Lords
Oral Questions
28 January 2026
UK Start-up Companies
My Lords, I am a member of the expert advisory council of the Government’s Help to Grow: Management scheme set up by Rishi Sunak when he was Chancellor, which this Government have happily continued. Some 10,000 businesses have graduated from this, but is the Minister aware that only businesses with …
Lords
Oral Questions
27 January 2026
2 contributions
Hospitality Businesses
My Lords, hospitality businesses across the south-west of England, particularly those in our coastal and rural areas beloved of tourists, suffer from an inability to attract staff in specialist roles. A major cause of this is a chronic lack of suitable housing, particularly due to planning restricti…
I am grateful to my noble friend. I listened very carefully to the Minister, but he did not answer the question about hotels, particularly family-run hotels. Their rates bills are going to rise by even more than pubs’ and there is no help coming for them. What are they to do? They run fantastic busi…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 January 2026
2 contributions
Superintelligent AI
My Lords, I declare an interest as a consultant to DLA Piper on AI regulation and policy. In their manifesto, the Government promised
“binding regulation on … companies developing the most powerful AI models”,
yet, 18 months later, even in light of the harmful activities of stand-alone AI bots, we…
My Lords, I am and always have been a faithful. With tighter regulation in the future confidently anticipated, is it not often the case that its absence in the present can impede innovation rather than foster it? Given that many of those responsible for the development of AI—and, in some cases, the …
Lords
Oral Questions
26 January 2026
Uniformed youth groups: Promoting Skills and Resilience in Young People
My Lords, I declare my interest as the chair of the cadet health check team. The value of the uniformed services to our young people throughout the country is beyond doubt, particularly in the poorest communities in the country. The real challenge now is adult volunteers. The entire service is based…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 January 2026
Grass-roots Music Venues
My Lords, given that the Music Producers Guild reports that 50% of recording studios are considering closure within the year, with rateable value increases of up to 100%, will the Minister commit to urgently reviewing their exclusion from the retail, hospitality and leisure multiplier, and their mis…
Lords
Proceedings
23 January 2026
2 contributions
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, I will make a few remarks before Committee. I thank all noble Lords for the constructive discussions and kind words this week. I understand and empathise with the concerns that have been raised about the suggestion that the House would sit beyond 3 pm. I am striving to find an approach to …
I have huge respect for the noble Lord and thank him very much for the kind way in which he dealt with our discussion this week. That is why I said last week that colleagues could leave earlier if they had to travel back home. I fully accept the noble Lord’s point that when someone moves their amend…
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
3 contributions
Creative Industries: Freelance Champion
Please could my noble friend the Minister update us on the progress of implementing the creative industries sector plan? How is DCMS addressing problems of social mobility as part of the “arts for everyone, everywhere” vision?
My Lords, is one of the problems not that, in spite of the creative industries enjoying vast subsidies recently and throughout Covid—the Government were very generous—there are scant employment rights? The noble Baroness asked about freelancers, but the industry is rife with people who are nepotisti…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
21 January 2026
Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
I heard of a case of a four year-old boy in a refuge hitting a three year-old girl because that is what daddy did to mummy at home. Is the Minister aware of how early children need to be supported on this?
Lords
Oral Questions
21 January 2026
Great Western Railway: Infrastructure
My Lords, I am confident that the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Gower, will join with me in praising the care of the GWR staff. Nevertheless, both he and I suffer on our journeys, often together, from Swansea, because of the delays. Can my noble friend the Minister say where the GWR stands in the compa…
Lords
Debate
20 January 2026
Crown Estate (Wales) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I have it in command from His Majesty the King to acquaint the House that His Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Crown Estate (Wales) Bill, has consented to place his prerogative and interest, so far as they are affected by the Bill, at the disposal of Parliament for the p…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors
My Lords, the Government’s impetus on the nuclear programme is extremely welcome, but would it not be even better for the nations and regions of this country, and for our important manufacturing industry, if our world-leading position were being reinforced by doing the maximum amount of engineering …
Lords
Debate
16 January 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, to help the Committee, I will interject to say that it has just gone 5 pm. Basically, we have two options. Both involve us finishing at 5.30 pm. We can either carry on this debate, which is absolutely fine. We have recorded the number of Lords who are present, so I can move to adjourn the …
As I said earlier, it is absolutely fine to break mid-group on these amendments.
