Contributions
612 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEmployers: Fire and Rehire TacticsMy understanding is that the P&O case is still under consideration with the insolvency authorities, so I cannot comment further on it. Further consultation is going on, taking…14 Sept 2023HANSARDEmployers: Fire and Rehire TacticsThroughout the course of this Parliament, commitments have been made around the manifesto commitments on employment given by the party on this side of the House. Over the last…14 Sept 2023HANSARDEmployers: Fire and Rehire TacticsMy noble friend raises an interesting question—this is going off on all sorts of tangents at this point. Those of us who are in this House consider it to be a great privilege,…14 Sept 2023HANSARDEmployers: Fire and Rehire TacticsAs we have said clearly, we are consulting and there will be a code of practice. This practice is used very rarely. Even the TUC in 2020 indicated that only 3% of employers had…14 Sept 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipNoble Lords, it is a momentous occasion to be able to talk in this House about the signing of the CPTPP. This is a tongue twister, but we are all going to have to get our mouths…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipSome 45% of our trade in the world is with the EU. In fact, if you take Europe as now being 34 countries—if you take the likes of Norway, Switzerland, Israel et cetera—it is…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipThe whole idea of the CPTPP deal is precisely to do with free trade and fair trade. That will be very closely monitored within the group. The benefit to our importers and…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipI thank the noble Lord for that. In fact, the Department for Business and Trade, being ahead of the game as always, is already thinking about how to get utilisation of this trade…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipThe noble Lord will be able to comment much more on the geopolitical aspect than I can, because I come to this looking at it very much as a trade deal. When I was introduced to…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipI thank my noble friend and will take his last point first. Yes, we have just joined the club and the first thing you do when you join a club is not necessarily to comment on its…20 Jul 2023HANSARDComprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific PartnershipTaiwan is an important trading partner of the United Kingdom. Taiwan has expressed some interest in the CPTPP but, again, it is not currently in the queue. As I said before, we…20 Jul 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresMy Lords, the Government are committed to ensuring that consumers are protected from unsafe goods through our product safety framework. We are undertaking a programme of…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresI thank the noble Lord for that follow-up question. I assure all noble Lords that officials in three government departments are collaborating to address the issue of fires…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresI thank my noble friend for that welcome intervention. You might argue that this is the response of the consumer to messages about climate change—that the consumer is embracing…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresThat goes back to my department, the Department for Business and Trade, where the Office for Product Safety and Standards has established a safety study precisely to understand…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresI thank the noble Lord for his question on that specific matter in relation to one part of the United Kingdom, but this is not a UK-central issue: it is an international issue.…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresI thank my noble friend. I do not have the precise number so I will write to her. She is absolutely right: it is currently illegal to use an e-scooter on a public road. It is…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresYes. I am sure that that will be included in the review.27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresI thank the noble Baroness and say absolutely yes on all counts. This is all part of the ongoing review. The work being done with the fire service is collecting information to…27 Jun 2023HANSARDE-scooters and E-bikes: Battery FiresThe consultation has started and will be published imminently. The findings will be made available. Generally, it is not the Government’s position to ban all dangerous items. Some…27 Jun 2023