Tuesday 05-10-2021 - 16:01

The Bill is currently making its way through the House of Commons.

 

NUS and many other organisations responded to the first draft of the Bill by submitting written evidence that the Bill committee may find useful – thank you so much to Birkbeck SU, Durham SU, Beds SU, Nottingham SU for submitting evidence, and Worcester for writing to their MP. If you’ve taken action on this issue please let us know.

 

NUS used the written submission to set out many of the concerns that students’ unions have about the Bill

• The dual regulation that the Bill would create, as most SUs are already covered by Charity Commission legislation and obligations around Freedom of Speech (and the guidance for this was even strengthened and clarified in 2018)
• How the proposed complaints system would work, and how it would work alongside the OIA’s complaints process
• That this Bill is a waste of resource because of how few events get rejected each year (using the Office for Students’ own statistics)
• How the Prevent agenda already contributes to a stifling of free speech on campuses
• That very small SUs are going to find additional reporting duties and the payment of potential fines really difficult

You can find NUS’s written evidence here under "Written Evidence"

 

During the committee stage MPs also sponsored amendments to the Bill, several of which were suggested by NUS, after discussions with MPs on the Bill committee. The amendments were around all the above points, as well as suggesting the introduction of an advisory board to the Free Speech Champion and a “sunset clause” which would create the need for the legislation to be reviewed in three years’ time.

 

You can read the amendments that were proposed here under "Amendment Paper"

 

Unfortunately, no substantial amendments proposed by MPs were agreed and incorporated into the current draft of the Bill – not surprising, as a Conservative majority in the House of Commons means that there doesn’t have to be any compromising to get it through.

 

You can read the Bill as currently amended on the main page for the Bill on the Parliament site here

 

The Bill is currently at the report stage in the Commons, which means MPs will have another opportunity to discuss the Bill as amended. After this, the Bill will go to a “third reading” and MPs will be asked to vote on it. Then the Bill passes to the Lords to go through a similar process of debating the Bill and the Lords can propose amendments. NUS will be speaking to Peers to propose amendments to the Bill.

 

We will shortly be releasing a student-facing campaign video that we encourage you to share on your socials, breaking down the main arguments against the Bill (as the parliament website can be a little dry!)

 

If you have any questions about the Freedom of Speech Bill, please get in touch with charlotte.britton-stevens@nus.org.uk