Contributions
1,892 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTrade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023I commend officials for producing a detailed impact assessment and I will not renege on that. I also think that the TaxPayers’ Alliance is a perfectly respectable source.…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTrade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023That the Grand Committee do consider the Trade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023. Relevant document: 3rd Report from the…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTrade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023My Lords, the regulations are known as the check-off regulations and stem from Section 15 of the Trade Union Act 2016. This is the last secondary legislation to be brought into…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTrade Union (Deduction of Union Subscriptions from Wages in the Public Sector) Regulations 2023I cannot just accept that, I have to say; I believe that views from all different directions can be valuable in debate, and that includes the TaxPayers’ Alliance. I explained why…18 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesI agree that the Post Office scandal was one of the most awful. It is good that we now have a proper process for moving forward on it, even if it is far too late. To deal with the…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesThe noble Lord makes a good point. The honest truth is that I was not aware of his intervention. Perhaps I can go away and get back to him on another occasion. This sounds a very…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesMy Lords, the noble Baroness raises an important point, because the shift online and the use of AI are irreversible. They offer substantial opportunities, but problems could arise…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesI thank my noble friend for her report, which I have just picked up for my Christmas reading. It has been rather influential within the system. I do not know if my noble friend is…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesI do not think that list is dull. I have other examples, such as the world-leading child abuse image database, which the Home Office is working on. My son, as a detective in the…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesThis of course is why the Government are committed to ensuring that everyone has affordable access to public services, whether online or offline. Departments are required, by the…14 Dec 2023HANSARDAI-generated Public ServicesI very much agree that, to ensure public trust, you want services that are accessible by design. Coming from the retail sector, I have a slightly less rosy view of labelling. Like…14 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionOn this occasion I am very glad to agree with my noble friend.06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionHereditaries are subject to a good deal of questioning during the by-election process, which is laid down by the Standing Orders of the House, and we have no plans to change the…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionOne further statistic is that the Conservatives won 56% of the seats at the last election and we still have only 34% of the seats in this House. As to the noble Baroness’s point…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionAs I think I have already made clear, the Government have no plans to change the status of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. It is an independent, non-departmental…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionI do not see it that way. We are very glad we have a new chair of HOLAC, but we should be wary of giving even greater powers to bodies, however great and good, which are not…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionFirst, on the question of hereditaries—a subject on which I know the noble Lord, Lord Grocott, is a great expert, with his various Bills—the truth is that the hereditary…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionMy Lords, the House of Lords Appointments Commission recommends individuals for appointment as non-party political life Peers. It also vets nominations for life Peers, including…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionI return to the point that the hereditary element, which plays a great part in this House—we should not decry that—has a by-election process that was part of a House of Lords…06 Dec 2023HANSARDHouse of Lords Appointments CommissionI think that will require me to write the noble Lord a letter. Obviously, this is important; the sense of his comment is that we do have a wide range of expertise. Indeed, in the…06 Dec 2023