Contributions
308 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPersonal Protective Equipment: AccountingMy Lords, what lessons are to be drawn from the difference between the fiasco of PPE procurement and the world-beating success of vaccine procurement? The first was left in the…02 Feb 2022HANSARDMiddle East: Human RightsMy Lords, there is barely a country in the world with which we will not have some differences on domestic policy, but with Saudi Arabia this has spilled over into international…31 Jan 2022HANSARDRepresentation of the People (Young People’s Enfranchisement) Bill [HL]My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, for introducing this measure. I was struck by the metaphor with which he opened: that voting is the sheet anchor of…28 Jan 2022HANSARDFlags (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2021My Lords, is not what the noble Lord, Lord McCrea, just said the civic ideal? Both flags could fly and it would not be an issue. I often think we are too prescriptive and ready to…25 Jan 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) BillMy Lords, I have a great deal of sympathy with the amendment that the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick, just moved, and I say that as somebody who was not a fan of the…19 Jan 2022HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) BillMy Lords, I have not heard anyone really deny the central point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey. I have heard some brilliant and enlightening speeches but even that gorgeous…19 Jan 2022HANSARDNational Living WageMy Lords, of course, any increase in wages tends to get passed on to customers. Is my noble friend the Minister aware of studies that show that these increases are…17 Jan 2022HANSARDEnergy PricesMy Lords, one thing that we have learned over the past 22 months is that government targets sometimes have to be adjusted in the light of circumstance. Would there be a situation…12 Jan 2022HANSARDHealth Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Self-Isolation) (England) (Amendment) (No. 6) Regulations 2021My Lords, I envy the moral certainty of some of the loudest voices on both sides of this debate. As the noble Lord, Lord Fowler, just explained, it is bound to be an issue on…15 Dec 2021HANSARDMaldives: TariffsMy Lords, I am pleased to hear my noble friend the Minister recognise the sustainable and ecologically friendly fishing practices of the Maldives. Will he recognise, at least as a…14 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Herbert of South Downs and my noble and indestructible friend Lord Mancroft. I asked at Second Reading: to what problem is this…13 Dec 2021HANSARDFreedom of SpeechMy Lords, what a pleasure it is to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb. She and I met, somewhat implausibly, on the slopes of Mount Sinai some 30 years ago. She…10 Dec 2021HANSARDScotland: Economic Recovery and RenewalMy Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow those wise and judicious speeches by my noble friends Lord Goodlad and Lord Dunlop. It is also a great pleasure to be able to…09 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Moylan’s amendment. Why do we have delegated committees? Why do parliamentary bodies contract out part of their function? The only answer,…06 Dec 2021HANSARDAnimal Welfare (Sentience) Bill [HL]My Lords, this block of amendments goes to the heart of what is wrong with the proposal. We all have an idea of who “the expert” is and what kind of person will give us the…06 Dec 2021HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) (Abolition of By-Elections) Bill [HL]My Lords, the point is that we can pass primary legislation. The deal was enshrined in parliamentary legislation and, if that happens, we can, of course, move to stage two reform…03 Dec 2021HANSARDHouse of Lords (Hereditary Peers) (Abolition of By-Elections) Bill [HL]My Lords, this is very exciting for me. Some of your Lordships have sat through these Grocott Bills many times, but this is my first one. I feel as if your first House of Lords…03 Dec 2021HANSARDBBC: Government SupportMy Lords, it is a huge honour and privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Bragg. I know that this is sometimes a pro forma that people say in these debates, but his has been a…02 Dec 2021HANSARDShipbuilding: Use of British Steel for Royal NavyMy Lords, a patriotic Government should want our armed services to have the best and aptest steel in the most economical way, so as to free up the rest of their budget for more…30 Nov 2021HANSARDProtocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland: EU NegotiationsMy Lords, I very much welcome my noble friend the Minister’s original Statement, and his repetition today that we are prepared to say that the threshold for triggering has been…18 Nov 2021