Contributions
532 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Bybrook, that Amendment 93 is sensible and proportionate. If you are going to have an annual report, the modest additional…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, for leading this group; I entirely agree with what he says. I hope that we may be able to achieve a further step forward on this…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, the issues raised in this group are fundamental, and I support everything that has been said so far, broadly speaking. Our efforts to identify how the new structure will…29 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, we have had a very interesting set of amendments so far, but what strikes me about them is that they all seem to run counter to the principle of election—be that either…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I shall be very brief because it would be better if the Minister responded to the important points that have been made. I will not take up too much of the Committee’s…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I rise to move Amendment 53 on behalf of my noble friend Lady Pinnock. This amendment is about how you scrutinise mayoral commissioners. I noted what the Minister said…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI am grateful to the Minister for a comprehensive reply to a comprehensive set of issues. It gives us pause for thought. I am glad that the Minister recognises the importance of…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I have just one thing to add to what the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Bybrook, said. Last week, I mentioned the importance of guidance being published in advance of…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillI am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, for raising some very crucial issues on the levels of borrowing powers. I add to that my concern—made even more so by the fact that…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillIf there are any matters raised by me or other noble Lords that the Minister did not cover, could she send a letter to cover them? I do not think I heard confirmation about the…27 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillThe noble Lord, Lord Cameron, said that it would be unhelpful if regional and local government continued doing their own thing. I think that this is an important debate and I look…27 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026My Lords, I am grateful for this statutory instrument, which I support and which will be hugely helpful for local taxpayers in the generation of local jobs. I note the comments of…21 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026I would like to be clear about this, because I have not understood what the Minister said. The order does not say that a metropolitan district council, as a single authority, can…21 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026The confusion lies in Article 3(5)(a)(ii). The point is that it refers to one relevant authority— not more than one—that seeks to procure a contract. The sub-paragraph says that…21 Jan 2026HANSARDLocal Government (Exclusion of Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026My Lords, I want just to clarify one small point. The noble Lord, Lord Jamieson, raised the issue of council areas that border each other but, where there is a river between them,…21 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, the Minister asked whether I was satisfied by her responses; I am actually more worried now than when I started. I agree entirely with what the noble Lord, Lord…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle, for signing my amendment. When I spoke earlier this afternoon, I said that there was a need to…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I would like briefly to contribute in the hope that I can be helpful to the Minister at this point. There is a list of areas of competence in Clause 2. The noble Lord,…20 Jan 2026HANSARDEnglish Devolution and Community Empowerment BillMy Lords, I am very happy with the amendments spoken to so far, so I will not repeat what has been said. Amendment 28 in the name of my noble friend Lady Pinnock relates to…20 Jan 2026