🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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My Lords, I begin by declaring an interest. I am invested in AI companies, and I am hoping to go on the board of an AI company, because I think AI is the most amazing thing ever to happen to us. I cannot understand the long faces in this Chamber, the worry, the hand-wringing, about a technology that will change the world for the better. But it will be highly disruptive—I do not disagree...
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My Lords, I will take a slightly different tack and praise the Government for some of the Bills put forward in the most gracious Speech. However, before I do, I want to admit to a slightly shady secret: I am a capitalist; I like making money, I am on the boards of companies, and I invest in businesses that will, I hope, be benefited if the Government actually get their act together and carry...
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My Lords, I was extremely excited about this debate today. I saw “British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme” and raced to read the Minister’s Statement. But all I see in it is simply a series of taxes that were being levied on businesses being discounted back to them, as my noble friend Lord Gove said. Why are we engaging in such a complex progress? To pick up on a point made by the...
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My Lords, first, I express my gratitude to the Whips for allowing me to speak in the gap and apologise for not registering in time. I have a few quick points to make after hearing what I already know, which is how hard-working and truly valuable Lords Ministers are. By the way, I exclude myself from that group. The idea that we should not pay Government Ministers anything is frankly absurd....
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My Lords, I speak in this mini-debate in full support of this amendment. I am extremely concerned about the principle of government directing any form of investment. I do not think any Government have a strong record on making investments, and to compel pension funds to make such investments would be incredibly dangerous. As the noble Lord, Lord Vaux of Harrowden, has so wisely said, we are...
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My Lords, we have had a very valuable debate so far on the practicalities of a generational ban on smoking. I have been particularly intrigued by the journey we have taken. In that journey, a number of people have come to me, and I thank them for the enormous amount of information and support we have received from the specialist cigar industry. I was particularly delighted, noble Lords may be...
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My Lords, first, I thank the Minister for her highly engaged approach to these issues facing small specialist tobacconists in the niche handmade, hand-rolled cigar industry. I also appreciated the assistance of her officials at the Department of Health, who have been sitting through a very long debate and must be wondering when it is going to end; I think this is the last group. They...
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I am never quite sure whether I should declare an interest in this debate as someone who has smoked the occasional cigar, but on this set of amendments I declare an interest in that I have teenage children. I see their actions, which chime very much with what the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, has just discussed. We are in danger of creating a two-tier system—we do this across the board, and I am...
More of Lord Johnson of Lainston's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to ensure that all economic regulators comply with the growth mandate outlined in the Smart Regulation White Paper, published in May (CP 1089).
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Lenders were required to take appropriate precautions against fraud, including Know Your Customer and Anti Money Laundering checks. If fraud has occurred because these checks have not been completed properly, lenders cannot claim on the Government guarantee and will have to bear the costs themselves. As at 16 January 2024, the Government guarantee has been removed from 11,720 loans offered...
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The Government published an impact assessment for the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023: https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3197/publications. The impact assessment estimates that around 2 million workers in the hospitality, leisure and services sectors across the UK will benefit by having their tips protected. Of those, around 1 million workers are estimated to benefit from an increase...
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The Department for Business and Trade does not hold centrally evidence on whether regulators have disclosed identities of a person under investigation when it has not been in the public interest.
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The subject of OFCOM’s investigations are services rather than individual persons. The details of these investigations are published on OFCOM’s website. OFGEM also publishes details of its investigations on its website. The Competition and Markets Authority exercised the power to identify persons under investigation in seven cases in 2021; ten cases in 2022; and in five cases in 2023. In...
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Companies House is working increasingly closely with law enforcement to understand filing patterns. While I cannot comment on the detail of that, I am confident it will, over time, significantly improve the ability to identify and combat attempts systematically to abuse the company register. Where Chinese nationals, or others, have registered companies using addresses which they have no...
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The Government is focused on driving long-term, sustainable economic growth and an ambition to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. Following the changes that CBI have put in place over the past year, and the vote of confidence that their members gave them at their EGM last summer, Government is rebuilding a working relationship with the business organisation.
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The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's independent competition regulator with responsibility for reviewing mergers and acquisitions on competition grounds.
More of Lord Johnson of Lainston's written questions
