Contributions
167 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDForeign Direct Investment to the UKMy Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Harrington, on his review. As a former TUC leader, I hope to add a workforce perspective to the debate. In my view, the key objective…10 Sept 2024HANSARDCovid-19 InquiryMy Lords, I declare my interest as I was the leader of the TUC when the pandemic struck and when the TUC sought and secured core status at the public inquiry. Here is the hard…03 Sept 2024HANSARDKing’s Speech (4th Day)My Lords, I declare my interest as a former leader of the TUC. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Petitgas, on his maiden speech, and my noble friend Lord Vallance on an…22 Jul 2024HANSARDChemicals StrategyMy Lords, is the Minister aware that firefighters have a cancer risk that is conservatively estimated to be two to three times higher than that of the general population and that…30 Apr 2024HANSARDCare Worker Visa RegimeDoes the Minister agree, on reflection, that preventive measures should have been put in place? Many unions and organisations are now arguing that no business should be able to…23 Apr 2024HANSARDMidwives: BullyingMy Lords, does the Minister agree that we also need to tackle the conditions in which bullying can sometimes flourish? The Royal College of Midwives—the union representing…16 Apr 2024HANSARDChild PovertyMy Lords, is the Minister aware of TUC-commissioned research from November 2022 that showed that more than a quarter of children whose parents had paid jobs in social care are…26 Mar 2024HANSARDFree Childcare SchemeDoes the Minister agree that many families up and down Britain are tearing their hair out over the cost and difficulty of accessing quality affordable childcare? Clearly, delivery…20 Mar 2024HANSARDInternational Women’s DayMy Lords—or, on this day of all days, I am going to say “Sisters”—I too am really looking forward to the maiden speech of the noble Baroness, Lady Casey. I hope that she does not…08 Mar 2024HANSARDEmployment and Trade Union Rights (Dismissal and Re-engagement) Bill [HL]My Lords, I declare my interest as former leader of the TUC. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, and also to congratulate my noble friend and fellow trade…01 Mar 2024HANSARDNational Minimum WageMy Lords, does the Minister agree that it is shocking that social care workers—who perform incredibly skilled and precious work for all of us but the majority of whom are paid…21 Feb 2024HANSARDChildren’s Care Homes: Private EquityMy Lords, there is a sense of urgency here, as this issue is not only about gross profiteering and loading up homes with debt but about respect for the human rights of children.…30 Jan 2024HANSARDCode of Practice on Reasonable Steps to be taken by a Trade Union (Minimum Service Levels)My Lords, I rise to support the amendment standing in the name of my noble friend Lord Collins, and to join him in reminding the House that Labour will repeal this toxic…06 Dec 2023HANSARDRail FaresMy Lords, would the Minister join me in congratulating the RMT trade union on exposing the scale of underclaiming of compensation for delayed and cancelled trains, and the scale…27 Nov 2023HANSARDCertificate of Sponsorship: Foreign Health and Care WorkersMy Lords, does the Minister agree that a key problem with the health and care worker visa scheme is that it forces workers into dependency on an individual employer? If a worker…13 Nov 2023HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, I declare my interests in respect of the Bank of England court and as former leader of the TUC. In a world of accelerating shocks, building UK resilience is vital, but…13 Nov 2023HANSARDEuropean Court of Human RightsMy Lords, will the Minister undertake to educate Cabinet colleagues about the specific impact that leaving the convention would have on the Good Friday agreement, and on our trade…25 Oct 2023HANSARDClimate ChangeCan the Minister tell us whether the Government plan to introduce a maximum working temperature for people at work?11 Jul 2023HANSARDTrade Unions: Skilled Professional Graduate WorkersI thank the noble Lord, Lord Balfe, for tabling this debate and for his thought-provoking introduction. I also add my advance congratulations, or commiserations—I am not sure…06 Jul 2023HANSARDUK Economy: Growth, Inflation and ProductivityMy Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register. I have three questions for the Minister. First, why does the UK have the highest inflation in the G7? Ministers cannot…29 Jun 2023