Contributions
194 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill26 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, this amendment deletes Clause 18, which introduces conditional immunity in the Bill. This is the most contentious and controversial part of the Bill. It is almost…26 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, this has been an interesting debate. I begin my brief remarks by paying tribute to Lord Brown; he was a great influence on me when I first entered this House and I…26 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillThis has been a powerful debate in many ways. I suppose it should be, bearing in mind what has happened in Northern Ireland over 40 years. This part of the Bill was meant to be…26 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillI associate myself with the Minister in remembering those who suffered violence over the last number of years and thank him for the way in which he has engaged with Members of…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, I agree with every word spoken by every Member of this House who has taken part in this very brief debate. First, I thank the Minister for certainly improving what was…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, there are a lot of technical amendments to this and obviously we support those, as we support the other amendments in this group. Annual reports, work plans—all very…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, after immunity, this part of the Bill is the most disliked, criticised and disapproved of in Northern Ireland. I understand why: because we will have inquests abolished,…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillI rarely do this in the House of Lords, but I think that is worth an answer. It would have been based on consensus. Whatever was done would have been done with the agreement of…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillThis was bound to be a powerful and very emotional debate about an issue which goes, as many noble Lords have said, to the very heart of the legislation. It also goes to the heart…21 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, I very much appreciate the amendments put forward by the Government in this group, which are a genuine attempt to improve the Bill. In particular, Amendments 30 and 33…21 Jun 2023HANSARDJustice and Security (Northern Ireland) Act 2007 (Extension of Duration of Non-jury Trial Provisions) Order 2023My Lords, I agree with everything that has been said, but it is still a grave and terrible thing to take away the right of a citizen of the United Kingdom to have a trial by jury,…05 Jun 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) BillMy Lords, here we are. I have been either asking or answering questions on the Barnett formula for something like 32 years. It started off as a formula, and then you add a floor,…23 May 2023HANSARDImmigration (Electronic Travel Authorisations) (Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2023My Lords, I rise very briefly to support my noble friend Lady Ritchie and, indeed, everything that the noble Lord, Lord Dodds, has just said. This is a classic example of where…23 May 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) BillI do not think that in any way alters the position that Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom. The noble Baroness will recall, because she comes from Northern Ireland…18 May 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland (Interim Arrangements) BillMy Lords, obviously, I join the Minister and other Members of your Lordships’ House in referring to the work of Lord Brooke. Peter Brooke was a man of huge decency and integrity.…18 May 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, I support the various amendments brought forward by my noble friend Lord Browne, which aim to give room for ongoing criminal investigations to conclude and to allow…11 May 2023HANSARDNorthern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) BillMy Lords, this has been a very interesting and thoughtful debate. For 17 years before I entered the House of Commons I taught history, and I thought that it had prepared me for…11 May 2023HANSARDFlags (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023My Lords, I have to say that of course flags are always a real difficulty in Northern Ireland. I am delighted that the Minister referred to the Good Friday agreement and the fact…26 Apr 2023HANSARDFlags (Northern Ireland) (Amendment) Regulations 2023I apologise to your Lordships for jumping the queue; apparently, I should have been at the end rather than at the beginning. I particularly apologise to my very good friend, the…26 Apr 2023