Geoff Hoon: ...the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Wilton Park is responsible for organising WPAC meetings and members are unremunerated. British Association for Central and Eastern Europe Chair: The right hon. Lord Radice Remuneration: £0 Director: Nicholas Jarrold Remuneration: £48,000 per annum Notes: The Chair is appointed by the British Association for Central and Eastern Europe with the...
Lord Bilimoria
Noble Lords: Hear, hear! My Lords, I also take the opportunity to wish the noble Lords, Lord Bilimoria and Lord Rowe-Beddoe, well with their maiden speeches. We eagerly look forward to their contributions to today's debate. I shall start by looking at the economic climate and, in particular, at globalisation and how the Government can help to create the conditions for business success. Since...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords—
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords—
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, the question before us today is simple: how can we maintain our place as one of the world's five largest economies, which is respected worldwide and the envy of Europe? I have always said that one of the reasons for Britain's great success is that we have one of the freest and most open markets in the world. Our openness has enabled Britain, and London in particular, to become the...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, those of us who have studied statistics remember our first lesson when we are told Mark Twain's famous saying that there are, "lies, damned lies and statistics". Perhaps the noble Lord means, "There are lies, damned lies and government statistics". On a serious note, there is public scepticism and it is further accentuated if the statistics themselves are felt to be inaccurate. I...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, the Institute for Fiscal Studies pointed out that of 22 leading OECD countries, 17 have improved their structural budget balances more than the UK. In fact, Standard and Poor's went further to say that the UK slipped from 14th to 35th out of 41 European countries and was the worst performer of the AAA-rated countries. What are the Government's plans for dealing with this serious...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, what we are debating today marks a defining moment in the history of this House and our country. In fact, the decisions that we make here may have far-reaching consequences in influencing the policies and politics of democratic institutions across the world, for the system of government which has developed on this site by the Thames for more than 700 years has been adopted across...
Baroness Howe of Idlicote: My Lords, it has been a pretty impressive two days of debate, and I venture into this debate with some hesitation, not least because I still regard myself as a comparatively new kid on the block. I was one of the first wave of 15 Peers selected by the newly established Lords Appointments Commission, the first samples of a new breed—introduced, it is hard to believe, only six years ago....
Viscount Slim: My Lords, it is a bit daunting to follow the noble and learned Lord, but I look upon him today as a heavily wounded cavalry officer. I do not know if you have seen him, but he can hardly walk and there is not a horse in sight. It is tricky. He has been brave to come and talk to us, and we all wish him a speedy recovery. I will, with your Lordships' permission, come down a bit, to congratulate...
Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many children in England and Wales leave primary school education without the ability to read and write to a proficient standard.
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, the World Bank and the IMF are institutions that were founded over 50 years ago and were suitable for the landscape in the world at that time. Today there are serious concerns about the appropriateness of the World Bank and the IMF, let alone the president of the World Bank's partner's salary. What are the Government doing to initiate and encourage urgently needed reform of the...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords—
Rob Marris: ...labour—from which they would like to draw is correspondingly smaller than it should be, owing to those blocked opportunities. I pay tribute to companies such as Cobra Beer, headed by the noble Lord Bilimoria, which has tried to address that problem. In particular I pay tribute to Richard Stockdale, the chief executive officer of Lloyds TSB plc in India, whom I met in Mumbai and again...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords, the United States has been the major backer of the World Bank by far and it is today. Many other countries are in a position to back and fund the World Bank but do not. The reality is that the United States will have a huge influence on the appointment, but does that excuse the complete secrecy that shrouds the process? Will the Government assure us that they will press for a...
Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their target for the amount of physical exercise children should take; and how many children are meeting that target.
Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the level of investment required in energy infrastructure for the United Kingdom to maintain its current level of competitiveness.
Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the level of investment required in transport infrastructure for the United Kingdom to maintain its current level of competitiveness.
Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the United Kingdom's investment in research and development compares to that of other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development nations.
