Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Freedom of Speech in Universities

Monday 24 October 2022 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government is committed to protecting freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities.
  • The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill aims to strengthen existing duties and introduce consequences for breaches.
  • Concerns raised about mandatory training in contested theories such as unconscious bias are acknowledged.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Andrew Lewer Con
Education
Context

No specific event or statistic mentioned. The question seeks information on the government's steps to protect freedom of speech.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to protect freedom of speech in universities.

Answer from Kit Malthouse

This Government are committed to the protection of freedom of speech and academic freedom in universities. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill will strengthen existing freedom of speech duties and introduce clear consequences for breaches as well as a duty on universities and colleges to promote the importance of freedom of speech and academic freedom.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps taken by the department are not detailed; only a commitment is made.

How: Commitment

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Andrew Lewer Con
Education
Context

The question refers to recent data from the King's College report indicating increasing reluctance of students to engage in challenging debate. It highlights specific courses on unconscious bias and similar topics.

Question

How my right hon. Friend and his team address the concerns of many that mandating university students and staff to complete training in contested theory such as unconscious bias, like the Radcliffe Department of Medicine's implicit bias course or the University of Kent's Expect Respect course, is worrisome, especially given recent data from the King's College “The state of free speech” report on the increasing reluctance of students to engage in challenging debate.

Answer from Kit Malthouse

I know my hon. Friend recognises that universities and colleges are independent organisations. None the less, I share his concerns that where opinions, beliefs or theories that are contested are presented, they should not be presented to young minds alone. The context in which they are created, and indeed the arguments for and against, should be presented to young people. Indeed, it is the duty of those who are tasked with the education of young minds to give the widest possible sense of perspective on all these issues.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No specific measures or policies to address concerns are mentioned; only a general statement of intent is provided.

How: Commitment

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)