Contributions
1,597 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD House of Lords ReformI would like to begin by posing a scenario. We go to the public and we say to them, “We have a good idea for constitutional reform. Let us double the number of Members of…10 Jan 2023HANSARD House of Lords ReformIf we were having a debate about Scottish independence, I would be happy to engage with that. Our Scottish colleagues have quite rightly chosen to participate in the UK national…10 Jan 2023HANSARD House of Lords ReformThe hon. Gentleman is an independent thinker on his party’s Benches. Not for the first time, I find myself in total agreement with him. The hon. Member for Ellesmere Port and…10 Jan 2023HANSARD House of Lords ReformForgive me, but I would like to develop my argument a little more. I promise that I will then give way to the hon. Gentleman.10 Jan 2023HANSARDBacklog of Court CasesThank you, Mr Speaker; it is kind of colleagues to respond in that way. Some months ago, the Government took the welcome decision to raise the retirement age for justices of the…10 Jan 2023HANSARD House of Lords ReformHow can I refuse the hon. Gentleman?10 Jan 2023HANSARDWindrush Lessons Learned Review: Implementation of RecommendationsDo the Government intend to deal with these claims on a strictly first-come, first-served basis, or are they able to exercise discretion in favour of claimants who may be more…10 Jan 2023HANSARDNHS Winter PressuresDo the Government recognise the danger of a major increase in pressure on the NHS as a result of any new variant of covid that may be imported from China? How quickly would we be…09 Jan 2023HANSARD UkraineSince Ukraine was attacked by a robotic and cowardly psychopath we have been led by three rather varied Prime Ministers, but fortunately only one Defence Secretary. Will he…20 Dec 2022HANSARDService Family AccommodationIn my hon. and learned Friend the Minister’s welcome and forthright response to this urgent question, he said that consequences would follow if satisfaction was not forthcoming.…20 Dec 2022HANSARDBritish Council Contractors: AfghanistanIs there not a fundamental problem with talking about safe and legal routes for people who, if they expose themselves to the Taliban, are at risk because of that very fact? Last…12 Dec 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsIs it not impossible for us to supply ever increasing amounts of munitions to Ukraine and also to replenish our own munitions stocks without a significant increase in our current…12 Dec 2022HANSARDNHS Industrial Action: Government PreparationsWould there not be more money available for relatively poorly paid frontline NHS staff if there were fewer layers of management bureaucracy paid at substantially higher rates…12 Dec 2022HANSARDRussia: UK CompaniesI am sure the entire House agrees with the Minister that the UK has done a tremendous job in supporting Ukraine ever since it was illegally invaded, but what we want is a way for…07 Dec 2022HANSARDPost Office: GLO Compensation SchemeWill the inquiry which I gather is still under way ever reveal to the public how it was possible—in a modern constitutional democracy, with the presumption of innocence operating…07 Dec 2022HANSARD Prison CapacityI believe that the Government have fulfilled their promise to end the automatic release of prisoners halfway through their sentences. Am I right in thinking that that will have…30 Nov 2022HANSARD Energy SecurityIt took an international conflict to lessen and hopefully eliminate Europe’s dependency on a potential enemy, Russia. Can the Minister confirm that we will have no future…29 Nov 2022HANSARDAnti-lockdown Protest in Shanghai: Arrest and Assault of Edward LawrenceThis disgraceful episode reminds us of the importance of the BBC’s work in China. About a decade ago, ringfenced funding was stopped for the BBC World Service and BBC Monitoring.…29 Nov 2022HANSARDLegal Rights to Access AbortionThe hon. Lady is incredibly generous in giving way. I applaud the tone in which she is presenting this case. The problem that some of us are grappling with is that, in America,…28 Nov 2022HANSARDLegal Rights to Access AbortionI have been listening to both sides here and I am not hearing an answer to one question that seems to me fundamental: at what point does a fertilised egg become a viable human…28 Nov 2022