Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, the principal charge against the Bill is that it attacks the foundation stone of British justice: the jury trial. I must confess that I am somewhat mystified by some of the arguments that run along those lines. Like my noble friend Lord Rosser, I note that the British legal system considers very many crimes to be best tried without a jury. It was not so long ago that a drink-driving...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I was referring to the range of charges which the prosecution believes it could run but, because it has to present the case orally and go into complex areas which move the focus away from what it sees as the principal arguments, the totality of the case is not advanced.
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, as I grasped the point advanced by my noble and learned friend the Attorney-General, my understanding is that all the points are not presented to a jury because of the difficulty of getting them across. I shall move on as this has been a long debate. I will not go over all the points that I had intended to make, as many of them were covered by my noble friend Lord Tomlinson and I do...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I would like to pick up on the point made by the noble Baroness, Lady Barker. When everyone embarked on this journey we were in general agreement that there was a case for change; that life was not perfect under the old regime. First, I would like to know when these discussions commenced. Secondly, could the Minister indicate at which point, in his opinion, things started to go...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, will my noble friend encourage NATS Ltd to continue to give all the assistance that it can to the air management authorities in Gibraltar to ensure that we have the safest possible skies there? Secondly, will he congratulate NATS Ltd on being one of the top 20 companies in the UK and on being seen by its staff as being so good, following the introduction of the PPP by this Government?
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, before I came into the House in 1997, I was a trade union official. I was initially an appointed officer with a job for life. Noble Lords opposite then changed the rules and, because I had some power and influence, I had periodically to submit myself to my members for re-election. It was always an unnerving experience, but the Conservatives were right; I have said that on a number...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, will my noble friend confirm or deny that the £4 million national young people's substance misuse partnership grant, which hitherto has been ring-fenced specifically for preventive work with youths with drug, personality and mental problems, is being diverted to offset deficiencies elsewhere in the NHS?
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, noble Lords on all sides of the House are concerned about the problems that many people are now encountering with loans that they have taken out. Given the massive profits that we have seen banks receive recently, will the Minister consider having discussions with the Opposition and the Liberal Democrats about the possibility of all parties coming together to agree the...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, are the ecological principles the Minister seeks to apply in state schools being similarly applied in public schools?
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, what was the cost of the recruitment process for engaging the last chairman? If the figure is not available, why not? Will my noble friend ensure that the cost of this recruitment process is calculated and reported to the House? Furthermore, will he ensure that a clause is written into the next chairperson's contract stipulating that in the event of failure to keep to that contract,...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I am delighted to follow the noble Lord, Lord Morrow, and to have the pleasure of congratulating him on behalf of the whole House on his maiden speech, which focused particularly on education and the future of Northern Ireland. He has a long record of political and public service in Northern Ireland and I am sure that he will soon make an impact in this House, too. As an auctioneer...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, some months ago, my noble friend circulated a consultation document on the way in which long-standing unoccupied private residential accommodation might be used. Where have we got to with that consultation, and could that accommodation not be used in this context?
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, would it be very green if we started reducing the duty?
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, does the Minister agree that perhaps we might get a better handle on those figures if we had compulsory identity cards? Perhaps she might also agree with me that we should do our best to try to persuade those who constantly criticise and complain about the number of illegal migrants that we do not know about in this country to support compulsory identity cards.
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords—
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: I do not think that the Bill is about naming and shaming. We should look for some consistency of approach in its purpose of protecting other persons from criminal or disorderly conduct while the subject is under the influence of alcohol. Those of us who have some experience of living in cities know that, like it or not, youngsters these days increasingly drink before the age of 16. Youngsters...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: Before the noble Baroness responds, may I just say that I, too, had a briefing from Alcohol Concern on a good number of the issues that she has brought to our attention? She has saved me a lot of breath on those matters and I congratulate her on the way in which she has moved the amendments to many of the Government's proposals, which I welcome. This is a step in the right direction and puts...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I welcome the Bill, as I am sure the overwhelming majority of the British public will also. It is mainly about alcohol misuse and its links with crime and disorder. Regrettably, they affect many people in this country these days. It is on those topics that I wish to speak. The links are well documented. Prior to the publication of the Government's alcohol harm reduction strategy in...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Goodlad, for selecting this topic for debate. I am sure that we shall hear contributions reflecting widely different backgrounds and experiences. I started as a volunteer at 16 years of age in the trade union movement as an office representative acting on behalf of tax staff. I suspect that many people do not see the trade union movement as...
Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: My Lords, I can see that the Government have a difficult balancing act here. Aviation is one of our growth industries and many jobs are involved in it, and, although we all want to be green, I do not think that people would be very happy if we saw substantial job losses. I can see why the Government want to ensure that we continue to maintain Heathrow, in particular, as our central hub. Many...