Lords
Committee Stage
6 July 2026
Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]
My Lords, it is a pleasure to open day 5 of Committee on the Financial Services and Markets Bill. In moving Amendment 130, which is in my name, I will also speak to Amendments 131 and 168. This is the latest round of AI and technology amendments to the Bill. It is a Bill that is curiously silent on …
Lords
Committee Stage
1 July 2026
3 contributions
Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]
My Lords, what a pleasure it is to follow my noble friend Lady Neville-Rolfe. I agree with everything she said, with all the principles she set out and with the amendments in this group.
I shall speak to Amendment 106 and the other amendments in my name. We are asking a lot of our financial regulat…
I would like some clarification from the Minister. Does he have, at his fingertips, figures around the stop the clock function? Are the Government currently satisfied with how the function is being used?
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
24 June 2026
Financial Services and Markets Bill [HL]
My Lords, it is a pleasure to open day two of Committee on the Financial Services and Markets Bill. As it is the first time I have spoken in Committee, I declare my interests as set out in the register around technology, as an adviser variously to the Crown Estate, Endava plc, Simmons & Simmons …
Lords
Debate
15 June 2026
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, it is a pleasure to take part in this Committee. I apologise to noble Lords that I was not able to be in your Lordships’ House for Second Reading. I declare my relevant technology interests as set out in the register, variously as adviser to the Crown Estate, Endava plc and Simmons & S…
Lords
Debate
15 June 2026
Social Housing Bill [HL]
My Lords, I will speak to Amendment 48 and all other amendments in my name in this group. All the amendments in this group, whether they concern AI, data or interoperable systems, are predicated on a number of straightforward questions. Do we believe that, when it comes to social housing, for those …
Lords
Committee Stage
4 June 2026
2 contributions
AI Regulation Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to bring this QSD to the Grand Committee for debate. In doing so, I declare my interests as set out in the register, variously as adviser to the Crown Estate, Endava plc and Simmons and Simmons LLP. I thank all noble Lords who have signed up to speak, and I look forward to…
On that question of going domain-specific, what occurs in situations where there is a domain with no competent regulator? Similarly, how do the Government assure clarity, consistency and coherence of approach? As a citizen, you may come across AI—as noble Lords have rightly identified—in defence, ed…
Lords
Debate
13 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I support my noble friend Lord Borwick’s amendment. He has done as much to empower disabled people when it comes to transport as anybody in this country, not just in Parliament.
To continue my noble friend Lord Shinkwin’s theme, this is about the unacceptability of waiting—not waiting for…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
3 contributions
AI Growth Lab
I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and declare my interests as set out in the register as adviser to Endava plc, the Crown Estate, Submer Ltd and Simmons & Simmons LLP.
The AI growth lab is a regulatory sandbox designed to accelerate AI innovation and adoption across the UK in a supervised and safe setting. In the recent call for evidence, we asked for views on how best to operationalise the AI growth lab. Responses are being carefully considered in ongoing policy …
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
24 March 2026
Public Transport: Accessibility
I absolutely respect the noble Lord’s determination in the matter of people with any disability accessing public transport. A lot has been done on the accessibility of the bus service, and the noble Lord knows that during the passage of the Bus Services Act, we agreed to cease those particularly dif…
Lords
Committee Stage
16 March 2026
Media Literacy (Communications and Digital Committee Report)
My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend Lady Keeley on the comprehensive way that she introduced our committee’s report on media literacy, of which committee I am lucky to be a member. I also welcome the Government’s media literacy action plan that was published today. The committee’s report covers…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 March 2026
Access to Work Fund
I commend the noble Lord for raising these issues. I am really grateful to him for having been in touch with me, and I look forward to discussing this more with him directly. The Government are increasingly looking at how we can personalise our support. The disability employment advisers in our jobc…
Lords
Committee Stage
5 March 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I associate myself with all the speakers and amendments so far. In making my comments, I would like to focus on just one word. It is in the title of the Bill: “empowerment”. I ask this very simple question, not only on taxis but on transport in this country: if you are a disabled person, w…
Lords
Oral Questions
25 February 2026
2 contributions
Cyclists: Safety
My Lords—
I have great respect for the noble Lord’s views on this. He will know that, as the debate on the then Bus Services Bill went on, my ministerial colleague took decisive action to stop one particular design and review the standards. That is what we have to do, because there is not unlimited space on r…
Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Quantum Technology
My Lords, the UK’s national quantum programme has seeded a world-leading emerging sector. The Government are increasing investment from £1 billion in the last decade to £1 billion over the next four years. This funding will accelerate deployment of quantum sensors, networks and computers, turning th…
