Lords
Oral Questions
24 February 2026
2 contributions
Student Loans: Review
My Lords, given the inherited fiscal situation, we are making tough but necessary decisions to protect both taxpayers and students. It is right that those who can afford to repay their student loans do so. The system remains heavily subsidised. Lower-earning graduates are always protected by the can…
I know the noble Lord would not want the suggestion to be made that the level of debt impacts on the amount anybody repays in any given month, because, of course, that is wrong. As I have already identified, the majority of students do not repay the whole of their loan, so they already receive a con…
Lords
Proceedings
10 February 2026
Standards in Public Life
My Lords, I wish to press the Leader of the House on what she said about legislation concerning your Lordships’ House. I welcome what she has just said about full consultation and the legislation not being rushed through, but, yesterday, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, referring to this l…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 February 2026
Government Website: Registering a Death
There are two points here. The median figure that we have assessed for the issues that the noble Lord has raised is nine days. The published data does not break down the journey between the medical certificate of death and the registration of death. From the Home Office’s perspective, the registrati…
Lords
Oral Questions
5 February 2026
2 contributions
Youth Unemployment
My Lords, the Government are investing over £1.5 billion through the youth guarantee and growth and skills levy to support 16 to 24 year-olds to gain the skills and experience they need to earn and learn. A key part of this is the jobs guarantee, which provides six months of paid work for every elig…
Well, this is welfare reform. It is wrong that there are 900,000 young people who are neither earning nor learning, which is why we are changing the system. We are ensuring that there is an earlier interview for young people. We are introducing 300,000 more opportunities for young people to gain wor…
Lords
Committee Stage
2 February 2026
2 contributions
English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
My Lords, I support entirely what the noble Lords, Lord Bassam and Lord Teverson, and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, have said.
I am slightly confused by a comparison between what the Department for Transport said in a press release on 8 January and what the noble Lord, Lord Bassam, has sa…
If it is the case that only minor amendments are needed to what is now before us, why can that not happen on Report?
Lords
Oral Questions
29 January 2026
2 contributions
Battery Shortage for NHS Hearing Aids
My Lords, a single type of Energizer hearing aid battery is under supply pressure due to increased demand. It is still available to order and the NHS supply chain has instituted demand management to ensure a fair supply of available stock across the NHS. The NHS supply chain is working with Energize…
These are very real issues that the noble Lord is raising. There are only three global manufacturers and we get our supplies from two of them. There are limited places to get them from. In terms of future resilience, we work very much in partnership, through our Supply Resilience Directorate, with i…
Lords
Oral Questions
21 January 2026
2 contributions
Motorway Speed Cameras
This Government are working to fix an anomaly dating back at least to 2021 affecting how some speed cameras interact with variable speed signs on some motorways and A roads. A small number of motorists have been impacted, and the police are contacting each of those affected. The public must have con…
We estimate that approximately 2,650 incorrect activations took place between 2021 and now, and we are checking further back. The number of drivers affected is considerably lower, as not every activation resulted in enforcement. The relevant police forces will contact those affected directly with de…
Lords
Debate
19 January 2026
Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill
My Lords, this is an improved version of Amendment 165, tabled in Committee by the noble Lord, Lord Russell, and supported by the noble Lord, Lord Hampton, the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, and me. We are all very grateful for this very positive response. Some 41,000 households in temporary accommod…
Lords
Oral Questions
15 January 2026
2 contributions
Ministry of Defence: Budget Shortfall
My Lords, the defence investment plan will set out how we will deliver the vision set out in the Strategic Defence Review . It will be a coherent, fully costed and affordable plan against the defence budget. Over the course of this Parliament, the Government have committed to the greatest sustained …
The defence investment plan will deal with choices according to the budget that it has set for it. Even if you increase the budget, you still have to make choices about what you spend that money on. The Chief of the Defence Staff and the other chiefs are involved in this, discussing what capabilitie…
Lords
Debate
8 January 2026
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I apologise for writing an email to everyone in the House, but I did so because the Motion is extremely important and I strongly support the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer. This is probably one of the most important Bills to come before this House in recent years, as all noble Lords…
Lords
Oral Questions
8 January 2026
2 contributions
New Homes: Target
