Crime: Illegal Arms

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Monday 21st November 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I can tell my noble friend that “unreal” firearms include fake weapons and parts of firearms. BB guns, for example, are imitation guns, while others included in this group are bits of guns and other weapons like stun guns and pepper spray.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, does the Minister think that there is anything our 40 admirals could do to help with this problem?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I think that 40 admirals would come in very handy.

Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Tuesday 13th September 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Laming, for the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbié which he undertook so skilfully. The terms of reference have been agreed by the Home Secretary and the chairman, and have the support of the victims’ and survivors’ group.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Faulks, is absolutely right. What are the Government going to do to take account of that?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, in reference to what my noble friend said, the chairman has undertaken to conduct the inquiry with pace and clarity. Making regular reports does keep Parliament updated on progress.

Student Visas: Pilot Study

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Wednesday 7th September 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

There are always lessons to be learned from situations such as this, and I give the noble Baroness every assurance that investigators are trained properly.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

I support my noble friend Lord McConnell in what he said earlier. This is exactly the kind of decision where a United Kingdom government department will help towards the break-up of the United Kingdom, and it is an absolute disgrace.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I am not sure that there is a question in there, but I will answer by saying that I disagree with the noble Lord.

Immigration

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Wednesday 8th June 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Keen of Elie]

That is simply not the case. We control migration—economic migration and other migration—whether from Europe or elsewhere. In the context of the European Union, of course, there are rules and provisions; but in the context of outside Europe, there are also rules and provisions.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree that it would be a really great pity if the outcome of the vote on 23 June, which affects our lives in so many ways, particularly those of young people, were to be decided by a nasty, xenophobic campaign by some of the Brexiteers?

[Lord Keen of Elie]

To speak of immigration is not to be xenophobic.

Investor Visas: Money Laundering

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Monday 9th May 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, there are schools, hospitals, nationality and honours. Is it possible for people with enough money to buy anything from a Tory Government?

[Lord Keen of Elie]

The question, in my respectful submission, is not well aimed, and there is no question of persons being able to buy their way into the United Kingdom. There is a means by which they can invest in the United Kingdom, but they are subject to very clear checks, which have been improved since 2014.

Immigration: Harmondsworth

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 3rd March 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bates]

It is certainly the case that 92% have been there for less than four months, and the time is reducing. Of course, those who have been there for longer than four months—in fact, for longer than 28 days—are often people who are working very hard to avoid their removal. They are perfectly entitled to do so, but they are trying to frustrate the system. We have concerns about public safety. That is the reason why they are there and have not been granted bail.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Scriven (LD)]

My Lords—

--- Later in debate ---

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con)]

Order. Why does not the noble Lord, Lord Foulkes, ask a question?

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock]

My Lords, we have gone through four Questions this morning. Has the Minister, like me, been thinking, “How long will it be before we can forgive the Liberal Democrats for not dealing with these problems when they were part of the coalition”?

[Lord Bates]

I am out of time.

Police: Body-worn Cameras

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 11th February 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bates]

They will have the standing of authorised professional practice, which comes under the College of Policing. That is published and it is open to review. However, we have changed the procedure from the Home Office guidance on body-worn cameras issued in 2007 to give the National College of Policing and chief constables greater power and authority to make those decisions, although that is public and will be open to scrutiny.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, I thank the Minister for answering the questions that are posed to him, unlike some of his colleagues, who ignore the questions and read from a ministerial brief. Will he consider having a word with them?

Airports: Expansion

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 4th February 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I can assure the noble Baroness—I speak for all my noble friends on the Front Bench and beyond—that we always seek to give answers faithfully from this Dispatch Box.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

Will the Minister confirm that airports policy is now being co-ordinated by Sir John Chilcot?

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

That may be the noble Lord’s view; it is certainly not mine.

HS2

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Thursday 22nd October 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I do agree with the noble Lord, although I am a bit perturbed by his suggestion that I was around in the 1830s—perhaps he is suggesting I have aged at the Dispatch Box. Nevertheless, there is a valid case to be made here. The primary case for HS2 is establishing links throughout the whole country but it is also important, as the noble Lord said, to address the capacity challenges we currently face on our rail network.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

Does the Minister agree that the real economic case for HS2 depends on its extension to Edinburgh and Glasgow? Since there are no objections to it in the north of England and Scotland, would it not be sensible to start building now, as quickly as possible, in the north of England and Scotland? That would also provide a market for British steel.

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

I commend the noble Lord—he is a great champion for Scotland and for the United Kingdom. The investment we are making in our rail network across the board, not just in HS2, underlines our commitment to ensuring that the whole country is connected. As the noble Lord will be aware, we have laid plans: we are moving forward with the first stage of HS2 in 2017, and great investment is being made in transport for the north and connectivity across Scotland. He makes a very valid point about connectivity across the country, and it is certainly a principle that I support.

Airports Commission

Lord Foulkes of Cumnock Excerpts

Monday 7th September 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon]

There is no dithering. Let us be quite clear here: it was the previous Government under the current Prime Minister, the same Prime Minister, who commissioned the report. The report was commissioned in 2012. The findings were received—very detailed analysis I am sure the noble Lord recognises—and there were 70,000 responses contained within the commission’s report. Therefore, it is quite right that a considered opinion is given to the commission’s recommendations, and that decision will be made not in due course, as I say again, but as the Prime Minister—the head of the Government—has made clear, by the end of this year, that is 2015.

[Lord Foulkes of Cumnock (Lab)]

My Lords, I wonder if the Minister would make an educated guess—

[The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con)]

Order. It is actually the turn of the Liberal Democrat Benches.