Results 1-20 of 269 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 Lee of Trafford

Daylight Saving — Question (22 May 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, apart from the obvious road safety benefits, does my noble friend appreciate that the tourism industry estimates that £3.5 billion of extra revenue and 80,000 new jobs will be generated with double summer time. That is 80,000 jobs across all skill levels. When will the Government stop being so wet on this issue?

Queen’s Speech — Debate (5th Day) (15 May 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, nobody disputes that many of the defence procurement overruns in cost and time terms have been a national embarrassment and that substantial improvements and changes are imperative. However, whether a GOCO, a government-owned and private sector-operated solution, is the answer, is highly questionable. I have nothing against GOCOs in principle. Indeed, when I was a Defence Minister...

Armed Forces: Autonomous Weapon Systems — Question (26 March 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: Does my noble friend agree with the comments of a senior RAF officer who said very recently that come 2020 the Royal Air Force would be something like 50% manned aircraft and 50% UAE or drones?

Visas: Chinese Visitors — Question (19 March 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effect of current visa restrictions on visitors from China to the United Kingdom for tourism and commerce.

Visas: Chinese Visitors — Question (19 March 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

Visas: Chinese Visitors — Question (19 March 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: The reality is that between 2004 and 2011, while the United States saw a growth in Chinese visitors of over 400%, we managed just over 50%. Overall, the United Kingdom's share of Chinese tourism has declined by one-third during the past 10 years. Turning to non-tourism activities, is the Minister aware that, for example in our superyacht-building sector, the chief executive of the British...

Tourism — Question (30 January 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the prospects for United Kingdom tourism in 2013.

Tourism — Question (30 January 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and, in doing so, declare an interest as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

Tourism — Question (30 January 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: I know that my noble friend is very conscious of tourism's importance, but are the Government? On 31 December, the Prime Minister sent a three-page letter to all parliamentarians on the Olympics legacy. Unbelievably, there was not one word on tourism. Is my noble friend aware that tourism created one-third of all new UK employment in the two years to the end of 2011 and now accounts for 9%...

Air Passenger Duty — Question for Short Debate (28 January 2013)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, first, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Palmer, on securing this debate. I want to focus my brief remarks on the deleterious effect that APD has on UK tourism. I declare an interest as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions. Tourism is our fifth-largest industry and arguably the number one industry in more parliamentary constituencies than any other single...

Afghanistan — Statement (19 December 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, I join my noble friend and the noble Lord, Lord Rosser, in their tributes to our Armed Forces. We welcome the significant drawdown that is planned for 2013. Can my noble friend reconfirm that our forces during 2013 and 2014 will be focused increasingly on training and mentoring and less on combat missions? There are four questions that I would like my noble friend to answer; I...

Armed Forces: Long-Term Care — Question (19 December 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: Could my noble friend give any breakdown between regulars and reservists in the figures he gave earlier? In their ongoing situations, is there any differential between the resources and support given to regulars and that given to reservists?

Employment: Rural Employment — Question (5 December 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, tourism turnover in the rural economy is nearly three times that of agriculture. Yesterday at Westminster, the Cut Tourism VAT campaign was launched, supported by the whole of the industry. Compared with our 20% rate, accommodation VAT is 10% in Italy, 8% in Spain and 7% in France and Germany. As a former Treasury Minister, does my noble friend appreciate that independent reports...

Tourism: Chinese Visitors — Question (12 November 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage Chinese visitors to the United Kingdom.

Tourism: Chinese Visitors — Question (12 November 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as the chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions.

Tourism: Chinese Visitors — Question (12 November 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, that is all very well, but at present a potential visitor from China must fill in a 30-page visa application form in English and find £650 for a family of four in visa fees and air passenger duty. Is it therefore surprising that mainland Europe gets four times as many visitors from China as we do? I know that my noble friend is a great supporter of tourism. He led the last...

Armed Forces: Reserve Forces — Question (1 November 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, I pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Freeman for securing this debate and for all the work he has done with the Reserve Forces over the years. To achieve the challenging reserves target, we need to do two principal things-first, to raise the profile and esteem of the reserves and, secondly, to bring employers on board in a positive way. We need to think somewhat outside the box....

BAE Systems and EADS — Question (10 October 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy on the proposed merger between BAE Systems and EADS.

BAE Systems and EADS — Question (10 October 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, many of us will be disappointed at today's breakdown in merger talks and the lost opportunity to create a unique, major, pan-European group across the defence and civil aviation sectors. Given the pressures on defence spend on both sides of the Atlantic and the move to UAVs-drones-away from more labour-intensive fighter aircraft, has not BAE Systems serious problems to face over the...

Defence Equipment and Support — Statement (17 July 2012)

Lord Lee of Trafford: My Lords, this is a very short Statement for a huge issue. I remember taking two Bills through the other place nearly 30 years ago to privatise the Royal Ordnance factories and contractorise the dockyards, which I understand is probably the best example of a GOCO. I want to query the Minister's response that we are unlikely to need legislation. I would be grateful if he could further explore...