Contributions
888 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMedia BillMy Lords, I do not think I need to test the opinion of the House because every single speech has supported the view that foreign Governments should not be able to own British…28 Feb 2024HANSARDMedia BillMy Lords, this is the Media Bill; it is 176 pages of very good stuff, as the Minister, my noble friend Lord Parkinson, said. It is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady…28 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office: Executive RemunerationMy Lords, I should declare an interest as chairman of a public company. The Government and the regulators insist that public companies have proper arrangements for malus and…27 Feb 2024HANSARDHousing: Section 21 EvictionsMy Lords, why are so many landlords selling their properties and withdrawing from the market?20 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office Horizon Scandal: Compensation PaymentsMy Lords, I have seen reports that there are still problems with the Horizon system and that some postmasters are still experiencing the problem of underpayments that created this…19 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office Horizon Scandal: RacismMy Lords, is it not obvious, as the noble Lord, Lord Fox, said, that there has been a complete failure of corporate governance here, and the only way to deal with that in the real…19 Feb 2024HANSARDLocal Authorities: Financial DifficultiesMy Lords, does my noble friend recall that we promised we would fix social care? The problem for local authorities is that the vast majority of their funding goes on providing…14 Feb 2024HANSARDSelf-employment: A1 FormsMy Lords, does my noble friend the Minister agree that this is not a problem of Brexit but a problem of EU members not being co-operative?12 Feb 2024HANSARDConversion Therapy Prohibition (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) Bill [HL]My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, whom I have very considerable respect for. However, in nearly 40 years in Parliament, I have never seen a more badly…09 Feb 2024HANSARDAsylum Seekers: ConvictionsMy Lords, can my noble and learned friend comment on press reports that suggest that the Home Office has been following a policy of not returning people to Afghanistan? If that is…08 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office Appointments: Ministerial ResponsibilityMy Lords, my noble friend has vast experience in private equity and elsewhere in business. Does he not agree that, faced with this kind of disaster, the first thing any private…07 Feb 2024HANSARDTata Steel: Port TalbotMy Lords, is it not insanity to spend half a billion pounds of taxpayers’ money on ending the production of virgin steel through blast furnaces in this country, which means that…07 Feb 2024HANSARDMet Office: 2023 TemperaturesMy Lords, further to the question from the right reverend Prelate, is it not important that everyone realises that passing on the cost to consumers is not unfair—this is what is…06 Feb 2024HANSARDRussell Group Universities: Foreign Student AdmissionsMy Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, I benefited from a free education and a grant at St Andrews University. Today I would not have a hope of getting into St…01 Feb 2024HANSARDTelegraph Media Group: Proposed Sale to RedBird IMIMy Lords, I declare an interest, as many years ago I had to make decisions as a Secretary of State in a quasi-judicial capacity and I understand the difficulties the Minister has.…31 Jan 2024HANSARDTemporary Accommodation CostsMy Lords, the right reverend Prelate is quite right to draw attention to the pressure on local authority budgets. Given the hundreds of millions of pounds that we are spending on…31 Jan 2024HANSARDChildren’s Care Homes: Private EquityMy Lords, this attack on the private sector is extraordinary, is it not? Local authorities are desperate for capital and the resources to provide for children, yet the private…30 Jan 2024HANSARDAlan Bates and Others v Post Office LimitedMy Lords, that is all very well and good, but is it not obvious that there was a catastrophic failure of governance on the part of the Post Office? This is a government-owned…24 Jan 2024HANSARDFreedom of InformationMy Lords, in order for freedom of information to work, it is necessary for Ministers and government to keep proper minutes of meetings. We still have a United Kingdom Civil…23 Jan 2024HANSARDWater PollutionMy Lords, we made no progress on health and safety until we made company directors personally responsible. It is no good relying on a system of fines, because that just ends up…16 Jan 2024