The short answer is yes, and noble Lords will hear more about that shortly. All those things are critical. We have a good skills programme. There was a good report in July last year to deal with that. We are looking at options, including the use of procurement to make sure that this technology is pu…
Lords
Committee Stage
28 January 2026
2 contributions
Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Cryptoassets) Regulations 2025
My Lords, I confess that, when tried to work my way through this statutory instrument, I felt incredibly inadequate. I cannot pretend super expertise on crypto assets and stable coins. Most of the information that comes my way is, frankly, from the industry lobbying for the maximum amount of scope, …
On the question of what can be described as the wrinkle, I hope that, if there is any slight issue with all of this, we will try to work it out in regulation; however, the FCA is looking at it, and that might be the way to do it. Obviously, as I said earlier, if something needs to be changed, we hav…
Lords
Debate
7 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to speak in this Committee and to follow my friend the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, who perfectly and proportionately set out the principles in this amendment, which I support to every last sentence. We are now discussing a number of amendments on areas where the existi…
My Lords, it is a pleasure again to follow my friend, the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, whose amendment I agree with. I will speak to my Amendments 361 through 364, which are, as he rightly put, companions to the intent of his Amendment 360.
In simple terms we have an opportunity to change the la…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
2 contributions
Employment Gap for Blind and Sight-impaired People
My Lords, this Government are committed to providing high-quality support to disabled people, including those who are blind or visually impaired. This group will be supported to enter and stay in work through our pathways to work guarantee and our connect to work supported employment programme. Our …
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that question and agree that it is not political. I know that his approach to this is not. I am grateful for how he approaches these issues. There are different views on the statistics. We can have a conversation elsewhere. A lot depends on how the definitions ar…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 November 2025
3 contributions
Artificial Intelligence Legislation
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and I declare my relevant interest, as set out in the register, as an adviser to Endava plc and to Simmons and Simmons LLP and as a member of the technology and science advisory committee of the Crown Estate.
I appreciate the significant interest in the Government’s intentions for AI legislation, and I thank the noble Lord for his valuable contributions on the issue. The Government do not speculate on legislation ahead of future parliamentary Sessions, and I cannot confirm the timing of any such Bill. Ho…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
13 October 2025
Bus Services (No. 2) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I am grateful for the opportunity to close this debate. I thank noble Lords for their contributions on the important topic of bus safety. To be clear, this Government want a safer bus network and that is why there are already measures in the Bill aimed at supporting this. The Government ta…
Lords
Debate
18 September 2025
5 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, in moving Amendment 492 in my name I give more than a positive nod to the other amendments in this group. For Amendment 492 I also thank my friends the noble Baronesses, Lady Grey-Thompson and Lady Sater, and the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, for co-signing this amendment. I commend them for …
The noble Baroness rightly referred to the curriculum review that Becky Francis is undertaking, to be published at some stage. What approach are the Minister and the department taking to ensure that all the excellent work that Becky Francis is taking forward will be reflected in the Bill and that th…
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
16 September 2025
3 contributions
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 490 in my name; I thank my friend, the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, for adding her name to it.
Special educational needs and disability education are not working in the UK right now. This is no fault of the excellent SENCOs up and down the country. It is …
Hear, hear!
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Proceedings
10 September 2025
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack
My Lords, the scale, sophistication and sources of cyberattacks are increasing exponentially. To that end, I ask again: when will the Government introduce the cybersecurity and resilience Bill? Will it be this autumn? When that Bill arrives, will it contain provisions for the wholesale reform of the…
Lords
Debate
10 September 2025
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Storey, and to give a nod to his amendment. I rise to speak to my Amendment 499 in this group, the purpose of which is incredibly clear: every child is entitled to an excellent education, but that does not mean that every child should receive…
Lords
Oral Questions
3 September 2025
Open Artificial Intelligence Service
The sovereign AI unit is already publishing what it does on its website and consulting very broadly. As the noble Lord knows, there is a consultation on the AI Bill. I can confirm that it will not be September, but I cannot confirm beyond that.
Lords
Debate
21 July 2025
Employment Rights Bill
My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow my friend, the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, who, in his single Nelsonian amendment, has covered a lot of the material in my more spread-out set of amendments. I support his Amendment 111ZA and will speak to my Amendments 168 to 176. I declare my interes…