Contributions
630 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWelfare ReformMy Lords, the work capability assessment was introduced by the last Labour Government. Back in 2010, when I was Employment Minister, I and my noble friend Lady Stedman-Scott…02 Jul 2025HANSARDPlastic PollutionMy Lords, I commend the Minister on the work being done on plastics. One other major threat to marine life is illegal and unauthorised fishing around the world. What steps are…01 Jul 2025HANSARDPlanning Reforms: Energy and Housing CostsMy Lords—15 May 2025HANSARDTransport Decarbonisation PlanMy Lords, the key next step in decarbonising the aviation sector will be the broader development of sustainable aviation fuel. To ensure that we have a SAF industry in this…24 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesMy Lords, I pay tribute to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Thomas, who was a wise partner to me in my former role. He is absolutely right about the need for partnership between…03 Apr 2025HANSARDFarming and Rural CommunitiesMy Lords, it is a particular pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Shephard, and to very much agree with what she said about food security. I congratulate my noble friend…03 Apr 2025HANSARDBiodiversity and ConservationTo ask His Majesty’s Government what is their strategy for biodiversity and conservation.13 Mar 2025HANSARDBiodiversity and ConservationMy Lords, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to launch this debate today. I am going to bring together a number of themes that I followed when I was in the other place, and…13 Mar 2025HANSARDMuseums and Galleries: Admission Charges for Non-UK ResidentsMy Lords, I declare an interest as a trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. I welcome the Minister’s caution. To me, the biggest challenge, quite apart from the rights and…06 Mar 2025HANSARDProstate Cancer: National Screening ProgrammeMy Lords, I am also here thanks to early diagnosis. I understand what the Minister is saying about the PSA test, but very many people are here today because they had such a test.…27 Feb 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]My Lords, I will pick up on the points my noble friend Lord Moylan made about demand-responsive buses. I acknowledge what the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, said. The key point of…11 Feb 2025HANSARDPassenger Standards AuthorityMy Lords, the Government are establishing a passenger standards authority, but Network Rail says that the industry should not use the word “passenger”. Who is right?11 Feb 2025HANSARDAirport ExpansionMy Lords, I was the Secretary of State who took this proposal through the Commons seven years ago, and I declare an interest as an adviser to AtkinsRéalis. The Chancellor…03 Feb 2025HANSARDGrowing the UK EconomyMy Lords, I remind the House of my interests as an adviser to AtkinsRéalis. I was also the Secretary of State who introduced the last Government’s Airports National Policy Stat e…03 Feb 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]My Lords, again I rise briefly to follow my noble friend on these matters and to ask the Minister to give some thought to some of them before we get to Report. I want to return to…28 Jan 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]Will the Minister accept a challenge on that point? He will know that, in terms of the current role of local authorities in areas such as mine, if that happens, they will step in…28 Jan 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak only briefly, but I want to raise a particular point with the Minister on which I would like his clarification. What I would say to the noble Baroness who…28 Jan 2025HANSARDBus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]My Lords, I support my noble friend’s comments. The difficulty with direct awards is that sometimes they are genuinely necessary. We experienced that on the railways—where…28 Jan 2025HANSARDSub-Saharan Africa: Diplomatic RelationshipsMy Lords, I declare an interest as a trustee of the African Wildlife Foundation. I ask the Minister to look carefully at how we spend our aid money. So much of it goes through…14 Jan 2025HANSARDDriving Tests: Secondary MarketMy Lords, the Minister has just said that 25% of tests appear to go through some of these third-party sites. My noble friend has also said that some of these sites are genuine…13 Jan 2025