My Lords, I refer the House to my relevant interests as set out in the register. I would like to make four related points on this topic and its wider context. First, in the UK, the cost of supplying electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar is far below the cost of supplying it from generators using oil, coal, gas or nuclear fission. However, there are many assumptions in...
My Lords, I refer the House to my interests as set out in the register, specifically my chairmanship of BeyondNetZero, of Carbonplace and of the board of Equatic, and my membership of the board of the Institute for Carbon Management at the University of California, Los Angeles. I also refer noble Lords to my co-chairmanship of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology. I very...
My Lords, I too pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Bragg, for securing this debate. I refer the House to my interests as set out in the register, specifically my chairmanship of the Courtauld Institute, my co-chairmanship of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology and my membership of the board of the Royal Opera House. I will make four short points. First, the arts do not...
My Lords, I speak for Clause 47. I have not spoken on the Bill to date but I have followed its progress closely because I was the author of the last review of higher education funding and student finance, commonly referred to as the Browne review. It looked at three pillars of the system: quality, participation and sustainability. Its recommendations were conceived as part of a holistic...
My Lords, I welcome this thorough report on the referendum and EU reform. In particular, I wish to comment on its conclusion that the Government should set out a positive, inclusive vision of the UK’s role in a reformed EU. As a businessman, I have long been convinced of the economic benefits of being part of the EU’s single market. In leaving the EU, we deny ourselves not only access to...
My Lords, I declare one relevant interest: my position as the Government’s lead independent non-executive board member, a role that provides the context for my brief remarks today. When the Prime Minister appointed me and 60 other independent non-executive directors, he asked us to make the Government more businesslike and to help equip them with the skills needed to deliver government...
My Lords, I declare my very extensive financial and non-financial interests in the energy sector, which are all set out in the Register of Lords’ Interests. I particularly draw your Lordships’ attention to my position as partner and managing director at Riverstone Holdings, which manages several energy-focused private investment funds with stakes in a range of UK-based and international...
My Lords, to my mind, the evidence is quite clear. Marriage is a human construct and the romantic idea of marriage as a beacon of stability does not stand up to scrutiny. Rather, as views about what is socially acceptable have changed, so have the boundaries and parameters of marriage. The freedom to marry in the United Kingdom used to be confined to Anglicans. Over the centuries, it has been...
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the action they have taken on gender and race, what efforts they are making to improve the representation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people on corporate boards in the United Kingdom.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Italy about the prison sentences passed on seven members of the country's National Commission for the Forecast and Prevention of Major Risks for providing "falsely reassuring statements"; and what assessment they have made of that prosecution's impact on the ability and willingness of the international...
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether further countries will sign the Copenhagen Accord; and whether they have taken steps to encourage other nations to sign up before the 31 January deadline for submission of emission-reduction plans.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they support lifting the ban on forest carbon credits in the European emissions trading system.
