Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
2 contributions
PFAS
My Lords, the PFAS plan was published on 3 February this year. It sets out for the first time the Government’s approach to minimising the harmful effects of PFAS while moving to safer alternatives. The plan includes consideration of measures to manage risks from PFAS in consumer articles. While ther…
My noble friend raises a really important issue. When deciding what action they will take to address any PFAS risks, the Government will have due regard to the environmental principles policy statement from the Environment Act 2021, which includes the precautionary principle. We know that many PFAS …
Lords
Debate
3 March 2026
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I will speak to the amendments in the names of the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, and the noble Lord, Lord Dodds.
I support a smoke-free generation policy, which is central to the Bill. We who support a smoke-free generation want to achieve better-quality health for all, particularly young pe…
Lords
Oral Questions
3 March 2026
British Farming: Competitiveness
My noble friend is absolutely right that working with the European Union around sanitary and phytosanitary issues regarding veterinary medicines is very important and something that we are clearly focused on. I also thank her for her role in the Veterinary Medicines Working Group. The whole group ca…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Electronic Travel Authorisation: Dual Nationals
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for his answers so far. He will recall that I have written to him on several occasions about an anomaly in the electronic travel authorisations that results in an impediment being placed in the way of the development of tourism in Northern Ireland. The …
Lords
Oral Questions
26 February 2026
Duty Relief Exemption: Small Parcels
My noble friend is absolutely right that back in 2016, Sir John Major and Sir Tony Blair very clearly said that Brexit will present very specific challenges for Northern Ireland, given its land border with an EU member state and the importance of safeguarding the Good Friday agreement. Unfortunately…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
2 contributions
Changing Weather Patterns and Floods
My Lords, the latest national assessment of flood and coastal erosion risk was published in December 2024. This shows that climate-driven sea level rise and extreme rainfall will place a growing number of people at risk of flooding and coastal erosion. That is why the Government are investing at lea…
We are committing the largest amount to ELM schemes in our country’s history. That is going to rise to £2 billion by 2028-29. Some of this funding will be used to invest in flood protection and to support farmers in tackling agricultural pollution. We want to focus our efforts on actions that have m…
Lords
Oral Questions
3 February 2026
AI Superintelligence
My Lords, my noble friend is absolutely right, and this Government will not be a bystander as people worry about what AI means for their jobs and their children’s prospects. AI will create new jobs but it will also change work and, regrettably, will replace some jobs. Change is inevitable. The conse…
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I rise with a certain level of trepidation and fear to convey a contribution during this debate, as I am not a mother. I have never enjoyed motherhood; therefore, I do not have the experiences of many women right across this Chamber. But I rise to support Amendment 460, to which I am pleas…
Lords
Debate
28 January 2026
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I will speak to Amendments 193A and 193B in the names of the right Reverend Prelate the Bishop of Portsmouth and myself. These amendments are very simple. They seek to address a small technical omission regarding the inspection of multi-academy trusts when they are the proprietor of one or…
Lords
Proceedings
27 January 2026
Warm Homes Plan
My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for his very extensive Statement on the warm homes plan today. Does he agree that heat pumps are most effective when paired with insulation? Could he say a little more about what the Government will do to increase insulation in existing homes now that t…
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
Artificial Intelligence: UK Preparedness
The Government are adopting a proportionate, context-based approach to regulation. By empowering existing regulators to apply cross-cutting principles such as safety, fairness and transparency, we ensure that oversight is tailored to specific sectoral risks rather than a one-size-fits-all model. Thi…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
3 contributions
Vaccine Health Technology Assessment
My Lords, I was delighted to secure this debate as this is a subject of significant importance and one in which I have a close interest. Health and economic growth are rightly identified by the Government as two of their central priorities and they sit at the core of the NHS 10-year plan. Vaccines l…
