I thank the noble Lord, Lord Harlech, for securing this important debate. He speaks with great authority, particularly about the Reserve Forces. I agree with everything he said about that subject and congratulate him on his service.
I speak to employers and employers’ organisations who are keen to …
I thank my noble friend for that reply, and I congratulate the Government on today’s publication of the farming road map, with its recognition that the UK’s food system is vulnerable. Food manufacturing is a vital contributor, among several others, to the UK’s food resilience. It is the biggest manu…
LordsStatutory Instrument17 March 20262 contributions
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Sikka, who makes the powerful point that there are enough resources in this country for everyone to have a decent life, and for us to look after climate and nature, if we share those resources out fairly.
I thank the Minister for intro…
Perhaps I could recommend to the noble Lord that he takes time to read the Low Pay Commission’s report, which sets out its reasoning in full, and the evidence base it is drawing on. I may have made that point clumsily. I certainly did not mean to disparage the Low Pay Commission. I was trying to con…
My Lords, first, a warm welcome to the new Members, especially those making their maiden speeches today. I made mine in the International Women’s Day debate 15 years ago. I sometimes feel a little less optimistic about women’s and girls’ rights and freedoms than I felt then—but perhaps that is becau…
The Ministry of Justice has a programme called Enable, around how we develop the skills of our fantastic staff. In the short term, we have introduced new checklists that are more robust than ever and asked for duty governor sign-off on releases. We are investing more money in training for our staff.…
My Lords, I had prepared a whole speech opposing Amendment 145, but I have now abandoned it, because the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, made my points for me.
Before I make some observations on that, I take this opportunity to say that, on the first day in Committee, I spoke to an amendment in the first…
I am very sorry that the Committee stage of this Bill has kicked off with an attempt to remove the intergenerational ban for tobacco products, because these amendments self-evidently attempt to severely weaken the Bill and run counter to its central objective of ensuring that those born after 1 Janu…
I will make a brief comment on Amendment 1, which would replace a right to have guaranteed hours with a right to request. I very much fear that it undermines the purpose of the Bill, which is trying to deal with the problem of zero-hours contracts where employees do not have predictability over thei…
My Lords, my noble friends on this side of the House have commented on this amendment in far better terms than I could, but I will make a supplementary point. I was very surprised to see this amendment, because one of the perennial themes that we have heard throughout all stages of the Bill in this …
My Lords, I must start by declaring my interest as an honorary captain in the Royal Navy. I welcome noble Lords to the “Ruth show”, given that I will answer three Oral Questions today.
The Armed Forces recruitment service contract with Serco will fully unify recruitment by October 2027. The ministr…
I thank my noble friend for her question. I want to make it very clear that I am in awe of anybody who puts on a uniform and runs towards danger; that is why we have to look after them. This Government inherited a recruitment and retention crisis from the previous Government.
My Lords, I focus particularly on Amendments 83 and 84, which purport to deal with a hypothetical “banter ban”. I listened very carefully to what the noble Lord, Lord Young, said about these amendments because I have been struggling to understand why they are thought necessary. I regret to say, with…
My Lords, I did not want to interrupt the noble Baroness when she was speaking. However, I refer her to Section 26 of the Equality Act 2010, with which I am sure she is familiar, as an EHRC commissioner. That is where the relevant test is set out.
My Lords, I commend the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, on her tenacious championing of the interests of Armed Forces personnel. I know that that commitment long predates my arrival in this House, so I step with some trepidation on to the noble Baroness’s territory. But, together with my noble friend L…