Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 09 Nov 2026 Health Bill
"My Lords, as the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie, has said, I and the noble Lord, Lord Blunkett, have co-signed her amendment, I think rightly. It would provide a proper prioritised focus on dementia, as it is very significant within our society. Mention has been made of the estimated 1 million …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I hope I am not hallucinating at this particular point. What examination have the Government done during their reforms to the composition of the House of Lords of whether there will be a disproportionate or differential impact on the countries and regions of the United Kingdom in its …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, fracture liaison services is one area in which the three devolved institutions are, in effect, ahead of England; it is provided universally in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and has been of great benefit in those jurisdictions. Can the Minister say what liaison is taking place with the …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, the purpose of this Bill is to cut through the fog of uncertainty that now hangs over the Chagos Islands to provide a fairer, clearer and more principled way forward for not simply the Chagos Islands themselves but, perhaps more importantly, the Chagossians—and I am delighted that many …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, first, I want to place on the record my thanks to everyone who has spoken to this debate, including the Minister, who was given an unenviable, if unsurprising, position. The reality is that it was not only unsurprising but almost inevitable that the Bill before us today would …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I refer to my entry in the register of interests as regards City of London College. Within the Statement, the Government commit to transferring responsibility and finance for 16 to 19 year-olds to mayors and, presumably, to strategic authorities, but, to date, local authorities have sometimes been quite …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I broadly welcome the three SIs before us. As the Minister has indicated, they fall into two categories: one aspect dealing with the widening of accessibility in terms of voter ID, and the second aspect dealing with the expense limits.
"Just to clarify, although I raised the issue in relation to the veteran card, it was in reference all four forms of identification. I appreciate that the Minister probably does not have the figures in relation to those to hand, but perhaps she could write to me on them...." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the Minister to his place. To some extent he has touched on this in his previous answer, but does he agree that the Scottish First Minister would be better placed dealing with practical priorities such as co-operating with the UK Government on issues such as youth …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech