My Lords, I declare my interest as a previous small business owner. While greater transparency for regulators is clearly desirable, can the Minister confirm that the Government have listened to concerns from small businesses about making commercially sensitive profit and loss accounts publicly avail…
I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply. I agree that international co-operation is essential and, from a domestic point of view, I warmly welcome the new AI Economics Institute, and indeed the work that the Prime Minister has been doing in this area on the international stage. Does my n…
My Lords, the Government recognise the very important role that BIDs can play in regenerating their local areas and I thank my noble friend for his work across BIDs in London. In the Pride in Place Strategy published on 25 September, we committed to strengthening the BID model by expanding property …
We have heard that the postal voting system does not always work as effectively as it should for BID ballots and we want to make sure that BID ballots are as efficient and as accessible as possible, which is why we have committed to consulting on those improvements to BID voting procedures. We will …
My Lords, I speak as someone who served as a Trade Minister in Northern Ireland. I was also vice-president of the Institute of Export and International Trade for many years. The first committee I served on in your Lordships’ House was in about 2012. It held an inquiry into SMEs, and I listened very …
LordsOral Questions25 February 20262 contributions
My Lords, the Government recognise that, while AI creates immense opportunities, it also transforms the workplace. To ensure continued access to meaningful employment, we are planning for all possible outcomes. We have launched the AI and the Future of Work Unit, a cross-governmental initiative supp…
My Lords, my noble friend is right to bring up these concerns. Like all technologies, AI will reshape our world of work. We must accept that. We must embrace the new roles and opportunities that the transition brings. This is why we are committed to equipping 10 million workers with essential skills…
My Lords, the Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan sets out how we will harness AI opportunities by measures including expanding our domestic compute infrastructure, backing UK start-ups and investing in skills. We have established the AI Security Institute to deepen our understanding of fronti…
My Lords, the AI Security Institute conducts research, builds tools to understand and mitigate frontier AI risks, and works with like-minded partners through the International Network for Advanced AI Measurement, Evaluation and Science to advance the science of AI evaluations. We will continue to up…
LordsOral Questions11 December 20253 contributions
My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, I draw the House’s attention to my register of interests.
My Lords, it is with some trepidation that I answer a Question from someone with as much experience in the subject as my noble friend. I thank him for the work he has done on BIDs across London, supporting the mayor to deliver 50 of them, and particularly for his work on the Camden and Euston BIDs.
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My Lords, His Majesty’s Government recognise the importance of the built environment. It contributes hundreds of billions of pounds annually to the UK economy, supports millions of jobs and underpins key areas such as housing, infrastructure and urban regeneration. It drives innovation, sustainabili…
I thank my noble friend for his active interest in this area. The nationally significant infrastructure projects regime is separate from other planning regimes and operates under different legislation. My noble friend will recognise that the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will speed up and streaml…
LordsOral Questions17 September 20252 contributions
My Lords, from April 2026, Making Tax Digital for income tax will be phased in for unincorporated businesses, self-employed individuals and landlords, starting with those with income over £50,000. This will place small businesses on a more digital footing and should act as a catalyst for greater ado…
I am grateful to my noble friend for his question. HMRC has taken a range of steps to ensure that the adoption costs of Making Tax Digital are kept to a minimum, including working with industry to ensure that there is free and low-cost software available where necessary. The use of Making Tax Digita…
My Lords, I am aware that many of the amendments in this group have a rather different focus from the points I wish to make. I acknowledge the amendments by the noble Lords, Lord Clement Jones and Lord Holmes of Richmond. I believe they provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the particular nat…
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, and I think he rather did himself an injustice in the humble way he introduced his speech. I think he will see when I develop my remarks that I largely agree with what he said, and I think the whole House will have heard the wisdom that he b…
I am grateful to my noble friend for that question. As well as the financial support that we announced yesterday, there is a significant package of delivery to help support our colleagues in local government and in the registered provider sector, supporting the planning process with additional fundi…
My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and I refer the House to my registered interests, including that I run two business improvement districts.
My Lords, the Government are creating a fairer business rates system that protects high streets and supports investment. We do not anticipate that these business rates reforms will have any direct impact on business improvement districts.
My Lords, I have tabled Amendment 132 as a probing amendment to highlight some of the concerns from the perspective of small businesses. Amendment 137, proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, may perhaps be a different side of the same coin. I refer the House to my register of intere…
My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have taken part in this short but important debate. I appreciate that my amendment may seem controversial to some, not to mention unfeasibly long, but I believe it is vital that the voices of all in the workplace are heard. I am pleased that they have been today…
My Lords, my noble friend points to the key role our Government’s steps to unblock a sclerotic planning system will play in delivering our growth mission. The Government continually assess the potential impact of our policies, including the proposed planning reforms. This is backed up by the indepen…
My noble friend is quite right. We have made it a priority of this Government to develop a simplified planning system with a policy framework that is accessible and understandable to all. Our reforms will streamline planning processes to help provide more homes of all tenures and accelerate the deli…
My Lords, I congratulate the right reverend Prelate on her wonderful maiden speech. I loved her focus on children; we are kindred spirits.
Yesterday, I had the honour and privilege of hosting the Royal British Legion VE 80 anniversary celebration at the National Memorial Arboretum, where veterans s…