Contributions
617 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNational Youth StrategyMy Lords, can the Minister say how many youth clubs were closed during the Conservative Government’s time in office, and how many will be reopened within the next year or two?10 Dec 2024HANSARDRespect Orders and Anti-social BehaviourMy Lords, it will take more than an authoritarian approach to tackle anti-social behaviour. Public spaces for socialising and supporting people have shrunk as hundreds of youth…03 Dec 2024HANSARD“Get Britain Working” White PaperMy Lords, I have received a message from a person in Birmingham with 20 years’ engineering experience who has been unemployed and is now a zero-hours contract worker. He says that…27 Nov 2024HANSARDRule of LawMy Lords, I congratulate the noble and learned Baroness, Lady Smith of Cluny, and the noble Baroness, Lady Laing of Elderslie, on their excellent speeches. I welcome them to the…26 Nov 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, Amendment 57 is highly workable, because it advances democracy and public accountability of the regulatory bodies. As we have it now, the regulators of the water…20 Nov 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I rise to speak in support of Amendments 53 and 56, with some trepidation. At 4 pm today my heart soared, because the Railway Minister said that government policy was to…20 Nov 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]Sorry, I did not realise. I was just beginning to enjoy that. Just to finish off—not long to go now—the question is: why should these criminals be allowed to remain in charge?…20 Nov 2024HANSARDAutumn Budget 2024My Lords, poverty and inequalities hold back economic development and prevent people living fulfilling lives. Our political system is now disconnected from the masses, as…11 Nov 2024HANSARDUnited Kingdom Declining Birth RateMy Lords, low wages, poverty, poor housing, food, the high cost of living and household debt dissuade many people from having children. the eradication of poverty must be a…06 Nov 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 97, 99 and 102. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, on her speech. I fully support Amendment 97. It is interesting…04 Nov 2024HANSARDBank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill [HL]My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Vere, for her comments and the Minister for his detailed reply. I am not really persuaded by either of their replies. I feel that this…04 Nov 2024HANSARDBank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill [HL]My Lords, a wise man once said that history repeats itself, first as tragedy and secondly as farce. So it is with successive Governments’ obsession with going easy on the banking…04 Nov 2024HANSARDBank Resolution (Recapitalisation) Bill [HL]04 Nov 2024HANSARDBudget: Taxes and BorrowingMy Lords, I have long said that government debt is overstated, and I am surprisingly supported by a man called Jacob Rees-Mogg. On 2 August 2022, he effectively said that the…04 Nov 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]30 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I should like to introduce the amendments in this group. They all seek to create, strengthen or delete regulations. Amendment 56 tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady…30 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I thank the Minister for her reply and all noble Lords for their observations, comments and speeches. Amendment 29 does have implications for other sectors, because they…30 Oct 2024HANSARDIndependent Water CommissionMy Lords, the water commission’s terms of reference are full of motherhood and apple pie statements. They promise to protect customers and the environment, but matters such as…29 Oct 2024HANSARDFiscal RulesMy Lords, is the Minister aware that the party opposite made six or seven changes to the fiscal rules between 2010 and when it left office, and never really explained how that…29 Oct 2024HANSARDWater (Special Measures) Bill [HL]My Lords, I have added my name to Amendment 100. The water authorities in Berlin and Paris are publicly owned and have stakeholder-elected directors. In most European countries,…28 Oct 2024