"My Lords, I take what the Minister has said about the trials they are doing, but will the merger result in any closure or consolidation of offices? What assessment has been made of the impact of this on rural and disadvantaged communities?..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, I declare an interest as the president of the Liberal Democrat Friends of Israel. In that context, we unequivocally oppose the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and condemn settler violence. Those responsible for the violence should face the full force of the law. However, the …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"Could the Minister confirm that we should be supporting moderates like Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party and Samer Sinijlawi’s new party challenging the Fatah-PA, which has not held an election for decades? Will the Minister also confirm that we need to safeguard the UK’s vital security and intelligence relationship with …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the fact that the Minister is still there on the Front Bench; may it continue. My question is on which comes first. We discussed the then Pension Schemes Bill at length—a very complicated Bill—various other pension things have come before the House; and now we have …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, we all recognise that the control of public spending matters. It is right that Governments examine whether money is being spent effectively and whether benefits are achieving the purpose for which they are intended, but that must not be the starting point for today’s debate. It is about …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, the main role of social security in reducing child poverty is to act as a cash lifeline. It supplements or replaces earnings so that children can have a more stable standard of living. Can the Minister elaborate on what he said before, as to how it could work …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for producing this order and giving us such welcome information. It is a key job of any Government to grow the economy, and productivity is central to that. This levy is a proven way to fund skills in the construction sector, because the market …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, the Protocols of the Elders of Zionis an antisemitic hoax purporting to detail a Jewish plot for global domination. It was published in imperial Russia in 1903 and exposed as black propaganda, but it is still widely available and quoted as if it is true. Does …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the Minister for replying to these questions. I will focus on Lebanon. There is talk about how the Lebanese army and the Lebanese Government should do this and do that, but can the Minister tell us how the Governments of the UK have reduced aid to …..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech
"My Lords, can the department cope with more face-to-face assessments? How long will it take to put that into effect? Has the department come up with any other suggestions of how assessments can be made, particularly for people suffering from health issues which may make face-to-face assessments quite difficult?..." Lord Palmer of Childs Hill - View Speech