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: 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 Drayson: My Lords, the intention is to do both. We are working in an imaginative way to ensure that we have the diversity of skills that we need in our Armed Forces, taking into account the increasing importance of specialist experience. That imaginative approach, some of it relating to advertising, needs to be continued. The noble Earl, Lord Attlee, highlighted in the case of reservists—though it...
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....
Lord Haskel: My Lords, in a perfect world, this debate would not be necessary. As other noble Lords have said, our forefathers intended to move from a hereditary House to an elected House. Instead, they chose to move from a hereditary House to an elected House via an appointed House. Who is to say that they were wrong? Slow change is a feature of life in this country, and I am in favour of it as long as...
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, 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 Davies of Oldham: My Lords, I have only a short time in which to reply to a debate in which there have been 16 contributors, so perhaps the noble Lord will forgive me on this occasion. A key theme followed by a number of speakers in the debate was voiced most completely by my noble friend Lady Gale, concerning the role of women in society and why it is important that we extend equality of opportunity and...
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords—
Lord Bilimoria: My Lords—
Lord McKenzie of Luton: My Lords, this has been a wide-ranging debate. Before I respond to it, like other noble Lords, I should like to place on record my admiration for the service given to this House and the Government by my noble friend Lord Sainsbury of Turville. He has a fine record, particularly in his promotion of science and innovation. I also add my welcome to the Front Bench to my noble friend and...
Lord Bilimoria
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...
