Results 1-20 of 567 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 Northbourne

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (2nd Day) (27 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: Am I right in thinking that it would be perfectly open to the noble Baroness to bring back her amendment at Third Reading?

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (2nd Day) (27 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, the amendment has been powerfully spoken to and I shall not add anything except to say that I strongly support it.

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (2nd Day) (27 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I am inclined to support the amendment. It is important that we make it clear to all potential fathers, particularly to young men, that they will suffer severe penalties if they do not pay their child maintenance—that means, if they have a child. The default situation at the moment seems to be that, if you have a child and you have not really made any commitment to it, then...

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (2nd Day) (27 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My understanding was that, if there were a sunset clause, that would make the Government think again and, if it were not working, introduce an amendment that would work.

Welfare Reform Bill — Report (1st Day) (Continued) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, simply for information, Amendment 15 refers to a person under the age of 16 whereas some of the other amendments, such as Amendment 24, refer to the "well-being of any child". I understand a child to be any person under the age of 18, and I wonder what the reason is for the difference.

Welfare Reform Bill — Report (1st Day) (Continued) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I do not think that the Minister really explained why the non-availability of childcare, whether family care or outside care, was not a better criterion than a parent simply happening to be a lone parent. Is it just that Gingerbread is persuasive or is there some real argument for this particular prejudice in favour of lone mothers when many couple mothers also have problems? Having...

Welfare Reform Bill — Report (1st Day) (Continued) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I rise to speak to Amendments 9 and 11, which seek to amend Amendments 8 and 10 respectively. These are probing amendments. I have tabled them to raise a very real question, as I see it. I welcome and support all the amendments that the noble Lord has tabled in relation to lone parents. I by no means ignore the very real problems that lone parents have and I support what the...

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (1st Day) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: I wish to ask a short question: why does looking after such a child not qualify as work? Surely it is work. If the Minister wants to say that we are talking only about paid work, it raises the question: should we not pay to help parents who have to do that kind of work?

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (1st Day) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I am most grateful for the Minister's assurances. I think that I accept the limitations that one or two noble Lords have thought to put on my ambitions. We must go a step at a time. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 1 withdrawn. Clause 1 : Schemes for assisting persons to obtain employment: "work for your benefit" schemes etc. Amendment 2 Moved by Lord Kirkwood of...

Welfare Reform Bill: Report (1st Day) (22 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I am delighted that the Government have accepted the importance of protecting the well-being of any child or children whose lives may be affected by the Bill. As people are talking, I can take advantage of this time to thank the Minister very much for his courtesy in letting me know about the proposed amendments before they were tabled. Maybe the government amendments will make my...

Families: Marriage — Question (21 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to do more to encourage parents to make the commitment of marriage.

Families: Marriage — Question (21 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: I am grateful to the noble Baroness for that Answer. Is she aware that the partnership breakdown rate for couples who are not married is more than double that for couples who are married? From 2002-04 this Government made available a grant of £5 million a year predicated to be used for support for marriage and relationships. It might be appropriate, as he is in his place, for me to quote...

Families: Marriage — Question (21 Oct 2009)

Lord Northbourne: All right, I will shut up. Today there is no grant predicated specifically to marriage.

Children: First-Time Mothers — Question (21 May 2009)

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what services the National Health Service is required to provide to first-time mothers with regard to the care and development of the child, both before and after the child is born.

Children: First-Time Mothers — Question (21 May 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, does the Minister agree that the quality of the relationship and attachment between a mother and her child in the first few years of that child's life is crucial in the way in which the child develops? Will the Government undertake to ensure that all NHS trusts, and not just some, provide first-time mothers with the advice and support that they need? Would this surely not be a...

Children and Families — Debate (14 May 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I, too, am most grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Massey, for introducing this debate. With her agreement, I am going to speak for a few minutes not so much about the Government's programme but about the way in which we in this House as a group try to influence their programme. I want to see whether my thoughts have any resonance with your Lordships. Those of us who are speaking...

Welfare Reform Bill: Second Reading (29 Apr 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, I very much welcome Part 4 of and Schedule 6 to of the Bill. For a number of years I have been trying to persuade successive Governments to recognise the important role that fathers can play in raising their children. I truly believe that more recognition for fathers will lead to more fathers accepting their responsibilities, not only in relation to conceiving children, but also in...

Children: Young Mothers — Question (24 Mar 2009)

Lord Northbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have been born to mothers under the age of 16 during the most recent five-year period for which figures are available; and how many of those children were adopted at, or shortly after, birth.

Children: Young Mothers — Question (24 Mar 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, does the noble Baroness agree that, for a Government who claim that every child matters, it really would be right for statistics to be collected on what happens to these children, whose future can be very much at risk? However, my main question is whether she is aware of a scheme that exists in some states in the United States called open adoption, under which the birth mother has...

Schools: Primary Curriculum — Question (26 Feb 2009)

Lord Northbourne: My Lords, does the Minister accept that the interim report strongly draws attention to the importance of developing social, emotional and relationship education? Does she agree that this subject—if you can call it a subject—or these skills are best taught partly in the classroom but also in the whole life of the school? Can she confirm, or assure the House, that all head teachers...