Flooding: Defences

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Tuesday 8th November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I would start where the noble Baroness finished—I thoroughly endorse what she said about the great sadnesses and difficulties of many communities after the floods last year. That is why we are investing £2.5 billion over six years in improving flood defences and spending more than £1 billion on maintaining defences over the course of this Parliament, much more than in the last Parliament. Of course, we all need to work on this. That is why I sent a letter to your Lordships about what is actually happening through the Environment Agency. So far as the EFRA report is concerned, we are in fact implementing many recommendations already, and managing watercourses on an entire-catchment-area basis.

[Lord Elton (Con)]

My Lords, the limitation of damage depends very much on an early and quick response to risk. Can my noble friend tell us what has been done to make sure that the emergency equipment that he has referred to is available in relatively local terms, rather than having to be shipped across four or five counties?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, that is why, for instance, more than 100 specialist flood rescue teams and associated equipment are on standby across the country, as part of the National Asset Register. It is absolutely clear that early warning is important so that the preparedness that I spoke about in my letter is adhered to. We are certainly working to ensure that as many communities as possible are well aware of flood risk.

Food Supply: Sustainability

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Monday 14th September 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Elton]

My Lords, will my noble friend tell us what has actually gone wrong with the Rural Payments Agency system and what is being done to put it right?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I know that my ministerial colleagues are working with the RPA on this. We are seeking to ensure that all payments are made promptly and we are working to that effect.

Imperial War Museum

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Monday 19th January 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I very much hope that we are going to get the best of both worlds: that the core collection will of course remain accessible but that there is a greater opportunity for future generations who are not able, perhaps, to come to London or attend the other museum sites. I should say, however, that with regard to the educational services, £8 million has been found through the LIBOR fines fund, which will enable the Imperial War Museum to ensure that throughout the commemoration period its formal education services are retained.

[Lord Elton (Con)]

My noble friend started by adumbrating the new services that will be available. Will he tell us whether the old services, or the contemporary services, will be curtailed as a result, or whether they will be maintained at the present level.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, it is fair to say that the changes will reflect a number of changes in the library and Explore History service. That is the whole purpose of what the Imperial War Museum is seeking to do, which is to cut its costs and provide a modern service. As I say, there will be access, but it will also be undertaking a review and consulting, and that is what is currently taking place with the unions and staff.

Elections: 16 and 17 Year-olds

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Thursday 17th October 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Elton (Con)]

This is about participation. Will the Minister start talking about maturity, judgment and experience and how they relate to the decision about when people should have the power to vote for the future of this country, to fight for it, and the age of consent? A broad range of decisions is based on calendar age. If the biological age of this country is changing, we need to know.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, in preparation for this Question I asked about age-related legal thresholds for a number of issues. My noble friend mentioned fighting for our country. At 18 you can join the Armed Forces without the consent of a parent or guardian, be deployed, sit on a jury, buy alcohol and hold a licence to sell alcohol. There are many other sectors in which 18 is considered a suitable age-related threshold.

First World War: Commemoration

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Tuesday 12th February 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, in the extensive briefing that I have had, the word “celebration” has never featured at all. This is a moment for our nation and other nations to commemorate gallant men and women, and that is the whole focus of what the Government are seeking to lead on. On the noble Lord’s point about community projects, yes, there will be at least £6 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund for community-based projects. In addition, £9 million has already been committed to World War I-related projects across the land and there will be activities overseas as well.

[Lord Elton]

My Lords, the engagements that my noble friend listed in his substantive Answer are all well remembered. However, I ask him to put before those who are arranging this event the less well remembered but almost more tragic campaign in Mesopotamia during the First World War. I declare an interest, if that is the right way of putting it, as the son of one of the small minority of survivors from the besieged garrison who survived both that campaign and the horrific treatment they received on the 1,000-mile march afterwards. Can that be put on record as a commemoration as well?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, there will be discussions with the Turkish authorities on matters such as the Mesopotamian expeditionary force and the work undertaken by men and women from India as well as from our country. If I may say so, my late father-in-law served in the Poona Horse in Mesopotamia in the second war, so I am aware of the bravery of men and women in that sector, too.

Retail Prices Index

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Wednesday 14th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

My Lords, I should emphasise that this exercise, on which I am endeavouring to answer, is a consultation process and that it is only at a latter stage and under very special circumstances that Ministers would become involved in it. If a recommendation were to be made by the statistics authority, the Bank of England would be consulted on whether any proposal would be a fundamental change to the basic calculation of the RPI that would be materially detrimental to the interests of holders of relevant index-linked gilts. It is only at that stage, if the Bank considered a proposed change to the RPI to be fundamental and materially detrimental, that the agreement of the Chancellor would be required. As I have said, I do not think that any of us should prejudge an independent consultation.

[Lord Elton]

My Lords, did I gather from my noble friend’s answer that the effect on gilts is the only consideration that the Government would have before they made up their mind on this?

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

It is obviously one of the considerations, but there will clearly be a number of considerations. There are effects in terms both of the liabilities for index-linked gilts as well as the assets. However, the point that I wish to make is that there is a process by which all these considerations are made and there are regular reviews of the RPI.

Arbitration and Mediation Services (Equality) Bill [HL]

Debate between Lord Elton and Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Friday 19th October 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I thank my noble friend for that intervention because it gives me an opportunity to conclude by saying that the Government are fully committed to protecting the rights of all citizens, and there is legislation in place to uphold those rights. What I said earlier is that the Government are actively working with groups to ensure that there is awareness and a change of attitude. The Government believe that that is the best way forward to ensure that the points of view that have been expressed so widely around the House—

[Lord Elton]

I am sorry, I am right behind my noble friend—in one sense only. I intervene just to ask my noble friend whether, when he develops the policies he has told us about in Olympian terms, he will be very careful as regards the sources of the briefings he is given and the research that has gone into them. It is clear that some of the briefings I have seen have simply been drawn from the bodies that are being investigated themselves, with no connection at all with those who have suffered at their hands, or indeed did not even know that they had any recourse.

[Lord Gardiner of Kimble]

I can assure my noble friend that the Government and all the other groups that are interested in resolving this issue will be looking at all the evidence. In reaching the conclusions on how best to take it forward, we will be bringing forward a matter that is sensitive, and therefore the Government are working hard with other groups to ensure—