Contributions
783 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I start by reminding the Committee that I have an experience, rather than an interest, as I was a non-executive director for a number of years on the board of Yorkshire…28 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I broadly agree with the amendments in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh. She raised some important issues, about, first of all, the way that surface water…28 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I will address my comments to the amendment in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Cromwell. I agree with him that financial restructuring of companies has led us to where…28 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I do not know whether the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh, is right to try to urge the adoption of Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act through this Bill, but…28 Oct 2024HANSARDSocial HousebuildingMy Lords, does the Minister agree that affordable housing and housing for social rent are quite distinct offers? Frequently, the Government, previous and current, seem to fall…21 Oct 2024HANSARDRural CommunitiesMy Lords, this has been a wide-ranging debate as a consequence of the initiative taken by the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering. When we think about rural communities,…15 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, as many have said, this Bill makes the first tentative steps in the right direction toward reforming the water industry, and it was good to hear the Minister recognise…09 Oct 2024HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 ReportMy Lords, thousands of leaseholders and tenants are still living in blocks that are unsafe. I thank the noble Baroness the Leader of the House for the commitment she has given to…09 Sept 2024HANSARDHolocaust Memorial BillMy Lords, I am speaking from the Liberal Democrat Front Bench but nothing I say commits individual Members to share my opinion. As we have heard in the debate, there are differing…04 Sept 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundMy Lords, I have relevant interests recorded in the register. Prevention is better than cure, for the reason that it can improve lives at a lower cost. Does the Minister agree…24 Jul 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechI thank the noble Lord, Lord Bichard, for making such a powerful case for change. I shall read his speech in Hansard , because it is a cry to all Members of this House,…23 Jul 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillMy Lords, we on these Benches totally support Amendments 62 and 63 in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Best, and moved and spoken to by the noble Lord, Lord Young of Cookham. The…24 May 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillMy Lords, we have come to the last stages—the last rites—of this important Bill, which we on these Benches support, despite the fact that there are serious omissions to it. It is…24 May 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillMy Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy, also drew attention to the lack of a clause in the Bill to reduce ground rents to a peppercorn, as promised several times by the Secretary…24 May 2024HANSARDRenters (Reform) BillMy Lords, I remind the House of my relevant interests as a councillor, a vice-president of the Local Government Association and an accidental landlord. I too thank all the groups…15 May 2024HANSARDCombined Authorities (Finance) (Amendment) Regulations 2024Well, this is going to be interesting. The East Midlands will have eight constituent members with two from each authority, as I understand it, so neither two-thirds nor…07 May 2024HANSARDCombined Authorities (Finance) (Amendment) Regulations 2024My Lords, I remind the Grand Committee that I have relevant interests as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. As we heard from the Minister, these regulations…07 May 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillMy Lords, Amendment 63 in my name was tabled to probe the impact of the proposals in the Bill on ground rent investments, and the effect of prohibiting future ground rent…24 Apr 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillMy Lords, I have added my name to Amendment 55, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor of Stevenage, because it seems to me, as it does to the noble Baroness, that this is…24 Apr 2024HANSARDLeasehold and Freehold Reform BillI thank the noble Lord for expanding on that. It would be interesting to hear from the Minister whether there are any statistics regarding freeholders using the forfeiture system…24 Apr 2024