businesses that attract significant investment from overseas.

    We will never deliver on the goals we set out in the Creative Industries Vision without your businesses, your ideas, your imagination.

    Government, industry and academic leaders across the North are already forming a grand coalition to develop a new regional strategy – The Northern Creative Corridor.

    There’ll be new details about this exciting initiative announced tomorrow.

    And I also recognise that it’s a difficult time at the moment.

    The cost-of-living has been a bit of a perfect storm for the sectors you all represent and you’re all wrestling with different challenges: whether that’s the tight labour market, access to finance or the possible future impact of AI.

    But none of this should dampen our ambition.

    You know better than anyone else that the North of England emanates so much creativity and that, with the right conditions, creative businesses can flourish.

    So, I’d just like to end by one final thank you to all of you for being here today and for investing your time and energy in the future of our creative industries.

    I hope you find the sessions useful and that we can keep this partnership going long into the future.

    I mentioned earlier this venue is the biggest cultural investment from the Government since the Tate Modern.

    Today that venue is a global cultural icon, famous around the world.

    I and my Ministerial team can’t wait to work with you to make this venue and our Creative Industries in the North as big a success in the years to come.

  • Michelle Donelan – 2023 Speech to the FOSI Annual Conference

    Michelle Donelan – 2023 Speech to the FOSI Annual Conference

    The speech made by Michelle Donelan, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation, and Technology, on 14 November 2023.

    Hello and thank you for having me here today, it is a pleasure to be in Washington.

    Now from the outset I must confess I have brought a numerous amount of British bugs with me, and so if I end up coughing, spluttering, drying up, please forgive me and bear with me, but I will do my very best throughout the speech.

    And there is a reason that my first speech on the subject of online safety, since the UK’s world leading Online Safety Act passed is taking place here in the United States. Because the UK and the USA obviously share a special relationship that is fundamentally about our values.

    The Online Safety Act – which I want to talk about for a bit today – is about reaffirming our longstanding values and principles and extending them to the online world. Empowering adults, protecting free expression, standing up for the rule of law, and most importantly, protecting our children.

    These are the values that Britain has pioneered for centuries, and they are also the values that made the extraordinary story of the United States possible.

    In the most recent chapter of that story, the transformational power of the internet has created the online world that is increasingly, seamlessly intertwined with the real world. But the values that made our free, safe, liberal societies possible have not been reflected online – especially when it comes to social media.

    The guardrails, customs and rules that we have taken for granted offline have, in the last two decades, become noticeable in their absence online. FOSI have been an important part of the conversation to identify this problem, and I want to extend my thanks to you for all the tireless work that you’ve done on this incredibly important agenda.

    And thanks to the work of campaigners here and in the UK, lawmakers from Washington to Westminster have taken the issue of online safety increasingly seriously, especially when it comes to the protection of our children.

    And today I want to share with you how we rose to the challenge of online safety in the UK – what we did, how we did it, and I guess why we did it as well.

    I think the why of that equation is the best place to start, given FOSI’s role in helping to answer that question over the years. Now, my department was created back in February to seize the opportunities of our digital age. Not just the opportunities that are in front of our generation now, but the opportunities that will potentially shape the futures of our children and our grandchildren.

    My 6-month-old son will grow up thinking nothing of his ability to communicate with people thousands of miles away and, I hope, he’s going to go on and do much more. Sharing research with his school friends potentially, learning new languages about countries that he might not have even visited, and gaining new skills that will enable him to fully take advantage of his talents when he grows up. Of course, if you ask my husband, he will tell you he hopes that those talents will lead him to the Premier League football.

    But we cannot afford to ignore the dangers that our children increasingly face online and I do think it is a sobering fact that children nowadays are just a few clicks away from entering adulthood, whether that’s opening a laptop or picking up an iPad.

    And despite the voluntary efforts of companies and the incredible work of campaigners, the stats tell us unequivocally that voluntary efforts are simply not enough.

