Results 1-20 of 6,319 for speaker:Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market

Death of a Member: Baroness Thatcher — Tributes (10 April 2013)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, there is so much with which I agree in all the many tributes paid to Lady Thatcher today. However, at this stage, I will add only a few examples of my own about her qualities. Bearing in mind the point made by my noble friend Lord Lamont, I believe that this session is providing for future historians examples, hitherto not revealed in public, of the many aspects of this remarkable...

Visas: Student Visa Policy — Motion to Take Note (31 January 2013)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, we have all had to be extremely brief in our contributions today and so I will endeavour not to sum up but to be very brief in my final remarks. Many of us have referred to the fact that the five Select Committees of both Houses were unanimous across party in the recommendation that they made. That is a rare event. We have had a similar rare event today in this House. The messages...

Visas: Student Visa Policy — Motion to Take Note (31 January 2013)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, I thank the many distinguished noble Lords who have put their names down to speak in this debate. There are several, such as my noble friend Lord Norton of Louth, who for good reasons are unable to be here but would like to have participated. That is a sign of the concern that there still is on this matter. The time pressure put on us means that I will have to be succinct on the...

Leader of the House (8 January 2013)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, I rise to pay tribute and give warm thanks to my noble friend on behalf of the Association of Conservative Peers for all that he has achieved for this House and our party during his long and distinguished career to date. Those of us who have served in government and on opposition Front Benches for a number of years are fully aware of the all-consuming and unremitting pressures and...

EAC Report: Development Aid: Motion to Take Note (22 October 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, it is impossible to sum up this debate in a couple of minutes, but it has reinforced the point made early on by the noble Lord, Lord Hannay of Chiswick, that we need more opportunities to discuss these issues, for there have been many excellent contributions tonight and we have all been constrained by the requirement to make short speeches. A number of them, such as those of the...

EAC Report: Development Aid: Motion to Take Note (22 October 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, I have great pleasure in moving the Motion that stands in my name. Before I attempt to summarise some of the key themes in our report I would like to make three preliminary points. First, I hope the House will conclude that it is a thorough piece of work. Our inquiry took nine months. We had, altogether, 30 sets of oral witnesses and written evidence from many more. Our report...

Queen's Speech — Debate (5th Day) (16 May 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, it is a very great pleasure to follow the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Durham. I believe he is extremely fortunate to be the Bishop of Durham Cathedral. In my youth, I remember travelling from Scotland to London and I was always astonished by that wonderful building. When one of my daughters went to Durham University, I was able to appreciate it even more. It is a most...

Draft House of Lords Reform Bill: Motion to Take Note (30 April 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, for those who have the earlier version of the speakers list, perhaps I could explain why I am speaking now. I put my name in last week but, by mistake, it was left out and there is a new version. The noble Lord, Lord Richard, had a difficult task and he has my sympathy. I understand and can see that he approached his chairmanship with thoroughness and sympathy, and he approached it...

Scotland Bill: Committee (2nd Day) (Continued) (2 February 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: I may have a potential interest that I did not declare. I have grandchildren living in England who may wish to go to a Scottish university.

Scotland Bill: Committee (2nd Day) (Continued) (2 February 2012)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, I am delighted to be able to follow the noble Lord, Lord Sutherland. He referred to the eloquence of the other speakers but, if I may say so, he has spoken with great eloquence, great authority and great experience on this subject. When I woke up this morning, I had not been expecting to take part in this debate but I was working in my office and at other meetings in the House and...

Independent Commission on Banking — Statement (19 December 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, in the recent hearings of the Select Committee on Economic Affairs, the banks accepted that the Vickers report is more or less a done deal but argued that the costs would be considerably higher than those that Vickers calculated and the costs that the Government have estimated today. If in the forthcoming negotiations there is a major dispute about costs and their possible effect on...

House of Lords Reform Bill [HL]: Committee (21 October 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: The amendment says "under section" but there is no section. Therefore, it falls if Amendment 128 is not agreed to.

Finance (No. 3) Bill — Second Reading and Remaining Stages (18 July 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: I am very tempted to range more widely, as the noble Lord, Lord Myners, and my noble friend Lord Newby, have done. However, I think it is my role to introduce and invite the House to take note of the report of the Finance Bill Sub-Committee of the Economic Affairs Committee, of which I am chairman. I think, for once, this is not a Back-Bench contribution. I am grateful to the Minister for...

House of Lords: Working Practices — Motion to Take Note (27 June 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, there is a great deal in this report, some of which is comparatively minor and much of great importance. I congratulate my noble friend Lord Goodlad and his committee on giving us this menu. I want to concentrate on those points which recognise the experience and expertise of this House, and which strengthen our ability to make use of them in a way which is certainly complementary...

House of Lords: Reform — Motion to Take Note (2nd Day) (22 June 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: My Lords, I have two preliminary points. First, in eight minutes it is inevitable that one can touch only on certain issues, and after a long debate it is also inevitable that one will be repeating many of the comments made on the key issues. I make no apology for that because it indicates the strength of feeling on these issues. Secondly, when I was in the other place I consistently held and...

House of Lords: Reform — Motion to Take Note (2nd Day) (22 June 2011)

Lord MacGregor of Pulham Market: It may be but not from the other House's point of view. I recognise what the Leader of the House said on 17 May: "I fully expect the conventions and agreements between the Houses to change, to evolve and to adapt to different circumstances".-[ Official Report, 17/5/11; col. 1279.] He talked of a more assertive House here. I think that it would happen very quickly. I was much struck by the...