Alan answers questions from Lordshill Academy students
29th April 2010
During the election campaign, students from Oasis Academy Lordshill asked Alan a number of questions on Labour's policies for the General Election and beyond. Here are the questions and Alan's replies:
How are you going to ensure we get the best teachers?
We will continue to recruit the very best people into the teaching profession, both the best graduates and career switchers. We have a programme called ‘teach first’ which will be extended to ensure that the best graduates come into teaching. We’re extending the right of teachers to have continuous professional development as they teach, and we’re promoting new ‘Teacher Training Academies’ ensure that teacher training is the best it can be.
How are you going to ensure people aren't getting scared of going to uni
because of the debt?
No-one should be scared of going to university because of debt now. We’re committed to the aim of 50% of young people going to University or higher education, and ensuring access is there for everyone is a key part of this aim. The system of payment for loans and tuition fees at University has been changed over recent years, and now means that there are grants available for students from less well-off backgrounds to pay for fees; student loans are now repayable only if you subsequently earn above a certain level in your job, and are, effectively interest free. If your income doesn’t go above that level, or you do not work subsequently through illness, your loan debt will be cancelled after twenty years. We’re undertaking a review of fees and loans to ensure they are levied fairly and reasonably for the future.
Where are you going to get the money from to pay off the nation's debt?
The ‘national debt’ has always been with us, and always will be! The key to managing the nations debt as we come out of the largest recession since the 1930’s is to ensure it is manageable over a period of time - and that means that the economy must be working well, and that the deficit can be reduced by financial measures (such as the increase in National Insurance due for 2011) by increased tax revenues from recovery, and by sales of assets such as refloating Banks that have been taken into public ownership in order to protect the UK economy and people savings in the worst period of the crisis. If the Government sold the shares it has in two UK banks today, for example, all the money invested in them would be returned plus a £10 billion ‘profit’. It also means that, over the next few years we will have to get more from less from our public services; and decisions on what services are protected and will grow will be vital. Labour is committed to halving our budget deficits over the next four years.
This is why it is vital not to put the recovery at risk by suddenly deflating the British economy - we need to ensure that we rebuild a strong economy to underpin the measures that will need to be taken to do this.
How are you going to encourage more people into work?
The measures that have already been taken to support people in work, support small and medium sized business that otherwise might have gone under during the recession, provide loans and assistance for investment, and to keep public investments like school and house building going during the recession has already meant that unemployment is far lower than had been predicted. The continuation of these measures in the immediate future should mean that jobs for the future will be there - and the investment that is being put into high-tech and green industries for the future will add to this. We need to ensure that people get the training they need to take up these jobs, and we will be ensuring that a job is available for everyone who has been unemployed for more than two years at that point benefits rather than taking up that job offer will not be an option.
How are you to create more jobs for young people?
Many more young people will be going into further or higher education at 16-18, and together with training opportunities, all young people will be offered jobs, training opportunities or further education at age 16. We’ve expanded enormously the range of apprenticeships available, and we’ll be introducing a substantial number of funded ‘internships’ for young people leaving full time education to get work experience and skills under their belts for the future.
What are you going to do to protect our soldiers at war?
There will always be casualties when soldiers are at war, but it is right that everything to prevent casualties must be done - and that means providing the best equipment and protection for soldiers than can be provided - and this has been done for all those fighting in Afghanistan right now. The Taliban fighting in Afghanistan against the 24 countries supporting the Afghan army have in the last two years changed their tactics - and now largely resort to trying to blow soldiers up using hidden bombs and mines. This has meant that large amounts of new equipment has been provided to detect and disarm these bombs, together with a range of heavily armoured vehicles to ensure their safety on patrol.
How have you and or how are you going to affect our local community?
I think local communities work best where there is a good level of personal safety for everyone in the community, where they have facilities to work together for a better community life, and where the local homes are secure, warm and affordable. I’ve worked hard in recent years to help Lordshill combat antisocial behaviour and petty crime in the area, and I’ve supported and I hope assisted with the rebuilding and development of the Lordshill Community Centre. I’ve also spent a lot of time helping local householders make their homes more secure and energy efficient. When the Academy moves to its new school site at five Acre Field, I want to see the south Block of the present Lordshill site (the sports halls, the theatre and the Swimming pool) retained for community use in Lordshill.
What are your views on immigration?
Much immigration to Britain over the past fifty years has been very beneficial to the country both to our economy and to our culture. The multicultural city that Southampton now is I think enriches everyone’s lives in the city. Britain also has a proud history of providing a home for people who have had to flee persecution or oppression in their own countries and we should continue to provide such a home.
What approach will you take on immigration?
As a practical point we cannot as a country have a ‘open door’ policy on all future immigration, and we must certainly continue with the strict measures in place to prevent illegal immigration into the UK via ports and airports. The policy being pursued now for legal immigration is to provide a ‘points system’ for people wanting to come to the UK to live and work. The key question will be - will their skills or attainments benefit the country if they enter and live here permanently?
There is, separately from that, now free movement of people within the European Union, and that works both ways. There are, for example over 400,000 British people living in Spain now, and over a million UK citizens living and working across Europe.
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