Contributions
438 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhThe noble Lord makes some very good points. As he pointed out, the French, the EU and US have been hugely busy over the last few days on this. The US and EU have been large actors…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhMy Lords, Tuesday brought devastating news of the resumption of armed conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Government urge Azerbaijan to cease military action and return to peaceful…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhThere is not a great deal more that I can add to what my noble friend said. I agree.21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhIt is always good to hear the experiences of the noble Baroness. The points she makes are well founded and there are many concerns. It is particularly right and proper that my…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhMy noble friend Lord McInnes is quite right. The important things here, as I said earlier, are to end hostilities, commit to talks with the Armenian people in Nagorno-Karabakh,…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhThe noble Lord mentions reconciliation and is quite right on that issue. There have to be talks between the parties, a lasting peace, a cease of violence, and humanitarian access.…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhMy Lords, I could not agree more with the right reverend Prelate. As he is aware, the situation is unclear at present. That is why we are pushing so hard for talks and a lasting…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNagorno-KarabakhAs the noble Lord said, if we can get reconciliation between the parties, we will go a long way towards resolving some of this crisis. He commented on the process and, as I said,…21 Sept 2023HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating BillMy Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have contributed to this relatively short and interesting debate on a wide-ranging subject. It is good that the noble Lord, Lord Shipley, has…19 Sept 2023HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating Bill19 Sept 2023HANSARDNon-Domestic Rating BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Earl, Lord Lytton, for this short debate, which has been fascinating. He has quite rightly gone into some detail on this issue, and I hope I will be…19 Sept 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersMy Lords, I bow to my noble friend’s greater knowledge of the travel industry. She is quite right: it is very important that there is continual work with the travel industry on…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersI do not have the number of consular staff in Rhodes to hand but, as I said, we have sent out a team to Rhodes Airport, including Red Cross personnel. The FCDO has deployed a…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersThe situation is kept continually under review. At the moment there are no plans for repatriation; it is up to the tour operators to bring back our holidaymakers. This is also a…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersMy Lords, at present, as I understand the situation, all British nationals are in good health. The noble Baroness makes a very good point about the facilities available to our…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersI am glad that the noble Lord, Lord West of Spithead, lives up to his reputation. The serious points are, first, that the fires in Rhodes are in an area in the centre of the…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersThe noble Lord makes a very good point; that puts people in a slightly different situation. As I said, we are advising people in a vulnerable position without back-up to seek…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersMy Lords, I quite understand the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Basildon. The situation in Rhodes is stabilising at the moment. The vast majority of the island is…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersMy Lords, as I said, the situation is stabilising—I had a call with the department earlier this morning—and the majority of the island is not affected by these fires. As I have…25 Jul 2023HANSARDRhodes Wildfires: Repatriation of HolidaymakersMy Lords, we should pay tribute to the people of Greece who have opened their homes to many holidaymakers in their area. The FCDO travel advice should not impact people’s ability…25 Jul 2023