House of Lords
Parliament

No further amendments are moved and debate ends for the evening.

Peers will return on Thursday from 11am, starting with questions to the government.

They will also take part in a series of debates on topics including the "future capability of the UK's armed forces in the current international situation".

House of Lords
Parliament

Replying for the government, Viscount Younger of Leckie claims the aims of the Office for Students are "absolutely consistent with the idea that providers should continue to collaborate and innovate".

However, requiring the regulator to produce evidence in this area is an unnecessary burden, he argues.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour peer and scientist Lord Winston, while sympathising with the principle of requiring collaboration, asks "how you can enforce this collaboration in any meaningful way".

Science, he says, is competitive and takes place in a very "testosterone-driven environment - it's not desirable but it actually happens".

He says this is an argument for more women in science, who could "humanise our laboratories" and are more likely to collaborate.

In the meantime, he doubts whether it is "useful" to have a requirement to promote collaboration in the bill.

House of Lords
Parliament

Peers now consider a Labour amendment requiring the Office for Students to promote collaboration between higher education institutions in England and also to promote innovation.

The amendment is supported by crossbencher Baroness Brown of Cambridge, the former vice chancellor of Aston University, who has also put forward her own similar amendment.

She says that universities are by their nature competitive but collaboration is "hugely important" and can benefit students and the economy.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour peer Lord Adonis speaks in favour of maintaining diverse institutions and says the Church of England's higher education establishments can help counter a bias towards the south east of England.

There are denominational institutions based in "communities that are disadvantaged and are distant from London", he says.

House of Lords
Parliament

The short debate ends and the committee stage of the Higher Education and Research Bill resumes.

The Bishop of Birmingham introduces an amendment on behalf of his colleague the Bishop of Portsmouth, on "the need to maintain diversity of provision".

This includes "providers of a denominational character".

He tells the House "there are over 100,000 students enrolled across the 16 Cathedrals Group institutions" - universities and university colleges with Church foundations.

House of Lords
Parliament

Environment Minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble says the government is making "good progress with an equine database" which will identify all horses with a UK-issued passport.

He adds that ministers will be consulting on compulsory microchipping of horses.

This can help trace horses "but only when owners are complying with the law", the minister says.

House of Lords
Parliament

Labour environment spokesman Lord Grantchester claims that "local authorities don't quite recognise the severity of the problem" of so-called "fly-grazing".

Fly-grazing is the illegal grazing or abandonment of horses on public or private land.

He calls on the government to address the "inadequacies of the horse passport system" and also backs making retrospective microchipping mandatory.

House of Lords
Parliament

Liberal Democrat environment spokeswoman Baroness Parminter pays tribute to the RSPCA and other chairties involved in the rescue and rehabilitation of horses.

She rejects the Earl of Shrewsbury's suggestion that the RSPCA is "politically motivated". The Tory peer suggested the RSPCA should "concentrate less on politics".

Turning to the microchipping of animals, Baroness Parminter asks: "If it's good enough for dogs, why isn't it good enough for horses?"

She calls on the government to "make retrospecitve microchipping mandatory".

House of Commons
Parliament

The adjournment debate concludes, as does the day in the House of Commons.

MPs return tomorrow at 9:30am for questions to the transport secretary.

House of Lords
Parliament

Conservative peer the Earl of Shrewsbury, a former amateur jockey, argues for the "re-homing and retraining of racehorses" once they are no longer able to race.

He also says he is concerned that the RSPCA does not live up to "its own high standards on equine welfare".

He says he and his family rescued a neglected mare but claims an RSPCA inspector said he had seen horses in a worse condition, which the peer calls "disgraceful".

House of Commons
Parliament

Health Minister David Mowat notes that the CCGs (clinical commissioning groups) in Telford and Shropshire have "reached an impasse".

He therefore sets out the proposed way forward. He tells MPs that there will be a review of Future Fit's appraisal in order to address Telford's concerns.

He says an independent chair will be appointed to make a casting vote on the final decision. The previous vote was a tie.

Conservative MP Owen Paterson welcomes "the tremendous news" that a mechanism is in place to settle the issue.

House of Lords
Parliament

Looking after horses is hard work and costly, says crossbencher Baroness Masham of Ilton.

"There should always be respect for the animals, even if they are difficult," she tells peers.

House of Lords
Parliament

"I'm a horse owner of some 60 years," says Labour's Baroness Mallalieu.

"Equine welfare is largely compromised by ignorance and not just by those who are irresponsible."

She says the government should update "the code of good practice for the horse", as well as allowing "retrospective microchipping".

House of Lords
Parliament

Debate on the bill takes a break while some peers have their dinner and others take part in a short debate on the welfare of horses.

Conservative peer Lord Higgins tabled the question for debate, asking what the government is doing "to improve equine welfare standards".

Fellow Conservative peer Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen opens the debate, saying Lord Higgins is absent due to a family illness.

"With nearly one million horses in the UK, we are reaching something of a crisis," she says, telling the House a recent report has uncovered many cases of horses being poorly looked after or neglected.

This is not the fault of "responsible owners" but dealers and owners who are irresponsible and "in some cases naive", she adds.

"We need a joined up, concerted approach to this distressing problem."

House of Lords
Parliament

Making an argument for a student representative on the Office for Students, Labour spokesman Lord Stevenson of Balmacara recalls student activism in the 1960s.

"The battles of the day were to get representation," he says. "We marched, we stood, we stamped, we occupied. It was terrible. It was great."

It was also, he adds, "terrific partying time".

However, when he and his colleagues achieved meetings with "scientifically aggressive" senior academics, they asked that the library should be open when students were up.

"And they said: don't be ridiculous. Banks don't open in the evening. Why should libraries be open in the evening? And that was the end of the meeting."

"Why did I get into that?" he asks, to laughter. The point is that it is better that students are represented, he adds.

House of Commons
Parliament

Owen Paterson tells MPs that "bickering between Shropshire and Telford" has "dominated" his time in Parliament.

Fellow Conservative Daniel Kawczynski agrees and urges residents to lobby the government for more resources "rather than fighting each other".

He notes that the area is due to receive £300m to assist with the changes to A&E services. 

However, he fears that "if we don't sort ourselves out" other areas going through the process "in a more cordial way" will be able to "jump the queue".

House of Commons
Parliament

Image source, Reuters

Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski now begins his adjournment debate on A&E provision in Shropshire and Mid Wales.

The NHS Future Fit programme said that having hospitals across multiple sites in Shropshire resulted in extra duplication costs.

The programme proposed downgrading the A&E unit at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford and maintaining the A&E at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. 

Telford and Wrekin Council argued that flawed data had been used in Future Fit’s analysis.

The local clinical commissioning groups have chosen not to make a decision until the process is independently reviewed.

House of Commons
Parliament

MPs have voted to reject Labour's motion by 295 votes to 209.

MPs now agree to the government amendment of the motion without a division:

House of Lords
Parliament

Higher education spokesman Viscount Younger tells Labour's Lord Puttnam that "there is no cap on the number of international students" nor any plan to introduce one.

The UK is the second most popular destination for overseas students after the United States, he adds.