I am sure that noble Lords will allow me to start by paying tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Aberdare, and to his contribution to your Lordships’ House. Many noble Lords will know that he is retiring from our House this summer. I thank him for all his work across a wide variety of issues, including s…
The noble Lord raises an important question. New technologies are coming through quickly and the potential is exciting in terms of outcomes and patient experience, with much less time spent in hospital, for example, freeing up beds and time for other treatments. As well as the treatment that the nob…
My Lords, I put my name to the two amendments in the name of my noble friend Lady Wolf because I entirely share her concern that the Bill as drafted could have a damaging effect on apprenticeships, especially for young people and especially in small firms.
I am very grateful to my noble friend for …
My Lords, in the absence of my noble friend Lord Hampton, who added his name to this amendment but is unable to be here, I will speak in support of Amendment 100. I will be brief as the noble Baronesses, Lady Penn and Lady Lister, have already set out the case for the amendment so comprehensively an…
I understand that slow payments and retentions are long and ongoing issues. We have to continue to look at all the barriers to SMEs as we go through the process of trying to speed up housing delivery in this country. Without removing some of those barriers we will not meet the ambitious total of 1.5…
I am grateful for that question. The scope of the review has been one of its real strengths and benefits, and we all look forward to its conclusions and recommendations. This is such a large question in terms of assessment and how skills are judged and taken forward for young people. We need to have…
My Lords, I rise to move Amendment 102, in the name of my noble friend Lady Wolf of Dulwich, who much regrets that she is unable to be here today to move it herself. I was delighted to add my name to this very specific amendment, addressing what I am sure is an unintended consequence of the Bill. I …
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have spoken to this amendment. I add my good wishes to the noble Lord, Lord Hunt, for choosing to spend his birthday in support of my amendment, and I hope the rest of it is equally enjoyable. I thank the Minister for his response. I think all the speeches were …
My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in this debate on such important topics. I declare my interest as chair of the national Careers & Enterprise Company. It is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord; I agreed with his comments and those made by all the speakers so far. Unsurprisingly, I will …
My Lords, it is not often that you are involved in a Bill and everyone agrees what the outcome should be and realises that the issue is more important than anything else. I commend the Government for coming into office and realising straightaway that, if we are to get economic growth, we need the sk…