"My Lords, can I just probe the Minister a little more on that question? The messages that were published between Lord Mandelson and the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister were clearly within the terms of the humble Address. They were not published. That raises two questions. First, why did …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister drew attention to recent reports in the media about funding the defence investment plan. Given that we are only a few weeks away from its publication, assuming it does hit the pre-NATO summit deadline, does he think that what can only be described as a Cabinet …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Holmes for securing this debate, which has given us the opportunity, albeit briefly, to talk about this subject. I also thank the noble Baroness, Lady Alexander, for what I think was intended as a kind remark.
"Just before the Minister sits down—we have seven minutes left before the debate runs out—can I ask her a question? My noble friend Lord Holmes drew attention to the Government’s original commitment to legislate for a cross-sector approach, and he referenced how the Government have now dropped that commitment. The …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, as the Minister responsible for the production of the Cabinet Manual in 2011, I have to confess that I expected that it would have been updated before now, so I welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday. I can confirm that one section that does not need updating is …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, despite the Minister telling me on two previous occasions that all government departments were already compliant with the law in the services they provide, he confirmed in a Written Answer to me that:
“Where necessary, government departments are carefully reviewing the ruling’s potential implications … to ensure that …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, before I start my remarks, I draw attention to my declaration in the register of interests as the non-executive chair of RVL Aviation.
The Minister will, I hope, be pleased to know that I, for one, broadly support the Bill, although there are some areas where I have …..." Lord Harper - View Speech
"My Lords, I draw the Minister back to the noble Lord’s original Question, which was about which government departments are not complying with the Supreme Court’s judgment. I asked the noble Lord, Lord Collins, twice in this House to confirm that all government departments were fully complying with the Supreme …..." Lord Harper - View Speech