My Lords, I acknowledge that I have something to declare, which is that many years ago I used to conduct criminal cases as a member of the Bar. I recognise very well what the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, was saying about the fee of two pounds four shillings and sixpence. The difference between the scenario that he described and my own was that he described people of the highest...
My Lords, it is a privilege to follow the noble Lord, Lord Kerr, and it is tantalising that he did not have longer to develop his themes, which were based on enormous experience. I particularly agree with him that the doctrine of punishment has no place in international law. We cannot intervene in order to punish. This might not be universally accepted, especially in the United States, but it...
My Lords, will my noble friend come back to the question of retention? If the reserve units are to be fully integrated into the Regular Forces, does it not follow that if their members do not step up to the plate when called on to do so, the Regular Forces concerned will be deficient in their capability? Can he think a little further as to whether what he says he has great confidence in ought...
My Lords, I warmly endorse the tribute that my noble friend has just made to the quality of our staff in the committee of which I hold the honour to be a member. I also warmly endorse the comments with which she concluded her remarks. I suspect that all Ministers would in their heart of hearts prefer to legislate for as much of their policy as possible by means of an order, rather than...
My Lords, is it not the case that in rural areas village shops provide a valuable social good for many people, especially those without motor cars? Perhaps we may hope for recognition that the supermarkets, more distant but very powerful as they are, simply cannot hope to provide that sort of service. May we hope that the Government's policies for rural areas will reflect the special value of...
It seems almost trite to make the point that wherever you have a chain of command within an organisation, that chain of command should be clear and not muddled or uncertain. If you find that those defects are present, you are bound to get trouble sooner or later-and it will probably be sooner. In the case of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, it seems to me to be very important that there...
We quite understand the point that the noble and learned Lord is making: that the intention of Ministers is to restrict legal aid to serious cases and that that is the measure. Would he reflect on the position of someone whose liberty has been wrongfully denied and whether it would be any consolation to know that that resulted not from a deliberate act but from some oversight-a mistake, to...
My Lords, in the rebalancing of the Army into multi-role brigades, is any role to be retained for the main battle tank? If there is, where will the training for it be able to be done, one wonders, with the loss of the training grounds in Germany. If there is not to be any role for it, what consequential plans are there for those regiments at present equipped with or trained for the use of...
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 23 February (WA 9), what are the individual measures referred to which have been agreed with the Bloody Sunday inquiry to minimise the remaining costs; and how much each of the individual measures is expected to save.
asked Her Majesty's Government: When they expect to receive the report of the Bloody Sunday inquiry; and In what month of what year they expect to reply to the Question for Written Answer (HL1591), tabled on 10 October by the Lord Mayhew of Twysden, relating to when they expect to receive the report of the Bloody Sunday Inquiry.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to reform the nomination system for the deans of Church of England cathedrals.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have a policy on whether to recommend to Her Majesty the Queen that an applicant who is a Member of the House of Commons shall be appointed to the rank of Queen's Counsel; and, if so, what that policy is.
asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the current categorisation of HM Prison Blantyre House; and Whether they have any plans to alter the current categorisation of HM Prison Blantyre House; and, if so, whether they will specify this plan and the reasons for any such change.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Why in a Written Answer on 22 May (WA 61) Lord Bassam of Brighton stated that damage to a total value of £500 had been caused in a search of HM Prison Blantyre House on 5 and 6 May, when the Prison Service's internal report on the raid asserts that damage to the value of £6,100 at full commercial rates had been caused and when in guidance to the House of...
asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the circumstances in which Mr McLennan-Murray, Governor of HM Prison Blantyre House, was recently removed from his post.
asked Her Majesty's Government: What notice Mr McLennan-Murray was given of the recent decision to remove him from his post as Governor of HM Prison Blantyre House before he was required to leave. Who authorised the recent decision to remove Mr McLennan-Murray from his post as Governor of HM Prison Blantyre House; and what notice was given to him that his removal from post had been authorised.
