Contributions
270 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHouse of Lords: Remote Participation and Hybrid SittingsMy Lords, pace the noble Earl the Deputy Leader, I hope that I will not be thought too tiresomely repetitive if I start by adding my thanks to the staff of the House, who have…20 May 2021HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, the events of the past 14 months have reminded us, if we needed reminding, how much we as a society benefit from our National Health Service. It is worth remembering,…12 May 2021HANSARDIntegrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign PolicyI start by saying that the integrated review is a good piece of work. It sets the strategic scene well and I agree with many of the conclusions that it draws. There are inevitably…22 Apr 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, in speaking to this amendment, I start by saying that I accept a number of the arguments that the Government have advanced against it. I do not think that the Bill is…13 Apr 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, I start by adding my thanks to the Minister for the time and trouble she has taken since Committee to listen to the concerns that my noble friend Lord Dannatt and the…13 Apr 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, I will speak to Amendment 13, to which I have attached my name. Its purpose is to ensure that service personnel are not debarred by time from pursuing claims against the…13 Apr 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, I speak in support of this amendment, to which I have attached my name. In doing so, I convey the apologies of my noble and gallant friend Lord Boyce, whose name is also…11 Mar 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, I will speak to Amendment 29, to which I have attached my name. Its purpose is to ensure that service personnel are not debarred by time from pursuing claims against the…09 Mar 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, I have some significant concerns over the Bill, but I confess that I am puzzled by Amendment 1 and those other amendments directly associated with it. A proposal to…09 Mar 2021HANSARDCadet ForcesMy Lords, the cadet forces constitute one of the finest youth organisations in the land, but they are crucially dependent on the adult volunteers who organise them and run their…01 Mar 2021HANSARDNational Security and Investment BillMy Lords, let me say at the outset that I welcome the proposition that underpins the Bill—the proposition that we need to act to protect our critical national infrastructure from…04 Feb 2021HANSARDBritish Armed Forces: Iraqi InterpretersMy Lords, the Minister has said that the Government hold the contractors to the highest standards. What mechanisms and processes are in place to ensure that this is sustained over…01 Feb 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, the Government’s purpose in introducing the Bill, to provide greater certainty for service personnel and veterans regarding their potential criminal liability for…20 Jan 2021HANSARDEssential Services: Large-scale TechnologyMy Lords, in its first report last May, the National Infrastructure Commission acknowledged that security was a question not just of preventing attacks but of how well we could…12 Jan 2021HANSARDIntegrated ReviewAlthough the UK will still be spending a smaller percentage of its GDP on its defence than at the end of the previous decade, I welcome the financial settlement and the commitment…23 Nov 2020HANSARDUnited Kingdom Internal Market BillMy Lords, the Good Friday agreement was made possible, at least in part, by the fact both the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland were members of the EU. The common rules…09 Nov 2020HANSARDIntegrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign PolicyMy Lords, a number of pending defence capital investment programmes will be crucial to both our future military capability and the UK’s prosperity agenda, but a one-year financial…03 Nov 2020HANSARDConduct CommitteeI was not going to speak on this particular issue, but I have listened with interest to what the noble Lords, Lord Cormack and Lord Newby, have had to say, and I have some…03 Nov 2020HANSARDHome Secretary: Allegations of BullyingMy Lords, given the difference in their respective roles, it is not at all unusual for tensions to arise from time to time between Ministers and officials. Indeed, this is healthy…02 Nov 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Cultural and Creative IndustriesMy Lords, the recent grants to arts organisations are very welcome but, if we are not careful, we risk winding up with too few artists to perform in many of them. What further…26 Oct 2020