Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they intend to take to implement the seven-year plan aimed at increasing the number of counsellors available to support individuals who suffer from stress, as recommended in the report by the London School of Economics mental health group, The Depression Report: A New Deal for Depression and Anxiety Disorders.
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I add my congratulations to the noble Baronesses, Lady Kingsmill and Lady Thomas, on their maiden speeches. I am sure we all agree that they have given us much food for thought. I also congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Gale, on her foresight in raising this debate. It got me to think about how the black British were managing the work/life balance when statistics show that in...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, what support is being given to the families of these young men at a time when they find themselves under threat?
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Harrison, for raising this debate, which gives the House the opportunity to debate medium and small businesses. Despite all the regulations referred to by other noble Lords, I feel confident about this debate because I know I have a good story to tell, as I speak of the Caribbean black businesses. I am a patron of the European Federation of Black...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government: What their plans are for the management of water supply in 2006 during times of shortage in the eastern and south-east regions of England including London.
Baroness Howells of St Davids: asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice they have received from relevant statutory agencies and other bodies as to the likelihood of drought in 2006 in the eastern and south-east regions of England including London.
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, welcome this debate initiated by the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire. I say to him, "You're a very brave man indeed". It is proving to be very interesting, with many insights into the subject. I want to make my contribution on my own personal journey and take your Lordships back to basics. I was born on the tiny island of Grenada during the days of the British Empire....
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, are the Government confident that the progress being made in preparing the race equality impact assessment will be sustained?
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Lord, Lord Hurd of Westwell, for raising the debate. It has been said many times that much has been done by the Government but that much still needs to be done. I would like to deal especially with the black and minority communities where much still needs to be done, especially for those with mental health problems. The black prison population now exceeds...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I too thank my noble friend Lady Morgan for initiating this debate and for her very full introduction. I begin by asking the Minister this: are we reaching the people who the many initiatives are designed to reach to make inclusion a reality? In my contribution I will concentrate on education because I see it as the main plank of upward mobility and inclusion. I shall not rehearse...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Chan, for encouraging such a useful, informative debate. I am never sure whether being the last speaker is a gift or just plain bad luck. Today it seems like a blessing because I have almost lost my voice, and most of the points that I had intended to make have already been made by experts in the House. I will confine my words to an area of...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I am sure it will be of no surprise to noble Lords to hear that I support the noble Lords, Lord Ouseley and Lord Adebowale. I shall not add to what they have said, but I want to mention to the House a statement made by the Prime Minister. He was surprised that young people born in this country took part in the bombing of this country. I dare to advance to the House the proposition...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, add my congratulations to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay, for his balanced report. I intend to place on record why I am deeply unhappy with the Bill that the noble Lord, Lord Joffe, intends to present. Those reasons are such that I am unlikely to support any future Bill on this subject, because I envisage the negative fallout on the poor and on the black community...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, thank the noble Earl, Lord Sandwich, for initiating this debate. While recognising the title—eradicating contemporary slavery—I felt that it was important to call your Lordships' attention to the legacy on the descendants of enslaved Africans, which I hope will be taken into consideration by Ministers. It is now common knowledge how valuable the enslaved African was to...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I, too, am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Massey, for initiating this debate and to the noble Baroness, Lady Tonge, for the informative and valuable lessons I have learnt from listening to her. My contribution will centre almost exclusively on Caribbean British children, who have been the subject of much research in the UK. Despite this the community ends up with more children...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, my contribution to the debate will, I fear, overlap with those who have already spoken and those who are about to speak. However, I made my selection very carefully of what I wanted to say, so I shall press on. I declare an interest as a woman and a black person who could find herself having to use the Bill when it becomes law. However, today I will speak mainly from the perspective...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords—
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I begin by saying that I was able to get through to Grenada at one o'clock today. I was told that one cannot imagine the devastation in Grenada—90 per cent of the houses are down. There are problems with elderly people going into shock. I should like very much to thank the Minister for the very quick way in which the Government responded to Hurricane Ivan's terrible devastation of...
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I find slightly disturbing the way in which the discussion is going. We have fought for many years to have people from ethnic minorities included. I know that it is not my business to make a statement, but I should like to ask why the inclusion of ethnic minorities is such a problem.
Baroness Howells of St Davids: My Lords, I shall be extremely brief but I want to refer to a few words that have been used in the House today: "sufficient provision" and, as referred to by the noble Lord, Lord Thomas, "bruising". I remind your Lordships that we live in a multiracial society. I do not think that I need a photograph to show noble Lords that a mere tap on a white child creates a bruise, but it takes a great...