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, has just given an utterly compelling speech on the subject of the debate today. I do not want to repeat the points she has made; they are completely convincing. Instead, I want to build on her arguments from my experience as a Health Minister by addressing…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
AI Systems: Risks
My Lords, I too thank my noble friend Lord Fairfax for bringing this debate and for his continued efforts on this topic. I shall focus my remarks on so-called advanced general artificial intelligence, AGI. I understand the resistance to legislation. I understand the fear that technology will get aro…
Lords
Debate
6 January 2026
Northern Ireland Troubles Bill: Armed Forces Recruitment and Retention
My Lords, central to the legacy Bill is the impetus to protect victims and survivors. Therefore, does my noble friend Minister agree with me that there is a need for an adherence to a human rights-compliant approach in all aspects of the legislation impacting on various parts of society within these…
Lords
Oral Questions
6 January 2026
2 contributions
Flooding Interventions
My Lords, properties better protected is currently our main measure for tracking the current flood investment programme. In addition, we measure asset condition. A new 10-year programme starts in April this year and will benefit 840,000 properties by 2036. Our new strategic objectives will drive fun…
My noble friend is correct that we have committed a record £10.5 billion to flood defences, the reason being that flood risk is one of the factors that determine home insurance prices. Our investment programme is designed to manage flood risk by reducing it and by preventing further increases. Clear…
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
My Lords, given that not all babies are currently able to benefit from protection under the two-pronged approach to the RSV programme, what efforts will be made to ensure that other babies, such as those born to unvaccinated mothers, who remain at risk, will be included in any extension to the RSV v…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 December 2025
2 contributions
Breast Cancer
My Lords—
We certainly do speak with the devolved Governments, as my noble friend highlights. As I have said, this whole area is guided by the scientific and independent advice of the UK National Screening Committee, which is closely involved in the AgeX trial to which I have referred. I assure my noble frien…
Lords
Proceedings
10 December 2025
Northern Ireland Troubles: Operation Kenova
My Lords, I would like to thank Jon Boutcher and Sir Iain Livingstone for the report they have brought forward. The Kenova report contains very disturbing findings. In view of this, can my noble friend the Minister highlight the Government’s intentions to address those very serious findings, includi…
Lords
Debate
9 December 2025
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I will address the amendments in my own name, Amendments 316A and 316B, relating to prostitution, and Amendments 310 to 313 in the name of my noble friend Lady Goudie. I also support the amendments in the name of my noble friend the Minister.
Like my noble friend Lady Goudie, I wish to ad…
Lords
Debate
9 December 2025
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I add my support to the amendments in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Owen. Since she arrived in your Lordships’ House, she has made the issue of online abuse her passion and her life’s work, and for that I congratulate her. These amendments deal with intimate image abuse, spiking, do…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Mobile Phone and Broadband Prices
It is very important that there is connectivity across all the nations, and geographic coverage targets do include all nations. Many of the programmes in place to support the commercial rollout prioritise those rural areas, including for example in Scotland, Northern Ireland and across the devolved …
Lords
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
Wales: Further Devolution
I thank my noble friend for her question. She is very aware that, under the recent spending review, Stormont was awarded £19.2 billion—its largest ever financial settlement. As for additional tax-raising mechanisms, they exist, if Stormont wishes to use them. That is a matter for Stormont. We would …
Lords
Committee Stage
25 November 2025
2 contributions
Road Vehicles (Type-Approval) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to support my noble friend Lord Dodds’s Motions and to listen to his detailed analysis of the effects that they will have on the garages that sell these cars, on consumers and on the economy of Northern Ireland.
We have raised a number of issues over a period of tim…
I thank my noble friend for that. I think her proposed remedy is the right one, which is to meet people who know what they are talking about and listen to them. If that is part of the solution here, I am sure that we should do that.
Lords
Debate
21 November 2025
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I support the amendments to Clause 1 in this group. I speak in particular to Amendment 48 in my name. This seeks to strengthen the safeguards against someone being coerced into an assisted death by removing the words “by any other person” from Clause 1(2)(b). This would extend the notion o…