Contributions
1,193 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSocial Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Carer’s Assistance) (Consequential Modifications) Order 2026That the Grand Committee do consider the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Carer’s Assistance) (Consequential Modifications) Order 2026.28 Jan 2026HANSARDSocial Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Carer’s Assistance) (Consequential Modifications) Order 2026My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to debate this order today. As with all of the Scotland Act orders that we have considered since the start of this Parliament, this is…28 Jan 2026HANSARDSocial Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Carer’s Assistance) (Consequential Modifications) Order 2026My Lords, I thank both noble Lords for their contributions to the debate this afternoon; some very important points were made, even if our time was short. I reiterate the point…28 Jan 2026HANSARDSocial Security (Scotland) Act 2018 (Carer’s Assistance) (Consequential Modifications) Order 2026That is a very interesting point. I will write to the noble Lord so that he has answer in writing; that will come soon. In closing, this instrument demonstrates the continued…28 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord and the noble Baroness for their points and questions on this matter, which rightly concerns us all. To reiterate, this was a quasi-judicial…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyI think I am agreeing to write to him. I genuinely do not recognise, nor have I been aware of, that report regarding the journalists. I cannot comment on specific mitigations or…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyI thank my noble friend for the work that he and his committee have done, both in terms of ensuring appropriate scrutiny of the Government and more broadly. He raises a really…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyI thank my noble friend for her questions. One thing that is really clear, given that this Statement is about our national security, is about being led by our national security…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyI would like to clarify a couple of points. First, unless I missed something, the coalition ended in 2015. It was 2010 to 2015, so that was a matter for the noble Baroness’s…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyMy Lords, there are several things to unpack there. First, I highlight the fact that while the Prime Minister is going tomorrow, the UK has been an outlier since 2018 in terms of…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyI find it very wise always to listen to the noble Lord and to bear his comments in mind. On the number of diplomats, I will have to write to the noble Lord as I do not have the…26 Jan 2026HANSARDChinese EmbassyMy Lords, I have met many Chinese dissidents who live in the UK and did significant work with them in my former iteration. It is really important that we make sure that their…26 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsThe noble Lord makes a genuinely important point, in remembering that this is also about value for money. But I remind all noble Lords that this is truly about getting answers for…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsI think I thank my noble friend for that question. A Statement will be made in the other place this afternoon that will update us. I reassure your Lordships’ House that this…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsMy noble friend raises some interesting points. It may help him to be aware of two developments that this Government have done in recent months. First, changes to the Ministerial…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsMy Lords, individual inquiries report their own costs. The Covid inquiry, for example, spent approximately £31 million in the first two quarters of the 2025-26 financial year,…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsThe noble Baroness is absolutely right. The responsibilities on everybody to truly participate to provide evidence is key. To answer her specific question, there are currently 21…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsThe noble Baroness will be very aware of the pre-existing processes that are in place through the public interest immunity certificate and the fact that, in statute, chairs of…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsThe noble Lord has been an incredible campaigner for those people who have been the subjects of the appalling IT disasters within the Post Office. His specific point is genuinely…19 Jan 2026HANSARDPublic Inquiries: CostsI thank the noble Baroness for the work she has done in this space: it was an excellent report that is feeding into the Government’s thinking about next steps. She may be aware…19 Jan 2026