"My Lords, abandoned and derelict vessels—that well-known acronym ADV, which I learned about yesterday—not only are unsightly and a blot on a landscape but cause terrible pollution from engine oils, diesel fuel leaking out, battery acid, and corroded metals and plastics. Ideally, the owners should be made to pay for …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, bottom trawling is an appalling way to fish but a superb way to destroy everything on the seabed. Last year, according to statistics from Oceana UK, just 10 fishing vessels of at least 20 metres in length were responsible for 27% of the suspected bottom trawling in our …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, I do not have strong views on wild camping; like the Minister, I am content with it as long as it does not damage the environment, the landscape, private property or farmers’ fields, and every national park has the right to decide about it locally. However, I have …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, this statutory instrument enacts policy from the ground-breaking Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, brought in by the previous Conservative Government in 2023. It is a fantastic innovation, which we should welcome. This legislation permits us to use safe science to speed up what nature has been doing for …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, this was an unfortunate incident, but it seems there was no malintent: no one cut down a protected tree to expand a car park or a building. If there is a villain, I suspect it is the usual overreaction to health and safety concerns: someone reported that the …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, I commend the noble Baroness, Lady Morgan of Drefelin, for the wonderful work she has done as chief executive of the Breast Cancer Campaign, fighting cancer there, and for her wise words in this Chamber of Parliament here today. My concern with the Bill is that we might …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, we all accept that the hereditary principle is now over. The Labour manifesto said that they would remove hereditary Peers, but it did not say exactly when. The noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, said that it was to be immediate, but “immediate” in the manifesto referred to modernisation and …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, I rise to respond to the debate—not just to the amendment but to some of the comments of my noble friends. My noble friend Lord Young of Cookham made an excellent speech and moved an excellent amendment. It was modest and moderate, as he said. The Achilles heel …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech
"My Lords, in moving Amendment 32 in my name, on this occasion, I will be a wee bit longer than two minutes. I suggest that this is the most important amendment we will consider since, no matter where this thing is built, it is vital that it concentrates on the …..." Lord Blencathra - View Speech