Contributions
134 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNational Minimum Wage LegislationTo ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the enforcement of national minimum wage legislation.21 Mar 2024HANSARDFree Childcare SchemeMy Lords, one of the best things we had under Tony Blair was Sure Start; it was all over the country and children benefited. Why can we not introduce full Sure Start again, like…20 Mar 2024HANSARDWest Midlands Combined Authority (Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024My Lords, most of my points have been made, but I will make just one or two. First, when a PCC election happened in 2021, the PCC said clearly in his manifesto that there should…13 Mar 2024HANSARDForeign AffairsMy Lords, I will make just two points. Like everyone else, I wish there were no wars in the world. I wish we could all live in peace and harmony, and that we did not have to watch…05 Mar 2024HANSARDHorizon Scandal: Psychological Support ServicesMy Lords, I am sorry to hear the Minister say that there is no help available for mental health issues. These are the facts on the ground; I have spoken to quite a few Asian…04 Mar 2024HANSARDPost Office Horizon Scandal: RacismTo ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reports from sub-postmasters involved in the Post Office Horizon scandal that racism affected the way they…19 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office Horizon Scandal: RacismMy Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. My heart goes out to all the sub-postmasters, whatever community they belong to, who were victims of this miscarriage of justice. I…19 Feb 2024HANSARDPost Office Horizon Scandal: Compensation PaymentsMy Lords, what is the government advice to the postmasters who, due to their experience, have developed mental health problems, and received all kinds of electric shocks and so…19 Feb 2024HANSARDLocal Authorities: Financial DifficultiesMy Lords, council tax banding for our 25 million homes in England is based on their estimated market value in 1991. So, a two-bedroom flat in London, where property values have…14 Feb 2024HANSARDS4CMy Lords, the Welsh language received a grant of some £250,000 from the Welsh Government. There are only half a million Welsh language speakers in the UK, so how come other…08 Feb 2024HANSARDLocal Authority FinancesMy Lords, I recently read an article in the Financial Times on the state of our local authorities. It states that, due to all the budget cuts over the last 14 years, to make ends…06 Feb 2024HANSARDParliamentary Democracy and Standards in Public LifeMy Lords, our parliamentary democracy and our standards in public life are things that have always been admired and envied throughout the world by other parliamentarians and the…11 Jan 2024HANSARDHMRC: Tax ReturnsI thank the Minister for her Answer. My Question is about the running of the HMRC. As we all know, December and January are the busiest time of the year for people and their…10 Jan 2024HANSARDHMRC: Tax ReturnsTo ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the HMRC services to the public in processing tax returns.10 Jan 2024HANSARDLevelling Up: Project DeliveryMy Lords, as the Minister knows, councils up and down the country spent millions of pounds preparing for their application to bid for the levelling-up funds. I am glad that the…23 Nov 2023HANSARDLocal Government FinanceMy Lords, last year, local authorities spent £1.5 billion on temporary accommodation, which is up by 9% from the previous years. This is just one of the reasons that so many…21 Nov 2023HANSARDChildren’s Care Homes: ReformMy Lords, for many years, I served on a fostering panel in my local authority. Research shows that, for various reasons, children in care homes have a higher rate of mental health…20 Nov 2023HANSARDAutism: In-patient Care in Mental Health HospitalsMy Lords, these days, more and more parents would like to have purpose-built accommodation for their autistic children. At this moment, they are unable to have that because they…14 Nov 2023HANSARDCertificate of Sponsorship: Foreign Health and Care WorkersMy Lords, is the Minister aware that these care workers—not all of them, but some—who come to the UK to look after our elderly are sometimes charged thousands of pounds by…13 Nov 2023HANSARDState Pensions: Canada Free Trade AgreementMy Lords, I know quite a few members of the Asian community who have worked all their lives in the UK, paid their national insurance and taxes here but, after retirement, have…18 Oct 2023