Lord Smith of Finsbury Portrait

Lord Smith of Finsbury

Labour - Life peer

Became Member: 22nd June 2005


Lord Smith of Finsbury is not a member of any APPGs
2 Former APPG memberships
Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT+) Rights, National Trust
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
22nd Jul 1997 - 8th Jun 2001
Secretary of State for National Heritage
3rd May 1997 - 22nd Jul 1997
Shadow Secretary of State
1st Jul 1996 - 1st May 1997
Shadow Secretary of State
1st Jul 1995 - 1st Jul 1996
Shadow Secretary of State
1st Jul 1994 - 1st Jul 1995
Shadow Secretary of State
11th Apr 1992 - 1st Jul 1994


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Smith of Finsbury has voted in 13 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2024 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
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Department Debates
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Legislation Debates
Lord Smith of Finsbury has not made any spoken contributions to legislative debate
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Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Smith of Finsbury, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Lord Smith of Finsbury has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Lord Smith of Finsbury has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 3 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
25th Mar 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the potential for emergency use of satellite communication in remote areas of the UK which are currently without any normal mobile coverage.

Satellite connectivity can complement the coverage provided by terrestrial mobile networks by providing connectivity, for example, in remote areas beyond their reach. The mobile operators have already used satellite services to provide backhaul to some Shared Rural Network sites where it is challenging to provide traditional fibre or microwave backhaul.

Ofcom is currently consulting on proposals to authorise Direct to Device satellite services in certain mobile spectrum bands in the UK. These proposals could enable people to make satellite calls from their mobile phones and bring mobile coverage to rural areas. This consultation is an important and pioneering step towards enabling these services. We also welcome Vodafone’s recent trial in which the first ever video call over satellite was made, from an area with no terrestrial mobile coverage.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
25th Mar 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, if any, with representatives of community councils in the Highland Council area about the future of the Shared Rural Network programme.

Feedback from community councils and special interest groups play an important role in agreeing the best locations for new infrastructure as part of the Shared Rural Network (SRN). Both the government and the four mobile network operators have worked with stakeholders across Scotland to ensure the benefits of new sites are balanced with any environmental impacts and other concerns.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
25th Mar 2025
To ask His Majesty's Government what further consideration they have given to the size and coverage of the Shared Rural Network programme, and whether they have made any change to the scale of the programme or number of masts required as a result.

The Shared Rural Network (SRN) has already delivered significant coverage improvements across the UK. However, there are still rural parts of the UK where there is either limited or no mobile coverage. The government-funded parts of the SRN will deliver this new coverage by utilising existing Home Office masts across Great Britain and building new masts in Scotland. We continue to work with the four mobile network operators to minimise the number of new masts required in Scotland and now expect to meet this part of the programme’s objectives with far fewer masts than originally planned. We expect to reach a position on exactly how many new masts will be built in Scotland soon.

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)