"My Lords, I too thank the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, for bringing forward this important debate and for giving me the opportunity to discuss some of the issues beforehand.
There is a simple constitutional caution at the heart of this matter. A Government should not direct the power of the …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, Capita’s failures are unacceptable, but this also raises serious questions about the Cabinet Office’s own contract management. Given the warnings before handover, what further interventions are Ministers prepared to make if service levels are not restored? What lessons have been learned to ensure that this saga is not …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, for tabling this Motion.
Within living memory, almost every public telephone call in this country travelled across a network owned by a state monopoly. Almost every letter was carried by another. Almost all televisual information reached the public through …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, in October last year, the Government indicated their intention to relax the rules on civil servants speaking publicly, including to the media and stakeholders. Can the Minister confirm when the formal guidance will be published? Will it include guidance on social media use?..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, the news of Russian state actors behind the arson attacks at sites linked to the Prime Minister is, as other noble Lords have pointed out, extremely concerning. Yesterday’s incident with the frigate “Admiral Grigorovich” shows that Russia has become increasingly reckless. Have similar trends been seen in Russian …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, given the miraculous emergence of the Darren Jones texts, can the Minister give assurances that there are no other withheld ministerial communications that will emerge? Also, given that confidence in this process has been shaken, as my noble friend Lord Harper said, can she now commit to publishing …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, the Cabinet Manual, or possibly more correctly, the Cabinet Office manual, is not a written constitution, nor is it binding on Ministers. The Government intend to update this source of guidance and information. Can the Minister confirm whether this update will be simply to reflect changes in …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, this scandal began with the Prime Minister’s decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as His Majesty’s ambassador to Washington. Mandelson is a man whose relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was already known to be a profound reputational risk and whose later published record included cash payments and benefits from Epstein, …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, the outcome of the recent Welsh elections should worry unionists across this House, but the Government’s much-vaunted Council of the Nations and Regions last met over a year ago, despite a commitment to meet twice a year. What role will the council play in strengthening the union, if …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech
"My Lords, what the ISC has said today is profoundly troubling. Materials must not be redacted and withheld from Parliament in contravention of the humble Address. The ISC has a specific role in this process and the humble Address does not allow for redaction of documents sent to the ISC. …..." Baroness Finn - View Speech