Lords
Proceedings
10 September 2026
2 contributions
Defence Spending
My Lords—
My Lords, at the RAF town show in Enniskillen at the weekend, which the Minister was very kind to attend, there was a very welcome acknowledgement of the importance of our Armed Forces, not just to the safety and security of our nation but to local communities. How can we have that conversation with…
Lords
Proceedings
7 September 2026
Rural Businesses: Taxation
My Lords, I am very pleased to hear the Minister talk about the whole burden on rural dwellers and farmers. In that regard, can she say how her department is looking to minimise the burden on farmers, not just the tax burden but the regulatory burden, and in particular for those farmers in Northern …
Lords
Proceedings
23 July 2026
2 contributions
Prisoner Early Release Scheme
My Lords—
My Lords, as the daughter of a police officer who was the subject of an attempted murder attack by the IRA when I was a child, and as the wife of a retired police officer, I was absolutely appalled and dismayed when I heard the news that the killers of PC Harper were to be released. I implore the Mi…
Lords
Proceedings
21 July 2026
Department for Science, Information and Technology: Abolition
I hear what the Minister has said about AI and I presume that it now sits within the department for business. Given that the Minister wears another hat, which I very much hope she continues to wear in Northern Ireland, will she meet me, because we do not have an AI growth zone? Despite the fact that…
Lords
Proceedings
20 July 2026
EU Technological Sovereignty Package
My Lords, I very much welcome that AI growth zones have been designated across the UK, although not in Northern Ireland. I am sure that the Minister agrees that that is disappointing. If His Majesty’s Government are looking at backing British capability, surely there should be resilience in Northern…
Lords
Proceedings
1 July 2026
Defence Investment Plan
First, I welcome this Statement, which this House has been waiting on for some time, and share my concerns about the funding, which I hope will be sorted out under new leadership. However, I welcome the fact that there is an emphasis on innovation and supporting small businesses, and I hope to see t…
Lords
Proceedings
30 June 2026
Women’s Representation in Peace Processes
The Minister has made reference to sustainable peace agreements. I am very pleased to come from an area where we have a sustainable peace agreement, but one which has to be worked on continuously. Have the Minister or the Government given any thought to using the example of Northern Ireland and the …
Lords
Proceedings
29 June 2026
Food Security
My Lords, as a former Economy Minister in Northern Ireland, I know too well the importance of the agri-food sector to Northern Ireland. It is a key economic driver. We have a population of just 1.9 million, but we provide almost £10 billion-worth of food across the UK. Given that, do His Majesty’s G…
Lords
Proceedings
18 June 2026
Face-to-face Banking Services
I thank the Minister for indicating that there may be further banking hubs in Northern Ireland. Rurality is a big issue in Northern Ireland. When we tried to attain a banking hub in my local town, the answer that came back was that there were not enough customers, but that is because we live in such…
Lords
Proceedings
1 June 2026
Donations to Political Parties
My Lords, my friends in the Liberal Democrats talk about money from America. Unfortunately, we in Northern Ireland have been dealing with money from America for quite some time, which is coming to Sinn Féin through the Irish Republic. Will that be dealt with in the legislation? It gives an unfair ad…
Lords
Proceedings
20 May 2026
Supermarkets: Voluntary Price Caps
My Lords, I very much welcome that the Minister has ruled out supermarket price fixing, because the people who would be pressurised by such fixing are the farmers and the producers. They are already under incredible pressure from the power of the supermarkets. I am concerned that this will gain some…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
Miscarriage Care
I am sure the Minister is aware that Northern Ireland now provides up to two weeks of statutory leave for those who endure miscarriage before 24 weeks. Are she and her colleagues in government looking at across the UK?
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Waldegrave, and his sweeping look at history and the constitution.
The gracious Speech has a lot of legislation contained therein, but there are two omissions which I want to mention in passing. The first is a very welcome omission: the decis…
Lords
Proceedings
18 May 2026
King’s Speech
My Lords, it is an honour to follow the noble Lord, Lord Waldegrave, and his sweeping look at history and the constitution.
The gracious Speech has a lot of legislation contained therein, but there are two omissions which I want to mention in passing. The first is a very welcome omission: the decis…
Lords
Oral Questions
23 April 2026
Office for National Statistics Labour Market Data
I am pleased to welcome the noble Baroness’s welcome for the defence deal. It is vital. We talk about repairing and improving the country’s infrastructure, and here we are talking about the defence infrastructure. It is a source of many high-skilled, high-paid, good-quality jobs across the whole cou…
Lords
Oral Questions
14 April 2026
Atlantic Undersea Cables: Russian Subsurface Operations
I thank the noble Baroness, who always raises these issues, quite rightly, with respect to another part of the threat to us, which we need to deal with. She asked for the details of the memorandum of understanding signed a few weeks ago, in March. It focused on enhancing maritime co-operation, cyber…
Lords
Oral Questions
26 March 2026
2 contributions
Golders Green Ambulance Attack
My Lords—
We should never glorify terrorism. I know that we have had debate on this in the Crime and Policing Bill, and we are still reflecting on points that the noble Baroness has mentioned. It is important that the Government and every individual citizen make a stand against antisemitism and extremism. We …
Lords
Committee Stage
25 March 2026
3 contributions
Northern Ireland After Brexit (Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee Report)
I support what the noble Baroness has been saying. There is a problem with democratic deficit but it is perhaps worth reminding ourselves that the leading thrust of the Windsor Framework is not the democratic deficit. It is about the move away from the British Government’s commitment to supporting a…
My Lords, as we just heard, the noble Baroness speaks with great expertise and eloquence, as she has consistently in meetings of our committee, of which she is a valuable member. It is a delight to have madam chair presiding over this meeting, and the fact that it is so well behaved must be a conseq…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
18 March 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendment 418 and to try to explain the rationale for the changes I have made since Committee. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Polak, and the noble Baroness, Lady Ludford, for adding their names in support of the amendment. I declare that I am an officeholder in the APPG fo…
I thank the Minister for the way in which he has communicated with me throughout on this issue of the glorification of terrorism. I also thank, as I said before, the Bill office for the way in which it has engaged with me.
I thank all noble Lords for their engagement on this issue. This has been a …
Lords
Proceedings
3 March 2026
Gibraltar Treaty
It is wonderful to hear the phrase “nothing about Gibraltar without Gibraltar”. How much Northern Ireland would have wished that was the case when we were having negotiations with the European Union; however, that is a matter not for the Minister but for the previous Government, who would have done …
Lords
Oral Questions
3 March 2026
Defence Industrial Strategy 2025: Economic Growth and Job Creation
I do agree. The noble Baroness will know how many jobs in Northern Ireland are dependent on the defence industry—not least Thales, which has seen a £1.6 billion investment. I would have thought that everyone would have welcomed that for the jobs and prosperity it brings.
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
Transnational Repression in the UK (JCHR Report)
My Lords, I want to start by congratulating my noble friend Lord Isaac on his excellent maiden speech, and particularly on what he had to say about education, creative industries and the arts.
I also want to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Alton, and his committee members for their excellent repo…
Lords
Proceedings
26 February 2026
2 contributions
Diego Garcia and British Indian Ocean Territory
My Lords—
My Lords, I did say the last time we debated this issue, as the Minister probably remembers, that there were consequences to ignoring the voices and the rights of self-determination of the Chagossian people. We now find ourselves in a situation where they have taken matters into their own hands and …