My Lords, I too warmly congratulate the noble Baroness on her report: thoughtful, practical, and admirably free from dogma. I think we are all going to ask her to review the report a couple of years’ time, because it is clear that we need more evidence.
As has been well said, the pandemic accelerat…
My Lords, it is a great honour to speak in this debate. It will sound increasingly like an echo chamber in the themes that are raised but, to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Kidron, with all that she has done in this sector, is remarkable.
I start by paying tribute to the most reverend Primate the …
My Lords, the gracious Speech spoke of a country in which
“every child is included in the nation’s highest aspirations”
and in which no child should be held back by poverty, special educational needs or lack of respect for vocational education. Well, that is quite a challenge on the day that an 11…
My Lords, like other noble Lords, I greatly admire the Minister and his approach to these subjects. The noble Lord, Lord Hacking, raised the issue of the 16,000 knives that had been taken. The dilemma that those responsible have to face is that, for some young people, they are set on a career of cri…
The right reverend Prelate’s wife will definitely know that being without education, employment or training has a devastating effect on young people. The consequences for social stability and the fabric of society are incredibly important, and I know the Minister is aware of that. To get a job, indi…
We are putting this forward in the modernising corporate reporting consultation to clarify the legal situation for fully virtual AGMs, as I mentioned, to bring the certainty into line with other international jurisdictions. We are engaging with investors on what those shareholder rights and safeguar…
My Lords, it is evident all over the country that there is an epidemic of sick notes. Is there anything that the Government are doing to strengthen the arm of GPs who try to resist giving a sick note on simple request?
My Lords, when our committee published its report on media literacy last year, we used words such as “crisis” and “leadership vacuum”. They were not chosen lightly. One in four UK adults finds it difficult to distinguish true from false information online, one in three believed a fake news story was…
Some 68% of children in custody are there for serious violent offences and 11% are sentenced to life. So we are dealing with what experts tell me is an increasingly complex and violent group of young people. That is why, unfortunately, we have had to add PAVA spray as one of the options to protect s…
My Lords, I have worked to ensure access to excellent education for talented children from all social backgrounds, and specialist music and dance schools are no different. As a society, we have a duty to break down barriers that prevent young people from underrepresented backgrounds—working-class ki…
My Lords, I endorse the comments of my noble friend Lord Kamall about recognition of those doctors who have decided not to take action. There can be no way that doctors abandoning patients is compatible with the Hippocratic oath they have taken. For 17 years as chancellor of a university, I have lis…
My Lord, this is a pot-pourri of worthy aspirations, with the most extraordinary sense of déjà vu: hospital to community; sickness to prevention; a patient-driven NHS; league tables; foundation trusts; funding following the patients and outcomes. I was a contemporary of Alan Milburn, and he is behin…
My Lords, I commend the noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, for securing this Private Member’s Bill and setting out its purpose so clearly. It was very hard to listen to the noble Baroness’s heartbreaking personal experience. She is to be applauded, as my noble friend Lady Bottomley said, for seeking to …
I will certainly write to the noble Baroness on that.
I thank the noble Baroness for bringing the Bill, and all who participated in this important and moving debate. We must continue to deliver services that acknowledge and support the heartbreak of losing a baby. The Government will work with the …