Afghanistan

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate Excerpts

Monday 12th July 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)]

The UK embassy in Kabul will remain open after the end of the Resolute Support Mission. We take the protection of our staff extremely seriously and will keep security under constant review. In the immediate term, there will be a small number of troops, consistent with a diplomatic presence, that will remain to offer assurance to the international community in Kabul as we transfer to the end of the mission.

[Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl) [V]]

My Lords, the British Armed Forces are to be applauded for their commitment and tenacity on behalf of us all over the last 20 years to keep us safe. Would the Leader of the House say if there will be a residual garrison remaining in Afghanistan to protect British interests, such as consul buildings, and does she believe the Taliban when they say they have changed their views on the emancipation and education of girls and women?

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)]

All UK troops assigned to NATO’s Resolute Support Mission will draw down with allies and partners, but as I said in my answer to the previous question, in the immediate term a small number of troops consistent with a diplomatic presence will remain to offer assurance to the international community in Kabul.

Covid-19 Update

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate Excerpts

Thursday 13th May 2021 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)]

I hope that I can provide that reassurance. As I said in response to the noble Baroness, Lady Smith, we are ramping up plans for the programme of booster shots. We are working with current suppliers but also new suppliers such as CureVac; we have signed an agreement for a further 60 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine to be used as part of the booster programme; and we are obviously working on the flu jab programme. This is very much in our minds. We are making plans and, at the moment, we are very confident that we will be able to deliver this and are taking steps to do so.

[Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl) [V]]

My Lords, I welcome the repeat of the Statement made in another place. The purpose of any inquiry must be to establish the facts of the pandemic and learn lessons for the future. Already, we have learned through tremendous scientific co-operation—both private and public—with the Government, who have produced and procured successful vaccines. Of course, all this is for naught if we do not combat the mass misinformation that reduces the effectiveness of the vaccination campaign. With over 127,000 bereaved families mourning their loved ones, can the noble Baroness say whether the important aspect of vaccine denial, particularly on social media, should be included in the terms of reference?

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)]

As I have said, the terms of reference will be published in due course, but the noble Lord makes an extremely important point. We can be proud as a country that we have done very well to stamp out some of these false stories. Take-up has been extremely high, which has allowed us to move forward with the road map and everything else. I am not saying that there are not still challenges, but a lot of work across communities, through local government and community groups, helped to ensure that we got out strong messages about the importance of vaccination, and we are seeing the positive effects of that.

Covid-19 Update

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate Excerpts

Thursday 25th June 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

The noble Lord is absolutely right: local authorities have a key role to play. That is why we have made £3.2 billion of funding available to support them in delivering essential services. This funding was paid as an non-ring-fenced amount, so that they could decide how best to spend it. We have also helped to ease the immediate pressures that councils have faced by bringing forward payments of social care grants totalling £850 million and allowing councils to defer £2.6 billion in business rates payments to central government. In total, we have committed over £27 billion to local areas to support councils and their communities and to help them in their vital work.

[Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl) [V]]

My Lords, in the light of the disgraceful scenes in south London last night, in which a number of police officers were injured, what additional planning have the Government put in place to support the police in view of the approach of a possibly long, hot summer and a greater consumption of alcohol from 4 July?

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

The noble Lord is absolutely right about the scenes that we saw. However, I stress that the vast majority of our citizens have abided by the guidelines and behaved respectfully. It is thanks to their sacrifice and everything that they have done that we are now in a position to gradually unlock the present situation. The Home Secretary is having ongoing discussions with the police about the pressures that they face, and those will continue. The police deserve our thanks for all their work.

Covid-19: Strategy

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate Excerpts

Tuesday 12th May 2020 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

I thank the right reverend Prelate for his comments; he is absolutely right. I assure him that mental and physical health and well-being, as well as the financial pressures that many people are facing, are foremost in our minds. As he rightly said, it is critical that, having got the disease under control, and being able to take steps forward, we make sure we continue with that. If we do start to see the R number rise again, we have to take swift action to make sure that we do not see a second peak.

[Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, the new lockdown rules are making the job of the police “almost impossible”. Those are not my words, but those of John Apter, the chairman of the front-line Police Federation. On the next sunny weekend, a father of five in London can now gather his household and drive for a day’s exercise to the Lake District. Were the police consulted on this relaxation of the rules? What advice would the Leader of the House give to the police who might check the vehicle as it enters Cumbria, particularly in the light of convoys of other drivers doing the same thing? Finally, does she think that this decision is an example of good, solid, British common sense?

[Baroness Evans of Bowes Park]

First, I pay tribute to the police for the fantastic work that they have done. I assure the noble Lord that the Home Office has been working closely with the police to make sure that the new guidance is clear to officers. The police are updating their guidance regularly and those discussions will continue. The overwhelming majority of the public will follow the rules without the need for enforcement action or for the police to take action. That is welcome, but the police must have the ability to act if people are acting recklessly. They have been doing that around the country and we commend them for their great work.

Legislative Scrutiny: Digitalisation

Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

As the noble Lord knows, I used to work at the BBC. If he would like, I could give him chapter and verse some other time on the way in which decisions are made on the costing of channels. While we do not have our own dedicated channel, it is important for us all to be aware that people have access to what goes on in this Chamber and in all the other democratic Chambers around the UK via a BBC service called “Democracy Live”, as well as what is available through parliamentlive.tv.

[Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, does the noble Baroness think that perhaps we should be a little more cautious about moving towards a more digital economy before advancing a bit more in the area of cybercrime?

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

The noble Lord is starting to take me off the heart of the Question, which is about the digital means for us to be able to do our jobs here in this House. But he makes an important point.