"My Lords, is it not the case that these pools did not just disappear? They were part of the austerity model that was pursued by the last Tory Government. Have they learned that lesson or are they going to pursue similar policies which starve public resources?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, will the road map deal with the scandal of billionaire farmers who are getting millions of pounds in subsidy despite the fact that they pay no tax in Britain at all?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, will the Minister confirm that there is no suggestion that people who are demonstrating should be arrested or harassed in any way, and that the only people who are being arrested or harassed are those acting illegally?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, is it not the case that right-wing ownership of newspapers is one of our biggest threats, not just in this country but across Europe? Do we not need to make sure that we do not let more of our media outlets be controlled by right-wing zealots?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, I have a suggestion for saving money in the public sector. At the moment, billionaire farmers who do not pay any tax in the UK can claim farming subsidies. Is it right that we all pay them extra money at a time when they have not paid money …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, is the Minister as amazed as I am that, after 14 years of the previous Government, when they introduced no changes and left us with a mess, they are now coming up with policies to reduce costs for students? Why did they not do it for 14 years?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, would it not be a good idea for ACAS to get involved again to see whether progress can be made with this dispute? At the moment it does not seem to be going anywhere, and both the people of Birmingham and the workers are suffering...." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, does the Minister agree that accountability of the Civil Service is crucial as well? It is important that Ministers can hold civil servants to account. Do we know how that is best managed? It seems to me as though we need to hold them to account, but there …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, is it not about time that we means-tested farmers? We seem to be giving taxpayers’ money to billionaires. Is it not time that we stopped doing that?..." Lord Watts - View Speech