Contributions
44 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPrepayment MetersOn the basis of that answer, can my noble friend confirm for the public at large, so that there is no doubt, that any tenant who has occupied a property that had a bad credit…14 May 2024HANSARDPrepayment MetersThat is strictly not true. The tenants in rented property are responsible for their own gas, electricity and water supplies; the landlord is not.14 May 2024HANSARDStudent Loan Interest RatesMy Lords, I declare that I have a number of children and grandchildren who are suffering from the ridiculous regime of charging students interest at a stupid rate, when the…27 Mar 2024HANSARDDomestic Violence Refuges: Charities and Local GovernmentI draw the House’s attention to my entry in the register of interests. Does my noble friend agree that local government needs not so much a duty as praise for what it does? Most…04 Mar 2024HANSARDLocal Authorities: BudgetsMy Lords, the scrapping of the Audit Commission was one of the best functions of the previous coalition Government. The Audit Commission wasted billions of pounds of public money.19 Sept 2023HANSARDHousing: Modular ConstructionMy Lords, I declare my interests as on the register. Is there any evidence to show that planning is actually a barrier to modern methods of construction?08 Jun 2023HANSARDHousebuildingMy Lords, I draw attention to my interests in the register. May I point out to my noble friend that Governments do not build houses—the private sector builds them? The private…07 Jun 2023HANSARDMedical Devices and EquipmentMy noble friend spoke earlier about the need to replace equipment in hospitals with the latest, most up-to-date equipment. Can he assure the House that, if it is serviceable, the…20 Mar 2023HANSARDUrgent and Emergency Care Recovery PlanMy Lords, I declare my interest as a non-executive director of a care company and lead Peer for the Local Government Association. It is great that politicians are trying to sort…02 Feb 2023HANSARDChildren in Care: CAMHS Waiting TimesMy Lords, my noble friend has quite rightly mentioned the amount of money that the current Government are finding to attach to this issue, and predecessors of his at the Dispatch…05 Dec 2022HANSARDPublic Duty Costs AllowanceDoes my noble friend agree that, given the performance of some sitting Prime Ministers over the last 25 years, paying ex-Prime Ministers could sometimes be seen as better value…21 Nov 2022HANSARDPublic Spaces Protection OrdersMy Lords, I need to declare my interests as in the register; specifically, in relation to this, I am still the leader of a council, South Holland district in Lincolnshire. We are…27 Oct 2022HANSARDHomes for Ukraine SchemeMy Lords, can I ask the Minister to check again his statement about all the families who are presenting as homeless coming on the family scheme? I should declare an interest as…31 Mar 2022HANSARDHome Office Visas for UkrainiansMy Lords, the changes are welcome, but they are far too late. We were arguing the case for people to be able to come in without visas last week. As the Minister has already…10 Mar 2022HANSARDUkraine: Visa Restrictions for RefugeesMy Lords, while my noble friend must surely agree that we may be a world-leader in supplying defensive armaments to the people of Ukraine, and no doubt a world-leader in supplying…28 Feb 2022HANSARDSocial Security (Up-rating of Benefits) BillMy Lords, I have not spoken in this House for close on two years—18 months at least—through Covid. I was not intending to speak today because of the Environment Bill coming…26 Oct 2021HANSARDCoronavirus BillMy Lords, I declare my interests as detailed in the register. If anybody ever doubted the statement that we could not have a truly sustainable National Health Service without a…24 Mar 2020HANSARDYorkshire: DevolutionMy Lords, I beseech my noble friend the Minister to make sure that the last of the Yorkshire deals he spoke of, the one that incorporated North and North East Lincolnshire, does…10 Feb 2020HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 1 ReportMy Lords, I declare my interests as the vice-chairman of the APPG for fire safety. I am also the Local Government Association’s building safety spokesperson. I was with some of…31 Oct 2019HANSARDHousing: AccessibilityMy Lords, I remind those on the Benches opposite that in 30 years’ time most properties will still be the ones we are currently living in and not new builds. Does the Minister…22 Jul 2019