    Did you know that the average age that a child sees pornography is 13? When I first heard that, it really, really struck me as something that needs to be dealt with. And a staggering 81% of 12–15-year-olds have reported coming across inappropriate content when surfing the web, including sites promoting suicide and self-harm.

    Now, regardless of ideology or political party, I don’t think anyone can look at what’s happening to our children and suggest that a hands-off approach that has dominated so far is working.I believe that we have a responsibility and in fact a duty to act when the most vulnerable in our society are under an increasing threat – especially our children.

    So, when I stood in the House of Commons during the Bill’s passage, I said enough is enough – and I meant it.

    Now, I defy any person who says it cannot or should not be done – as adults it is our fundamental duty to protect children and be that shield for them against those who wish to do them harm. And that is why in the UK, I have been on somewhat of a mission to shield our children through the Online Safety Act.

    And we started with the obvious – applying the basic common-sense principles of what is illegal offline, should actually be illegal online. Quite simply if it is illegal in the streets – it should be illegal in the tweets.

    No longer will tech companies be able to run Wild West platforms where they can turn a blind eye to things like terrorism and child abuse. The days of platforms filled with underage users, when even adverts are tailored to those underage users, are now over.

    If you host content only suitable for adults, then you must use highly effective age assurance tools to prevent children from getting access.

    We can and we will prevent children from seeing content that they can never unsee – pornography, self harm, serious violence, eating disorder material – no child in Britain will have to grow up being exposed to that in the future and I think that that is quite remarkable. Because when we consider the impact that that content is having on our children, it is quite frankly horrific.

    Of course, we know that most websites and all the major social media platforms already have some policies in place to safeguard children – in a few days I am travelling to Silicon Valley to meet many of them, and what I will be telling them, is that the Online Safety Act is less about companies doing what the Government is asking them to do – it is about the companies doing what their users are asking them to do.

    Most companies actually do have robust and detailed terms of service. In fact, all of the 10 largest social media platforms in the world ban sexism, they ban racism, homophobia, and just about every other form of illegal abuse imaginable.

    Yet these terms are worthless unless they are enforced – and too often, they are not consistently enforced.

    So, the legislation that we have produced in the UK will mean that social media platforms will be required to uphold their own terms and conditions.

    For the first time ever, users in Britain can sign up to platforms knowing that the terms they agree with will actually be upheld, and that the platforms will face eye-watering fines if they fail to do so.

    But do not make the mistake of thinking that this Act is anti-business. Far from it, we view the Online Safety Act as a chance to harness the good that social media can do whilst tackling the bad, and because we believe in proportionality and innovation, we have not been prescriptive in how social media giants and messaging platforms should go about complying.

    I believe it’s never the role of the Government to dictate to business which technologies they use. Our approach has remained ‘tech neutral’ and business friendly.

    To borrow an American phrase, we are simply ensuring that they step up to the plate and to use their own vast resources and expertise to provide the best possible protections for children.

    And I know this matters on the other side of the Atlantic too, because the online world does not respect borders, and those who wish to do our children harm should not be undeterred by this sense that they can get away with it in some countries and not in others, or that they should be able to use this to their advantage.

    And that is why in the UK, we are taking steps to enable our online safety regulator, Ofcom, to share information with regulators overseas including here.

    These powers will complement existing initiatives, such as the Global Online Safety Regulators Network. A vital programme – which of course was launched at the FOSI conference last year – bringing together like-minded regulators to promote and protect human rights.

    And this momentum has been backed up by government action too. I am talking about the US Administration establishing an inter-agency Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force, and both of these are very welcome signs of the increasing unity between the UK and the US on this important agenda.

    Many of the aims perfectly complement what we are trying to do in the UK and I am keen that both our governments continue to work together.

    And while protecting children has remained our priority throughout the legislative process, we have been incredibly innovative with the way that we help protect adults online too. I believe when it comes to adults, we must take a different approach to the one that we take for children.