Lords
Proceedings
16 January 2026
7 contributions
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, before we start further consideration in Committee of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, I wish to make a short statement. I emailed all Peers on Wednesday afternoon to set out my position in light of the agreement to the Motion from the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer, wh…
I have huge respect for the noble Lord and other colleagues who serve in this House from all parts of our United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland and Scotland. I accept his points about the inconvenience caused to colleagues. My door remains open, and I will happily meet the noble Lord next week …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
Large-scale Waste Crime
My Lords, I declare an interest as chair of your Lordships’ Environment and Climate Change Committee which produced the report on waste crime. On 16 December, the Environment Agency wrote to the committee stating that 749 new illegal waste sites had been found in 2024-25, compared to 427 in the prev…
Lords
Debate
13 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
I am conscious that we agreed 11 pm with the House staff. If it is going to be quick, then that is fine. But we do not want to be sitting here later, because it is not fair on the House staff. We agreed 11 pm.
Lords
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
Meat Labelling
My Lords, religious conventions change over the years. As we have heard, this is a very cruel practice. Has the Minister considered meeting religious leaders to see how animal welfare could be improved?
Lords
Debate
12 January 2026
2 contributions
Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill
My Lords, I have it in command from His Majesty the King to acquaint the House that His Majesty, having been informed of the Report of the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill, has consented to place his interests, so far as they are affected by the Bill, at the disposa…
The Opposition have put their amendment to the House and it has been carried. They are now going to vote against the Motion that they have just won on. I do not understand that at all. It seems to me that the normal thing is that, when a regret amendment is won, the Motion is amended and then the Ho…
Lords
Proceedings
12 January 2026
Iran: Protests
My Lords, I agree with all those who have condemned the killing of innocent protesters in Iran, but will the Minister agree that the Iranian nation is very resilient? We have seen that the Iranian public know how to change their Governments. We saw the end of the King of Iran’s time, when the protes…
Lords
Oral Questions
12 January 2026
Heritage Craft and Building Sector
My Lords, I thank the Chief Whip. I am very interested in what the noble Baroness has said about the range of initiatives, and very glad that she is talking to the rest of the heritage sector. The question that was raised, however, was about the strategic direction and need for systematic and scaled…
Lords
Proceedings
9 January 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, as I have previously, I will make a few remarks before we start today’s consideration in Committee. Last night, the House passed the Motion in the name of my noble and learned friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton. It will have no effect on our proceedings today, but next week I will seek a way…
Lords
Debate
8 January 2026
5 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I support the intent behind the Motion of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer. I believe that it is right that the House be given the opportunity to scrutinise the Bill in exhaustive detail, given the significance of the legislation and, as the noble Lord, Lord Stevens of Birmingham,…
My Lords, I shall move to the Woolsack in a few minutes, so I shall be mute, for which many noble Lords will be grateful. Perhaps I might just point out to the noble Lord, and perhaps to some of his colleagues who have graced us with their presence in recent months, that the principle that this Hous…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
5 January 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, happy new year. Before we start Oral Questions, I thought it would be useful again to remind colleagues of the importance of good discipline. Question Time is for questions, not statements or speeches. The Companion is clear that
“questions should be short and confined to not more than tw…
Lords
Proceedings
18 December 2025
Tributes
My Lords, I am delighted to lead the customary and important tradition of giving thanks to staff across the House, especially those who have retired this year, as we head towards the Christmas Recess. As 2025 draws an end, it is nice to have a moment to reflect on the excellent work of the House and…
Lords
Oral Questions
18 December 2025
Lithuania: Balloon Incursions
My Lords, in a normal world, Belarus would be offering co-operation to stop this smuggling, rather than sneering and saying that Lithuania has to solve it. Lithuania has offered €1 million to anybody who can work out how to deal with these balloons. What are we doing, in co-operation with NATO’s cen…