MPs debate skills and growth and productivity
17 June 2015 (updated on 17 June 2015)
MPs are to debate skills and growth in the House of Commons today, Wednesday 17 June 2015. The debate is the first of two to take place this afternoon on subjects chosen by the Opposition.
Skills and growth
Motion for debate
The following motion has been tabled for debate:
'That this House notes that improving education is imperative for the future economic growth of this country, that gains in productivity play an instrumental role in achieving high growth and better living standards, and that in order to prevent a recurrence of the deficiencies in the previous Government’s strategy for 14-19 education, the Government should initiate a cross-party review of 14-19 education, as recommended by the Confederation of British Industry, to cover exams, educational institutions and the curriculum in order to take full advantage of the increase in the participation age to 18.'
The debate is expected to start at 12.30pm after Prime Minister's Questions.
Timings are approximate as Parliamentary business is subject to change.
- Watch the debate on skills and growth live on Parliament TV
- Read current Parliamentary material in Topics: Employment and training
Transcripts of proceedings in the House of Commons Chamber are available three hours after they happen in Today’s Commons Debates.
Productivity
The second of today’s Opposition debates is on productivity.
Motion
The following motion has been tabled for debate:
'This House notes that UK economic productivity has been stagnating for several years with productivity growth the second worst of the G7 countries; recognises that supporting business to improve output efficiency and enhanced productivity is the best route to higher living standards and in turn is crucial for the health of the public finances; regrets that the Chancellor failed to address productivity in his March Budget speech; urges the Government to ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to report on the impact on productivity of the options likely to be considered in the forthcoming Spending Review; and believes that decisions on reducing public service expenditure must take into account their impact on productivity performance.'
The debate is expected to start between 3.45pm and 4pm and to last approximately three hours.
Timings are approximate as Parliamentary business is subject to change.
- Watch the debate on productivity live on Parliament TV
- Read current Parliamentary material in Topics: Economy and finance
- Read House of Commons Library briefing: Key Issues for the 2015 Parliament: Productivity and living standards
Transcripts of proceedings in the House of Commons Chamber are available three hours after they happen in Today’s Commons Debates.
Related information
About Opposition day debates
Opposition days are days allocated in the House of Commons in each session for the discussion of subjects chosen by the Opposition.
Seventeen days are at the disposal of the Leader of the Opposition, the leader of the largest opposition party, to decide which matters are debated. Three days are usually divided between the other opposition parties.
The Opposition generally use them to raise questions of policy and administration. Frequently, two separate subjects are debated on an opposition day.
Watching Opposition day debates from the public gallery
UK residents and overseas visitors can watch proceedings in the House of Commons by visiting the public gallery.
This article was produced by the Commons Digital Outreach Team. Follow the @HouseofCommons on Twitter for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber.