Commons Sense

House of Commons · General Debate

Essay Mills (Prohibition)

10 February 2021 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Chris Skidmore Con Birmingham, Erdington

Education

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Chris Skidmore raised concerns about essay mills (prohibition) in the House of Commons. Other MPs contributed to the debate.

Key points

  • Moves to prohibit essay mill services were discussed to prevent students, researchers, and school pupils from buying essays to pass off as their own.
  • Chris Skidmore noted an increase in essay mill activity online during the pandemic.
  • Support for legislation similar to laws in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland was expressed.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Chris Skidmore Con Birmingham, Erdington

Moves to prohibit the operation and advertising of essay mill services which encourage students, researchers and even school pupils to buy essays that can be passed off as their own. Chris Skidmore highlights the increase in online presence of essay mills during the pandemic and supports legislation similar to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Ireland where such practices are illegal. He emphasises the need for universities to create second chances and educate students about contract cheating.

Other contributors (1)
  • Chris Skidmore Con Birmingham, Erdington

    Calls for legislation against essay mills which is supported by Members from all major political parties, the Chair of the Education Committee, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group for students, and two former Secretaries of State. Emphasises that universities need to look at new strategies for creating second chances and educating students about their mistakes.

Get updates like this by email
▸ Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy