"My Lords, I support the group of amendments before us, which are well judged. I appreciate that they are essentially probing in nature, but I will make a couple of brief observations.
First, the amendments are important because they focus our minds on long-term strategy. It is often the complaint …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Booth, for securing this debate. I say as an aside to his opening remarks that if the most common British response is, “I feel fine”, the greatest fear any British person has is of asking someone how they feel and actually getting …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I join others in commending the efforts and the bravery of the police and the other emergency services in dealing with the appalling situation of the last 48 hours. I unreservedly and unequivocally condemn the violence that has taken place in Ballymena. Whatever the underlying issues in Ballymena, …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, from that point of view, I had not originally intended to speak, but I suspect I may be the last Back-Bench contributor. In the true spirit of equality, it may be useful if I can make a few comments in relation to that. I am sure that the …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I join others in apologising for not being here at Second Reading—on medical grounds, in my case—which seems to be a consistent theme in this debate. In looking at the amendment and legislation today, it is important that we actually focus on what is there rather than debating—I …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I am only the third male Member of this House to speak in this debate, following on from the noble Lords, Lord Patel and Lord Winston, which, in addition to the other excellent contributions that have been made, gives me a slight feeling of being woefully inadequate to …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, whatever the claims and counterclaims of any deal by any Government, and whatever concerns may be raised today—I share some of those concerns, although some of us see the irony in that some of those raising concerns were very happy, only a short time ago, to see exactly …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, the deal that has been struck is clearly limited in scope. However, it is clear that the Government see this as part one of a wider package that will develop and will be particularly significant in terms of pharmaceuticals, in which I think we will show a good …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, having now overcome technical difficulties, I belatedly commend the work of the noble Lord, Lord Bridges, and this committee in producing this excellent report, which pulls off the magnificent achievement of containing a thorough level of detail while keeping a focus on the strategic issues facing the United …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, where we seek to restrict individual freedom, we should always approach that with a certain level of caution. However, it is undoubtedly the case that the horrendous, and often fatal, consequences of smoking go well beyond the individual. They are deeply detrimental to families, as we have heard …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech