Contributions
1,161 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAffordable HousingThe Ministry of Defence had a target of disposing of land in 2015 that would provide 55,000 homes. In my initial reply, I said that the Government could take into account the…03 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasIf my party has any members who are civil servants, I think they would be unlikely to vote for that candidate. But the statement was qualified by saying that this would happen…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasOn the issue of social care, the noble Baroness will have heard responses from my noble friend who was pressed on the progress of the Green Paper on social care. I cannot add to…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasMy Lords, the Civil Service has the capacity to deliver policies as prioritised by the Government and to deploy resources appropriately. We are ensuring that we properly resource…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasI wish I could, but I honestly do not have those figures in front of me. The Civil Service has always had the flexibility to reflect government priorities and move people around…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasIt would be premature at this stage to cost all the promises that are being made by the two contenders for the leadership of my party. When one of them becomes leader and Prime…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasI genuinely regret it if I sounded dismissive. I have sat through many exchanges on social care and the undertakings given to produce it by a given date. I understand the…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasYes. The Government plan to leave the European Union by the end of October and then we will indeed be able to get on with some of the other pressing issues. But I make the point…02 Jul 2019HANSARDBrexit: Other Policy AreasIf the noble Lord had joined my party three months ago, he would have been able to vote for one of the candidates who has made a specific pledge on defence expenditure. No doubt…02 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationThat goes to one recommendation directed at the UKSA. That issue will be addressed directly in the government response to the recommendations. I cannot give my noble friend an…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyI agree with that. If any Minister misuses statistics then, under the Ministerial Code, as I said, he should put the record right as soon as possible. As I also said, the UKSA…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyMy noble friend tempts me to reach for my folder which has a 20-minute speech in response to his debate, which is shortly to begin, on the use of the retail prices index and the…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyUnder the Ministerial Code, if a Minister misleads the House, he or she is obliged to put it right. So far as Ministers doing the right thing, a year ago the Home Secretary…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyIf the noble Lord looks at the website of the UK Statistics Authority, he will see when Sir David has intervened since August 2017. Counting the interventions when he has written…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyMy Lords, the independent UK Statistics Authority’s Code of Practice for Statistics details the practices to which departments must commit when producing and releasing official…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyAs a former Treasury Minister, I view with alarm the weeks that are passing during the contest which is under way, where increasingly generous commitments are being made from the…01 Jul 2019HANSARDStatistics: AccuracyI believe my noble friend is referring to the £350 million figure produced during the referendum. That was not a government statistic or a Conservative Party statistic. It was a…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationMy Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Forsyth for introducing this and all noble Lords who have taken part in an exceptionally well-informed debate on a rather specialised, but…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationI said, “to name but a few”, but I will gladly add the issue raised by the noble Lord to the list. Some, but not all, wage increases are linked to RPI. Some uses of the measures…01 Jul 2019HANSARDInflationOne of the locks is CPI.01 Jul 2019