Contributions
27 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAI Regulation BillMy Lords, the smartphone, the web and ancillaries would have seemed magical just a generation ago. There is no gainsaying their benefits to billions worldwide. It is welcome that…04 Jun 2026HANSARDLong-duration Energy Storage (Science and Technology Committee Report)My Lords, I start by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Brown, for adeptly chairing the sessions that led to this report. More than that, since she retires from our committee this…09 Jan 2025HANSARDUniversitiesMy Lords, we should welcome this debate on the excellent and thought-provoking report from UUK. It recommends that the long-term goal should be 70% of young people with…14 Nov 2024HANSARDScience and Technology: EconomyMy Lords, I add my thanks to the noble Viscount, Lord Stansgate, for his fine introduction to this debate and add a welcome to our very well qualified new Minister who will reply…31 Oct 2024HANSARDHigher Education FundingMy Lords, the UK’s whole post-18 education system surely needs not only a greater funding stream but more institutional variety, and increased flexibility in its offerings. There…12 Sept 2024HANSARDBiosecurity and Infectious DiseasesMy Lords, we should be grateful to my noble friend Lord Trees for securing this wide-ranging debate. I will focus on the threat of global pandemics to humans. Covid-19 was a…18 Jan 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, ideally, crucial sectors such as education and science should be governed by a bipartisan consensus that offers long-term stability. In depressing contrast, turbulence…14 Nov 2023HANSARDAdvanced Artificial IntelligenceMy Lords, the seemingly superhuman achievements of AI are enabled by a greater processing speed and memory storage of computers compared to flesh and blood brains. AI can cope…24 Jul 2023HANSARDLifelong Learning (Higher Education Fee Limits) BillMy Lords, I declare an interest as a member of Cambridge University. Along with other speakers, I welcome the introduction of the LLE and hope that what is now proposed is just…19 Jun 2023HANSARDClimate: Behaviour Change (Environment and Climate Change Committee Report)My Lords, Governments are torpid in their response to the climate threat. This is, of course, because its worst impacts will not be manifest until the second half of the century,…07 Jun 2023HANSARDScience and Technology Superpower (Science and Technology Committee Report)My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Baroness, Lady Brown, and the committee staff. I will venture a few words on schools, universities and R&D. Ideally, these crucial sectors should…07 Jun 2023HANSARDPreparing for Extreme Risks (RARPC Report)My Lords, I add my tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Arbuthnot, for his benign and effective chairmanship of this special inquiry, which illuminated crucial issues that are still…12 Jan 2023HANSARDCross-government Cost-cuttingMy Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Bird, for instigating this debate and for his fine opening speech, and above all for his lifelong campaign to promote a fairer…21 Dec 2022HANSARDTimes Education Commission ReportMy Lords, we should thank the noble Lord, Lord Lexden, for instigating this debate. I was privileged to be one of the Times Commissioners, and the report’s thoroughness and…13 Oct 2022HANSARDAdvanced Research and Invention Agency BillMy Lords, there is surely general agreement of the worthwhileness of ARIA’s goals. What is less clear is whether the small, stand-alone administrative construct conceived in the…02 Nov 2021HANSARDAssisted Dying Bill [HL]My Lords, very few people consider maximal extension of life, irrespective of its quality, to be a moral imperative. We can choose not to be resuscitated if we have a heart…22 Oct 2021HANSARDSquare Kilometre Array Observatory (Immunities and Privileges) Order 2020My Lords, the Minister’s statement should surely be welcomed and uncontroversial. I have no specific involvement to declare, but as Astronomer Royal I am probably one of the few…14 Sept 2020HANSARDScience Research Funding in Universities (Science and Technology Committee Report)Our research universities are major assets because of the collective expertise of their faculties and the consequent quality of the graduates they feed into all walks of life.…09 Sept 2020HANSARDWellbeing of Future Generations Bill [HL]My Lords, the commitment of the noble Lord, Lord Bird, to the disadvantaged is an inspiration to us all and we should surely welcome the Bill. Urgent and immediate matters…13 Mar 2020HANSARDClimate ChangeMy Lords, a key message of the UK FIRES report is that it is tough to meet even our declared 2050 targets without a drastic speed-up in the deployment of novel technologies. I…06 Feb 2020