Lord Soley: My Lords, I really did not expect to be starting this speech; I had no idea what had happened until I came in this morning. I was going to start by saying that, after 44 years’ continuous service in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, I would not have expected to have caused quite so much chaos in the management of my retirement. I must express my thanks to the Government...
Lord Soley: I put it to the Minister that, if she wants to preserve the union of these islands, we need to remember that there are more islands than just Northern Ireland. The Scottish National Party makes great play of the fact that it subsidises visits to Shetland, but of course you cannot do that if you are English, and there is no subsidy if you go to the Scilly Isles. It is time that we started...
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether car hire companies are legally permitted to refuse a car rental to a full licence holder on the basis of age.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether either the (1) Civil Aviation Authority, or (2) individual airport air traffic control systems, have responsibility for recording details of flight delays and cancellations.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how disputes between airlines and air traffic control systems over the reasons for delays and cancellations are recorded.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how a (1) passenger, or (2) other member of the public, can identify whether (a) an airline, or (b) air traffic control, are responsible for the delay or cancellation of a flight.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how a passenger whose flight has been delayed or cancelled can ascertain whether that cancellation or delay has been caused by air traffic control problems.
Lord Soley: The noble Lord would give a right not to go on the register to those who he would say are educating their children okay. How on earth are you going to define that without giving the state even more powers? It is contradictory.
Lord Soley: I had not finished. It is very unusual to intervene on an intervention. I was speaking and I was giving way to the noble Lord, Lord Wei.
Lord Soley: The noble Lord, Lord Wei, asked me to give way, which I did, but I am quite happy to continue as I have nearly finished. I emphasise again that there has been far more consultation than the noble Lord, Lord Wei, is aware of. I did not spend the last five years arguing for this Bill just for the fun of it. I did not ignore people. I have had people say to me what they have said to him:...
Lord Soley: I was going to get a glass of water, but that is going to be difficult. I thought for a moment that maybe the noble Lord, Lord Wei, was not going to move the amendment. I would have advised him not to. I am sure that he is well intended—I do not doubt that—but he has missed many of the debates on this over the years. I ask him to understand that, when I put the Bill forward on home...
Lord Soley: My Lords, I suggest to the noble Lord that if we look at this as a supportive, not punitive, measure, we need not get into the trap he is describing.
Lord Soley: I would like to come in on Amendment 112A, in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and say I agree with a great deal of what he said. Indeed, we have discussed it in the past; there is an issue here. I am not convinced by the idea of the noble Lord, Lord Wei, that we can do it all by current IT methods—I think there are problems there. Although I have some sympathy with some of the...
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many flights (1) in, and (2) out, of Gatwick Airport were cancelled due to air traffic control problems (a) in total between 20 and 29 May, and (b) each day during that period.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many flights in and out of Gatwick Airport were cancelled as a result of air traffic control problems on (1) 29 May, (2) 30 May, (3) 31 May, and (4) 1 June.
Lord Soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the reason for the air traffic control problems that led to flight cancellations on (1) 26 May, (2) 27 May, (3) 28 May, (4) 29 May, and (5) 30 May.
Lord Soley: If I may come in at this stage, I first thank the Government for putting in this Bill my original Private Member’s Bill, as they said they would. It was brought before this House in 2017—a mere five years ago—and went through with support on all sides and the key bit of it, of course, was to create a register. I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, for this, as well as the noble Lord,...
Lord Soley: As the Minister will know, the Scottish Government have been unable to complete the census. People who lose out from that are usually in low-income groups, who do not complete the census there. I have a feeling that that will affect the financial settlement that the UK Government then have to give to Scotland. If he does not have the answer to that, perhaps he could let us know whether the...
Lord Soley: The Government are rightly focusing on Ukrainians, but can the Minister tell me whether the Government have any policy towards the several hundred thousand Russians who have fled Putin’s Russia and will be very important for a post-Putin Russia? They are scattered all over Europe and surrounding areas. What attention do the Government give to those people and the enormous asset they can be...
Lord Soley: My Lords, can the Minister tell us where we are up to on the register? She will remember, I think, that some two years ago the Bill on home education passed through this House with support from all sides. I have had letters from Ministers since then saying that it is going to proceed, but it never actually does. It might be a good idea if they at least told me what is happening; it would be...