Gift Vouchers

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd January 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

I must admit that since my grandparents passed away, I have not received a postal order. I am aware that the challenge is that the gift voucher is often given but the details are held by the purchaser. There is a dislocation between what is on the voucher and what is on its receipt. That is why, in working with the UK Gift Card & Voucher Association, I would like there to be a stronger connection between the voucher itself and the information about it, which should be readily determined. I strongly encourage the association to ensure this.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Lab)]

My Lords, given that it is possible to make changes so that there can be clearer identification regarding the voucher, the purchaser and the person who receives it, is it not possible to develop a system in which we can try to persuade better corporate responsibility, so that if in fact a voucher is not redeemed its cash equivalent is paid to a charity?

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

That is an interesting idea. I will take it away and give it further thought.

Frequent Flyer Airmiles Schemes

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe Excerpts

Monday 21st October 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

It is not the policy of the Government to intervene in these commercial decisions. It is also important to recognise that this is a regressive step in many respects.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Lab)]

Is it not the Government’s responsibility to ensure that anybody going on a flight should know what damage is being done to the environment as a consequence of that flight? Is it not time that each individual should have on their ticket or in the email sent to them the amount of carbon that they will be using on that flight? Is it not right that we should have an international scheme whereby the more that people fly, which is recorded on their carbon footprint, the greater the contribution they should make towards the cost of the flight and towards putting the environment right by a tax that increases with more flying?

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

To be very clear, our air passenger duty is a tax commonly passed on to passengers: the more you fly, the more you pay. Additionally, this should be addressed at international level, as the noble Lord said. I am not averse to the notion of people being more fully aware of what they are participating in, and I will examine that more carefully.

Nuclear Power Stations

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe Excerpts

Monday 9th September 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

I strongly discourage my noble friend not to stop breathing out.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe (Lab)]

My Lords, perhaps I may press the Minister to go back to the Question and to the question asked by my noble friend Lord Whitty. We rely to a fair degree on electricity from nuclear power stations in France. What assessment has been made of the position if the French, because of climate change, should decide that they cannot maintain the same level of supply as in the past? What guarantees do we have that that will not happen, and what assessment has been made of how we will make up a shortfall?

[Lord Duncan of Springbank]

The simple answer is that we cannot guarantee what the French nuclear system will do. France is an independent nation in that regard. We have to make sure that our provision is adequate to ensure that the lights do not go off and that the supply of electricity is absolutely maintained. That is why we rely not solely on nuclear but on a breadth of electricity generation. We will continue to do so at the safest levels possible.

Environment: Drought

Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe Excerpts

Tuesday 14th June 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I think that noble Lords will find that more will be said on this in the White Paper. A good deal of water is already transferred within the United Kingdom. There are some longer links; Welsh water goes all over the place already—for which the noble Lord, Lord Wigley, will no doubt vouch—and there are links between the fenland waterways and those of Essex. Ofwat is looking at its regulatory regimes to see if there are ways in which they inhibit the trading of water between companies. The water companies themselves are key agents of the distribution of water in this country.

[Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe]

At one time there were plans for a salination plant to be built in the Thames—

[Lord Greaves]

My Lords—