Brexit: Aerospace and Automotive Industries

Debate between Lord Roberts of Llandudno and Lord Prior of Brampton

Tuesday 14th March 2017 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I think that the Prime Minister has made it absolutely clear that it is our intention to negotiate a free trade agreement with the European Union. That is the policy priority over the next two years.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, has the Minister considered the situation of Airbus, which is in Flintshire in North Wales and employs 7,000 people, as well as people in the ancillary industries? The wings are produced in Broughton, and there are plants in Filton, near Bristol, Hamburg and Toulouse. The whole of the European Union is involved in building the Airbus. How will we secure the future of those jobs, not only in Wales but in the rest of the European Union?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Lord makes an extremely important point. Airbus, in a sense, is globalisation writ large. France, given the huge investment in Toulouse, Germany and the UK—Wales and England —have a very great mutuality of interest in negotiating a deal that enables Airbus to compete competitively with Boeing. So it would be extraordinary if we cannot negotiate a deal that enables Airbus to continue to prosper.

Health: Diabetes and Obesity

Debate between Lord Roberts of Llandudno and Lord Prior of Brampton

Thursday 30th June 2016 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I think that the levy on sugary drinks has been universally welcomed as a start. That the proceeds of the levy will be put into the sport premium in primary schools and lengthening the school day in secondary schools is all for the good. If we are to address obesity, it has be across a very wide front.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, with the cuts in education budgets and consequent reduction in the number of nurses in schools, who are able to keep a special eye on diabetic pupils, will the Minister give an instruction that is helpful to education authorities and schools to replace somehow the specialised nursing staff who have done such a great job over the years?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

My Lords, I cannot address the specific issue of the number of nursing staff in schools, but the Government are well aware that encouraging children to eat well and take exercise is a crucial part of any obesity strategy. As I said, our strategy will be revealed later in the year.

Primary Care: Targets

Debate between Lord Roberts of Llandudno and Lord Prior of Brampton

Tuesday 13th October 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I completely agree with those comments. Over the next five years, we will see much greater integration of acute hospitals and primary care and community care.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, the suggestion has been made that nurses from overseas who are not earning £35,000 after five years will be deported. Does this mean that the Government are going to think again on this issue?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

This raises an important point—that we ought to train our own nurses. Relying on recruitment from overseas is not a viable long-term strategy and we must increase the number of training places in the UK.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence

Debate between Lord Roberts of Llandudno and Lord Prior of Brampton

Monday 13th July 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I do not think that is a problem. In many ways, in acute hospitals we lack generalists. That is true of consultants as well of nurses. That is actually my noble friend’s point. Possibly there are too many specialists, but on a cardiac ward or a specialist acute ward you need specialist nurses who know how to operate the equipment as well as how to look after the patient. You need a good balance between the two but, if anything, I fear we have, as my noble friend said, become too specialist and insufficiently generalist.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, what is the Minister’s opinion of the Government’s decision to deport nurses from overseas who do not reach the £35,000 a year income level within five years?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Lord raises a good point. We need to train as many of our own nurses as possible. There will be times when we get those calculations wrong and it will be necessary to bring in nurses from overseas. That is not a desirable outcome for many reasons, which there is not time to go into today. We need to train more ourselves.

Prisons: Mental Health

Debate between Lord Roberts of Llandudno and Lord Prior of Brampton

Wednesday 24th June 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

I am not aware of any current plans to conduct a survey similar to the one to which the noble Lord referred from 1998.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, what action will the Government take in Wales, where health is devolved to the Welsh Assembly but prisons are part of the Home Office remit? How will those two different aspects of government work together?

[Lord Prior of Brampton]

The noble Lord raises an issue to which, I confess, I have not given sufficient consideration to give a proper reply today. Perhaps I may take that away and come back to him. The simple answer to that question is: dialogue.