    Liberty and free expression are the cornerstones of the UK’s uncodified constitution, and of course at the heart of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. So when thinking about protecting adults online, we knew we could not compromise these fundamental principles.

    In fact, I believe that the Act would have to actively promote and protect freedom and liberty for adults if it were to be successful in the long term, and that’s exactly what we did.

    So rather than tell adults what legal content they can and cannot see, we instead decided to empower adults with freedom and choice – on many platforms for the very first time. Known as user empowerment tools, the Bill requires companies to finally give adults a direct choice over the types of content they see and engage with.

    Taking the power out of the hands of unaccountable algorithms and placing it back in the hands of each and every individual user. Where an adult does not want to see certain types of legal content, they will have the power to toggle that content on and off as they choose, and in some cases, filter out keywords.

    Choice, freedom, and control for adults, while robustly protecting children at the same time. Combined together, these form the framework that we believe will become the global norm for online safety in the decades ahead.

    Now, just finally, while the glow of our successful Global AI Safety Summit is still bright, I want to touch briefly on the challenges of AI when it comes to online safety.

    We are discussing ‘New Frontiers in Online Safety’ today – and it is impossible to do that without talking about the technology that will define this century.

    Although AI brings enormous opportunities – from combating climate change to discovering life-saving drugs, to obviously helping our public services, it does also bring grave risk too – including on online safety, and we saw that just the other month in southern Spain, where fake, nude images of real girls had been created using AI – a case that shocked us all.

    And recently in Britain, fake AI-generated audio also targeted the leader of the opposition and spread rapidly on social media before being promptly debunked. So, we must be clear about the serious threat AI presents to our societies, from our children’s safety to our democratic processes and the integrity of our elections, something that we both care acutely about as we march towards our elections.

    And that is why we hosted the first ever AI Safety Summit earlier this month at Bletchley Park, where 28 countries and the European Union were represented, representing the vast majority of the world’s population. And we signed an unprecedented agreement known as the Bletchley Declaration.

    Despite some claiming that such a declaration would be rejected by many countries in attendance, we actually agreed that for the good of all, AI should be designed, developed, deployed, and used, in a manner that is safe, in such a way as to be human-centric, trustworthy and of course responsible.

    But I have been clear that when it comes to online safety, especially for our children, we cannot afford to take our eye off the ball in the decade to come.

    And the historic Bletchley Declaration lays out a pathway for countries to follow together that will ultimately lead to a safer online world, but it is up to us all to ensure that we continue down that pathway.

    And In support of that mission, I have directed the UK’s Frontier AI Taskforce to rapidly evolve into a new AI Safety Institute, giving our best and brightest minds a key role to really delve into the risks that AI presents as well as the pre-deployment testing. And of course, it will partner with the US’s own Safety Institute which the Vice President announced in London during the summit.

    We must also recognise AI can of course be part of the solution to many of the problems we are discussing today, as well – from detecting and moderating harmful content to proactively mitigating potential risks like the generation and dissemination of deep fakes.

    FOSI’s new report, published today – does provide important insights on the early use of generative AI tools by parents and teens, and how it will impact children’s safety and privacy online.I will be taking these findings back to my officials in London and ensuring that we deepen the already close relationship between our two countries when it comes to protecting our children.

    Now, while I hope my speech today has been somewhat of a soft-sell if you like for the online safety framework that we have created in the UK, I actually don’t think our approach really requires salesmanship to the rest of the world. Because even before our Online Safety Act became law, companies began implementing key parts of its provisions and adapting their behaviour.

    Many social media platforms now allow keyword filtering, some have started exploring and piloting age assurance methods, and many are proactively cleaning up illegal content through new innovative techniques.

    So, if there is one thing I want to say to American policymakers who want to make a real difference for children and adults online, it’s be ambitious, put children first, front and centre, and above all, defend the values that you would expect to see on the streets as ferociously online as you would in person.

    As the online world and the offline world merge ever closer together, now is the time to stand firm and uphold the values that we share, and the values that got us here in the first place.

    Thank you.