Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Harrison, on obtaining this discussion on this important subject. I should first declare my interest, having spent my main career years with the Ford Motor Company. According to the noble Lord, 86 per cent of all cars are foreign imports. I would not argue with that. On the day that I joined the Ford Motor Company, the figure was 2 per cent, and...
Lord James of Blackheath: I greatly appreciate that information. When drafting that response, will the noble Lord bear in mind that my great concern is that the Government should not create a two-structure law society where the Government have control of the law in one way through the Bill but the Insolvency Act 1986 dictates a different set of standards for everyone else?
Lord James of Blackheath: I wish to speak to Amendment 85, which is based on my great concern, from experience, of the confusion that arises in any offset arrangement at the closing out of a business. The clause completely underestimates the extent of the hazard which is initiated and which causes untold suffering and confusion to all parties in trying to bring about a satisfactory resolution of any transfer of a...
Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the current economic circumstances, whether they will impose a freeze on new public sector recruitment and permit only replacements for staff who have left.
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer, but I find it very disappointing and falling short of what we might have hoped for in these stressed times. The Minister will no doubt be aware that, prior to his arrival to rescue the Government, they had for 11 years been increasing public employment at the rate of 51,800 jobs a year—a total of around 570,000 more jobs today than when they...
Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have borrowed so far this year per capita.
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, at the particular request of my noble friend Lady O'Cathain, I beg leave to ask the Question set against her name on the Order Paper.
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer, but perhaps we could turn the Question slightly for his benefit. The total number of taxpayers in the country—a more relevant assessment—is 31 million, each paying an average tax of £4,830 per year. The 60 million alone represents a burden on each taxpayer of £3,722. By how much has borrowing gone up in the past year as a future burden to...
Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the two-year delay in delivering aircraft carriers will allow for the recruitment and training of full crews for both vessels.
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, coming this late into the debate one is always on the edge of one's seat as to whether there is going to be anything left to say of the text one has brought in. I thought that I had got lucky until the noble Lord, Lord Williams of Elvel, summarised most of my main points. However, I shall try to elaborate on them a little. I go back to the opening remarks of my noble friend Lady...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Following the loss of nearly 200 surface transport vehicles at the weekend in the raids in and around the NATO bases of Peshawar, from which 75 per cent of the entire resources for the front line come, will any consideration now be given to utilising civilian helicopters, which would also take off some of the pressure from our own front-line...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, in my two years in your Lordships' House I have seldom heard a debate so unanimously led by the spirit of peace, accord and humanity, with concerns expressed with such unanimity. It therefore strikes a discordant note to rise at this hour and talk about weapons of war and warfare itself, but the last two words of the title of this debate are "and defence". I shall speak briefly on...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I shall be brief. I have two questions for the Minister, both relating to matters of severe welfare concern to two categories of members of the Armed Forces. I am sure that the noble Baroness will be aware of the workings of the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987, which set out to repeal Section 10 of the corresponding 1947 Act. On the face of it, this should have been very...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I should declare my interests in this matter. I have obviously been a member of European Union Sub-Committee B and therefore a participant in the construction of this report. In an earlier life, I was chairman of North Sea Assets plc and of British Underwater Engineering which played a very large part in the supply chain for the development of the North Sea. I should correct one...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, the time was not on the speaking list today. Therefore, you will have a very effective series of wind farms which will meet your target by the time involved, but only if you start immediately.
Lord James of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government: How they intend to ensure the commercial development of wind farms and other renewable energy sources in the light of the withdrawal of Shell from wind farm development.
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I apologise for not having declared my interest as a member of the renewable energy committee under the chairmanship of the noble Lord, Lord Freeman. I thank the Minister for his Answer but he has not answered the Question about Shell. Perhaps I can help him by saying that the original announcement on behalf of Shell that it had withdrawn was countermanded later the same day by a...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I support the Prayer from my noble friend Lord Eccles. I declare that I sit on the same Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee with him that has given rise to the questions he raised. In this matter, he is absolutely right in his analysis that circumstances did not justify, under the criteria set by the original order, the draconian action being imposed on Bradford & Bingley in...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I came to this debate with a pick-and-mix text on the grounds that the debate would last a long time, there would be many theories and a great many points would be made. I find to my surprise that two of my points are left untouched. I am rather pleased about that. I was nervous that my noble friend Lord Higgins was about to demolish one of them earlier, but he nicely opened the lid...
Lord James of Blackheath: My Lords, I declare an interest as a current member of Sub-Committee B of the European Union Committee, which is imminently to report on the renewable energy replacement 20 per cent reduction by 2020. While welcoming the Minister's report, I have to dampen some of his enthusiasm about the potential for achieving his targets given the appalling state of the technical supply chain in this...