Contributions
19 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCivil Service: PoliticisationMy Lords, I share the premise of this debate that all is not well within the triangle of relationships between Ministers, civil servants and special advisers, but the term…28 Nov 2024HANSARDHolocaust Memorial BillMy Lords, I consider that this Bill is an abuse of power. When the Government take something away from one group of people, who have for 120 years had access to this park, and…04 Sept 2024HANSARDCrown Estate Bill [HL]My Lords, that brings me to the starting point of my remarks. I have no issues with the Bill—indeed, I welcome most of its provisions—although I am unclear on the impact on the…02 Sept 2024HANSARDBank of England (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Bridges, for his skilful chairmanship of the committee and the support we had from the staff. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan,…02 May 2024HANSARDWorkers (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, in the seven or so years since I joined the Economic Affairs Committee, it has produced a number of excellent reports such as those on education, training and skills for…08 Feb 2024HANSARDNet Zero (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, I am now a member of the Economic Affairs Committee, but I was not when this report was published. Had I been, I would have endorsed it for bringing a measure of realism…16 Oct 2023HANSARDHunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) BillMy Lords, I am sorry that I was not able to speak at Second Reading; I found out that it was scheduled only after the speakers’ list had closed. However, I have read the Hansard…12 Sept 2023HANSARDFinancial Services and Markets BillMy Lords, I have not spoken before in this Committee, but as one of the surviving members of the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards, I want to address an instance where…01 Mar 2023HANSARDEconomy: Spring StatementMy Lords, a number of what Jane Austen would have called “truths universally acknowledged” have slipped into public debate about economic policy, but many are fallacies. I start…31 Mar 2022HANSARDBudget StatementMy Lords, as headlines scream “State spending and taxes at the highest since Clement Attlee”, I wonder whether the Budgets of 2021 and the health and social care levy could prove…03 Nov 2021HANSARDHigh Speed 2 (Economic Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, at various times in government, business and private lives we find ourselves faced with a choice when things are not going well. Do we press on, having invested time,…23 Jan 2020HANSARDDevolution: English CitiesMy Lords, while reading the excellent report by the noble Lord, Lord Heseltine, I was at times overcome by nostalgia, having followed the history of local government finance,…17 Jul 2019HANSARDPost-18 Education and Funding ReviewMy Lords, I start by congratulating Philip Augar and his review team on a thoughtful and comprehensive report on post-18 education and funding. Alongside housing and long-term…02 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationI said it does not. In other words, it fails the time reversibility test. If it goes up by 25% and then comes down by 25%, it ought to end up where it was before, but the price…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationMy Lords, earlier today, the House confirmed my P45 from membership of the Economic Affairs Committee. I greatly enjoyed working under the chairmanship first of the noble Lord,…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationThe basis on which that was done was that the statistics authority said it was flawed; that, I thought, was sufficient. Anyway, it said it would go on publishing the RPI and no…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationI think the noble Lord should go away and write this down on a piece of paper—I think he will find that it does not end up where it started.01 Jul 2019HANSARDCompetition and Markets Authority: Legislative and Institutional ReformsMy Lords, I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, on promoting this debate, which is both timely and important. It is a pleasure to have something meaningful to get one’s…08 May 2019HANSARDFinance (No. 3) BillMy Lords, the principle of financial privilege means that this House has no powers in relation to the structure of tax, its rates and its incidence. It can, however, examine the…07 Feb 2019