Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Education)
Liberal Democrat Peer
To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the human rights and political situation in Pakistan-administered Jammu and Kashmir; and what representations they have made to the government of Pakistan regarding recent restrictions on civil liberties and protests.
I thank the Minister for his Answer and welcome the efforts to mediate. A number of individuals have tried to mediate between the action committee and the Governments of Kashmir and Pakistan, including the chair of the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Syed Qamar Raza. There has not yet been a resolution. As the Minister points out, the guidance from the Foreign Office is against non-essential...
My Lords, I want to take up the issue of debanking, not just in the charity sector but in independent journalism. I do not know whether the Minister knows about the Canary, an independent journalism outlet that Lloyds Bank has debanked, meaning that it did not have access to substantial amounts of money to pay staff. Does the Minister think that fair and ethical in an open society where we...
My Lords, nearly 40,000 people are involved in steel production in this country. However, 400,000 people are involved in manufacturing as a byproduct from steel. It is really important that both sides of that industry are protected. My fear is that these tariffs may actually affect badly the manufacturing side of the industry; I seek reassurance from the Minister that this will not happen.
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Evans, for securing this important debate. I looked at the list of speakers and thought this was going to be a fantastic debate about our children’s future. I do not want it to be about how bad one side or the other was, because that will not help any young person. I have always been passionate about young people—I will return to that—and I...
My Lords, this time of year is very stressful as school leaders come to the end of the academic year. I welcome the Minister’s statement today about a review, but what assessment have the Government made of the level of disruption and additional workload that primary schools now face because of the delay in publication of the key stage 2 results? Will the Government also look at what...
My Lords, there is a huge increase in people now working from home. Will the Minister also look at guidance for local councils, in particular with the review of the National Planning Policy Framework, to make it easier for people to cool their homes, particularly given that in some council buildings, councils are making it very difficult to install outside fans and to drill into external walls.
To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals convicted of grooming offences have been subject to any orders or actions under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the delay in implementing the due diligence requirements under the Environment Act 2021; and when those measures will take effect.
To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of expenditure on housing asylum seekers is drawn from the Official Development Assistance budget, and whether any unspent expenditure is returned to that budget.
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their expenditure on housing asylum seekers in hotels is increasing or decreasing.
To ask His Majesty's Government what monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place to assess the effectiveness of government-funded youth programmes.
To ask His Majesty's Government when the promised national youth strategy will be published; and how they will address the concerns raised by stakeholders regarding funding and support for youth services.
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the potential effects of reduced youth work funding on youth centres, employment of youth workers, and the availability of safe spaces for young people.
To ask His Majesty's Government why the current allocation for youth programmes is reportedly less than the £191.8 million allocated in 2021, according to analysis by UK Youth.
