Licensing Act 2003

Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Wednesday 9th October 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

Yes, I would certainly vouch for that. There has been a lot of co-operation from the retail trade. I met representatives of the Association of Convenience Stores at the Conservative party conference, where they had a meeting. They are very supportive of retail initiatives of this sort. This morning I met Richard Antcliff, the chief anti-social behaviour officer in Nottinghamshire, and I went to Nottingham to see the work being done in that city to reduce alcohol abuse. Communities can do an awful lot on this issue and the Home Office would encourage any such initiatives.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall (Lab)]

My Lords, following on from the last question, does the noble Lord not agree that although there are obviously deficiencies in the way that the 2003 Act has operated, which give rise to some of these difficulties, one of the main problems is the enormously wide availability of alcohol at very low prices? Do the Government have any plans at the moment to address that?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

Licensing of alcohol in retail outlets is, of course, in the hands of licensing authorities, but the pricing has been challenged—and, indeed, I have been challenged by noble Lords in this House on this issue. The Government have announced the policy on this; there will be a policy whereby drink cannot be sold at cost plus duty plus VAT, which in effect puts a floor on cheap sales of alcohol. I think that that should be encouraged.

Food: Waste

Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Tuesday 20th March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

A great deal of work has been done on food marking. Some of those labels merely tell the shops when the product should be taken off the shelves, and it is really more for stock control. Some great strides have been made. The reduction in food waste will depend very much on consumers being aware that the use-by date still means that you can freeze the product and that it is still healthy to eat. By informing the consumers about the practical information that is available to them, we can save people throwing away food that is perfectly healthy.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall]

My Lords, following on from the question of the noble Lord, Lord Laming, does the Minister agree that a great many people now growing up do not understand either how to buy or to prepare food, that often food is wasted because people are driven to believe the sell-by dates that are put on to packaged food, and that they have no mechanisms for understanding how to use their own common sense in discerning whether food is fit for consumption? Will he ask his colleagues in the Department for Education to look into educating pupils better about that matter?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I am sure that we could all learn good household skills. It is never too late to learn about some of these very basic matters. I agree with the noble Baroness that a lot of food waste is caused by careless shopping and food stocking. This applies not just within the household but within the commercial and catering trades. That is why we are trying to tackle this problem on all fronts.

Defra: Research and Development

Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Thursday 20th October 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

My Lords, my noble friend will know that the Government have taken on board the findings of the Taylor review, which is a commitment of Defra’s business plan. As the Minister responsible for science and research in the department, I can assure her that the issue is high on the department’s agenda.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall]

My Lords, does the Minister agree that one of the most vital aspects of effective food production is the success of the honey-bee in this country? Does he agree that the honey-bee is currently under threat in a variety of ways, including from the Varroa mites, which may or may not cause colony collapse disorder, and, now we learn, from the probable arrival of the Asian hornet? Will he reassure the House that research funding into the survival of honey-bee colonies will be maintained and will he also stress, wherever possible, the importance of domestic bee-keeping—I speak as the mother and the daughter of domestic bee-keepers—particularly in cities and towns?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I assure the noble Baroness that this is high on the agenda. Indeed, as she probably knows, the Government are funding a pollinator programme—not just bees but other pollinating insects are vital for the biodiversity that we are seeking to maintain. I have seen for myself the work being done at FERA in York, where not only are the problems affecting bees being looked at, but we are very alert to the Asian hornet and the threat that that poses. I have personal acquaintance with such insects from when I occasionally visit France, so I know that they are a real threat to bee-keepers and honey production.

Census

Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Monday 13th June 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

No, it is entirely voluntary, but I would hope that people would realise why it is important to complete the survey.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall]

My Lords, if it is the purpose of this survey to ensure that the information on the census forms is, broadly speaking, accurate, is it possible to ensure that Members of this House are included in that survey? I wonder whether the Minister is aware that the way that the census form was designed made it extremely difficult for people who are Members of this House to give accurate information about how they spend their working days.

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I thank the noble Baroness for that question. I struggled a little to complete my own form and was rather embarrassed by that considering that I have occasionally to answer questions on the subject. So I understand exactly what she is saying. However, I can reassure her that were she part of the postcode lottery—that is, the postcode selected for this interview process—she might indeed find that somebody wanted to interview her about her census form. If so, it would be a very much abbreviated questionnaire compared with the one that she was asked to fill in in the first place.

Elections: Second Home Owners

Debate between Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Wednesday 26th January 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I wondered when that question would be posed, because it ties in with the debates that we are currently having on the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Bill. The distortions that all databases have—the census is no exception, because it, too, has to be assessed in various areas because of low returns—are distortions to the electorate numbers and would affect electorates in university towns and coastal recreational areas in particular. I should emphasise, however, that residences that are used primarily for recreational purposes are not, in general terms, considered to be second residences and should not be registered.

[Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall]

My Lords, the noble Lord has properly reminded the House that it is illegal to vote twice in the same general election. Will he say, under the present arrangements, how it is possible to police that law; and how many people does he think, or does he know, have actually been prosecuted for doing that?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I can answer the second question by saying that we are not aware of any prosecutions. As with so many British institutions, it depends on trust.