Lord St John of Bletso

13 parliamentary sessions on record in this archive

13 sessions
Lords Proceedings 17 March 2026
Spring Forecast Statement
What an excellent speech by the noble Lord, Lord St John of Bletso, the 22nd Baron St John of Bletso—a title that has existed for 460 years. I declare my interest: in the nearly 20 years that I have been privileged to be a Member here, my noble friend Lord St John—Anthony—has been my best friend in …
Lords Oral Questions 5 February 2026
Jobs Market
We are working across government to monitor the impact of AI and support job creation, providing skills training for those facing disruption. Just last week, the Technology Secretary announced that every adult in the UK is eligible to take free courses to gain practical AI skills for work, with a ta…
Lords Proceedings 29 January 2026
UK Development Partnership Assistance
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Featherstone, for securing this debate. I fear that my contribution will be a mere shadow of the exemplary exposition of the challenges and issues in this policy area which was set out so ably at the start of this discussion. I congratulate my noble friend…
Lords Oral Questions 26 January 2026
Superintelligent AI
As I mentioned at the start, there is a lot of debate about the pathway that AI development will take and the pace at which it is developing. The AI Security Institute has reported a sharp rise in AI capabilities over the past 18 months, with continued growth almost certain, and it is looking at the…
Lords Debate 16 January 2026
Rare Cancers Bill
My Lords, it is a privilege to speak after my old friend, the noble Lord, Lord St John of Bletso. I declare an interest as an officer of the APPG on Less Survivable Cancers; that term is more or less interchangeable with “rare cancers”, as used in relation to this Bill. I want to take this opportuni…
Lords Proceedings 13 November 2025
Economic and Taxation Policies: Jobs, Growth and Prosperity
My Lords, being 30th in the list is a problem, as I am bound to repeat what many noble Lords sitting on my Benches have said. But sometimes things need to be repeated time and time again for them to sink in, and this is particularly so when you are facing an audience that does not want to hear the c…
Lords Oral Questions 13 November 2025
Jobs Market
This is a really great question that is obsessing most government departments and most employers, as the noble Lord will know. I think the impact depends on the sector and on the individual job, but the evidence is quite clear, which is that, across the piece, it is better for businesses to embrace …
Lords Oral Questions 10 November 2025
Financial Provision on Divorce
My Lords, I start by declaring an interest in that, although I do no divorce work now, I once did, and I am still—rather by default, I fear—a member of the Family Law Bar Association. I join in congratulating the noble Baroness, Lady Deech, on introducing this debate in an area where she has campaig…
Lords Debate 11 September 2025
Planning and Infrastructure Bill
My Lords, I rise briefly in support of Amendment 184 from the noble Baroness, Lady Thornhill, on stepping-stone accommodation. This worthwhile amendment promotes transitional housing solutions for those at risk of homelessness, as well as creating incentives for young people to stay at work with fin…
Lords Proceedings 10 September 2025
Defence Industrial Strategy
My Lords, in welcoming the Statement, I want to press the Minister further on the role of SMEs in defence, innovation and supply chains. Will the Government ensure that the UK’s space economy, which is vital for secure communications and situational awareness, is embedded in defence planning and pro…
Lords Oral Questions 24 July 2025
Minimally Invasive Cancer Therapies
I thank the noble Lord for sharing his personal experience with us. It makes the debate so much more real when we hear about the circumstances. The emphasis on shifting services to the community is to enable local places to recognise that there are hotspots for different cancers or diseases that can…
Lords Oral Questions 11 June 2025
United Kingdom Jobs Market
I thank the noble Lord for his question. He, like me, will be waiting with bated breath for the publication of the Government’s industrial strategy White Paper, which will set out the Government’s approach to investing in eight priority sectors—those deemed most likely to drive UK economic growth. I…
Lords Oral Questions 5 June 2025
AI Opportunities Action Plan
The interaction between the public and private sectors is crucial in this, as it is in many other areas. UKRI is leading a number of public programmes which support universities and the ability to get spin-outs and developments from them, so there is considerable interaction at the beginning of the …

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