Lords
Oral Questions
26 February 2026
3 contributions
Equality and Human Rights Commission
The Minister will be aware that organisations such as the Women’s Institute and Girlguiding have described their current difficulties arising from the draft code as costly and difficult. How will the Government and the EHRC reduce anxiety about the code, so that organisations can act proportionately…
I am grateful to the Chief Whip. The Minister will remember that on 2 February I asked him to confirm whether the Government were in full compliance with the law, as set out by the Supreme Court, across all the public services and functions that they deliver. He gave an unequivocal, one-word answer:…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
25 February 2026
Local Government Reorganisation
My Lords, we now move on to a maximum of 20 minutes of Back-Bench contributions. The key is Back-Bench and we want questions, not speeches. This is set out at point 6.7 in chapter 6 of the Companion .
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Imran Khan: Imprisonment
My Lords, I thank the Chief Whip. Following on from the question from my noble friend Lord Goldsmith, specific facilitation can be done. The Minister—for whom many in the House, if not all, have great respect—can practically help to facilitate access for British citizens. Sulaiman and Kasim, the son…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
2 contributions
British Military Equipment: Chinese Components
My Lords, the fact that 85% of all drone components worldwide come from China illustrates the urgent need for a more resilient supply chain. The development of such a supply chain depends on the placing of orders in the appropriate industries to build up their capacity. In the UK’s case, the placing…
My Lords, under the Washington declaration of 2023, we were promised by the then American Administration that all electric vehicles, military and civil, exported from this country, provided that they contained critical minerals or rare earths mined either in America or here, would be subject to the …
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
Cyclists: Safety
My Lords, the safety of cyclists is critical, as is the safety of all road users. To that end, will the Minister consider reviewing the recently published guidance on so-called floating bus stops, which does not deliver safety for cyclists, pedestrians or, indeed, anyone? It fails on being inclusive…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Prisons: Education
My Lords, I pay tribute to the work of the Minister, but can he explain why we continue to release prisoners early without requiring or securing a measurable improvement in literacy and numeracy?
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
Quantum Technology
My Lords, quantum technology clearly has profound implications for our future national security, including for the secure communications on which we all rely and for potential future threats to cryptography. How are the Government working to ensure the alignment of the national quantum strategy with…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 February 2026
Animal Welfare Strategy: Rural Communities
Given its mention in the animal welfare strategy, what progress have His Majesty’s Government made towards introducing a close season for the brown hare in England?
Lords
Oral Questions
11 February 2026
2 contributions
New Homes Target
My Lords, obviously, the noble Lord was not quick enough today.
Research by Crisis and the National Housing Federation found that we need to build 90,000 social homes a year to tackle the current homelessness situation. We know that councils are spending around £2.8 billion a year on temporary acco…
My Lords, my noble friend the Minister has outlined very clearly what a great opportunity this target is, for not only local jobs but local training schemes and use of local materials in building the houses. She mentioned local authorities, but what discussions are being held with developers and hou…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 February 2026
Renters’ Rights Act: Implementation
My Lords, tenants are a group of people close to my heart. They have been promised that the Renters’ Rights Act will transform their security and will do so from 1 May this year. They will be relying on local authorities to enforce those rights. But I say to the Minister that there is still no evide…
Lords
Proceedings
6 February 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, I will make my usual statement before we start proceedings. As ever, I will try to keep it short so that we can move on to the main business.
First, I thank the Clerk Assistant and the Clerk of Legislation for what I heard was an excellent and informative briefing on the facts of the Parl…
Lords
Proceedings
5 February 2026
4 contributions
US Department of Justice Release of Files
My Lords, we now move on to 20 minutes of Back-Bench questions. The House wants succinct questions, getting in as many noble Lords as possible. The House does not want speeches—this is not the time.
My Lords, we will go to the Labour Benches next.
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
4 contributions
Jobs Market
My Lords, I love the optimism from the Minister. Can he say what distortion there is on the employment figures from jobs which are not real jobs—zero-hour jobs—where people do not know whether they have a job tomorrow, next week or next month? There are so many people who now seem to be counted in t…
Yes, we have.
