Contributions
59 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTrail-huntingMy Lords, I come from a disadvantaged area where a ban on trail-hunting will be seen as a punch in the stomach by people who have already endured a considerable amount of distress…18 Mar 2026HANSARDAnimal Welfare Strategy: Rural CommunitiesMy Lords, I declare my interests as a farmer, president of the Countryside Alliance and long-standing member of the RSPCA. In my rural community and many others, if you have dead…12 Feb 2026HANSARDDogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) BillI would like to add my voice to praise the noble Baroness, who has pursued this Bill for some considerable time, and to express gratitude both to her and to the Minister for…05 Dec 2025HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) BillMy Lords, I have not spoken on the Bill before, but I hope the Committee will forgive me if I do so very briefly now. I do not support the actual wording of this amendment, but I…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSmall Farms and Family BusinessesMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl, Lord Leicester, for initiating this debate. If last night’s Bill goes through, we may lose from this House a number of people who have first-hand…12 Dec 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformMy Lords, I very much appreciate the way in which the noble Baroness the Leader of the House introduced this debate in a conciliatory tone. Having been here during the 1990s, I…12 Nov 2024HANSARDAutumn Budget 2024My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on his clarity and stamina and the noble Lord, Lord Booth-Smith, on his noteless and apt maiden speech. My five minutes will be devoted to…11 Nov 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice System: CapacityMy Lords, before his death, the late Lord Ramsbotham regularly asked the same question of the Government: when will there be a royal commission on criminal justice? The mess in…22 Oct 2024HANSARDLand Use in England Committee ReportMy Lords, I remind the House of my interests as president of the Countryside Alliance and as a very small-scale farmer up on the Exmoor National Park. I have the privilege of…25 Jul 2023HANSARDLevelling-up and Regeneration BillMy Lords, I remind the House of my interests as set out in the register. I have just one ask of the Minister when she comes to reply. Can she give an assurance that this…17 Jan 2023HANSARDHealth and Care BillMy Lords, this amendment surely goes to something of importance to all of us in this House, whether we support assisted dying or not, because it is about the role of Parliament…16 Mar 2022HANSARDNational Farmers’ UnionMy Lords, does the Minister agree that what has happened in Europe in the last week should be a warning for us, because the environmental schemes that we have just passed through…02 Mar 2022HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, I remind the House of my interests as a member of the RSPCA and president of the Countryside Alliance and the Horse Trust. I too thank the Minister for his patience and…13 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, Amendments 12, 14 and 16 in this group are in my name. However, I will first support Amendment 1 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Trees, which seems to be both…06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, can I add to what the noble Lord, Lord Hamilton, has just said? I remind those in the House who have not looked closely at the terms of reference of the relationship…06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]I am the lucky recipient of yet another of the amendments tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Mancroft. He did not indicate to me why he had decoupled it from the previous group. I…06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]I thank the Minister for her reply. I just hope that the reassurance she has given us will be followed by future Secretaries of State. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, Amendment 45 in my name is in this group. I have listened to crocodiles and in the next group we will get crabs and lobsters, so I will introduce the fish. If the…06 Dec 2021HANSARDAssisted Dying Bill [HL]My Lords, I strongly support this Bill. On 18 July 2014, we debated a similar Bill in this House, introduced by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer. I have been haunted ever…22 Oct 2021