My Lords, we still may sing “Rule Brittania”, but the reality is that our navy at present is, frankly, a national embarrassment. Obviously, we are glad that the “Prince of Wales” is now back in action, but will the Minister comment on newspaper reports that all our non-ballistic submarines are in do…
My Lords, the Government announced on 20 January that fully virtual annual general meetings would be included in the upcoming consultation on modernising corporate reporting. Officials are engaging with investors and businesses on the practicalities of this. We will ensure that fully virtual meeting…
The Government are not mandating virtual AGMs and there will be nothing to stop companies holding hybrid AGMs. As the people best placed to make decisions about their businesses, we are giving companies and shareholders the legal certainty to undertake fully virtual AGMs if it is right for them. Man…
My Lords, I refer to my entry in the register of Members’ interests re the defence sector. As has been said, there is much to welcome in this document, but we need a full day debate on the subject. To try to rush everything in 40 minutes or so is, frankly, ridiculous and an insult to the importance …
The noble Lord makes a really good point. The issues involving drones have been one of the lessons that we have all learned with respect to the conflict in Ukraine, whether they be surveillance drones, one-way drones or any other sort of attack drone. Drones are a real weapon and resource of the fut…
My Lords, one of the themes of the strategic defence review is to explore the approach to recruiting, educating, training and retaining the people needed for “one defence”. This includes the regular reserve, the Civil Service and industry. It simply is not always appropriate for people in uniform to…
My Lords, if the Government are keen, quite rightly, to encourage more investment into the United Kingdom, why do they still give tax relief to those with ISAs who invest in overseas equities?
I have to say that I am not an expert on cruise liners, but the noble Lord makes a serious point: why are we not involved in cruise liners and in various other shipbuilding projects? The answer is that we have allowed ourselves, as a country with a proud manufacturing history, to see many of these i…