Proposed Merger of Sainsbury’s and Asda

Lord Palmer Excerpts

Tuesday 1st May 2018 Lords Chamber

[Lord Henley]

No, my Lords, on this occasion the CMA will be doing this job. I think we can all say—even the noble Lord might agree—that, thankfully, the Commission will not be involved in any way at all.

[Lord Palmer (CB)]

My Lords, I have been involved in the food industry all my working life. Is this not in a way the thin end of the wedge? We already have completely deserted high streets. Are we shortly going to have completely deserted out-of-town shopping centres?

[Lord Henley]

My Lords, I am aware of the noble Lord’s involvement in the food industry. We have been eating biscuits bearing his name for some time, except I am not sure if we do eat those biscuits any more. The noble Lord will be aware that the retail world is changing, because that is what consumers require. It is not in our power to stop those changes; we must live with them. The retail sector itself must look at how the high street is changing and adapt accordingly.

Fuel Poverty

Lord Palmer Excerpts

Thursday 19th October 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Lord raises a very important point. As he will know, from 2018 private landlords will not be able to let their property to new tenants unless the property is at least band E. The cost of getting to band E is an issue that is under negotiation at the moment with Claire Perry, the Minister responsible for green energy. I hope that we will make some serious progress in that area over the next few months.

[Lord Palmer (CB)]

My Lords, is it not a scandal that in 2017 any household should be living in fuel poverty?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, that is a question that should be directed at poverty as a whole. The fact of the matter is that successive Governments, on both sides of this House and the other House, have done what they can to reduce poverty and to create a just and fairer society. So long as there are people living in poverty, whether fuel poverty or any other form of poverty, we have clearly failed.

Fuel Poverty

Lord Palmer Excerpts

Tuesday 25th October 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Palmer (CB)]

My Lords, in this day and age, is it not an absolute disgrace that any household should live in fuel poverty?

[Baroness Neville-Rolfe]

It is certainly a problem, and it has been a problem for successive Administrations. We are trying to move forward: as has been said, the Prime Minister has commented on this area. We need to reach right across the piece: recently I met Christians Against Poverty and discussed its work to help the most vulnerable in society. As with so many issues, this is quite complex. We need to move forward in the competition area, and with meters, and we need to make sure that the schemes for improving energy efficiency—a long-term way of reducing energy bills—are focused on those who really need them.