Results 1-20 of 57 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Lord Armstrong of Ilminster

Tax Returns: Postal Strike — Question (20 Oct 2009)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, will it be in order for the noble Baroness who asked the Question and other Members of this House who still adhere to paper tax returns to deliver their returns to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs office in Whitehall?

Parliamentary Standards Bill: Second Reading (8 Jul 2009)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, the evil that the Bill is intended to address needs to be remedied, and one can understand the Government's anxiety to be seen to be seeking to remedy it with dispatch and urgency. I add my own tribute to the way in which the noble Baroness the Leader of the House presented the Bill this afternoon, but I wish to differ from her in one respect. She was, I think, trying to argue that...

Constitutional Renewal — Debate (11 Jun 2009)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Tyler, on choosing this subject for debate this afternoon. He is, perhaps, luckier than he expected. It is indeed timely. With two right reverend Prelates taking part in today's debate, perhaps I may be forgiven for taking a text for my contribution. My text will be the contribution to yesterday afternoon's discussion by the noble Baroness, Lady...

Constitutional Renewal — Debate (11 Jun 2009)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: I remember it well, my Lords, and I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Lester, for reminding me of it, but I believe we can do better than that in the current situation. I am not one who thinks that we should give ourselves a written constitution. In a sense, of course, we already have one: our constitutional arrangements are described in great detail and with great authority in many learned...

Banking Bill: Committee (2nd Day) (14 Jan 2009)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: The Minister has not dealt with one point made by the noble Viscount, Lord Eccles, that a bridge bank is by definition in the Bill wholly owned by the Bank of England; the Bank of England is wholly owned by the Treasury; therefore, a transfer to a bridge bank under this clause is, in effect, a transfer into public ownership. Should the instruments that affect that not be subject to some kind...

European Union (Amendment) Bill (18 Jun 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, this is an ingenious amendment in response to the situation created by the decision of the Irish people to vote against Irish ratification of the treaty of Lisbon. I do not attempt to predict what the eventual outcome will be. The issue will be discussed at the forthcoming meeting of the European Council and I do not propose to try to advise it on what conclusions it should reach....

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (7 May 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I should like briefly to say why I support the Motion proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Waddington. It was argued at an earlier stage that the amendment is unnecessary because the Bill defines the offence with sufficient clarity and there is therefore no doubt to be avoided. That is the reason given for the disagreement in another place. Looking at it from a purely legal point of...

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (21 Apr 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I have added my name to the amendment proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Waddington. I simply wish to say that he has said all that I could want to say. It seems to me that discussion or criticism of a particular sexual orientation can be expressed without giving rise to incitement to hatred. If it can be, it should be allowed to happen in the interests of free speech. I strongly...

Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (5 Mar 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: I had not intended to take part in this debate, but I wish to speak briefly in support of the noble Lord, Lord Elton, on the symbolic significance of the amendment. The fact that one has not had a flood for a very long time does not mean that one should destroy the floodgates. My fear is that the removal of this provision will be seen as encouraging people to make outrageous statements that...

War Powers and Treaties (31 Jan 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I add my thanks to those expressed to the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank, for enabling us to have this opportunity to debate the Government's consultation paper. I welcome the consultation paper. It is a very useful basis on which to pursue the discussion of the very important matters it raises. I thank and congratulate my noble friend Lord Janvrin on his maiden...

Civil Service Bill (16 Jan 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords—

Civil Service Bill (16 Jan 2008)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, is the Minister aware that some of us would be happy to relieve her of the constant and unrelieving pressure for a Civil Service Bill if she on behalf of the Government, and the Leader of the Opposition on behalf of the Official Opposition, were to give firm undertakings that they would observe and honour the core principles and values of the Civil Service?

Children Act 2004 Information Database (England) Regulations 2007 (18 Jul 2007)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I too declare my interest as a member of the Merits Committee. Indeed, for this inquiry—hearing the evidence and preparing the report—I was in the chair because our proper chairman, the noble Lord, Lord Filkin, had very honourably decided not to take part in the committee's deliberations, because of his position as an adviser to the company which has been awarded the...

Serious Crime Bill [HL] (25 Apr 2007)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, it is some time since I was officially concerned with the business of interception. Then, from time to time we reviewed whether we should seek the ability to use intercept material as evidence in criminal trials. I can well understand the potential attractions of being able to use such evidence in those trials. I recognise that, in proposing that this should be allowed, my noble and...

Home Office: Restructuring (29 Mar 2007)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, like the noble Lord, Lord Lester, I speak from now rather remote past experience as a Permanent Secretary in the old Home Office. As a general comment, I simply remark that my experience was that machinery of government changes rarely make it easier to handle or resolve difficult and controversial issues of policy and certainly distract—in the short term at least—those...

House of Lords: Reform (13 Mar 2007)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, we have now had two attempts to reach agreement on the composition of a hybrid House of Lords—partly elected and partly appointed. It seems to me that, as a result of the proceedings in another place last week, many of the speeches here yesterday and two very notable speeches today—from the noble Baroness, Lady Symons, and the noble Lord, Lord Higgins—the search...

Education and Inspections Bill (30 Oct 2006)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I need to add little to what my noble friend Lord Moser saidin commending the amendment and the two consequential amendments for your Lordships' approval. I have not been able to discover why the Education Act 1996 restricted to groups of not more than four those who could receive instrumental tuition subject to charges and why vocal tuition was completely excluded. The amendment...

Home Office Reform (19 Jul 2006)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, the experiences of the Passport Office and Prison Service have shown both the advantages and disadvantages of turning departments into agencies. I am glad that the Minister has drawn attention to the successes of the IND in recent years, which have tended to be overlooked because of recent developments and troubles. I invite her to be cautious in moving the IND to agency status, and...

Criminal Justice (3 Jul 2006)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, is the Minister aware that, following the example of the noble Lord, Lord Lester of Herne Hill, four years as an official in the Home Office—two of them as Permanent Secretary—lead me to admire the content of her first Answer as much as I admire the brevity of it?

Identity Cards Bill (29 Mar 2006)

Lord Armstrong of Ilminster: My Lords, I invite your Lordships to agree to this Motion. If the reputation of the House were at risk because of the repeated occasions when this measure had gone backwards and forwards along the Corridor, I think that we have redeemed our reputation by arriving at a sensible compromise between the Government, who wanted compulsion, and the degree of voluntariness which has been restored...