"Can the Minister inform the House what body will hold ultimate responsibility for the authorisation and regulation of artificial intelligence in autonomous weapons systems?..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, we are in the process of vetting the House on the future of military capability enabled by artificial intelligence and autonomous weapons systems, but human agency will remain the paramount factor in ensuring that these systems conform to the legal and moral constraints of warfare. Those constraints, both …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, despite all the noise about the imminent arrival of much more money, is it not now a fundamental fact that the biggest constraint on both the generation and deployment of British capability is affordability? If one was to look at the relative balance of payments of, let us …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Lord, Lord Lamont, now a fellow traveller on the International Relations and Defence Committee. I draw the attention of the House to my relevant defence-related commercial interests, particularly my role as chairman of Defence Holdings PLC and as European defence …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"Given the darkening geopolitical situation and the reality behind the pace at which more money is being spent—frankly, there is this faffing around with the defence investment plan, which is really an exercise in “How can we present to the public something that is shambolic but at least reassuring?”—is there …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, I rise to speak in support of Amendment 1, to which I attach my name, and to reinforce the arguments made by my noble and gallant friend Lord Craig of Radley. This amendment is not moved by any wider purpose than common sense, and we trust that the …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"More fundamentally, does the Minister agree that the real resilience of a nation does not rest on the state of its physical infrastructure, or military numbers, or the number of boy scouts or reserves that we have, but, rather, it rests on its moral fibre and its societal integrity? The …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, I am grateful for this debate on Ukraine and the opportunity that it presents. Mine will be an uncomfortable but honest contribution. I start by observing that it is difficult to draw any comfort from an analysis of the tactical situation on the ground, and it is even …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"My Lords, the national security strategy and the strategic defence review both talk of the need to build societal resilience in an age of hybrid attacks. I understand that the national resilience Bill, which is to come before the House, deals exclusively with regulation in the world of cyber. Does …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech
"I thank the Minister for his response, but I thought his view of the prospects for peace was somewhat glossy. Is not a better strategic assessment, first, that Putin shows absolutely no intention of seeking a protracted or final peace, perhaps other than a temporary pause for his own tactical …..." Lord Houghton of Richmond - View Speech