Lord Wallace of Saltaire: My Lords, I, too, start by welcoming the noble Lord, Lord Hennessy, back. It is tremendous to see him again. We have missed him greatly. I gather he was compared to Bagehot, not Dicey. I have also always doubted the value of Dicey as a constitutional expert since I first read his views on Irish home rule. They seemed to bias his entire approach to sovereignty, the rule of law and almost...
Lord Kerr of Kinlochard: ...and quantity of contributions to this debate show how grateful the House is to the most reverend Primate for choosing this subject and introducing it so inspiringly. I thank him. I think it was in Sebastian Haffner’s wonderful memoir Defying Hitler that I read the story of the south London Germans—mainly Jewish—who were rounded up in 1939 and taken to the Crystal Palace football...
Lord Snape: ...that young police officers perform tasks that no one else would want to do and, while quite properly taking action against those who misbehave, we should recognise that, for many of them, coming to work means the sort of role that I have just outlined. As for police officers in the West Midlands, I am grateful to the police commissioner for some of the facts and figures on financial cuts...
Michelle Donelan: ...increased level of funding announced in the 2021/22 financial year, which was significantly higher than the £1.4 billion per year typically allocated over the 2016-2021 Spending Review period. It comes on top of the new School Rebuilding Programme which will transform 500 schools over the next decade. Our investment in this Spending Review period builds on nearly £30 billion of capital...
Lord Greenhalgh: ...is also Steve Day. Not a day goes by without Steve Day contacting me by some means or other—at any time of the day, I hasten to add. He has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of RAQ residents and come up with constructive ways in which we can strengthen the Building Safety Bill. It is not just the cladding groups. There are also the leasehold groups such as the Leasehold Knowledge...
Lord Benyon: ...length a number of the points he raised, so I do not intend to detain the House long. He made an incredibly good speech, and some of his points struck home—I felt a bit like that painting of St Sebastian. The weakest argument he put, echoed by my noble friend Lord Cormack, seemed to suggest that this House cannot hold two thoughts in its head at the same time. Of course, the priority of...
George Freeman: ...South (Andy Carter), who demonstrated his experience in the industry. I also thank a whole range of voices to which I have been listening carefully. The tone of the debate has been extremely welcome, and I pay tribute to the hon. Member for Cardiff West for bringing the debate to the House in that way, with this level of cross-party engagement. It is all to the good and this is what the...
Alex Sobel: ...one or two in the EU if we resolve this issue. The live events sector was the last to reopen after lockdown. Musicians across the country were forced to rely on the complex self-employment income support scheme, their savings or, in some cases, universal credit for income. Many have fallen out of the industry altogether. We have emerged from lockdown into post-Brexit Britain, which has had...
Brian Whittle: ...narrowly missed a medal when she came fourth in the 800m. That highlights the importance of athletes having a support network and training partners as they strive to achieve in the arena. I will come on to that topic shortly. I must also mention Josh Kerr’s bronze medal in the 1500m, with a time that ranks him second in the UK all-time list. We should ponder that for a second—that is...
Peter Bottomley: ...been sent to jail and fined millions of pounds. The millions of pounds would have made up for the losses of the ordinary leaseholders who were failed by them. I also pay tribute to Martin Boyd and Sebastian O’Kelly, chief executive and trustee of the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, who have done so much, and they have now joined members of the National Leasehold Campaign and Bob...
Neil Coyle: I beg to move, That this House has considered reform of the Mental Health Act 1983. It is an absolute pleasure to serve under you in the Chair, Ms Buck. I thank everyone who has come along to speak on our last day here before the summer recess and in 38° heat—we are used to 38 Degrees in our inboxes, but not in the Chamber. I also thank all the organisations that have supported this...
Peter Bottomley: We owe progress to a number of people. I want to mention Lynn Boyd first, as she is the one who encourages Martin Boyd, who, along with Sebastian O’Kelly, has created the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership. They have also got better retirement solutions to deal with exploitation in the retirement market. Without them, I do not think that those MPs who have been trying to organise would have...
Brian Whittle: ...on the STEP programme. I do not know how many decision makers in this place—or in any other place for that matter—fully grasped that concept. On Tuesday night, I watched a TV programme in which Sebastian Coe said that sport is “not funded properly. We’ve strangled the life out of the youth services in this country ... Politicians ... still really don’t get that ... They don’t...
Jim Fitzpatrick: ...various statements—written and oral—a White Paper, calls for evidence and consultations. The Law Commission has been tasked with a major review of the law and is on the case. The first anomaly comes with the purchase of the property. I say “purchase”, but as the Library briefing makes clear: “Owners of long leasehold properties do not necessarily appreciate that, although they...
Nicola Sturgeon: I give that undertaking today. I do not know the full details of Sebastian’s case beyond what Mark Griffin has narrated just now, but we are clearly talking about a young baby, so I understand his parents’ distress. We will all want the baby to get the treatment that he needs as quickly as possible. I will ask the health secretary to look into this as a matter of urgency and will come...
Adam Tomkins: ...but the world. Bands love playing in Glasgow because the venues are great and the people who flock to them are the best crowds in the world. Nothing beats a Friday night gig in Glasgow. Bands come to Glasgow to be discovered and they keep coming back once they have broken through. Of course, Glasgow grows its own bands and musicians: Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, Franz...
Peter Bottomley: ...strong enough. I am glad that there are now more people there who have more of a commitment to more engagement. The Minister needs to have a quiet word. When embargoed notices of what was going to come out at midnight were sent out, every single journalist was obviously going to ring up Martin Boyd, Sebastian O’Kelly and one or two MPs who were involved, who had not had a copy of the...
Peter Bottomley: ...to make the national health service work in a way that people want it to. It will not abolish all the problems, but it is a great way forward. As I understand it, some of the adaptations that have come forward during the last 10 days’ negotiation will be even better for doctors who have caring responsibilities. It seems to me that we lost sight of that in the years since my wife was...
James Heappey: ...Šefcovic speaks with such conviction about the opportunities for subsea interconnection and transmission in the North sea, I do not see why it should be such a leap for National Grid to become excited about it elsewhere. Indeed, National Grid shares my enthusiasm and that of the Government for marine energy generation schemes. In its “Future Energy Scenarios” document, it talks keenly...
Jim Fitzpatrick: ...) has led on the issue, having campaigned on leasehold reform for many years. I am pleased to support him, backed up by the Leasehold Knowledge Partnership, which is organised by Martin Boyd and Sebastian O’Kelly. The hon. Gentleman and I have arranged a number of open forums here at Westminster for parties interested in leasehold reform. They have been attended by professional bodies,...