Contributions
1,156 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentI must admit that I have not entirely checked the political allegiances of all those appointments. However, there is a proper process for public appointments, which should be…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentThis Government should follow the normal practice of publishing appointments in government and we will do so.04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentMy Lords, the impartiality of the Civil Service is one of its fundamental principles. Civil Service appointments must follow the correct rules and processes. Previous political…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentMy Lords, there are clear procedures in place. The department has to be satisfied when bringing in external expertise at all levels of the Civil Service. We are talking about…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentMy Lords, I welcome the noble Baroness’s commitment to this issue—however recent it may be. Perhaps I can tell her that around 80,000 people were hired through open competitions…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentMy noble friend makes a powerful point. It was similar to the first point made by the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth: it is for Ministers to get a range of views and to make decisions.…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCivil Service: RecruitmentMy Lords, it is a leap from the Question and, as always, I admire the noble Lord’s ingenuity. Every one of my colleagues on the Front Bench of this House is worth every penny that…04 Sept 2024HANSARDInternational Law Enforcement Alerts PlatformIn 2020.02 Sept 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, there is a duty, an obligation and a responsibility on all party leaders who put forward nominees that they should be suitable for the work of this House. The points…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentThere is, but defining what that is is not easy. I entirely agree, and this is one of the things we are grappling with at the moment. All of us have been disappointed when we have…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, one of the things about a retirement age is that everybody thinks it should be five years older than they are. I remember the days of thinking that, when I got to 65, it…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, that is one of the considerations that those making nominations for appointment should take into account. It is very important that we continue with that breadth of…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, we have been treading with care and reflection for a long time now. I have lost track—I am sure somebody can advise me—how many times my noble friend Lord Grocott…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, we have heard from the response from across the House how seriously those who are here in your Lordships’ House take their responsibilities. It is an honour to be…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, the Government are committed to improving the appointments process. There are two key areas here: one is to ensure that those who are appointed to your Lordships’ House…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, that is exactly the same point made by the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes, about having two separate categories of peerage. I come back to the point that for all noble Lords…30 Jul 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords: Nominations for AppointmentMy Lords, in terms of my comments on my noble friend Lord Foulkes’s Question, I have made a commitment to consider that, not to do it. It is interesting that, for many years, this…30 Jul 2024HANSARDGovernment StandardsHaving just promised to give full answers, I do not have a full answer for my noble friend. I will look into that and come back to it, but we want to get moving on issues like…25 Jul 2024HANSARDBusiness of the HouseI have to say, my Lords, that I have found it quite extraordinary that throughout the King’s Speech debate Members of the party opposite, often from the Front Bench, have thought…25 Jul 2024HANSARDBusiness of the HouseMy Lords, sometimes all that is at stake is to do the right thing by your Lordships’ House. Many noble Lords approached me, the Leader of the Opposition and indeed the Convenor to…25 Jul 2024