Immigration: Detention

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I think that my noble friend’s allegations about the condition of Mr Muazu at the time he was flying back to Nigeria are inaccurate. As I have said, he is currently fit to fly. He is eating and drinking, and is mobile.

[Lord Tomlinson (Lab)]

Does the Minister accept that the Government’s policy of trying to reduce the net immigration figure from hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands is in tatters? Does he not share my regret that Mr Cameron had to go to China to slip it out in an answer there?

Police and Crime Commissioners

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Thursday 13th December 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I think we have discussed this before. There have been a series of Questions on the arrangements for the elections. The Electoral Commission will be producing a report on these elections and the Home Office will take note of it.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Does the noble Lord agree that it is precipitate to be talking about the success of the next elections? The answer we can draw from the previous elections is that they were disastrous in every respect. They did not inspire people to go out and vote, they did not inspire independents to campaign with the effectiveness that many people would have liked to see, and they are by every stretch of the imagination an unacceptable result to which the word “democratic” cannot be properly added.

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I think the noble Lord has been carried away by his oratory. What I would like to know from the noble Lord is whether he represents a party that will abolish the PCCs. For my part, I see this extension of democratic accountability as unequivocally a good thing, and I hope noble Lords will agree with that.

UK Border Agency

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Tuesday 27th November 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I cannot pre-empt the usual channels and their negotiations on these matters, but I note my noble friend’s interest in this subject. This Question reminds me somewhat of the situation in which the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, found himself in dealing with the Rural Payments Agency. This agency has had a poor record on delivery but as the new transformation plan has been developed, and as the chief inspector highlights, it has started to tackle the problems.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Bearing in mind the popularity with Members opposite of the Mayor of London, do the Government share the views expressed by him during his visit to India or do they support the current government policy?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I am afraid that I have not been following what the Mayor of London has been saying.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Thursday 11th October 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I respect the noble Lord’s point of view, but I am afraid that he has got it wrong. Police and crime commissioners are not there to interfere with the operational responsibilities of the police force. As for turnout, we do not have compulsory voting in this country; what we do have is the opportunity for people to go and exercise their vote. I am very confident indeed that there will be a good vote on 15 November.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Would the Minister agree with me that there is a fair amount of inconsistency of thought when members of the same Government justify low turnouts for important elections and yet demand of people who have nothing to do with government, such as the trade unions, that they should get 50% turnouts in their ballots?

Drought

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Wednesday 21st March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

I can assure my noble friend that these things are constantly under review. I do not know that any particular major projects will alleviate this drought period, but it is important that we make the most of the natural links that we have and the best use of the water that is available to us.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Will the Minister reflect that if he is going to brush down the files from 1976, to accompany them he must remember that not only did we have a Labour Government but we had Denis Howell? What plans does he have to resurrect the spirit of Denis Howell?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

How can noble Lords be assumed to have forgotten? I seem to remember that when Denis Howell was appointed Minister for Drought, it did not stop raining.

Pensions

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Thursday 5th May 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

My Lords, the reform is based on future pensions rather than on existing pensions. We will seek to protect existing pensioners during the period of transition, but the future reform depends on the consultation exercise, and the mechanisms that we will use will be those arising as a result of that.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Does the noble Lord accept that two different levels of state pension—one for existing pensioners and one for new pensioners—are exactly the kind of injustice for which, in other circumstances, were it challenged at a judicial review, a challenge would be upheld?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

The Government will seek to avoid such a situation. Indeed, that is the reason for the consultation. I think all noble Lords will agree that this is a necessary reform that needs to be addressed by the Government, who want to take things forward. The programme for this is not one of rushed implementation. It is likely to be legislated for not in this Parliament but in some future Parliament.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Debate between Lord Tomlinson and Lord Taylor of Holbeach

Tuesday 19th October 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

Perhaps if I may say so, I do not think that I need reminding by the noble Baroness of my responsibility at the Dispatch Box. It is very important not to conflate the savings that will come from the public bodies review with the spending review which will be announced tomorrow. The savings from the public bodies review are being made within departments. The departments will make announcements about the detailed savings that they will be making consequent upon the spending review tomorrow.

[Lord Tomlinson]

Is the Minister saying that it is beyond the capacity of government to tot up the sums from individual government departments and to tell us, quite simply, how many jobs and how much money?

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach]

It is important for noble Lords to bear in mind that this is a complex process. The decision-making process has been decided; now we have the implementation process. Implementation involves people’s lives and jobs and it would be recklessly irresponsible to anticipate how government departments will handle individual public bodies within their remits. That is why I am not in a position to give any further details than I have already given.