Parliamentary Estate: Traffic Marshals
Debate between Lord McFall of Alcluith and Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Senior Deputy Speaker
My Lords, the Parliamentary Safety Assurance Board and the Logistics Steering Group—both boards of officials of both Houses—gave approval to this additional mitigation. This is in the context of speed bumps, zebra crossings, traffic calming signs and, wherever possible, traffic/pedestrian segregation. I should also say, perhaps for some sceptics, that in the last year there were eight reported near misses, which I think we should all be very aware of, on a busy Parliamentary Estate with not only us as Members but members of staff and visitors.
The Lord Speaker (Lord McFall of Alcluith)
My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Brinton, is participating remotely.
Retail Prices Index
Debate between Lord McFall of Alcluith and Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Lord Gardiner of Kimble
My Lords, this is a consultation about the statistical properties of the RPI and is being undertaken by the independent Office for National Statistics. The UK Statistics Authority is required by statute to promote and safeguard the quality of official statistics, and that is exactly what the Office for National Statistics is doing. I say to my noble friend that things have evolved since 1956, a time when the RPI included the rabbit and the mangle.
Lord McFall of Alcluith
My Lords, the Government will know that pension funds are major investors in government debt and that any changes to index-linked bonds will have far reaching implications. Two questions arise from that. First, how will the growth agenda, which is non-existent just now, prosper without pension funds, which the Government want to get involved in infrastructure? Secondly, with pensions being lessened even more as a result of being linked to CPI, the question arising from pensioners is, “Why are we disproportionately paying for the Government’s deficit reduction programme?”.
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.