"My Lords, like the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, I have recent experience of visiting care homes. My late father was in a care home from November 2024 until December 2025. Unlike in the noble Baroness’s case, although he was well cared for, there were a range of issues that I …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"I can see a point to that, but the message I was given by the mental health practitioner who rang me from the mental health team—I think he was a psychiatrist—was basically that once somebody is in a home, these tests become much more difficult because of the nature of …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Jay, just asked us to consider the circumstances of those who are seeking an assisted death, but I would like to give a salutary lesson—I am sorry to disagree with the noble Baroness, Lady Gerada.
"My Lords, I will briefly speak to these amendments, in particular to Amendment 30. I know from listening to previous groups that the Minister will feel the need to explain that Amendment 30, as drafted, is not fit for purpose and will not help the Bill. However, in Committee, the …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, as the Minister has just said, we are waiting for the defence industrial strategy. What is holding it up, the MoD or the Treasury?..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, is it not precisely that this contract is not being let? As my noble friend said, the conversations need to start now. If Leonardo is the only company in the running, why are the Government not having those conversations right now?..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, during the previous Government, there was a bit of a triumvirate when the noble Baroness, Lady Goldie, was the Minister. Many times, the noble Lord, Lord Coaker, and I would stand up and ask questions, and I would associate myself immediately with his comments. Today, I find myself …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, I speak as a member of the Select Committee that your Lordships’ House decided to convene at the end of Second Reading, partly because, although I am sure that noble Lords participating in this debate and this legislation will be fully aware of the evidence we took, this …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, like other Members of your Lordships’ House, I pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Coussins, for initiating today’s debate and speaking so eloquently that in many ways her speech alone will have given the Minister plenty of questions to answer. I pay tribute also to the work …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech
"My Lords, as the chair of the House of Commons Defence Committee pointed out, the current legislation, the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023, managed to do one thing, which was to unite the parties of Northern Ireland against it. The Minister is right that the current legislation …..." Baroness Smith of Newnham - View Speech