Contributions
242 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTaliban Relations and Afghan RefugeesI thank the Foreign Secretary for his Answer. The lack of recognition of the Taliban authority has inadvertently provided the Taliban and Pakistan with unrestricted freedom and…05 Dec 2023HANSARDTaliban Relations and Afghan RefugeesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs whether he has plans to develop formal relations with the Taliban, and whether he has made…05 Dec 2023HANSARDImmigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2023I will briefly underline some of the concerns expressed by the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, and also, once again, point to the technical anomalies in the laying of this…04 Dec 2023HANSARDInternational Development White PaperMy Lords, I welcome very much the repeat of the Statement by the Minister. I return once again to the issue of educating girls in Afghanistan. Circumstances in Afghanistan at the…23 Nov 2023HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, many threats to UK security, economic well-being and values have been identified. However, one that has gained far more traction in recent years is the threat that China…15 Nov 2023HANSARDPakistan: Evacuation of AfghansMy Lords, there is evidence that the Taliban are pursuing ethnocentric policies by ensuring that Hazara and Indo-Tajik people repatriated from Pakistan are settled among Pashtun…09 Nov 2023HANSARDDeath of a Member: Lord JudgeMy Lords, the noble and learned Lord, Lord Judge, was a great man and a wise man. He was funny, tough and, as so many have said, extremely kind. He and I were in Oman together,…09 Nov 2023HANSARDLevelling-up and Regeneration BillMy Lords, I too speak to Amendments 4C and 4D in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Lister. We are essentially discussing four non-contentious words: “throughout the life…23 Oct 2023HANSARDCost of Living: Food WasteMy Lords, I wonder whether the House will permit me to bring up an ancient gripe to do with the redistribution of surplus food from Parliament itself. I have been going at this…21 Sept 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: Aid for WomenMy Lords, the Minister will be aware of the growth of cluster education, or cluster classes, whereby groups of secondary school girls gather in neighbourhood houses and qualified…11 Sept 2023HANSARDLevelling-up and Regeneration BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for tabling this amendment, to which my name is attached. The stated intention of the Bill, reiterated many times by the…11 Jul 2023HANSARDCharitable Sector: Food ProvisionMy Lords, the Trussell Trust recently piloted a study for the APPG on ending the need for food banks on the provision of cash grants instead of food handouts: 94% of the…27 Mar 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords: Regional RepresentativenessMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, has more or less asked my question, so I am just going to add a little codicil, which is that we should think of including those people who…22 Mar 2023HANSARDMedical Devices and EquipmentMy Lords, it is reliably estimated that, in 30 years, the cost of the NHS will match 100% of GDP in this country. Can the Minister say something about what long-term strategic…20 Mar 2023HANSARDSoft PowerMy Lords, yesterday some of us from this House attended a meeting on the BBC World Service in Iran. That programme is now severely threatened due to various expenditure cuts and…09 Feb 2023HANSARDRwanda: Memorandum of UnderstandingMy Lords, there is much to desire in the MoU with Rwanda with regard to consistency, clarity and process. There will continue to be legal challenges. The wording of the MoU,…06 Feb 2023HANSARDOnline Safety BillMy Lords, this is indeed a huge, complex and courageous Bill which deserves widespread support. Despite some welcome government amendments during its passage in the other place,…01 Feb 2023HANSARDAfghanistan: Girls and WomenI thank the noble Lord. First, is the Taliban group that undertook negotiations in Doha still intact, does it still have any power, and are the Government in touch with it?…23 Jan 2023HANSARDMigration and Economic Development Partnership with RwandaMy Lords, I thank the Minister for his careful explanation, but how confident is he that the criteria used to assess the asylum status of people being sent to Rwanda by the UK…20 Dec 2022HANSARDSchool Meals: FundingI thank the Minister for her Answer. Given the depth and spread of need in a whole generation of our children, does the Minister agree that a senior Minister—preferably at Cabinet…13 Dec 2022