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🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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My Lords, I start by referring the House to my interests as recorded in the register. It is a pleasure to speak in this debate secured by the noble Lord, Lord Eatwell. I agree with everything that he said, particularly on the need to build resilience in this country and to point out that, at a time like this, the Government can do things that individuals and companies cannot do...
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I will not follow the noble Lord in the time available to me, but I refer the House to my entry in the register of interests. I start by making a fundamental point in view of many of the remarks, especially from the Benches opposite. I do not think anyone can doubt that the Government have a mandate to pass this legislation. That does not stop the House questioning and holding Ministers to...
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My Lords, we live in strange political times. I find myself in complete agreement with everything that the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, said. I think that I speak for the rest of the Economic Affairs Committee in acknowledging his skill as a conciliator—the House will be very familiar with that—which has enabled us to produce not just this report but a number of others, which I hope will be...
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My Lords, I will not follow the noble Lord, Lord Horam, too far down the road of immigration. I too believe that immigration needs to be controlled, but we also need to look at the benefits that can come from it. To put it another way, if he is concerned about quality of life, as we all are, he should take a good look at a country like Japan which does not have much in the way of immigration...
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My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord. I agree with everything that he said in terms of his last point on the problems that all Governments face with large corporations. I also have some sympathy with what he said about forecasts and Budgets. I presented no fewer than six separate forecasts in my time, during a rather turbulent period, so I understood what he was saying. Before...
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My Lords, I appreciate that the Minister did not write the Statement—it is somebody else’s—but it contained a somewhat inaccurate précis of what happened to the railways after privatisation. There are two problems: one is that only central government is capable of providing the sustained level of investment needed to make the railways work. That dried up after privatisation. What the...
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My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth: I agree with just about everything he said. I look forward to him chairing the Economic Affairs Committee and embarking on his new career as a bipartisan politician. I also pay tribute to my noble friend Lord Hollick, who chaired the committee for some time, long before I was appointed to it. This is the latest in a succession...
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My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord. I agree with just about everything he said. I draw the attention of the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Interests. In particular, I am a director of Morgan Stanley, a trustee of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and president of Chatham House. Invoking Article 50 is the inevitable consequence of the...
More of Lord Darling of Roulanish's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the announcement by the Home Secretary on 27 July, when the Migration Advisory Committee will complete its detailed assessment of the role of EU nationals in the UK economy and society.
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was raised on fuel duty and VAT on fuel for each of the last 10 financial years.
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the total amount of payment protection insurance payments made since 2010.
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To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the impact of payment protection insurance payments made since 2010 on UK gross domestic product.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the punctuality targets are for trains between (a) Edinburgh Waverley and London King's Cross and (b) Glasgow Central and London Euston; and what proportion of those targets are currently being met; (2) what plans he has to (a) amend the current punctuality targets for trains between (i) Edinburgh Waverley and London King's Cross and...
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department made of the cost of introducing universal credit by 2010; and what his most recent estimate is of (a) its cost to date and (b) the total cost when universal credit has been fully implemented.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the offices from which universal credit is paid, as of 2 September 2013.
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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are currently in receipt of (a) universal credit and (b) any working age benefit.
More of Lord Darling of Roulanish's written questions
