"My Lords, this debate got off to a fine start with an excellent speech from my noble friend. It is always a pleasure to follow my noble friend Lady Noakes, and I agree with what she said about the complexity of the tax system.
"The Minister answered the second of my noble friend Lord Hayward’s questions, but he did not answer the first: when did officials first know?..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, further to the reply given to my noble friend about transitional relief, if, as is widely forecast, there will be substantial losses in the London boroughs, can the Minister guarantee that in any one year no London borough will have to reduce its expenditure by more than 5% …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, I will speak briefly on this group of amendments, first on Amendment 143 from the noble Lord, Lord Rennard. I was the first Health Minister to propose the health warning on cigarettes back in 1980. Those 45 years seem quite a long time to wait, and we have …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, I will speak very briefly to this group of amendments. Amendment 16 is about age. My noble friend Lord Moylan said that young people are sensible. I agree with that. I think it follows from that that they are sensible enough to understand that Parliament may have prescribed …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"The noble Baroness destroys her own argument by saying that nightclubs are premises where young people go for recreation and then saying that they might use the vaping machines and start vaping. The last thing we want is for young people, who do not want to smoke, to start vaping …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, I agree with Amendment 12 moved by the noble Baroness, Lady Northover, but I want to speak to Amendment 192, which proposes the introduction of a levy on tobacco manufacturers.
When products cause harm, the polluter should pay. That principle was introduced by previous Conservative Governments; the landfill …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"Houdini would be jealous of the way the Minister ingeniously escaped the trap I set for her earlier, as she tried to reconcile her previous position with what she is now saying. But does she accept that the amendment does not at all ask the Government to introduce a levy? …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, I want to add a brief footnote to the excellent speeches from my noble friends Lord Bourne and Lord Bethell. This group of amendments is probably the most important one that confronts this Committee because it challenges a major plank underpinning the Government’s approach to this by challenging …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech
"My Lords, Amendment 9, tabled in my name, would create an offence of selling tobacco products online. This is a probing amendment.
If the generational ban policy is to be effective, or the alternative policy of an age limit of 21, there would be a clear loophole if tobacco could …..." Lord Young of Cookham - View Speech