"Fraud was rife during Covid, both in the loans that were granted when they should not have been and in PPE contracts, for instance. Can the Minister tell us how much has been recovered of that fraud and how much is still outstanding?..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, I am so grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Featherstone, for introducing this Bill and doing so with such passion. Her commitment to this issue is incredibly impressive. I welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Mackenzie of Sherwood, and am looking forward to hearing her maiden speech. Her commitment …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister said that there are still some issues with PFI contracts, particularly with hospitals. Can he confirm the scale of the debt that hospitals are still burdened with because of PFI? What are the Government going to do to renegotiate those contracts and, if possible, renege on …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, the Government have cut VAT, cut business rates and reinstated the £2 bus fare. Simultaneously, the cost of their borrowing continues to rise to increasingly frightening levels. The Prime Minister tells us that he is funding this through reprioritising spending within government, so can the Minister tell us …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"Does the Minister agree that one of the most widening experiences for children is to experience other cultures and countries? One of the most effective things to broaden the minds of youngsters is therefore exchange visits with other countries—perhaps predominantly in Europe because it is closer, but with any country. …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, this fiasco has made clear that Capita cannot deliver what its chief executive promises. Can the Minister tell the House how many contracts with government Capita still has, whether there is any overall evaluation of how those contracts are performing, and how confident the Government feel, despite her …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, I commend the noble Lord, Lord Harris of Haringey, on securing this important and timely debate and introducing it in such a persuasive way. I confess to being somewhat daunted to be following the noble Baroness, Lady Neville-Jones, whose experience is so relevant to this debate and whose …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the report and the sensible recommendations in it. It highlights the current importance of cliques and networks in promotions in the police. There are comments such as:
“If you don’t have a network, you’re not going to get a promotion.”
"My Lords, this is proving to be a passionate debate and no wonder—music has the power to stir emotions, lift the spirits and uplift the soul. More prosaically, as we have heard, it can create jobs and boost the economy, so I add my congratulations to MP4’s guitarist, the noble …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech
"The Ockenden report does a great job in looking at the problems in one specific trust. However, the problems go much deeper, as the Minister has said. It is cultural, and one of the cultural problems appears to be that there is a complete split between a contingent of midwives …..." Baroness Wheatcroft - View Speech