"My Lords, pursuant to the question from my noble friend Lord Rooker, is it not time that the Government looked at all these quangos, at whether they are value for money and add to public life and at whether issues should really be taken in for proper ministerial decision-making? Is …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, can the Minister address the concern that the NESO inquiry is being conducted by a firm of City lawyers rather than electrical engineers? That gives the impression that the allocation of blame and legal liability is seen as more important than the integrity of the system. Is not …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what is their policy on prioritising British industry and services when carrying out public procurement...." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply, but that memo is not getting through to government departments. Time and again, they are giving preference to firms and workforces from overseas rather than British industry and services. We talk a lot in this House about government as regulator, …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, I put it to the Minister that it would have been better to have had the conversation with the public before we put out the policy, so that we had rolled the pitch and people understood the nature of the threat. I welcome, therefore, what he is saying …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, is not the systemic failure here that the Civil Service refused to take past performance into account? That is completely contrary to normal life. If someone did a job on your house or on your car and failed, or if you took a holiday with a company that …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister is quite right to resist attempts, which happen quite regularly, to demonise individual companies rather than looking at the underlying reality. He is also right to look at results. In this very fast-changing world of information technology, the company leading this year may well not be …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister find slightly odd the intervention from the Opposition Front Bench? Surely if we are to send a message for future contracts, dealing with fraud in previous contracts is essential, otherwise people will think they can get away with it. Why does he …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, I suggest to the Minister that the Government’s legislative programme is not the only mechanism by which this could be done. For example, have the Whips been putting out Private Members’ Bills, suggested Bills and handout Bills, which is a well-known practice on both sides? Further, there is …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech
"My Lords, I will take the Minister back to the question about cloning plates, which is increasingly facilitating a whole range of crime, including, with the increase in petrol prices, drive-off from petrol stations. From my experience of 30-odd years being a Member of Parliament in the other place, the …..." Lord Spellar - View Speech