Lord Sandberg: My Lords, we all welcome the initiative of the noble Lord, Lord Weatherill, in introducing the debate. Like the noble Lord, I had the good fortune to hold a commission in the cavalry regiment in the old Indian Army. That regiment, the 6th Lancers, became part of the Pakistan army after Partition. I have the honour of being that regiment's representative in Britain. It is now some three months...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I am sad to say that I have no interest to declare. To my wife's relief, I have no more horses in training. But it is important that we debate the problems facing horseracing, some of which have been mentioned. I think the most serious problem is money laundering. We need to congratulate my noble friend Lord Falkland for raising the matter here. I shall, if I may, without boring the...
Lord Sandberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why a member of Mr Mike Tyson's entourage, who is said to have served a term of imprisonment for manslaughter, was allowed to enter the United Kingdom.
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, we are indebted to the noble Lord, Lord Cowdrey, for raising the issue of sport in this House. As we all know, this is a timely debate. I agree with the noble Lord that schools seem to have missed a trick by giving such a low priority to sport, especially team sport which I believe to be the most important. Equally, we all know of the problems of bureaucracy and form-filling. I do...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I believe that the previous speaker spoke for less than his allotted time. The irritation which the problem has caused has led to Questions being asked in the House, but this is the first time we have had an opportunity to debate the issue at length. We are therefore most indebted to the noble Lord, Lord Peyton. The subject appears to be a music hall joke. We do not want that; we...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, we are certainly indebted to the noble Baroness, Lady Massey, for initiating this debate today. It is a most appropriate time to do so when we have not yet forgotten the England victory over the West Indies after 30 years of trying. Youth has been given a fillip and it is important that we do not lose momentum. In the old days one of the great sources of imbuing love of cricket into...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, my noble friend Lady Williams raised a question about civilians in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya. There were two categories. My predecessor, a chief of the Hong Kong Bank, was tortured to death. But there were also people who were called up and who fought for King and country in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaya. Is there a differential between those who died or were taken prisoner...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I believe that mention was made in the Statement that the earthquake also affected Pakistan. Can the noble Baroness give the House some clarification as to the situation in Pakistan, which, of course, is another Commonwealth country? As I say, although there has been mention of Pakistan, all the detail has centred on India. I should be most grateful if the Minister could provide...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Hooper, on bringing forward this interesting and important topic for debate. I declare an interest as shareholder and chairman of a bank holding company in the United States which has extensive trading interests in the area. The area is somewhat of an orphan as regards British trading. It is as though the Monroe doctrine was an economic...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, as a former banker I was very glad to hear that the Government had talked to banks and received a sympathetic reply, but I was sad to note that there was no reference to any approach having been made to the Bank of England. Speaking for myself, I believe that the Bank is very reactive in its decisions. Surely, at this time it should be proactive and provide some help to small...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I think we have always realised that a terrorist to some of us is a freedom fighter to others. The appalling events of 11th September were so clear that there could be no other view. It is therefore disturbing to find the number of people who are cheering, if you like, the events of that day all the way from Indonesia to Morocco with Pakistan in the middle. As the noble Lord, Lord...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I am particularly pleased that in the Statement this afternoon a lot of weight was put on the problems facing Pakistan, because although that country is--temporarily, I hope--suspended from the Commonwealth gatherings it is a well-founded member of the Commonwealth. When the Prime Minister was in Islamabad not long after the 11th September, when Pakistan very bravely said it was...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, we are all grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Bach, for giving us yet another occasion to discuss the ever-fluid situation in Afghanistan. As a defence Minister, he has rightly paid most attention to what is going on in the war effort, but as winter is on the horizon and military activity may slow down, it is also now time that we turned our attention to what we will do when there is...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, will the Minister confirm that, among the many nations involved in the conference taking place on Afghanistan, we are taking particular steps to make sure that the Government of Pakistan, a fellow member of the Commonwealth, are much involved? Pakistan has almost lost count of the number of refugees that it has "imported". Its border with Afghanistan is somewhat "porous". Refugees...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, although the debate is in the name of the noble Lord, Lord King, to whom we are very grateful, we should not forget that it was originated by the noble Lord, Lord Burnham, to whom we should also pay respect. I have had the privilege of being on defence missions with him, and I can tell your Lordships that he is a most conscientious and enthusiastic member. I also congratulate the...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, the Statement mentioned a large number of troops, some 26,000. Can the Minister give some idea of the time lag in this deployment? I ask because we are talking about a credible answer to Saddam Hussein's sins and omissions. Obviously, it would be no good if troops were to arrive in May or when the hot season starts.
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, I am glad that the Prime Minister did not forget to mention in the Statement—if in passing—the problem of North Korea. That problem scares me much more than anything else. I believe that the noble and learned Lord will agree with me that President Bush cannot be a policeman to the world. Next time the Prime Minister talks to the President, will he suggest that the real country...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, Oliver Hardy, the fat half of the Laurel and Hardy partnership, used to wag his finger at his smaller partner and exclaim, "that's another fine mess you've got us into". We are certainly in a fine mess at the moment, but there is not much use in pointing fingers at those who lost the opportunity of finishing the Iraqi problem 12 years ago. Many noble Lords have commented, and will...
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, before the Minister sits down, will he clear up a point he made earlier in regard to international problems? I could understand his references to Jamaica and Colombia; however, I could not quite understand his reference to Pakistan. Please will he clarify that point?
Lord Sandberg: My Lords, can the Minister tell the House what success we have had in putting out the fires in the, luckily, relatively few oil wells fired by the Iraqi authorities.