Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timetable for the publication of the draft bill on libel reform.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I declare an interest as a member of the Council of the Royal College of Music and as a trustee of both the mayor's fund for young musicians and the Imperial War Museum. I want to talk about the vital role of our music conservatoires to the artistic life of our country and the importance of maintaining a crucial element of public funding for them. Our country is fortunate to have a...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to develop the quality standard for fractures, excluding those which occur at the head and hip.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Eritrea regarding media freedoms and human rights in that country.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last had discussions with the European Union about its strategy for Eritrea.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I declare an interest as chairman of the Commonwealth Press Union Media Trust. I start by congratulating the noble Lord on securing this debate on such a tragic issue. As we have heard, 555,000 women in the developing world die each year from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. The most awful aspect is that so many deaths are avoidable because they are caused by a simple...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to introduce a best practice tariff for non-hip fragility fractures.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I am delighted not only that we have an opportunity of an early debate on my noble friend's compelling report but that I have the privilege of following the excellent maiden speech of my noble friend Lord Faulks. I should like to address the report's recommendations that would have an impact on the media. I declare an interest accordingly as a director of the Telegraph Media Group...
Lord Black of Brentwood: It seems to me, my Lords, that that would be an admirable way forward. The Jackson report has had widespread support from within the media and I hope that it is implemented as soon as possible.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider changing their guidance on foreign language teaching for primary schools to ensure Latin is treated in the same way as other foreign languages.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes since 2000 there have been in the rate of HIV infection in (a) those between 50 and 60 years of age, and (b) those aged over 60.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made with the introduction of the new 20-year rule for the release of government records.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases of polymyalgia rheumatica are diagnosed every year.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I just have one central point to make. Everyone acknowledges that while some good progress has been made in meeting the millennium development goals, progress in too many areas, such as malnutrition, maternal mortality and HIV, has been sporadic and patchy. I believe that one of the reasons for this is that in setting the goals, no attention was paid to what should be the central...
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, with seven maiden speeches being the icing on the cake, this debate has proved to be exceptionally stimulating-and understandably so. Charities touch every part of our lives-from our time as children, when at school we first begin to understand charities' role in a civic society, to our final days when so many depend on the kindness of volunteers and caring organisations as life...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the draft Conditional Fee Agreements (Amendment) Order 2010 will be implemented.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the new defence to offences under section 55 of the Data Protection Act 1998, introduced by section 78 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008, for purposes of journalism and other special purposes, will be brought into force.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Department co-ordinates preparations for the commemoration of the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in 2014.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received on the recommendations in the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report on Future for local and regional media about public service reporting and the operation of the broadcast pool; and what action has been taken.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I am honoured to deliver my maiden speech in this important debate. This House is as rich in its extraordinary history as it is in the wisdom and knowledge of its Members, and to be able to take part in its proceedings is a privilege without equal. At this point I will, as other maiden speakers have, mention the great kindness shown to those who are new both from fellow Peers and...