Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 29 Jun 2026 Covid Fraud
"My Lords, the company owned by the noble Baroness, Lady Mone, owes the taxpayer £120 million. People who defraud the benefit system by £100 or £200 end up in jail; why is she not in jail? Why do the Opposition not say anything about this type of fraud, which brings …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, has my noble friend the Minister seen the drama “Patience”, which traces the actions of a young woman with autism? It demonstrates that you need to have special provision for such people but that it can be very rewarding to employers if they make that provision. Children with …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, most of our media—whether the press or social media—is controlled by the right wing. Is it not important that we have legislation that stops these people putting out propaganda, which is what they do every day?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, under the last Government, social mobility went backwards. Does the Minister agree that we have to reverse that policy if we are not to see the tragedy of lost talent?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, do we not need effective legislation and a regulator that will actually do the job? Which one is failing us—the regulator or the legislation?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, it is already the case that the serious assault of a child is illegal. What we are talking about is smacking children. Is there any evidence that, since that has been introduced into countries, parents are being prosecuted—that is what it means; prosecuting parents—and that that has helped …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, large storage tanks can be used to store water at a time of flooding and then can be used in a dry period to pump off into the system. Are there any plans to extend the use of those tanks so that we can both deal with the …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, I want to be clear that this is a policy that was introduced by the last Government, who had no policies whatever to address the problem. It has been left to this Government to come forward with policies that will address the problem. Is that correct?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, does the Minister agree with me that what has gone on in Palestine weakens the international ability to criticise Russia, and that those people who do not make that case actually make it more likely that we will see more civilian attacks, as we have seen in recent …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, under the last Government, we saw the hollowing out of our Armed Forces. Now we have started to invest in our Armed Forces again, but there are limits to that. Does my noble friend agree that those advocating spending lots more money need to identify where that cash …..." Lord Watts - View Speech