Contributions
1,690 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillAmendment 13 is another attempt to ensure that there is parliamentary scrutiny over the individual who is appointed as the Armed Forces commissioner. As I raised in Committee,…30 Apr 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI will take that as a win. I look forward to the International Relations and Defence Committee of this House—I have been involved in the process. As I said when moving the…30 Apr 2025HANSARDDefence Spending: ScotlandMy Lords, the Royal Navy’s shipbuilding in Scotland is very much dependent on other UK yards for fabrication and block work, for example, so a vibrant shipbuilding industry…29 Apr 2025HANSARDForeign Influence Registration SchemeMy Lords, I welcome this Statement. As the Minister has already outlined, the FIRS was one of the key recommendations of the Intelligence and Security Committee’s 2020 report on…02 Apr 2025HANSARDUK Newspapers and News Magazines: Foreign State Investment FundsMy Lords, the debate around the Telegraph is obviously important, but local newspapers are key to local democracy. In my own region of the north-east the Northern Echo and the…27 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillMy Lords, I support this amendment. As the noble Lord has outlined, the Reserve Forces are an important part of our defence effort. There was possibly an image, going back to the…24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillHaving read the Bill, I know that the Minister is right: the reservists are covered while they are under service law. But what about individuals who are not on active service but…24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI will move it. I thought the noble Lord had got one of his colleagues to move it, but I will do it on his behalf because I have some sympathies with it. Clause 6 excludes…24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI thank my noble friend for that answer. The only thing I will add about Gibraltar is that things move very slowly. Having been the MoD Minister responsible for Gibraltar, I know…24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI am sorry to press the point. My noble friend the Minister said, “Yes”, but can he clarify that? This is important. The Bill says that they are covered by service law. If an…24 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI am afraid I have to say to the Minister that I think that is very woolly. As a Minister who dealt with casualties—I am sure other Members who have served in the Ministry of…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillAgain, this goes to the heart of the issue of independence. I accept that the Government wish to ensure that this individual and the office are independent and cannot be…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillMy Lords, Amendment 3— I will refer to Amendment 5 later—is like Amendment 4 in the sense that it covers parliamentary oversight of the appointment of the Armed Forces…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI read the regulations very closely, but I am not sure how it includes engaged couples unless they are covered by an interdependence in terms of finances. If an engaged couple…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI thank noble Lords for what has been a very good debate around these two amendments. I hear what the Minister said about this person being on a statutory footing—I think this was…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillIf this role works and changes the culture in the Armed Forces, should that not drive down the number of complaints coming forward? That is a benchmark for what it is going to do.…19 Mar 2025HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner BillI accept my noble friend’s point, but is it actually in the Bill, or would it be under guidance afterwards? If he is setting great store by its role, it should be in the Bill.19 Mar 2025