🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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My Lords, my reason for speaking in this debate is that I also feel that the many people who have written to us deserve to know where each of us stands. I support the introduction of a carefully circumscribed assisted dying regime along the lines of the Bill. I have seen two very severely ill immediate family members have the times of their deaths determined by a combination of medical...
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Before my noble friend sits down—
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I did not want to be discourteous by interrupting his flow, so I am following the normal convention. Before he sits down, can he explain something that is rather puzzling me? If there is to be this immense improvement to the site, why has UNESCO said that this makes it one of the five or six most at-risk world heritage sites on its register?
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My Lords, I am sorry that we are getting a bit diverted from the main purpose of the amendment from the noble Lord, Lord Verdirame, because I very strongly support it. What he and my noble friend Lord Goodman of Wycombe had to say got to the essence of this, and I think we are straying a bit. I would like us to get back to what is really important here. At the heart of this is not shadows...
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My Lords, I was not going to speak to this amendment, but I believe that my noble friends Lady Harding of Winscombe, Lord Pickles and Lord Harper have misunderstood—I would not say misrepresented—what the amendment is all about. I declare my interests in coming from a family in which my mother’s German Jewish family lost members in the Holocaust, and in which my great uncle, who came to...
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I am now getting more and more confused. The Minister has just said that there will be a new planning inquiry, or a new planning process, but before he said that there might be only a round table or written representations. He just used the word “new”—I heard it very clearly. Can the Minister tell us on how many occasions when a planning application has been called in to a Minister has...
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I am quite prepared to believe that the gardens will be improved, and the paths and the drainage, but this does not go to the heart of what this amendment is all about, which is preserving, among other things, the world heritage site which is Westminster. This is a very strange amendment in some senses. Why is it necessary? It should not be necessary at all, but having listened to the...
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I note my interest as president of the China-Britain Business Council and as having other China interests. Does the Minister agree with me that in total there are some £40 billion of UK exports going to China each year, including to Hong Kong, and those support 400,000 UK jobs? While the EFD marks a very important re-engagement with China, will he confirm that there will be other ministerial...
More of Lord Sassoon's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for administering child benefit. Child benefit claims forms are available by contacting the child benefit helpline number or, alternatively, customers can complete the form which is available on the HMRC website and post it to HMRC. HMRC also distribute child benefit claim forms through Bounty packs, a free information and samples pack given mainly...
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Most departmental resource budgets (the resource departmental expenditure limits, excluding ring-fenced depreciation), were reduced at the Autumn Statement, by 1% and 2% in 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. The proportion is lower for departments with budgets that continue to be protected, in line with the policy set at the spending review 2010: health (0% in both years); education...
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The Chancellor set the Monetary Policy Committee its remit, at Budget 2012, to target inflation of 2%, as measured by the 12-month increase in the consumer prices index. The Government have no plans to change the inflation targeting framework.
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The Financial Services Compensation Scheme will continue to provide protection for up to £85,000 per depositor, per authorised institution. The level of protection is set out in the EU Deposit Guarantee Schemes Directive, which sets a maximum harmonised limit of €100,000. In line with this, the UK limit is £85,000.
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The Prime Minister's Statement to the House of Commons on 17 December 20121 on the outcome of the December European Council and the Government's Explanatory Memorandum on European Union Documents No. 13682/12, 13683/12 and 12854/12, on the Commission's proposal for a Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM), set out the following key points: the current allocation of competencies between home and...
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The Government expect full recovery of the amount that Iceland is liable for, regarding failed banks. Information on payments in respect of Icelandic banks can be found in Sections 30, 31 and 33 of the Treasury annual reports and accounts 2011-121. During 2011-12, the administrator for Icesave paid out dividends to HM Treasury and the FSCS of £1.3 billion. Of this, £0.4 billion was used by...
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The amount that banks participating in the Funding for Lending Scheme can borrow from the Bank of England and the fee they pay for it are linked to their lending performance to UK households and businesses. Banks that maintain or increase their net lending pay a fee of 0.25% per year. Banks that decrease lending pay an additional 0.25% for each percentage point reduction in net lending, up to...
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The Government's actions, taken to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy, have secured stability and positioned the UK as a relative safe haven. Interest rates are near historic lows, benefiting families, businesses and the tax payer. Returning the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth is the Government's overriding priority.
More of Lord Sassoon's written questions