We have always been clear that building 1.5 million homes, which is vital given that we inherited the worst housing crisis in living memory, is an ambitious target. It will require a rate of housebuilding and infrastructure construction not seen for more than 50 years. We recognise the scale of the …
I am pleased to tell the noble Lord that I have been given the buying and selling process in my portfolio very recently. I have been looking at it in great detail, and I had a meeting with developers yesterday as part of the New Towns Network on how we improve the buying and selling process. A great…
Lords
Debate
7 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I put my name to the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Vaux. I want to add a brief footnote to the speech that he made in support. In an earlier debate, the Minister was very complimentary about the work of the fraud committee on which we both served, and he can convert that praise i…
Lords
Debate
7 January 2026
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I added my name to the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Vaux. Like him, I served on the Select Committee on fraud, ably chaired by my noble friend Lady Morgan of Cotes, that produced a very substantial document indeed. After we produced our report, the Government published a consult…
Lords
Oral Questions
6 January 2026
Channel Tunnel Infrastructure: Reliability
The noble Lord will know that we used to have far more influence over Eurostar and its commercial policies because we were once part-owners of it, but, sadly, a previous Conservative Government sold their 40% share in Eurostar to what has turned out to be the French state railway 10 years ago. So, w…
Lords
Committee Stage
26 November 2025
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lord, I want to add a brief footnote to the speech made by my noble friend Lord Lansley asking for this independent expert panel on vaping.
It seems to me, from looking back at history, that we used to have exactly such a panel because, when we had Public Health England, it published a series of…
Lords
Oral Questions
18 November 2025
Carer’s Allowance: Overpayments Review
The issue is long-standing. The real difference is that carer’s allowance, unlike universal credit, for example, is not actually means-tested. It is a benefit which is there to recognise that somebody may not be able to work, or not as much, because they are caring. The requirements are that you mus…
Lords
Committee Stage
17 November 2025
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly to Amendments 167 and 171 in the names of my noble friend Lord Kamall and the noble Baroness, Lady Northover. They seek a carve-out from the ban on advertising for smoking cessation purposes.
In Part 6, which is about advertising, I cannot see any exemption for those …
Lords
Proceedings
13 November 2025
Economic and Taxation Policies: Jobs, Growth and Prosperity
My Lords, it is a great pleasure to speak in this debate. I congratulate my noble friend Lord Elliott on securing it—and it is genuinely a great pleasure to follow my noble friend Lord Young, with whose speech I wholeheartedly agreed.
I start by congratulating the Minister on his personal contribut…
Lords
Oral Questions
10 November 2025
Accidental Prison Releases
I am not aware of the exact details, but I am happy to write to the noble Lord when I get them.
Lords
Oral Questions
3 November 2025
London Boroughs: Financial Support
The noble Lord will have to wait for the announcement of the funding for local government, because that work is still under way. We have done extensive consultation and, as I said, we are keen to make sure that, where there is a need for transitional relief, it will be paid for by additional funding…
Lords
Committee Stage
3 November 2025
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I will speak briefly on this group of amendments, first on Amendment 143 from the noble Lord, Lord Rennard. I was the first Health Minister to propose the health warning on cigarettes back in 1980. Those 45 years seem quite a long time to wait, and we have been pipped at the post by Canada…
Lords
Committee Stage
30 October 2025
4 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I agree with Amendment 12 moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, but I want to speak to Amendment 192, which proposes the introduction of a levy on tobacco manufacturers.
When products cause harm, the polluter should pay. That principle was introduced by previous Conservative Govern…
Houdini would be jealous of the way the Minister ingeniously escaped the trap I set for her earlier, as she tried to reconcile her previous position with what she is now saying. But does she accept that the amendment does not at all ask the Government to introduce a levy? It says:
“The Secretary of…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Committee Stage
27 October 2025
3 contributions
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, I want to add a brief footnote to the excellent speeches from my noble friends Lord Bourne and Lord Bethell. This group of amendments is probably the most important one that confronts this Committee because it challenges a major plank underpinning the Government’s approach to this by chall…
My Lords, Amendment 9, tabled in my name, would create an offence of selling tobacco products online. This is a probing amendment.
If the generational ban policy is to be effective, or the alternative policy of an age limit of 21, there would be a clear loophole if tobacco could be bought online, a…
+1 more contribution in this session