Contributions
73 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, in the slightly unexpected but spirited exchange between my noble friends Lord Deben and Lord Moynihan of Chelsea, I have to say that I incline more to the view of my…02 Dec 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]The noble Lord asked, perfectly sensibly, in relation to my Amendment 12, whether I am expecting the regulator to positively intervene to promote growth. No—my concern is that the…02 Dec 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]I empathise with the noble Baroness’s pain, but this is what legislative scrutiny is about. It is about looking in detail at what is proposed and ensuring that we do not pass into…02 Dec 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I rise to speak to my Amendment 12 in this group. Before I do so, I think it important to express mild regret at what the noble Lord the Government Chief Whip said…02 Dec 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I am happy to support the amendment moved by my noble friend Lord Jackson and the eloquent case that he made for it. I wholeheartedly endorse the remarks of my noble…02 Dec 2024HANSARDCivil Service: PoliticisationMy Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Butler, on securing this debate. We spend too little time in this House considering the…28 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend on the Front Bench for the eloquent way in which he moved the amendment and started the important debate on this group. It is important…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]We are listening very carefully to this, and it is really important. I have absolutely no doubt about the honesty of the Minister’s —or the Government’s—intentions and sincerity.…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]I am grateful to the noble Lord. I am a bit of a Brighton supporter myself. Tottenham is my first love; Horsham is my second; Brighton comes a very close third. I hope the letter…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lord Moynihan for the way in which he has introduced and moved his Amendment 5. My Amendment 6, which also carries the name of my noble…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]The noble Lord, Lord Mann, asks: would we want a matter such as that to be decided by the regulator or the clubs? Well, the clubs made the right decision. The decision was: “We…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]Picking up that point, I think the noble Lord is trying to make it appear as if this is a partisan thing, but it is not. I would have tabled exactly the same amendments if this…27 Nov 2024HANSARDFootball Governance Bill [HL]My Lords, I declare my interest as someone who, 57 years ago, became a supporter of Tottenham, largely to annoy my best friend at school, Matthew Harding, who even then was a…13 Nov 2024HANSARDVolunteering AbroadMy Lords, while volunteering overseas is essential, and it is very important that the Government continue to support it, the Minister talked about active citizenship. Will he take…30 Oct 2024HANSARDWorking From Home: Public Sector ProductivityMy Lords, is it not the case that the biggest contribution to improving productivity, particularly in central government, would be to control and reverse the ballooning size of…23 Oct 2024HANSARDWhitehall: Prioritising PerformanceMy Lords, the Minister will be aware that concerns about a lack of rigorous performance management in the Civil Service, which is not unique to the British Civil Service, have…10 Sept 2024HANSARDIndependent Schools: VAT ExemptionMy Lords, the register carries my declarations that I am chair of governors at Brighton College, a large and successful independent school—which is obviously in Brighton. I was…05 Sept 2024HANSARDPermanent Secretaries: Appointment and Removal (Constitution Committee Report)My Lords, not that many people are deeply interested in this subject—in essence, we are all in the Room—but, for some of us, this is a subject of deep concern and is hugely…09 May 2024HANSARDHorizon: Compensation and ConvictionsMy Lords, nothing that is done at this stage can even get close to putting right these terrible wrongs, which will be a dark stain on our polity for a long time. The whole House…10 Jan 2024HANSARDProcurement Bill [HL]My Lords, I support government Amendment 40. This is very worthwhile. I am also very sympathetic to Amendment 41, tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire. The reality…28 Nov 2022