Ship Recycling (Facilities and Requirements for Hazardous Materials on Ships) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020

Lord Bishop of Salisbury Excerpts

Wednesday 18th November 2020 Grand Committee

[The Lord Bishop of Salisbury]

My Lords, neither ship recycling nor Northern Ireland are my territory, though church is sometimes seen as an ark to gather people safely and hazardous materials are a concern for us all. It is important for Northern Ireland to thrive as best it can within the new political arrangements that are still unfolding. The purpose of this SI is clear and not controversial; it is to the benefit of one shipyard in Northern Ireland. The EU has developed a good scheme for overseeing this process and I am sure we will be glad to continue to use it.

I was very struck by the statement that an impact assessment has not been prepared for this SI, because there are no significant impacts—well, yes and no. Yes, in the narrow confines of the SI; no, because it all depends on what is being measured. Shipping is a key part of the transport carbon footprint—not just marine diesel, although, heaven knows, agreements about that internationally are hard enough to get. More and more, we are looking at the whole life cycle of manufacture, use and disposal, as the Minister pointed out in her introduction.

One impact of Covid-19 is an increase in the scrappage of car carriers, ore carriers and cruise ships. There are jobs here—more importantly there is the need to raise our ambition with regard to environmental legislation brought across from the EU. Here is a wonderful opportunity to set out our ambition for a circular economy. I hope that, come January, our sights might be raised to meet that sort of ambition. That said, the SI does not really pose a problem, but it is an opportunity to set out more of the goals that I think lie ahead of us in relation to our environmental responsibilities.

Disabled Access: Standards

Lord Bishop of Salisbury Excerpts

Wednesday 28th February 2018 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Sugg]

My Lords, we are working closely with all parts of the travel sector to ensure that there is accessibility for assistance dogs across trains and taxis. But I will certainly look into the accessibility of buildings.

[The Lord Bishop of Salisbury]

Does the Minister agree with the UN committee’s concern that not enough is being done to apply the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and to involve disabled people themselves in decisions that affect their lives? What have the Government heard from disabled people themselves about the impact of austerity on their access to the physical environment and to housing, transport, information and other services? How will the Minister respond to disabled people’s concerns about the UK’s increasing non-compliance with existing legislation affecting their access to these things—for example, our meeting the obligation to carry out impact assessments and gather statistics about policies likely to have a disproportionately negative impact on disabled people?

[Baroness Sugg]

My Lords, as I said, the Government are absolutely committed to improving the lives of disabled people in both the UK and through our international development work. We are constructively considering the UN recommendations and will provide an update on the report, as requested, this summer. We have some of the strongest equalities legislation in the world, including the Equality Act 2010. We also have a strong record of engaging with disabled people to inform policy-making across government, supported by clear guidance stating the need to consult with all groups impacted—but of course we seek to continually improve our practices. For example, as I just mentioned, the Department for Transport is consulting on proposed changes to the blue badge scheme, and the views of disabled people received during this consultation will be critical in finalising policy.