Lords
Oral Questions
4 February 2026
Land Covenants: Supermarket Chains
I share some of the views that the noble Lord put over. As I have learned from my 20-plus years in business, the role of government is to set the regulatory conditions so that business can do the work in growing the economy. What we are seeing from the Government is a commitment to reduce the regula…
Lords
Oral Questions
2 February 2026
Nationalised Passenger Rail Services
One of the interesting things that has been going on since this Government took office is re-establishing some pretty basic rules about staff allocation—the numbers of drivers and guards and the way in which they are utilised—which in some of these companies was miles away from what ought to have be…
Lords
Proceedings
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Business Rates
My Lords, is it not the case that the previous Government wrecked the economy and gave us Brexit, which reduced our ability to pay for public services? The Opposition now seem to be calling for greater public expenditure and tax cuts. It sounds as though they have found not just one money tree but a…
My Lords, has the Minister noticed that the Opposition say that the private sector does not like U-turns, they say they do not like U-turns, and then they call for more U-turns? What is their strategy for dealing with our current problems?
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
Water Companies: Fines
When the Water (Special Measures) Act passed, one of its key parts was around making chief executives much more responsible for the pollution that was happening on their watch. I am very pleased that we have got that legislation through. We just need to build on it. We need to make sure that water c…
Lords
Oral Questions
27 January 2026
Best Start Family Hubs
I believe that the Opposition now recognise that it was an enormous mistake to reduce the funding that went into Sure Start and family support. We are reaping the benefit of that decline in support. As one of the people on the front line in local authorities, I can tell noble Lords that it was one o…
Lords
Oral Questions
22 January 2026
Diego Garcia: Comments by the President of the United States
In all seriousness, we are speaking intensively, as noble Lords would expect, with our friends and allies in the United States. It is our understanding—and the United States’ understanding, as far as we are aware—that this is still a deal that secures our security and that of the United States, and …
Lords
Proceedings
20 January 2026
Business Rates: Retail, Hospitality and Leisure
My Lords, on pub companies, there is no doubt that the tenants are facing major problems in the UK, but does the Minister agree with me that, although those pubs are struggling, brewers and pub companies are making record profits? Is it not time they passed that on to the pubs themselves?
Lords
Oral Questions
20 January 2026
Parental Leave and Pay Review
My Lords, I think the noble Lord has been listening to my colleague and noble friend Lady Smith of Malvern. This Government are committed to driving up skills as a way of driving out the growth in unemployment in this country. We must invest in the skills that are out there, making sure our young pe…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
Domestic Violence Against Children
Ofcom, which is the appropriate regulatory body, is determined to ensure that the existing Online Safety Act legislation is implemented and, in particular, that social media companies are held to account for their performance on it. Again, on the violence against women and girls strategy and other m…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
In-game Purchases: Protections for Children
My noble friend is referring to what we are doing to tackle the illegal market. As Members of your Lordships’ House will be aware, as part of the Budget the Treasury announced an increase for remote duty but at the same time increased funding to tackle the illegal market. We will be working with the…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
Royal Navy: Nuclear Submarines
There are debates about the defence budget, and it is a matter for the Opposition to explain some of the promises that they are making, as my noble friend pointed out—we will no doubt hear much on this in a later Question. I am pleased to celebrate that this Government are investing record amounts o…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 January 2026
Early Years Education
My noble friend picks up on an area of enormous debate, including whether the approach that he suggested is indeed the best value for money. I am sure that there are occasions when that is the case, but we need to be careful that we look at providing an education where such additional support is not…
Lords
Oral Questions
13 January 2026
3 contributions
Meat Labelling
My Lords—
It is the turn of the Labour Benches.
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
7 January 2026
Computer-generated Child Sexual Abuse Material
I hope it is helpful to say to my noble friend that it is important that we have a strong cross-party approach that supports Ofcom, looks at the results of its consultation and draws up a plan to implement closure of illegal content under our current legislation. With, I hope, cross-party support fo…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 January 2026
Toilet-training: Support for Parents
I could not agree with my noble friend more. As someone on the front line who had to deal with the cuts to grants almost from day one of the new Government after 2010, so many of which fell on front-line children’s services, I think we are seeing the impact of those cuts. Sure Start was a proven mod…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 December 2025
Employment Gap for Blind and Sight-impaired People
My Lords, I cannot speak to exactly what happened at the time that was abolished. What I can say is that this Government are absolutely committed to supporting people. I talk to brilliant, inspiring disability advocates in my organisation—advisers who have customers who come in and start out thinkin…
Lords
Proceedings
16 December 2025
NHS: Winter Preparedness
My Lords, many parents shielding their children who have had serious illnesses are having to pay up to £90 each for a Covid jab. Many of those families do not have those resources, so their children are put at risk. Will the Minister look at that?
Lords
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Asylum Accommodation
I say to my noble friend what I said to the noble Baroness, Lady McIntosh of Pickering: this Labour Government have invested more money in servicepeople’s housing than any Government previously over the last few years. We have done that to upgrade housing that was left to go to wrack and ruin by the…
Lords
Oral Questions
16 December 2025
Free School Meals
I agree with my noble friend. This Government, in providing the additional commitment to children and the additional investment to expand free school meals, have recognised that, wherever it comes from, in-house provisions can often have a range of benefits for the school. More children will be able…
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
Social Media: Scam Adverts and Fraudulent Content
It is important that we get these things right—I say that to my noble friend in the spirit of camaraderie—and sometimes there are issues that take a while to work through. If he is referring to the question of Ofcom and advertising that the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, raised, there is a wish for…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Mobile Phone and Broadband Prices
There are very important roles for our regulators. There are also very important governance systems in place that govern how regulators work and how they are accountable to Parliament. I do not think there is any case at present to take the action my noble friend suggests.
Lords
Oral Questions
25 November 2025
Schools: Funding
No, the Opposition have not apologised, and nor would I necessarily expect them to. That will not stop me continuing, as I think my noble friend has invited me, to identify the facts of the situation as opposed to the rhetoric from the noble Baroness opposite. I am sure that noble Lords will be inte…