"My Lords, when I worked at No. 10, I led a team, which had Treasury representation, that looked at road-user charging alongside other transport issues. Does the Minister accept that a flexible system of road-user charging could bring many benefits, such as an allocation of free mileage for the less …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, I strongly support this Bill. Overall, it is well considered. Importantly, it benefits from the experiences of many other countries that started this journey well before us. In no sense would we be pioneers.
The carefully designed process that the Bill sets out should address the possible risks—for …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, the nomination of David Kogan as the new football regulator has been widely welcomed in football and beyond—his capability and deep knowledge of the game are well recognised. Mr Kogan’s appointment was first announced in April, but four months later he is yet to be confirmed. The uncertainty …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, we are outliers. You can have a humanist marriage in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and a host of other countries, but, but as everyone else has said, you cannot have one in England or Wales. I agree with the Minister that …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister may recall that I spent six years at No. 10 as Tony Blair’s strategy adviser. I spent a year of my time there, with the team of officials, looking at national transport infrastructure—road and rail. We quickly identified that we have by far the worst road …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, we are a remarkably united House tonight. I too support the amendment tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett of Manor Castle. I am not the first to say that the case for biomass is very weak. It is, in effect, a historical anomaly. As others have said, …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"There was a clear and welcome hint at the beginning of the Minister’s remarks that Drax was temporary, not here permanently. Are the Government considering framing an ordered plan, with a timeline to close down Drax?..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, I wonder whether the Minister saw the very shocking two-part documentary series on BBC Two about Thames Water, which was made in conjunction with the Open University. If she has seen it, does she agree that the dire position we face on sewage spills is at least to …..." Lord Birt - View Speech
"My Lords, journalism takes many forms, but its solemn democratic roles are to investigate and surface hidden matters of consequence, to inform public debate on critical issues and to hold to account people and organisations exercising power. Here’s the rub: the most valuable journalism—real journalism—requires expertise, time and money.