Contributions
1,161 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDLocal Authorities: Financial DifficultiesMy Lords, the local authorities that have so far gone bankrupt and applied for Section 114 have, by and large, been the authors of their own misfortune. Is my noble friend the…14 Feb 2024HANSARDNuclear Decommissioning Authority (Pension Scheme Amendment) Regulations 2024My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for that explanation, particularly as he does not seem in the best of health. I do not want to add to his distress, but I want to raise…13 Feb 2024HANSARDNuclear Decommissioning Authority (Pension Scheme Amendment) Regulations 2024I am very grateful for my noble friend’s explanation that it was not a shortage of parliamentary time. As there are four former business managers in the Committee at the moment,…13 Feb 2024HANSARDNHS Dentistry: Recovery and ReformMy Lords, I felt that today’s Statement deserved a slightly warmer welcome than it has received so far, particularly from the noble Baroness. At a time of enormous pressure on…07 Feb 2024HANSARDLocal Authority FinancesMy Lords, local authorities are no longer run by Derek Hatton, Ken Livingstone and Ted Knight, the bogeymen of 40 years ago, but the legislation which they provoked is still with…06 Feb 2024HANSARDDisability Action PlanMy Lords, the Disability Action Plan deserves a slightly warmer welcome than it has received so far. The 32 actions will make a difference in the daily lives of disabled people,…06 Feb 2024HANSARDHousing: Accessibility StandardsMy Lords, further to the question of the noble Lord, Lord Best, I too welcome the decision to make these new accessibility standards mandatory, but the M4(2) standards have been…05 Feb 2024HANSARDTemporary Accommodation CostsMy Lords, my noble friend will not be surprised to hear that I think we should be building a lot more houses. In the meantime, should we not consider amending the Renters (Reform)…31 Jan 2024HANSARDGeneral Aviation (Persons on Board, Flight Information and Civil Penalties) Regulations 2024My Lords, I agree with my noble friend Lord Goschen about the importance of this SI. Unlike him, I am not a pilot but, like him, I am a former Transport Minister. I will raise two…30 Jan 2024HANSARDHousehold Support FundMy Lords, the house- hold support fund has given a lot of help to vulnerable families, not least unpaid carers. I very much hope it will be possible to continue it. However, if…30 Jan 2024HANSARDGeneral Aviation (Persons on Board, Flight Information and Civil Penalties) Regulations 2024Could my noble friend write to me on the issue I raised about the anomaly between travelling from England to Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland back to England?30 Jan 2024HANSARDSmokingMy Lords—25 Jan 2024HANSARDSmokingI am grateful to my noble friend for giving way.25 Jan 2024HANSARDSmokingFurther to the Question from the noble Lord, Lord Rennard, the Government commissioned the independent Khan review, which concluded that the Government would miss their smoke-free…25 Jan 2024HANSARDChildcareMy Lords, I very much welcome this generous entitlement of free childcare, but is my noble friend aware of reports of children with special educational needs being turned away by…22 Jan 2024HANSARDChildcareMy Lords, does this exchange not underline the need to increase capacity in the early years market? What steps is my noble friend taking to launch a recruitment campaign to…22 Jan 2024HANSARDPrivate Rented Sector OmbudsmanMy Lords, I too welcome the Bill’s proposal to establish a private rented sector ombudsman service. There will be an opportunity when the Bill reaches your Lordships’ House to…18 Jan 2024HANSARDHousing: New Homes TargetI am grateful to my noble friend, but those figures are based on current housing policy. Over Christmas the Government confirmed a major change in housing policy, with targets for…17 Jan 2024HANSARDHousing: New Homes TargetTo ask His Majesty’s Government when they forecast they will reach their target of 300,000 new homes a year.17 Jan 2024HANSARDCoram’s Charter for ChildrenMy Lords, the Coram charter calls for the reform of childcare, enabling all children to have access to high-quality early years provision. I very much welcome the announcement…16 Jan 2024