"My Lords, is it not the case that our future and well-being are dependent on our relationship with Europe? Is it not also the case that, when people attack Europe, as they often do from the Opposition Benches, they weaken our defences and our position in the world?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"Is the Senior Deputy Speaker able to tell the House how much the estimate was for the development in the first place? He has told us how much it finally cost, but can he tell us how much the estimate was originally?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, the last Tory Government cut school budgets for 93% of pupils, let our schools run down and end up in a bad state of repair and refused to pay our teachers a proper wage to work in our schools, and yet they have the cheek to worry about …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, is this not a question of the private sector yet again failing to introduce the required changes? Over many years, the previous Government failed to do anything about this. Do we not need proper regulation, introduced as quickly as possible?..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, are the Government considering using business rates to encourage live music in pubs and clubs? That could have a massive effect on making, certainly pubs, more interested in providing music on weekends...." Lord Watts - View Speech
"I am grateful to the noble Lord. Can the Minister hear the noise from today’s discussion, in which Members are raising all sorts of problems that the cultural industries face? Do we not need a complete strategy that deals with all these issues, and do we not need to be …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, we inherited a shortage of nurses and doctors, and it is important that we train and recruit new nurses. But does the Minister agree that, in the meantime, we have some marvellous people from the Philippines who are acting as our nurses and supporting our health service, and …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"My Lords, I am grateful for the Minister’s response; I think all Members, on both sides of the House, agree that this is needed. Given the situation the Government found themselves in financially, I congratulate them on finding the resources within that difficult period to do something positive about it. …..." Lord Watts - View Speech
"On behalf of my noble friend Lord Foulkes and with the permission of the House, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in his name on the Order Paper...." Lord Watts - View Speech