Contributions
879 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCivil Service: PoliticisationMy Lords, that was a fascinating and remarkable speech. I must apologise that I am the only person speaking from these Benches. Two of my colleagues went down—I hope, not with…28 Nov 2024HANSARDCouncil TaxMy Lords, are the Government turning their backs on the idea of tax reform for local government or as a whole? Of course it is time consuming, but tax reform is fundamentally…19 Nov 2024HANSARDEvaluation in Government Policy-makingMy Lords, will the Government’s Evaluation Task Force be looking at the costs and benefits we have had at a local level rather than from central government? Will it also be…18 Nov 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformMy Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Strathclyde—the second Lord Strathclyde—who has the distinction of having one of the last hereditary peerages created,…12 Nov 2024HANSARDBudget: Taxes and BorrowingThis Budget provided only a limited increase in defence spending, under circumstances in which the Ukraine war is depleting British stocks and our Armed Forces are under very…04 Nov 2024HANSARDMinisterial Code: Policy AnnouncementsMy Lords, does the Minister understand why we on these Benches feel that we keep hearing the pot calling the kettle black? I note that, in the Commons, the Conservative…30 Oct 2024HANSARDWomen’s State Pension Age: PHSO ReportMy Lords, when I reached my 80th birthday, I received a letter from the DWP telling me that in view of my advanced age my pension would be increased by 25p a week—I was…28 Oct 2024HANSARDWorking From Home: Public Sector ProductivityMy Lords, the Government have inherited a rather shrunken Whitehall estate from their Conservative predecessors, where hot-desking had become the norm in a number of departments.…23 Oct 2024HANSARDStatutory Instruments (Amendment) Bill [HL]My Lords, this is a modest but constructive proposal for a change in the way in which Parliament and the Government interact. I very much hope that the Government will welcome it…18 Oct 2024HANSARDEducation (Values of British Citizenship) Bill [HL]My Lords, I very much welcome the Bill. I hope that the Government are sympathetic to it and, whether or not it manages to complete its passage through both Houses, will take up…18 Oct 2024HANSARDMinisterial Gifts and HospitalityMy Lords, as well as looking at gifts more strictly, should the Government not also be looking at subsidies for politicians? We read that Boris Johnson is receiving £4 million for…16 Oct 2024HANSARDProcurement Act 2023My Lords, does the Minister recall that, when the Procurement Act was first presented—it started in the Lords—it was one of the most badly drafted Bills I have ever seen, and that…15 Oct 2024HANSARDFreedom of Speech in UniversitiesMy Lords, I remind the House that the story in today’s Telegraph about the inability of the Cambridge University Conservative Association to have Suella Braverman visit this…10 Oct 2024HANSARDRelations with EuropeMy Lords, I was puzzled by the assumption in the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Hannan, that while the European Union’s negotiators have not been entirely rational in their…10 Oct 2024HANSARDFreedom of Speech in UniversitiesOkay. Does the Minister accept that the urgency of this is rather overstated at present, given the one report in the Telegraph this morning? Does she agree that it is absolutely…10 Oct 2024HANSARDPublic Sector ProductivityMy Lords, I want to talk about morale as an important part of improving the productivity of the Civil Service, about digital transformation and, above all, about training. The…09 Oct 2024HANSARDHorizon EuropeMy Lords, is the Minister confident that the UK’s association with Horizon and its successor programme can be dealt with as a one-off or does this have to be wrapped up in a…08 Oct 2024HANSARDErasmus+My Lords, I understand that one of the objections to rejoining Erasmus+ is the imbalance between the flow of students coming into Britain and those going out. Would it not be…12 Sept 2024HANSARDHigher Education FundingMy Lords, in welcoming the Minister to the Lords, I remind her that I have often thought that the academic lobby is the most powerful lobby in this place. If you add up the…12 Sept 2024HANSARDLords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [HL]My Lords, the Church of England moves slowly, but not as slowly as the reform of the House of Lords. I grew up in the heart of the Church of England, as a chorister at Westminster…10 Sept 2024