Lord Watts: My Lords, the creative industries will face major problems when we finally leave Europe. Is the Minister working with the industry to do something about visas, which are a particular problem for travelling artists?
Lord Watts: My Lords, the present powers in all the regions are different; in fact, they are a dog’s dinner. When will all the regions be given the same powers, given that they all want more powers?
Lord Watts: My Lords, what is the point of having powers if the Government refuse to use them?
Lord Watts: My Lords, Britain pays about 11% into this programme but it gets a lot more out. How much extra benefit is derived from the extra resources that we get from Europe?
Lord Watts: My Lords, why should there be any limit whatever on a voucher? After someone has passed their money over to a shopkeeper and the shopkeeper has given them a receipt for goods to buy at a later date, why should they not be able to use it whenever they want?
Lord Watts: My Lords, how do the school attendance records of children who are carers compare with the average?
Lord Watts: My Lords, the Prime Minister was in charge of this area of responsibility when he was Mayor of London. How much did he put aside for the repair of this bridge?
Lord Watts: My Lords, will the Government confirm that there would be nothing to prevent them adopting the European standards and going further if they wished?
Lord Watts: My Lords, are the Government seriously suggesting that they could be spending £1 billion but do not actually know whether they are?
Lord Watts: My Lords, there is a massive shortage of consultant psychiatrists, especially for children. What action will the Government take in the next few years to address that problem, which is getting worse, not better?
Lord Watts: My Lords, is the increase in crime due to the Government cutting the number of police officers on our streets and massively cutting local government services that looked after young people? Do we not have to reverse those cuts, and should not the Government apologise for them?
Lord Watts: Although the Government are right to conduct a review, surely it is not impossible to introduce changes to the present system so that all buildings must have windows and natural light?
Lord Watts: My Lords, what will happen to the market if all customers switch to the cheapest provider?
Lord Watts: My Lords, if the Government are serious about climate change, do we not need to do much more about population growth around the world? I have visited some of the African states and, as the Minister knows, hardly any birth control methods are available to local communities. Should we not do more on this issue?
Lord Watts: My Lords, the skills gap between ourselves and, say, Germany is massive. Despite that, the Government have made cuts every year. Why are they cutting something that we need to catch up on?
Lord Watts: My Lords, is it not the case that the Civil Service and Ministers do not have the ability to let contracts in the public sector? What will the Government do to address this problem, which is causing billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to be wasted?
Lord Watts: My Lords, the most has been taken from the poorest communities. When you look around, you will see that the poorest communities have had the biggest cuts in their local services, whether local government or health. Why are the Government pursuing this?
Lord Watts: My Lords, is it not clear that the Government do not understand the creative industries? Is it not about time that they set up a Joint Committee of all the departments of government to work with the creative industries to actually help rather than hinder them?
Lord Watts: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that the Higher Education Funding Council for England followed the correct procedures when it considered an application from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts for funding in 2016.
Lord Watts: My Lords, is it not a disgrace that many families now cannot afford to buy these products?
