Results 1-20 of 563 for speaker:Lord Razzall

EU: UK Trading Deficit — Question (21 May 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, I am sure the Minister will agree that the argument the noble Lord, Lord Vinson, has made is the one that people from his Benches make who advocate us coming out of the European Union. I am sure he would accept, and perhaps he can confirm, that one of the answers to the noble Lord, Lord Vinson, ought to be to think what would happen to our exports to the European Union were we to...

Queen's Speech — Debate (3rd Day) (13 May 2013)

Lord Razzall: Shame.

Queen's Speech — Debate (3rd Day) (13 May 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, first, from these Benches I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Lane-Fox of Soho, on her brilliant maiden speech. Like other noble Lords, I look forward very much to her contributions to the deliberations of this House and her contribution to driving growth in the economy, which she touched on so ably in her remarks. There has been much criticism of the gracious Speech,...

Queen's Speech — Debate (3rd Day) (13 May 2013)

Lord Razzall: I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, for his intervention. As in so much of life, the question is timing. We are not in favour of having a referendum now. We might well have been in favour of having a referendum in 2010. Bearing in mind the policy of the Prime Minister to renegotiate our arrangement with the European Union, it seems sensible to have that referendum once that...

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Report (3rd Day) (20 March 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, I was hoping to precede the noble Lord, Lord Adonis, but he was too far out of his trap, and I am sure that he wanted to speak immediately before the Minister. It is not often that we have the perils of coalition government being laid as bare as it has been in the House this afternoon. It is particularly refreshing to see that the strains in the coalition are not just among the...

Ethical and Sustainable Fashion — Question for Short Debate (19 March 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, it is not possible to overestimate the importance of fashion design in this country. From Stella McCartney to Vivienne Westwood, we are clearly world market leaders. It is also important that we should highlight the importance of ethical fashion, which was brilliantly highlighted in this House by the noble Baroness, Lady Young of Hornsey, and outside it by Livia Firth, who is better...

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill: Report (3rd Day) (6 March 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, if there is one lesson that your Lordships and the Government might draw from this debate, it is that it is a mistake to introduce a major change in the law so late in the process of a Bill going through the House of Commons. The noble Viscount's department had a very good record of not changing the law without extensive consultation. It is quite clear from the debate today that...

EU: UK Membership — Question (11 February 2013)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, if we take the follow-up question by the noble Lord, Lord Davies, and indeed, the Minister's answer to the last question, does he not fear, realistically, that the uncertainty created by the Prime Minister's commitment to a referendum in 2017 will risk reduced investment and employment in British manufacturing industry, particularly in the motor car industry, to which he referred?

Employment: Rights — Question (19 November 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, does the Minister agree that, if the Government are determined to proceed with this proposal, it is absolutely essential that, when legislation is brought forward, safeguards are built in to ensure that there is no compulsion from the employer on the employee and that a mechanism is put in place whereby appropriate legal advice can be obtained by any employee before he takes up this...

Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill — Second Reading (14 November 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, because this is a Bill that emanates from a department with a Liberal Democrat Secretary of State, noble Lords would not expect me to agree with the noble Lord's remarks, and certainly not their tone. It is clear that the Bill must be looked at in the context of government economic policy since the creation of the coalition Government in 2010, which my party signed up to-first,...

Media Standards and Media Regulation — Motion to Take Note (25 October 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, although the noble Baroness's Motion clearly refers to the media generally, from the debate so far and, I suspect, from the interest in the debate, it is obvious that it will focus on press regulation and what should be done about it. I think two principles should underpin any reform of press regulation. First, the system needs to be capable of putting a stop to the kinds of...

Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012: Trade and Investment — Question (16 October 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, bearing in mind the criticism generated against the department that the noble Lord has recently joined, will he take the opportunity to explain to the House the efforts that he and others have been making to improve trade and investment?

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] Report: Report (16 July 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, I shall speak to Amendment 39, which is in my name. It is of fundamental importance in relation to the levy funding, because Clause 19(5) indicates that the amount of a levy should be the same for all retailers. We have all received considerable lobbying, particularly from Waitrose, which feels that this is rather unfair and that the amount of the levy should be adjusted so that the...

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] Report: Report (16 July 2012)

Lord Razzall: I would like to thank the noble Baroness for her gracious acceptance of this amendment. I beg to move. Amendment 39 agreed. Amendment 40 Moved by Lord Razzall 40: Clause 19, page 8, line 24, at end insert "(including any criteria under subsection (5))" Amendment 40 agreed. Amendment 41 not moved. Clause 22 : Definitions Amendment 42 not moved. Clause 23 : Orders Amendment 43 not moved...

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] Report: Report (16 July 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, the problem with the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Howard of Rising, is that when we drill down, the real reason why the previous regime did not work is because a lot of farmers are very nervous and want to preserve their anonymity. That is why the regime, which I know the noble Lords, Lord Howard of Rising and Lord Borrie, and the noble Viscount, rather wish had been...

Directors' Pay — Statement (20 June 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for introducing this important Statement. I have three questions. First, does she accept that the Statement applies almost entirely to companies owned and run with employees in the UK? What is her view on the large number of FTSE 100 companies that have shareholders and employees primarily outside the United Kingdom? The Statement says that there has been...

Employment Tribunals — Question (18 June 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, picking up the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Hoyle, I am sure the noble Baroness will recognise that streamlining the tribunal procedure is a little bit of a sideshow in relation to the fundamental recommendation of Adrian Beecroft regarding no-fault dismissal. Is she prepared to indicate where the Government's thinking lies on that proposal which, as she knows, her Secretary of...

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] — Second Reading (22 May 2012)

Lord Razzall: The noble Lord quite properly disclosed his interest in Marks & Spencer at the beginning of his remarks. Bearing in mind his attack on the coalition Government's policy on the banks, would it not have been appropriate to disclose that he was a senior Minister between 2008 and 2010, with responsibility for banks?

Groceries Code Adjudicator Bill [HL] — Second Reading (22 May 2012)

Lord Razzall: My Lords, notwithstanding the fact that there are 19 speakers in this debate, I am quite certain that the Bill has overwhelming support in your Lordships' House. Indeed, having listened to the words of the noble Baroness and the noble Lord, Lord Grantchester, it rather reminds me of the scene in "Spartacus". I think most people in your Lordships' House are old enough to remember "Spartacus"...

Businesses: Debt — Question (17 May 2012)

Lord Razzall: Now that the noble Lord, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, is in his place, is the Minister prepared to give any more detail as to exactly how the implementation of this European directive will help small and medium-sized enterprises on this topic?