Contributions
2,386 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, I can add little to the previous answers I gave to the noble Baroness, Lady Uddin, and my noble friend Lady Eaton. Of course, the Government attach the highest…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, on social care, the noble Lord himself has a long and distinguished record as a health Minister. He will know that discussions about and consideration of this vital…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, the noble Baroness makes powerful points. The Government campaigned on commitments to tackle prejudice, racism and discrimination of all sorts and to improve the quality…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, I regret that the timetable of some government action has obviously been interfered with by the Covid emergency, but I think all noble Lords will agree that there is a…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, the Government intend to be and are a Government for all people and respect every person in this country, not only the many who—as my noble friend rightly said—voted for…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, I do not carry direct responsibility for that area of policy, but the noble Lord is of course right to say that all lessons from the Covid crisis and experience must be…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, I am absolutely delighted that the noble Lord is such an avid reader of the Conservative manifesto; I hope he found it improving reading. I repeat that my right…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsI pay tribute to the haulage industry; it has been an outstanding performer, and not just in this crisis. However, the answer to the noble Baroness’s question is no. The…16 Jun 2020HANSARDManifesto CommitmentsMy Lords, we have moved slightly away from the manifesto. I do not know whether the noble Viscount saw the very friendly discussions yesterday between the Prime Minister and…16 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, I agree with my noble friend. On the details, I must ask again for the House’s patience. She is quite right to say that the Act was born in unusual circumstances: it was…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, my noble friend refers to important legislation relating to modes of election. We are talking here about the timing of elections. I assure him that the Government remain…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, under the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, the Prime Minister is required, between June and November 2020, to make arrangements for a committee to undertake a review of the…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, my noble friend is an outstanding authority on these matters, and I am sure that all contributions from him will be heard on all sides of the House. He is quite right to…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, the Government remain absolutely committed to replacing the Act, and I totally agree with the noble Baroness about its impact. We all lived those days, months and years,…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, I note what the noble Baroness says, as always, but I regret that I cannot go further today than to say that we will make detailed announcements on this matter in due…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, again, the noble Lord tempts me to go ahead of where we are now. I do not agree with the idea advanced by a number of noble Lords that, axiomatically, the Prime…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, as I said, many matters will be considered and we will make further announcements in due course. I think the noble Lord would agree that Parliament did not have its…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, again, my noble friend makes important points. It is certainly the Government’s intention to improve electoral procedures—separate announcements have been made on…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, in their manifesto, the Government emphasised the need for long-term consideration of our constitutional arrangements, as my noble friend Lord Howell of Guildford said.…15 Jun 2020HANSARDFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011My Lords, again, I cannot anticipate the announcements that the Government will make. The noble Lord is quite right, as always: the Act stipulates that the majority on the…15 Jun 2020