"My Lords, it is a privilege to open today’s debate on this short, straightforward but important Bill, which comes to this House following its passage, with cross-party support, in the other place. The purpose of the Bill is simple: it removes historic legal barriers that prevent individuals who profess either …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"My Lords, it has been a genuine privilege to listen to this evening’s debate. It has been thoughtful and at times thought-provoking as well. I am grateful to all noble Lords for their contributions. I have to say that I was at one point reminded of Prime Minister Jim Hacker …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"My Lords, as this Motion refers to a fast-tracked Bill, I thought it would be useful to set out the arrangements for the scrutiny of this legislation, as agreed by the usual channels. Second Reading will take place tomorrow during the dinner break, at a convenient point after or around …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"That Standing Order 44 (No two stages of a Bill to be taken on one day) be dispensed with on Monday 23 November to enable the Church Appointments (Repeal of Discriminatory Provision) Bill to be taken through its remaining stages that day and that, in accordance with Standing …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"My Lords, I have it in command from His Majesty the King to acquaint the House that his Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, has consented to place his interests, so far as they are affected by the …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"I will do, given a chance. The noble Lord, Lord True, when he was Leader of the Opposition, told me that his party opposed it, that it was not his party’s policy. I even offered and got support from the shadow Cabinet for the legislation and the noble Lord will …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"My Lords, if this was a proxy for capacity, we would not be bringing it forward, and we would not do both at the same time. I think the noble Lord misunderstands the reasons why the retirement age has been proposed. I was perfectly willing to accept that our manifesto …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech
"I think the noble Lord was only talking about the DUP, because we have Members on our Benches from Northern Ireland as well. One of the things we need to look at, and we are bringing forward further proposals on this, is that the House as a whole has to …..." Baroness Smith of Basildon - View Speech