Has Westminster given due scrutiny to such a wide-reaching, complex and controversial CWS Bill? Has Westminster tried to rush this Bill through? 

Let’s track the progress at Westminster so far. 

This Bill was devised and drafted by Westminster’s Department for Education. 

• Bill was first laid before Parliament at Westminster on 17^th December 2024, with its first reading in the House of Commons (HoC) that afternoon, immediately before the HoC adjourned for Christmas recess the same day. The House of Commons did not return from Christmas recess until Tuesday 5^th January, with the second reading of the Bill on 8^th January. 
  • So, MPs were on Christmas holidays for all but two days between the first and second reading at the HoC, providing no real opportunity for concerned citizens to engage with their elected representatives. 

Call for evidence stage at HoC

• Parliament do not have to publish ever submission of evidence. However, it is reasonable to believe that what is published should be reflective of the content and volumes of perspectives expressed and should include submissions of particular note. Most submissions that were critical of the bill or that raised concerns were not published, even submissions of evidence from those who have previously given evidence in person to such committees such as Fiona Nicholson of Ed Yourself were not published. However, we have not heard of any submissions expressing support for the Bill not being published. Therefore, the Lords do not have sight of all the many submissions that raised concerns regarding the content and pointed out problematic and counterproductive issues and measures in the Bill. 

Oral evidence stage at HOC

• No-one with concerns about the CNIS aspects allowed/called to speak at the oral evidence stage. No home educators or educationalists with related interests and concerns were allowed to speak.

Committee stage at HOC

• The tightly controlled timetable of the Bill’s Commons Committee Stage “had already caused some internal disquiet about scrutiny having to be hurried”. Only minutes rather than hours or days were spent on the CNIS clauses in question, with any attempts to express concerns swiftly brushed off and dismissed, with no real exploration or debate.

• All this happened with the Bill being put as an England-only Bill. 
• Welsh MPs had the right to vote on this England-only Bill even before Welsh Government’s intention for key clauses to apply to Wales was made known.
• However, a number of concerned Welsh citizens, including home educators, report that when contacting their Welsh MPs about their vote on this Bill during its progression through the HoC, they were instead dismissed and told this was not relevant to Wales. 

Third reading in HoC

• 18^th March, as Bill progresses onto the House of Lords for its first reading there the following day. 
• However, six days after the Report Stage proceedings were completed in the House of Commons and only one week before that third reading, just as the Bill was about to leave the House of Commons to progress to the House of Lords, a memorandum was laid at Westminster seeking to apply the CNIS and several other clauses to Wales. The laying of this memorandum was something of a surprise to the people of Wales, and seemingly to the Senedd too. 

Thus, there has been a most remarkable lack of due scrutiny, most especially in terms of the CNIS clauses applying to Wales, on what even the Welsh Education Secretary described as “very broad and wide-ranging legislation” which “isn’t without its challenges”. 

More on the issue of Wales seemingly “piggybacking” at last minute onto what was designed and had progressed through the House of Commons as an England-only bill issue can be found in this extended article.