Results 1-20 of 3,664 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:the Marquess of Lothian

EU: Prime Minister's Speech — Motion to Take Note (31 January 2013)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, my noble friend Lady Noakes rightly emphasised the central importance of the Prime Minister's five principles, but I hope that they are more than just words and aspirations. I believe that they should form the bottom line of our negotiations in the months ahead. We must start and finish with them, not drawing down or clawing back towards them but building up within them. However, we...

Equal Marriage Consultation — Statement (11 December 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: May I enter a slightly dissenting note in what otherwise appears to be a consensus? I fully accept the merits of civil partnership in our society, but are the Government aware that in moving towards this legislation, they will create two distinct and potentially divisive forms of marriage-statutory marriage on the one hand, which this legislation will create, and real marriage between a man...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (3rd Day) (17 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, Clause 6(2) states: "The court must, on an application ... make such a declaration if the court considers that ... such a disclosure would be damaging to the interests of national security". My point is that, in order for the court to be able to make that decision, that court procedure is the time when you can actually "know it when you see it". There may be arguments on both sides...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (3rd Day) (17 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, I have very mixed feelings about this amendment. I said in my speech at Second Reading that national security should not be so widely interpreted as to give cover for embarrassment or incompetence. I am sure that is absolutely correct. Indeed, my noble friend Lord Hodgson made that point. However, I am very worried when we begin to interpret something such as national security in...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (2nd Day) (11 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: I shall add to what the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, has said on these two amendments, to which my name is also attached. On the second one he makes the short point that it is for the committee to decide whether the report should be published to Parliament or to the Prime Minister. He makes it clear that it is only the committee that can make that decision. There is an additional...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (2nd Day) (11 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: Before the noble Lord sits down, I would like to raise a question with him. He has been a member of this committee and I have been on it since 2006. My understanding is that once the report is complete there are matters, such as the amounts of money spent on various parts of the services, which have to be in the report, but which should not be in the published version and therefore are...

Justice and Security Bill [HL] — Committee (1st Day) (Continued) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: If I may, I will quickly add a word to what the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, said. He talked about this provision creating bureaucracy. In my view it could be worse. It could create an enormous log-jam in Downing Street if every single item needed the consent of the Prime Minister. The danger then is that the logjam will continue to grow until you get to a stage where information...

Justice and Security Bill [HL] — Committee (1st Day) (Continued) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, I wish to add briefly to what the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, has said. I am puzzled by this sub-paragraph because it does not say "information other than national security"; it says, "not limited to national security". That suggests that anything that cannot be allowed to go to another Select Committee should not be given to the Intelligence and Security Committee. We...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: I am grateful to the noble Baroness for giving way. Could she perhaps outline to the House what sort of meetings of this committee should be held in public?

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, perhaps I may intervene briefly to say that there is nothing to prevent the ISC in its present form holding public hearings. Indeed, the Prime Minister in the previous Government, Gordon Brown, called on the committee to hold public hearings, and we have been looking very closely at ways in which this can be done. Therefore, there is nothing in Amendment 17 that I find very...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My noble friend Lord King of Bridgwater was talking about the noble Lord, Lord Gilbert, leaving the committee. Between 2007 and 2009, two chairmen of the committee were promoted to being Ministers and left the committee. I wonder how the committee would have been able to elect successors to those two when we needed someone of sufficient seniority to carry out that task.

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: No, they were two chairmen. The first was Paul Murphy and the second was Margaret Beckett.

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, once again I rise to support the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, on this amendment, to which my name is also attached. I will not add much to what he said. I think that the real purpose here is to remind the House that the committee has nine members. That is written in to the statute. It is one of the smaller committees involved in the sort of work that this committee is doing...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, I support the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, in both of his amendments, to which I have attached my name. Like him, I declare an interest in Amendment 4-on which I shall say no more than he has said. He has argued the case with great eloquence and I hope that the Government will listen to his argument. In general terms, I say to the noble Lord, Lord Campbell-Savours, that...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, I have long been an admirer of the persistence of the noble Lord, both in this House and in the other place. Certainly, in regard to his amendment, that is no exception. I wish to correct him on one point he made at the end. There is no prohibition on relevant Ministers attending the ISC and they have done so on a number of occasions. That is simply a matter of fact. Over the years...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Committee (1st Day) (9 July 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, I rise briefly in support of the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell, on both amendments, to which my name is also attached. I do so because I am also a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee. I was first appointed to the committee in 2006 and therefore have some years of experience of it. In looking at the first amendment I feel very strongly that we need to make it...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Second Reading (19 June 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, it is with pleasure that I follow the noble Lord, Lord Butler of Brockwell-with whom I have the honour to serve on the Intelligence and Security Committee-not least because, after his comprehensive speech, I can keep my own comments relatively brief. I will try not to cover the same ground as he has, although that may not be possible in all instances. I was first appointed to the...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Second Reading (19 June 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: I take the noble and learned Lord's argument and I accept the need for having the closed material procedures in relation to information of sufficient sensitivity, but why would equivalent information of the same sensitivity not require the same protection in an inquest?

Scotland Bill: Committee (3rd Day) (28 February 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: I have listened carefully to what the Minister has said. He quite rightly said that there are signs to tell you whether the speed limit is 30, 40 or 50 miles per hour. I live in the borders as well and sometimes, to get from one part of the Scottish borders to another, I go through England. Is he suggesting that there should be signs to tell us what the drink driving limit is on both sides of...

Iran — Statement (24 January 2012)

The Marquess of Lothian: My Lords, will my noble friend tell the House what active consideration is being given by the Government to the proposal made this week by Prince Turki al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia that the international community should pursue the concept of a totally nuclear-weapon-free zone, properly policed, that would include both Iran and Israel?