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
Youth Unemployment
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that information, but can she say what assessment has been made of the impact of poor mental health on young people’s ability to gain work? What is the connection between the Department for Work and Pensions and the NHS in dealing with this problem?
Lords
Oral Questions
4 February 2026
2 contributions
NHS: Corridor Care
We know from evidence that you can avoid hospital admission by improving continuity of care by general practitioners. When will the Minister redress the imbalance whereby GPs are funded from only 8% of the NHS budget yet deliver 70% to 80% of its care?
My Lords, my recent experience in care homes is that there are vacancies—unfilled beds—in private care homes. When are we going to do something about the mismatch of people in corridors, when beds are available? There needs to be some system introduced to get people into them.
Lords
Oral Questions
3 February 2026
Shamima Begum
I declare an interest as a former legal counsel of Shamima Begum—there are many of us in that position. The Minister has repeatedly stated that the existence of legal proceedings in the European Court of Human Rights prevents him answering detailed questions. I am aware of no doctrine of the Europea…
Lords
Debate
2 February 2026
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Bill
That the amendments for the Report stage be marshalled and considered in the following order: Clauses 1 to 11, Schedule, Clauses 12 to 20, Title.
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
Single-Sex Spaces: EHRC Guidance
The Minister, the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, has said in answering the numerous questions on this topic that the code must be legally robust. In the absence of any significant leaks to the press over the last few weeks, can the Minister clarify what tests are being applied to reach that conclusion …
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
2 contributions
Prisoners for Palestine: Hunger Strikes
My Lords, the Minister is to be commended for not giving concessions to those who have refused food in this instance. Does he not think that, rather than expressing sympathy for or condoning the behaviour of these individuals, the Government’s sympathy ought to be with the working people who have be…
My Lords, as a non-affiliated Member, I share the deep concerns of my noble friend Lord Hain. I say to the Minister that it is not eulogising to ask for compassion, fairness and justice for people held on charge, on remand, not proven. Therefore, will the Minister meet with those who could perhaps s…
Lords
Proceedings
30 January 2026
7 contributions
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, I will make my usual statement before we start proceedings today. I will keep it short to enable the debate to start as soon as possible. I thank noble Lords again for their kind words and constructive discussions during the past week. I continue to do my best to strive to find ways to ass…
First, I love the House very much and I have been here for 16 years. I have been absolutely privileged to be here every day, both in opposition and in government. We all come here every day to work with the best intentions and in the best interests of the House. The House, over many years, has alway…
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Public Trust in National Politics
My Lords, talking about truth and the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, looking for proposals, can I propose through the Minister that the Liberal Democrats’ use of fake local newspapers and misinformation to slur political opponents is something she might want to consider?
My Lords, is not a key element of trust in politics that elections are run fairly and independently? Therefore, I hope that the Minister might commit to restoring the full independence of the Electoral Commission and repealing the power for a Government of any political persuasion to set the policy …
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
Erasmus+ Eligibility: Asylum Seekers
My Lords, I think we all know what I do for a living. I welcome our rejoining of Erasmus+ but, to follow on from the question asked by the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley, it is vital that state schools and people who do not have the opportunity to go on holiday abroad can join the Erasmus sche…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 January 2026
2 contributions
National Police Service
My Lords, I support the White Paper. I think it is the right broad direction and it is decisive. As the noble Lord, Lord McCabe, indicated, it has been tried before and we did not get very far. There are a lot of questions on the detail, of course. On the commission that has been set up to recommend…
I draw my noble friend’s attention to the appalling state of forensic science in this country, ever since the abolition of the Forensic Science Service a decade ago. Is he aware that the Science and Technology Committee of your Lordships’ House, of which I have been a member, is about to produce a r…
Lords
Oral Questions
28 January 2026
Yorkshire: Sustainable Water Management Solutions
My Lords, does the Minister agree that Yorkshire Water, and others, are effectively exploiting loopholes in the Water (Special Measures) Act? How will they urgently be prevented from rewarding themselves for a polluting and failing service—whether it is called a bonus, a retention payment or, in the…