Contributions
1,571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSmuggling: Kittens and PuppiesMy Lords, there are currently no plans to bring in a dog registration system of the sort that the noble Baroness mentions, but I would be very willing to have that discussion with…07 Dec 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, like all public bodies, the Environment Agency had to make difficult spending decisions in 2015. However, since 2015 the agency has brought nearly 50 prosecutions…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, I was not aware of her suggestion, but it sounds like a very good idea and I will convey it back to my colleagues at the department. The cumulative effect of the…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageI very much agree with the comments of the noble Baroness and strongly welcome the work of Surfers Against Sewage, which has worked wonders in putting this issue at the top of the…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageThe noble Baroness makes a really important point. There is no doubt that wet wipes can be a serious contributing factor to overflows at treatment works. Defra has already…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, the UK donated 130,000 Covid vaccines to Nepal in August, recognising the historic link between our two countries. Since the beginning of the pandemic, our embassy in…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, the UK does not hold a stockpile of Covid vaccines; we manage the supply chain carefully. However, for all bilateral donations we sought assurances that recipients have…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, I did not hear the broadcast, but I heard the summary of the message. I do not think anyone pretends it is an either/or decision: either blocking flights temporarily…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, the UK is engaging intensively and constructively in the TRIPS waiver debate. We continue to be open to all ideas that have a positive impact on vaccine production and…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, the Government strongly agree and we are committed to supporting rapid, equitable access to safe and effective vaccines through multilateral co-operation to end the…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsMy Lords, the UK will continue to donate Covid-19 vaccines to bilateral partners in line with the Prime Minister’s commitment at the G7 summit in June 2021. The primary objective…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageI think the noble Lord is wrong about that. I am sure he would be the first to applaud the use of nature-based solutions in treating sewage run-off around the country. I think my…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageThe noble Lord makes a really important point, and that is why we, and many campaigners, talk not about eliminating overflows but about eliminating the harm from overflows. That…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, the Government have repeatedly made it clear to water companies that the current number of sewage discharges is totally unacceptable. My counterpart in the other House…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, we have made it clear to the water industry, including Southern Water, that it needs to reduce the adverse impacts of all sewage discharge discharges, whether treated or…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, one of the things that the Government committed to during the passage of the then Environment Bill, now Act, was to conduct an assessment of what it would cost to…29 Nov 2021HANSARDRivers and Coastal Waters: SewageMy Lords, the Government are committed to the private model, supported by strong independent economic regulation—that bit is the key. We have no plans to bring water into public…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsAs my noble friend will know, COVAX is designed to work for both high and middle-income countries; this allows for the pooling of investments behind early vaccine candidates. The…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsThe noble Lord is absolutely right that until we are all safe, no one is safe. That is why the UK has been if not the biggest contributor then certainly one of the biggest…29 Nov 2021HANSARDCovid-19: Vaccine DonationsI am very happy to make that commitment—I will put this to colleagues across government.29 Nov 2021