Contributions
532 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDevolution: EnglandMy Lords, I thank the Minister for his reply. Does he agree that one major lesson of the Covid-19 pandemic is that centralised control of England has not worked well? Will he now…28 Jul 2020HANSARDDevolution: EnglandTo ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the further devolution of power and decision-making in England.28 Jul 2020HANSARDBarnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield Combined Authority (Functions and Amendment) Order 2020My Lords, I remind the House of my registered interests. The Minister reminded us in opening that it has taken a while, some five years, to reach this stage. Indeed, it is rare…24 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, now that we have reached Report stage, I remind the House that I am a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I shall be brief. My name is attached to…20 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I shall speak briefly to Amendment 56. I spoke in Committee on the need to avoid any unintended consequences of extending construction hours. There will be cases where…20 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I will speak to Amendment 40 and support the case for it made so clearly by my noble friend Lord Paddick. I have had two concerns about off-sales during the passage of…20 Jul 2020HANSARDFinance BillMy Lords, I will speak about stamp duty and the temporary change in policy being introduced. It is estimated that there could be 100,000 extra house sales in the next nine months.…17 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I support the noble Lord, Lord Kennedy of Southwark. I spoke about this issue at Second Reading and said that there was a need for quarterly reviews of the practical…14 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, my name is attached to Amendments 52, 54 and 79. The noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering, has made an excellent case for Amendment 52. I also fully support the…14 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I remind the House that I am a vice-president of the Local Government Association. My name is attached to Amendment 25. The noble Lord, Lord Holmes of Richmond, reminded…13 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I want to speak to Amendment 45. I referred to the same issues raised by this amendment on the late night levy at Second Reading. On 8 June, I noticed an article in my…13 Jul 2020HANSARDBusiness and Planning BillMy Lords, I remind the House that I am a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I welcome the aims of the Bill, because it can help reduce lasting damage to the…06 Jul 2020HANSARDCovid-19: High Street RetailersMy Lords, does the Minister agree that a high street business rates system based on open market rental value is no longer fit for purpose? When will the new system be introduced?…02 Jul 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Local Government FinanceWill the Minister confirm that the Government will not try to push a greater financial burden on to council tax payers to meet the current funding gap, which should be met…29 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19 UpdateMy Lords, the Statement says that the Government will work with the arts industry on specific guidance to enable choirs, orchestras and theatres to resume live performances as…25 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Furloughed Space Grant SchemeMy Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for explaining that the Government are going to review business rates, which are part of this problem. Does she accept that the system of…15 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Recovery StrategiesMy Lords, we have learned much from Germany in recent months. Germany has met the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic far better than us. Its policy of test and trace and its…11 Jun 2020HANSARDCovid-19: EconomyMy Lords, it was reported yesterday that the US economy will take 10 years to recover from the pandemic—that is according to US government analysts. We know that something similar…04 Jun 2020HANSARDHousing for the HomelessMy Lords, I will raise three issues in relation to the use of hotels. First, how will the Government support people with no recourse to public funds, who will become homeless…14 May 2020HANSARDCovid-19: StrategyMy Lords, I shall pursue a point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Basildon. The Prime Minister’s Statement says: “Different parts of the UK may need to stay in full…12 May 2020