Lords
Committee Stage
15 July 2026
2 contributions
Lifelong Learning (Fee Limits) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing these regulations. Lifelong access to high-quality education is a key component for a successful society. Access to resources that improve the skills and capabilities of the workforce goes hand in hand with a more dynamic economy and a more independent …
My Lords, in summary, these regulations should be viewed as positive and we hope that they are effective.
Lords
Debate
14 July 2026
Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill
My Lords, I thank the Minister for introducing the Bill before your Lordships’ House this afternoon. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition support the objective which lies behind this legislation. The cyber threat facing the UK is growing incrementally, both in scale and in sophistication. From hostile sta…
Lords
Proceedings
7 July 2026
British Industry and Services: Public Procurement
If the Government’s policy is to prioritise British industry, can the Minister explain why one of the first projects being carried out by Great British Energy is to install, in 100 of our schools, solar panels that are either Chinese-made or include Chinese components, many of which are sourced from…
Lords
Proceedings
6 July 2026
Imprisonment for Public Protection Prisoners
My Lords, there appear to have been 3,000 IPP prisoners in 2024, 2,500 in 2025 and still close to 2,500 in 2026, with the never-released group dropping from 1,200 to around 950 in the same timeframe. In his response to the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, the Minister said that there had been an 11% reduct…
Lords
Proceedings
2 July 2026
Post-16 Education and Skills: Funding
My Lords, to be clear, teachers deserve the best deal possible for their brilliant work, but yesterday the Government brought forward a 6.5% increase, bringing their overall pay rise to 17% since the election. The issue is that schools are expected to fund 1% of this increase through efficiency savi…
Lords
Proceedings
22 June 2026
NHS: Dementia Treatment Trials
My Lords, Wes Streeting was absolutely right when he said that prevention is better than cure. The onset of dementia can be delayed by regular exercise and eating healthily, but the facts are that one in three adults is not taking the recommended NHS guidelines for exercise. Ultra-processed foods pr…
Lords
Proceedings
18 June 2026
Steel Tariffs
My Lords, the British Chambers of Commerce has said that the changes
“could add millions of pounds to manufacturers’ costs”.
Why do the Government want to add more costs to UK industry, which is already reeling from the increased national insurance costs?
Lords
Proceedings
11 June 2026
Misinformation: Social Market Foundation Report
My Lords, it is not just about elections; social media exposes under-16s to relentless misinformation. It distorts their understanding of reality, fuels anxiety and fear, and normalises hateful or dangerous ideas. My noble friend Lord Bailey mentioned health misinformation. A ban would give children…
Lords
Proceedings
10 June 2026
Mindanao Earthquake
My Lords, the safety and well-being of those living in and around General Santos City is the only thing that matters right now. But, following on from my noble friend Lady Sugg, on a practical level, we have some brilliant UK-based firms with international operations that specialise in structural in…
Lords
Proceedings
8 June 2026
South East Water: Disruption of Supply
My Lords, climate experts are predicting that a super El Niño this autumn could lead to 2027 being the hottest year on record. We know this today, so what exactly are the Government doing now to prepare the country in advance and avoid the disruption to water supplies as seen last spring? There can …
Lords
Proceedings
4 June 2026
2 contributions
Young People and Work
My Lords—
Alan Milburn’s report highlighted the harms of social media for young people. Just a few weeks ago, the front page of the Mirror newspaper ran with the headline, “Kids’ social media ban within weeks”, citing Liz Kendall. Can the Minister please give us an update? Noble Lords were clear during the pa…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
Access to Nature Green Paper
My Lords, enjoying access to nature, combined with physical activity, is medically proven to result in healthier, more prosperous and happier communities. The Minister mentioned the Environmental Improvement Plan: will she commit to the target within that plan that everyone should have access to gre…
Lords
Proceedings
3 June 2026
World Cup Ticket Prices
My Lords, the World Cup brings together communities and breaks down barriers, but the reality is that not all UK football fans have reliable broadband or smart TVs for streaming. So will the Government act to fund libraries, community centres and jobcentres, which could be free streaming hubs, parti…
Lords
Proceedings
2 June 2026
Steel Import Restrictions
My Lords, consumers do not buy raw steel, but they do buy the things made from it. Tariffs cause a squeeze on real wages as more household income goes on goods whose prices have been pushed up by input costs. Why would any Government want that?
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
Learning Disabilities: Health and Social Care Access
My Lords, I am pleased to respond to this Question for Short Debate, and I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Scriven, on securing what, as we have heard, is a very important debate. I also congratulate him on his commitment to improving outcomes for those who have a learning disability. Personally a…
Lords
Proceedings
23 March 2026
UK Steel Strategy
My noble friend Lord Sharpe quite rightly said that open markets are good and, following on from my noble friend Lord Harper, it is quite correct that economists may say that the uncertainty of tariff policy is not favourable for employment or investment. So I ask the Minister: why exactly do the Go…
Lords
Debate
20 March 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, before I speak to the substance of the amendments in this group, I pay tribute to the noble Baronesses, Lady Nicholson, Lady Berridge, Lady Fraser of Craigmaddie, Lady Grey-Thompson, Lady Hollins and Lady O’Loan, and the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Newcastle. They have all stood u…
My Lords, it is a hallmark of the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, to make valuable contributions to debates in your Lordships’ House, and today is no different. The noble Lord is living proof that an average, median or mean life expectancy is incredibly difficult to predict, as is the third standard deviat…
Lords
Oral Questions
19 March 2026
2 contributions
UK Energy Sources and Cost of Energy
I thank the noble Earl for his Question. The UK benefits from a strong and diverse range of energy supplies. The physical supply of fuel to the UK is stable. The only way to protect ourselves from these and future potential price spikes in the longer term is to get off international fossil fuel mark…
The noble Earl will be aware that the present crisis is essentially a price crisis rather than a supply crisis. I emphasise again that the UK has a strong and diverse range of energy supplies and that the physical supply of fuel to the UK is stable. However, the Government have not been idle in this…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
17 March 2026
National Minimum Wage (Amendment) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I will be relatively brief. We do not regret the minimum wage going up. We support it. What we do regret is the lack of government support for hard-working families and businesses. I have some sympathy with the views of the noble Lord, Lord Sharpe of Epsom, on some of this. Clearly, increa…
Lords
Committee Stage
17 March 2026
Further Education (Initial Teacher Training) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the noble Lords and noble Baroness for their contributions to this important discussion. I personally had the benefit of attending an FE college and, from a very early age, I recognised the extremely important contribution that FE makes to our rich landscape of educational provisio…
Lords
Oral Questions
17 March 2026
Plan 2 Student Loans: Repayment Terms
I think it is well above my pay grade to interfere in the ongoing negotiations with the EU. It is imperative that we let those negotiations take their full course, and then we will report back at the appropriate time.
Lords
Debate
13 March 2026
2 contributions
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, debate on this group, as with every group thus far in the Bill, has been extensive and in depth. We have heard from around 19 noble Lords on over 70 amendments. His Majesty’s loyal Opposition do not believe that it would be an effective use of your Lordships’ time for us to summarise the e…
My Lords, these amendments make fundamental changes to the process by which a person is able to access assistance with ending their life under the Bill. It is clear that the noble Baroness, Lady Finlay, has put great care and thought into these proposals, drawing on her decades-long, extensive exper…