Contributions
188 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChannel 4My Lords, I unequivocally welcome this decision and recognise that it took some political courage to make it. In effect, the Government are again supporting public service…11 Jan 2023HANSARDElectricity: DecarbonisationMy Lords, by 2035, we shall need a lot more electricity to power the growth in both EVs and heat pumps installed in homes and buildings. As a multiple of current demand for…21 Dec 2022HANSARDCOP 27: CommitmentsMy Lords, I applaud, as I am sure all other noble Lords will, the manifest expertise of the noble Baroness, Lady Worthington—an example of the House of Lords at its best. I also…24 Nov 2022HANSARDQatar: FIFA World CupMy Lords, the football authorities have been found severely wanting, FIFA self-evidently for siting the World Cup not only in Russia but now in Qatar, UEFA for presiding over the…24 Nov 2022HANSARDScammersMy Lords, for many years I was chairman of PayPal Europe. Working with the global head of security, I tried extremely hard to engage the British Government on this issue. With the…15 Nov 2022HANSARDGovernment Departments: Communication with Industry and CommerceMy Lords, there are 1.25 million job vacancies in the economy. There are skills shortages in every sector, every area of skill and every part of the country. We have an…14 Nov 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland Protocol BillMy Lords, I start by observing that today’s debate has seen the House of Lords at its very best, all sides expressing their arguments with force and conviction. We were…11 Oct 2022HANSARDEconomy: The Growth Plan 2022Announcing unfunded tax cuts in the Government’s mini-Budget was all but universally condemned. There was no advance consultation, no leaning on expertise. The Permanent Secretary…10 Oct 2022HANSARDChampions League FinalMy Lords, I am a Liverpool supporter and I attended this shamefully managed event. The inquiry announced by UEFA needs to explore quite a number of things: first, the manifest…06 Jun 2022HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, I do not for one moment underestimate the herculean difficulty of planning to achieve net zero by the due date. The core difficulty is that many of the technologies that…16 May 2022HANSARDFootball GovernanceMy Lords, I am a Liverpool, not a Chelsea, fan. We all support sanctions designed to bring an end to Russia’s acts of sheer evil in Ukraine, but it is surely not right that…22 Mar 2022HANSARDMathematical SciencesMy Lords, long ago I studied maths and further maths at A-level, and it was fun. Now, sadly, I struggle even to master my grandchildren’s GCSE papers, but I recall enough of my…08 Feb 2022HANSARDElectric Vehicle Charge PointsMy Lords, public charge points often do not work. There is a multiplicity of apps and payment methods; tariffs can be opaque. Does the Minister accept that EV charging needs to be…26 Jan 2022HANSARDIntegrated Rail Plan: Northern Powerhouse AreaMy Lords, I am a proud Liverpudlian and chair of a business headquartered in Yorkshire. Well into the last century, most people, like my grandfather, walked to work. No longer.…16 Dec 2021HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2021My Lords, this is overwhelmingly a public health issue and, at heart, not a complex one. We all agree that we should constrain our freedoms only for a good reason. Not drinking…15 Dec 2021HANSARDHealth and Care BillMy Lords, I have finally reached the head of the long queue to, like other noble Lords, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Stevens, on his trailblazer of a maiden speech. As we all…07 Dec 2021HANSARDNet-zero EmissionsMy Lords, heat pumps appear currently to be the only proven and viable off-the-shelf option for decarbonising home heating, yet, as we all know, electricity is prohibitively…07 Dec 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, I shall speak briefly in support of the amendment tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Faulkner. He and I sit together on the APPG. This is a highly organised crime committed…24 Nov 2021HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26My Lords, COP 26 can, on balance, be counted a success. There were significant stumbles, most obviously on coal, but the global consensus was shifted, momentum was increased and…18 Nov 2021HANSARDChannel 4: ConsultationMy Lords, there is a meme of the moment that Channel 4 and, indeed, the BBC are being marginalised by the awesome economic power of Netflix. Does the Minister accept that…16 Nov 2021