Contributions
152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDInternational Women’s DayMy Lords, I was going to speak on women prisoners, but the noble Lord, Lord McNally, spoke on the same subject, so I had to quickly change gear and invent a new speech, but that…11 Mar 2021HANSARDAnti-slavery Projects: CommonwealthMy Lords, I will talk about the UK—it is part of the Commonwealth, so I think I am allowed. I was approached by somebody, though only once before coronavirus stopped any further…04 Mar 2021HANSARDFinancial Services BillMy Lords, I very much welcome the amendment. I have been a Member of your Lordships’ House for 30 years. Throughout that time we have had one crisis after another in the financial…01 Mar 2021HANSARDFinancial Services BillMy Lords, this is a technical matter and I have nothing to add to what was said by the noble Baroness, Lady Noakes. I am merely an academic but, when these things were going on, I…01 Mar 2021HANSARDMesothelioma Lump Sum Payments (Conditions and Amounts) (Amendment) Regulations 2021My Lords, I declare an interest as the chairman of a company set up by a private company to pay compensation for asbestos-related problems. This is all very familiar territory. I…10 Feb 2021HANSARDNational Security and Investment BillMy Lords, following the last speaker, I will have to be very inventive in saying anything that is worth saying. First, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Woodley, on coming into…04 Feb 2021HANSARDFinancial Services BillMy Lords, first, I apologise for being slightly late when the noble Lord had started presenting the Bill. It is my good luck to be able to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord…28 Jan 2021HANSARDSpending Review 2020My Lords, what the year has proved since the Chancellor’s first Budget in March, and now the spending review, is that no forecast can be trusted to be right. He did not expect the…03 Dec 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Transparency and Accuracy of StatisticsMy Lords, the fact is that the public have lost trust in scientists and science. They lost trust in government long ago. Is it not time for the Government to ask the Royal Society…09 Nov 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Altmann, who is an economist and a friend from the LSE. In the 30 years I have been in your Lordships’ House, I have…04 Nov 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus) (Restrictions) (England) (No. 4) Regulations 2020I will now sit down, under protest.04 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateWill the Government, at some stage, explain to the country how come we have the same mortality rate per million as the United States, yet while the United States has achieved a…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Transport for LondonMy Lords, does the noble Baroness not agree that the UK taxpayer would be harmed if Transport for London became dysfunctional? It would affect the London economy, as well as the…29 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Test ResultsMy Lords, we have had continuous failure of test and trace since March. Again and again, we are missing the targets. Why? Is it the equipment, the personnel or the management…27 Oct 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) Regulations 2020My Lords, there are various things to say here. First, whenever we make regulations, I guess that we have to assume that people are the same, depending on their age, gender or…22 Oct 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 2) (England) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2020My Lords, I welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, to your Lordships’ House. She will remember that we have known each other since before either of us got into the public eye—I…20 Oct 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillI will stop.19 Oct 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, I will not speak to the legal aspects of the Bill, as I am not a lawyer, and that topic has been well covered. I will simply share with your Lordships my curiosity as to…19 Oct 2020HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Local COVID-19 Alert Level) (Very High) (England) Regulations 2020My Lords, the Government have alternately claimed to follow science and to want to save the economy. They have managed to do neither efficiently, because they have not followed…14 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19: NHS Long-term PlanMy Lords, it is not good enough just to praise NHS staff. Will the Government commit to spending a certain percentage of GDP on health as soon as possible? I suggest that 12% of…15 Sept 2020