Lord Pickles: My Lords, can my noble friend bring the House up to date on the latest figures on the number of Ukrainian children kidnapped by the Russian authorities and resettled in Russia? Is he in touch with our allies, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, which are reported to be trying to broker a deal to return these children to their parents? Regardless of the success that our allies may have, does he agree...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, does my noble friend agree that the Electoral Commission report clearly demonstrates that all the fuss about the effect of voter ID has proved to be an exaggeration? We are talking about less than a percentage point. Does my noble friend further agree that, given that it is part of our voting system, it would now make some sense to re-examine the qualifications for voter ID,...
Lord Pickles: My Lords—
Lord Pickles: My Lords, I draw attention to my register of interests, particularly those relating to Holocaust remembrance. I join my noble friend in her tribute to Sir Ben Helfgott. He was, beside other things, a leading light in Holocaust remembrance and a strong advocate of the site in Victoria Tower Gardens. In fact, the last conversation I had with Ben was about his concerns that the Government and...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, I draw the attention of the House to my declaration of interests, particularly those relating to friendship towards to Israel. Does my noble friend understand that there is a certain feeling of Groundhog Day about his answers? We seem to be going round the houses, time and again. As Members have suggested, this is an organisation that pays people who send missiles into residential...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, one of the key parts of the Government’s anti-corruption policy was the register of beneficial ownership. Could my noble friend give us an update on how it is being brought in? It seems that it is still possible to hide true ownership behind companies and third parties.
Lord Pickles: My Lords, I draw attention to my entries in the register of interests, particularly those relating to friendship with Israel. My noble friend the Minister and I have been friends and have worked together for a long time. I have never been prouder of him than when I saw his visits to the Dee shiva. Sometimes Ministers have to deliver difficult messages and do difficult things, but I thought...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, I draw attention to my interests in the register, particularly those relating to friendship with Israel. Does my noble friend agree with the sentiments of Golda Meir, who said that it is very difficult to negotiate with people who are trying to kill you? Looking for a secure and lasting peace in the region, does my noble friend think it would be sensible for the Palestinian...
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to expand the National Parking Platform, given the dismantling of many car parking payment machines and their replacement with mobile apps.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved governments about the possibility of expanding the National Parking Platform to the whole of the UK, so that motorists can use a parking app of preference and are no longer faced with up to 30 separate parking apps.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that severely mentally impaired persons who are entitled to attendance allowance qualify for an exception or a discount on council tax within six months of being diagnosed as severely medically impaired by a medical practitioner.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people who are severely mentally impaired received an exemption or a discount on council tax in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Lord Pickles: My Lords, I thank everyone who has contributed to this debate. I will be brief but I want to say a couple of things. This is the first time the House of Lords has had an opportunity to debate Holocaust Memorial Day, and it has been a very big success. I say with much love and affection to the Front Benches that this could become a regular part of the calendar. I will give some evidence for...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, it is with respect and sombre reflection that I move the Motion standing in my name on the Order Paper. I draw the House’s attention to my entry in the register of interests, particularly those concerned with Holocaust remembrance and tackling anti-Semitism. I start the debate in some sadness as, yesterday morning, a friend of many of us in this Chamber, Zigi Shipper, passed away,...
Lord Pickles: My Lords, we all appreciate the very robust response that my noble friend has given, and the measured way in which he has approached this problem. I think we understand the importance of the safety of our staff in Tehran, and also the importance of keeping some kind of message open. Nevertheless, given that they are murdering girls for inappropriately wearing or not wearing a scarf, are...
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether reports of antisemitic and extremist content in Palestinian school textbooks adhere to (1) the Palestinian Authority–Department for International Development Memorandum of Understanding, and (2) the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to take action against incitement to violence.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the Palestinian Authority's compliance with the Optional Protocol of the Convention Against Torture.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Answer by Lord Bellamy on 29 November on humanist marriages (HL Deb col 1668), why they have committed to legislating for outdoor religious marriages outside of wholesale reform of marriage law.
Lord Pickles: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will issue a full response to the Law Commission’s weddings law report Celebrating Marriage: A New Weddings Law, published on 19 July.
