Contributions
920 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNorthern Ireland Executive FormationThe noble Lord is right to bring this matter before us. Restoring the Executive might end up looking like the easy bit of the operation when we start to see what serious…16 Jan 2020HANSARDNorthern Ireland Executive FormationThe noble Lord is right to remind us that the RHI scandal has been a challenge for all in Northern Ireland, not least those affected by it financially. The agreement brokered with…16 Jan 2020HANSARDNorthern Ireland Executive FormationThe noble Lord is right that this agreement can move Northern Ireland forward. The important thing to recognise is that, because of the absence of an Executive, it has slipped…16 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyMy Lords, we engage regularly with civil society, and will continue to do so en route to COP 26 and beyond. As a delegate at COP 25 in Madrid, and while an MEP in Lima, Paris and…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyThe noble Baroness is right to state that COP 25 in Madrid did not have the full participation of civil society. One of the simple reasons was that COP 25 was due to be in…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyThe noble Lord will be aware that very soon after that was announced, there was an election, and shortly after the election there was Christmas. Unfortunately, the cabinet…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyThe noble Baroness is absolutely right. The White Paper will be a part of that, and will set out exactly how we will both achieve our own domestic targets and show the leadership…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyThat was an extraordinary link, but I fully endorse the noble Lord’s belief that Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh, must remain part of the United Kingdom. We are stronger…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyMy Lords, the Scottish Government have supported the Government’s approach and have welcomed the arrival of the COP process in Glasgow. We are working in close collaboration with…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyI am sure that the noble Lord will not be surprised to hear that I do not agree. In the Government’s declaring net zero by 2050, the UK became the first major economy to do so. We…15 Jan 2020HANSARDClimate Change: COP 26 and Civil SocietyMy noble friend is right to express that simple point: carbon emissions have gone up year on year since the beginning of the COP process, and some significant emitters are doing…15 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillThe important thing here is twofold. First, we agree on the destination—on where we are trying to go. Secondly, what we just said is that the amendments as drafted, from our…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillI do not know the answer right now, but when I come back I will know the answer and I will set that out next week.14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillHaving been a Member of the European Parliament, I know that one of the challenges is that Commission officials can sometimes be too expansive in the way that they express…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillYes, I am content to put in a letter the elements I have set out today, with the appropriate detail and clarity which I may have lacked in my explanation this evening, so that the…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillAs always, the noble Lord brings an interesting perspective to this. I appreciate the fear that the Joint Committee may extend beyond its rails and somehow move into different…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillIn response to that, of course it will be our exclusive view in that negotiation to determine our own position as we respond to that. Again, it rests with us to try to move that…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillMy Lords, this has been an expectedly wide-ranging debate because, when it comes to Brexit, the Northern Ireland protocol is where the rubber meets the road. I take on board the…14 Jan 2020HANSARDEuropean Union (Withdrawal Agreement) BillMy Lords, this has been an interesting discussion, which has focused on a broad range of issues affecting the wider devolution settlement. Some things need to be set out very…14 Jan 2020HANSARDNuclear Power: EmissionsThe noble Lord is absolutely right. We often think of nuclear only in terms of energy generation, but in fact our health service depends significantly upon the isotopes that are…14 Jan 2020