My Lords, I declare my interest as the elected and serving police and crime commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. I have been in that post for nearly five years now but in three months’ time, if the 6 May elections take place as the Government propose, I will no...

My Lords, I declare my interest as the elected and serving police and crime commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. I have been in that post for nearly five years now but in three months’ time, if the 6 May elections take place as the Government propose, I will no...

My Lords, I shall be as quick as I can. Clause 83 is one of the shortest clauses in the Bill. It states: "““Schedule 11 (amendment of enactments relating to bail) has effect””." If we turn to Schedule 11 on page 193, we see that it sets out the proposals...

My Lords, I shall be as quick as I can. Clause 83 is one of the shortest clauses in the Bill. It states: "““Schedule 11 (amendment of enactments relating to bail) has effect””." If we turn to Schedule 11 on page 193, we see that it sets out the proposals...

My Lords, a powerful case has been made for this amendment in two powerful speeches from noble Lords. We look forward to the Minister’s response.

My Lords, a powerful case has been made for this amendment in two powerful speeches from noble Lords. We look forward to the Minister’s response.

My Lords, one of the advantages of these debates is that we will hear proposals for new ways to divert people from custody. Any amendment that carries the names of both noble Lords, Lord Adebowale and Lord Ramsbotham, needs careful and sympathetic attention because both their histories in helping particularly...

My Lords, one of the advantages of these debates is that we will hear proposals for new ways to divert people from custody. Any amendment that carries the names of both noble Lords, Lord Adebowale and Lord Ramsbotham, needs careful and sympathetic attention because both their histories in helping particularly...

My Lords, the problems of drugs in this country are always in the news. The arguments about whether they should be legal, illegal or somewhere in between are a constant source of debate among talking heads—quite rightly too, as it is a very serious problem and issue. By comparison, the...

My Lords, the problems of drugs in this country are always in the news. The arguments about whether they should be legal, illegal or somewhere in between are a constant source of debate among talking heads—quite rightly too, as it is a very serious problem and issue. By comparison, the...

The noble Lord is being a bit unfair towards Charles Dickens himself. I may be wrong about this, but I think he put the expression, ““The law is an ass””, in the mouth of Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist. He is hardly the most sympathetic character in the whole of...

The noble Lord is being a bit unfair towards Charles Dickens himself. I may be wrong about this, but I think he put the expression, ““The law is an ass””, in the mouth of Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist. He is hardly the most sympathetic character in the whole of...

Whenever I was sitting where the noble Baroness is sitting now and I began my speech on government amendments by saying that they were minor and technical, those sitting opposite me used to look doubly hard at those amendments to see whether they really were minor and technical. I am...

Whenever I was sitting where the noble Baroness is sitting now and I began my speech on government amendments by saying that they were minor and technical, those sitting opposite me used to look doubly hard at those amendments to see whether they really were minor and technical. I am...

This is an important point that the noble Lord is making, but I wonder whether he is right in saying that sub-paragraph (1)(c) refers to being in breach of a community order. It refers to a person who, "““has wilfully and persistently failed to comply””." It is the difference between...

This is an important point that the noble Lord is making, but I wonder whether he is right in saying that sub-paragraph (1)(c) refers to being in breach of a community order. It refers to a person who, "““has wilfully and persistently failed to comply””." It is the difference between...

I follow the noble Baroness’s argument, which she has made very clearly. Indeed, I was not aware that the law was changed in 2008 so that non-imprisonable offences could not receive a community order, but I see the noble Baroness's way around that. However, to describe it as a breach...

I follow the noble Baroness’s argument, which she has made very clearly. Indeed, I was not aware that the law was changed in 2008 so that non-imprisonable offences could not receive a community order, but I see the noble Baroness's way around that. However, to describe it as a breach...

My Lords, in many of his amendments I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, and I hope to do so later this evening, but on my understanding of his argument here I find it difficult to accept the amendment on behalf of the Opposition. I shall make a general...

My Lords, in many of his amendments I agree with the noble Lord, Lord Ramsbotham, and I hope to do so later this evening, but on my understanding of his argument here I find it difficult to accept the amendment on behalf of the Opposition. I shall make a general...

My Lords, our time in government retreats into the mists of time day by day, month by month, and my memory fails. I certainly am not in a position to answer the specific question that the noble Lord asks, but to say that there were not concerns about the probation...

My Lords, our time in government retreats into the mists of time day by day, month by month, and my memory fails. I certainly am not in a position to answer the specific question that the noble Lord asks, but to say that there were not concerns about the probation...

My Lords, I can be very short. These are amendments that appeal to us, too. Referral orders, which were created in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, seem to work pretty well. Increasing the age from 18 to 21 is a sensible course to take. The noble Baroness,...

My Lords, I can be very short. These are amendments that appeal to us, too. Referral orders, which were created in the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999, seem to work pretty well. Increasing the age from 18 to 21 is a sensible course to take. The noble Baroness,...

Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr Ben Bradshaw, on 9 February (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 1348W), what monitoring takes place to ensure that the tuberculin skin test for bovine tuberculosis continues to be effective; how the...

Further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mr Ben Bradshaw, on 9 February (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 1348W), what monitoring takes place to ensure that the tuberculin skin test for bovine tuberculosis continues to be effective; how the...

Whether the portable real time polymerase chain reaction tests for diagnosis of foot and mouth disease have been validated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); and, if not, when they expect validation to occur.

Whether the portable real time polymerase chain reaction tests for diagnosis of foot and mouth disease have been validated by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE); and, if not, when they expect validation to occur.

Whether there is a frequent exchange of research findings between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ animal health researchers and the Department of Health’s human health researchers on the use and effectiveness of polymerase chain reaction tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in animals and humans; and, if...

Whether there is a frequent exchange of research findings between the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ animal health researchers and the Department of Health’s human health researchers on the use and effectiveness of polymerase chain reaction tests for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in animals and humans; and, if...

Further to the announcement made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 15 December 2005 (col. 166WS), the Government are announcing today that the introduction of a requirement for the pre-movement testing of cattle to help reduce the risk of spreading...

Further to the announcement made by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 15 December 2005 (col. 166WS), the Government are announcing today that the introduction of a requirement for the pre-movement testing of cattle to help reduce the risk of spreading...

Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006 (SI 2006/168). Lords debate on a motion that an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the order be annulled. Motion withdrawn

Cattle Compensation (England) Order 2006 (SI 2006/168). Lords debate on a motion that an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the order be annulled. Motion withdrawn

My Lords, the noble Viscount has my complete attention. I am hoping to be able to answer his question so perhaps he will not mind in which direction I am looking. I am listening, as always, to what he has to say.

My Lords, the noble Viscount has my complete attention. I am hoping to be able to answer his question so perhaps he will not mind in which direction I am looking. I am listening, as always, to what he has to say.

That is if they have arrived, my Lords. I certainly will.

That is if they have arrived, my Lords. I certainly will.

My Lords, quite a lot of farmers still make profits and I should be very surprised if many farmers did not have to pay some sort of income tax. You cannot separate farmers from income tax payers; farmers are members of the public and they also pay income tax. I...

My Lords, quite a lot of farmers still make profits and I should be very surprised if many farmers did not have to pay some sort of income tax. You cannot separate farmers from income tax payers; farmers are members of the public and they also pay income tax. I...