Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, this amendment is also supported by the noble Lords, Lord Kennedy of Southwark and Lord McNally. I declare an interest as deputy chairman of Telegraph Media Group and draw attention to my other media interests in the register. I will make two general points at the start of this short debate. First, I am a passionate unionist and a supporter of devolution, and I sincerely hope that,...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they have provided to the Metropolitan Police Service for the purpose of the Operation Grange investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann since its launch in May 2011; what estimate they have made of the total cost of that operation to date; and how much has been spent on investigations into other missing children since May 2011.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they will use to assess the request from the Metropolitan Police Service for further funding for Operation Grange until March 2020.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address the decline in the number of students taking music A-level.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, in begging leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, I declare my interest as chairman of the Royal College of Music.
Lord Black of Brentwood: I thank my noble friend for that Answer. A-level music is a crucial gateway to a professional career in music. If it dies out, the future of music in the UK will be threatened. Is my noble friend therefore alarmed at the shocking decline in the number of pupils taking it—down almost 40% in eight years—earning it the unenviable record of being the fastest-disappearing A-level subject? More...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that cats and kittens brought into the UK under the pet passport scheme do not carry diseases and parasites, including tapeworm and non-UK types of tick.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what border checks are carried out to ensure that cats and kittens are not smuggled illegally into the UK from EU countries.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I join other noble Lords in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Jay, on securing a debate on an issue vital to the future of our creative industries. The report sets out comprehensively and compellingly the benefits of freedom of movement for the cultural sector, something it rightly describes as crucial, and the various ways that we can mitigate its disappearance if Brexit happens....
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made towards Public Health England’s target to increase the proportion of known atrial fibrillation patients who are offered and started on appropriate treatment to 89% by 2021.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I am most grateful to all noble Lords taking part in this important debate this evening. Atrial fibrillation is a heart condition which causes an irregular and often unusually fast heart rate as a result of abnormal electrical signals in the heart. Because of the irregular rhythm, diagnosis is straightforward, through a manual pulse check at an ordinary GP appointment. It is easy to...
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in ensuring that musicians directly affected by restrictions on the trade and movement of products covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora can continue to travel between the UK and the EU post-Brexit.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in increasing the number of ports designated as points of entry for goods covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the timeline for the review of the National Plan for Music Education, which currently runs until 2020.
Lord Black of Brentwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to bring an end to new transmission of HIV infection by 2030.
Lord Black of Brentwood: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In doing so, I declare an interest as a trustee of the Bloomsbury Network.
Lord Black of Brentwood: I thank my noble friend for that Answer. I know that noble Lords across the House who have long campaigned for this moment—I am hazarding a guess that I might include the Lord Speaker in view of his exceptional leadership in this area—will applaud the Secretary of State’s commitment to eliminating new HIV transmissions by 2030. In the certain knowledge that those with HIV on effective...