Lords
Debate
11 September 2026
Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]
My Lords, I rise briefly to help send this Bill on to another place. In this case, that is not a spiritual euphemism, merely a reference to the House of Commons, where, of course, a very important debate is taking place today. On Wednesday, we had a Question about the funeral industry that was not w…
Lords
Proceedings
10 September 2026
Jodrell Bank Observatory: Funding
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. Since I first tabled the Question in July, I have been struck by the amount of public support there has been for Jodrell Bank, which is an iconic symbol of our contribution not just to radio astronomy but to world-class science. I am heartened by re…
Lords
Proceedings
9 September 2026
Funeral Directors: Regulatory Regime
My Lords, I warmly welcome the most reverend Primate’s Question and the Government’s response to it. The terrible events in Hull remind us that there are occasions when terrible events lead to worthwhile reform. In the 1820s, the discovery that Burke and Hare were murdering people in Edinburgh led t…
Lords
Debate
8 September 2026
2 contributions
Armed Forces Bill
My Lords, briefly, this is a very sensible amendment and I support it. In the world in which we now live, and with the way in which we communicate with one another, are there people in our Armed Forces already thinking ahead to different, more urgent ways of being in contact; for example, via WhatsA…
I begin by apologising to my noble friend the Minister, for whom I have the highest regard. I fear that what I am about to say may not be the most welcome contribution to this debate. I do not know half as much about this as the many noble and gallant Lords and other Members in the Chamber, but I do…
Lords
Debate
2 September 2026
Armed Forces Bill
My Lords, I have been listening very carefully to the noble Baroness; it is obviously a matter of great importance. I have a question to which she might be able to give an answer when she winds up on this debate. Amendment 24 includes the phrase:
“or is alleged to amount to”.
Am I right in thinkin…
Lords
Proceedings
21 July 2026
Department for Science, Information and Technology: Abolition
My Lords, if the House will allow me, I pay my own tribute to my noble friend Lord Vallance of Balham, whose record of public service, both as Government Chief Scientific Adviser and as Minister for Science, has been exemplary. As the noble Lord said, he will be missed. Does my noble friend agree th…
Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
European Entry and Exit System
My Lords, this is perhaps a rather self-interested question because, like some other Members, I will be travelling to Europe during the Summer Recess. Of the three major ports—Dover, Eurostar and the Channel Tunnel—does my noble friend have any idea in advance which is likely to find itself under th…
Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
Artificial Intelligence: Vaccine Technology
My Lords, I thank my noble friend for that Answer. If the House does not realise, what has happened in Cambridge is the first use of AI to design a vaccine candidate being used in human trials, with the possibility of being able to deal with a broad range of viruses. One of the researchers involved …
Lords
Proceedings
9 July 2026
The Space Economy (UK Engagement with Space Committee Report)
My Lords, what a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness and to take part in this debate. I thank my noble friend Lady Ashton for the masterful way she introduced the report; she made every single point that I had jotted down to say myself.
I want to thank all my fellow members of the committee, beca…
Lords
Committee Stage
7 July 2026
Trade (Mobile Roaming) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I had not intended to contribute to this, but I hope the Committee will allow me to say that I took great interest in the fact that surcharges for roaming may affect calls between this country and, for example, Norway. We will have to wait and see what happens on Saturday, and whether that…
Lords
Debate
3 July 2026
Local Plans (Burial Space) Bill [HL]
My Lords, tomorrow, we will commemorate 250 years since the Declaration of Independence, which established the United States as a republic—it is still, as far as I am aware, supposed to be a republic. I mention that because one of its founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, as the noble Lord, Lord Moha…
Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
2 contributions
Defence Investment Plan
My Lords—
My Lords, I welcome the publication of the defence investment plan and the recognition in it that science, technology and innovation are going to play a very big part in the future. Does my noble friend agree that it is not just a financial challenge that faces the defence investment plan; there is …
Lords
Proceedings
30 June 2026
Extreme Heat: Resilience of NHS Infrastructure
My Lords, last night, here in the House, the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, of which I am president, held a meeting on the effects of extreme heat in the workplace. During that meeting, reference was made to the fact that, during last week’s heatwave, several MRI machines failed. Will my no…
Lords
Proceedings
16 June 2026
Artificial Intelligence: National Security Implications
My Lords, I commend the Government on having introduced the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, whose remaining stages are, as it happens, going through another place this very day. The House knows—or, if it does not, it is rapidly coming to understand—that AI is be…
Lords
Committee Stage
10 June 2026
Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I shall say a few brief words about this statutory instrument and commend my noble friend the Minister for the way in which he has set out it and its purpose. My gaze wanders to our colleague from Hansard, because it has occurred to me that, since my reintroduction to the House a week ago …
Lords
Proceedings
28 April 2026
2 contributions
UK Biobank Data
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for coming to the House about this very serious incident, and I welcome what the Government are doing to try to prevent it happening again. I echo what has been said about the vital importance of UK Biobank. Nevertheless, I have two quick questions for my n…
It was about the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Lords
Proceedings
28 April 2026
Lord Mandelson Humble Address: Government Response Update
My Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend for reassuring the House that the next tranche of documents will be provided to Parliament as soon as practicable after State Opening. In addition to the 300 documents which have already been released to the Intelligence and Security Committee, chaired by m…
Lords
Proceedings
21 April 2026
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, I apologise to the House for denying the Chief Whip the audience that his message deserved.
Lords
Oral Questions
21 April 2026
Sudan
My Lords, that concludes Oral Questions for today. When I sit down, any Members who wish to leave before the next business are invited to do so quickly and quietly.
Lords
Debate
13 April 2026
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, one of the advantages of having volunteered to stay beyond the Whip issued to these Benches tonight—and it is 12.50 am—is that it gives me the opportunity briefly to comment on Amendment 318B, moved by the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth. There is great merit in the idea that post-legisla…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
2 contributions
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan
As many noble Lords have observed in the debate, the reports on Imran Khan’s health are now extremely worrying. Can the Minister say what efforts Ministers have made to confirm these reports? Following those efforts, have Ministers changed their approach to this issue? In particular, it has been rep…
My Lords, the debate we were due to hold on the UK’s civil preparedness for war has had to be postponed, because we have run out of time. I take this opportunity to wish all Members, clerks, doorkeepers and our Hansard writers a peaceful and restful Easter Recess.