Contributions
612 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureThis is one of a number of Bills coming down the track that we need to monitor quite carefully. We have already had the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, in respect of…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureI thank my noble friend for pointing that out. The Scottish diaspora is large and international, but international engagement is mostly focused on trade and is done by the…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureWhat is emerging from this very interesting leadership debate—what the newspapers are now calling civil war in the Scottish National Party—is that the obsession with independence…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureYes, foreign affairs are a reserved matter under Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 and are therefore the sole responsibility of the UK Government and UK Parliament. However, the…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureThat does exist, and in the Scottish case it is through SDI—Scottish Development International. That system has been working very well over the 26 years of devolution; only in the…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureMy noble friend is correct to point out this recent development, and the police have now indicated that they are taking evidence from witnesses under caution. That procedure needs…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureWell, I know that the noble Lord is dogmatic on this point, and we agree on many things. He is absolutely right to say that people in Scotland are absolutely focused on this…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScottish Government: Ultra Vires ExpenditureI am sure that the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes, will agree with me that the people of Scotland want their two Governments to work and to concentrate all their attention and resources…09 Mar 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerI thank the noble and learned Lord for his contribution. As a former Supreme Court judge, he knows these matters very well. I completely agree that it would be a waste of public…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerThat just indicates the sensitivity of the matter we are dealing with. On the face of it, the Scottish Government Bill allows the Equality Act to continue, because the GRC works…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerI thank my noble friend, and I agree. We are in a situation now where we cannot proceed, on the basis that the Scottish Government have pushed forward with the Bill, it has come…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerOn one level, we are just in the legal mechanics at this point, because concerns were raised by the UK Government—and by many other credible groups—with the Scottish Government,…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerYes, I agree with the noble Baroness. What is happening is that the boundaries of devolution are being pushed to the limit. Perhaps the architects at the time did not anticipate…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerA number of these matters lie fundamentally in another place and in another department. Right now, the Scotland Office is in a situation where, under the architecture, it is…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerThe noble Baroness’s well-informed comments indicate the sensitivities that we are dealing with in Scotland and the wider UK. The Bill as its stands risks creating significant…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerThe Equality Act 2010, to which this Government are entirely committed, is a reserved matter. On the basis that we have a unitary state in the United Kingdom, we believe that it…18 Jan 2023HANSARDScotland Act 1998: Section 35 PowerMy Lords, it is only after very careful consideration that the Secretary of State for Scotland has decided to make an order under Section 35 of the Scotland Act 1998 to prevent…18 Jan 2023HANSARDTransport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2023That the draft Order laid before the House on 22 November 2022 be approved. Considered in Grand Committee on 17 January .18 Jan 2023HANSARDTransport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2023That the Grand Committee do consider the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2023.17 Jan 2023HANSARDTransport (Scotland) Act 2019 (Consequential Provisions and Modifications) Order 2023I am grateful for the opportunity to debate this order, which was laid on 22 November 2022. It is a result of collaborative working between the two Governments in Scotland. It is…17 Jan 2023