To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rules or guidelines his Department has in place governing the length of time that NHS employees are allowed to take paid leave on (a) compassionate and (b) other grounds; what the overall maximum period is for which paid leave will be...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rules or guidelines his Department has in place governing the length of time that NHS employees are allowed to take paid leave on (a) compassionate and (b) other grounds; what the overall maximum period is for which paid leave will be...

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff were given time off for treatment for either alcohol or drug abuse in each of the last five years.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS staff were given time off for treatment for either alcohol or drug abuse in each of the last five years.

My Lords, I certainly understand that many Members of your Lordships’ House are not particularly happy with the model of reform which the other place has voted for and which the Government have said they wish to put into operation. Of course, I understand that Members of this House wish...

My Lords, I certainly understand that many Members of your Lordships’ House are not particularly happy with the model of reform which the other place has voted for and which the Government have said they wish to put into operation. Of course, I understand that Members of this House wish...

My Lords, this Bill is highly preferable to the proposals in the Statement yesterday and the forthcoming White Paper for a predominantly or fully elected House. Looking at the Bill overall, I approve of the establishment of a statutory Appointments Commission, a facility for a permanent leave of absence and...

My Lords, this Bill is highly preferable to the proposals in the Statement yesterday and the forthcoming White Paper for a predominantly or fully elected House. Looking at the Bill overall, I approve of the establishment of a statutory Appointments Commission, a facility for a permanent leave of absence and...

My Lords, I start by reminding your Lordships of Macaulay’s comment on the Plantagenets. He said that the Plantagenet kings were restrained by a powerful and hereditary aristocracy. The hereditary aristocracy was there not because of heredity but to stop an appointed House. Macaulay and the Norman barons were right,...

My Lords, I start by reminding your Lordships of Macaulay’s comment on the Plantagenets. He said that the Plantagenet kings were restrained by a powerful and hereditary aristocracy. The hereditary aristocracy was there not because of heredity but to stop an appointed House. Macaulay and the Norman barons were right,...

My Lords, it is good to follow a self-confessed ridiculous character in the modern world but one who nevertheless adds very much to our deliberations. He spoke on the generality of the principles. It is clear that the Bill does not rule out an ultimate stage. This is a staging...

My Lords, it is good to follow a self-confessed ridiculous character in the modern world but one who nevertheless adds very much to our deliberations. He spoke on the generality of the principles. It is clear that the Bill does not rule out an ultimate stage. This is a staging...

My Lords, noble Lords may remember that at the Third Reading of the House of Lords Bill in 1999, I sat weeping the whole time. I am certain that my noble friend Lord Strathclyde will not forget, because he had to give me his hankie. All I can remember is...

My Lords, noble Lords may remember that at the Third Reading of the House of Lords Bill in 1999, I sat weeping the whole time. I am certain that my noble friend Lord Strathclyde will not forget, because he had to give me his hankie. All I can remember is...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Steel, on introducing the Bill, which is the product of the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber. I declare an interest as one of its founder members, and I pay my own tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth,...

My Lords, I too congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Steel, on introducing the Bill, which is the product of the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber. I declare an interest as one of its founder members, and I pay my own tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth,...

My Lords, like others in your Lordships’ House, I welcome the Bill and the opportunity that it gives us, once again, to express the widespread view that the House of Lords is not irretrievably broken and thus need not be radically fixed. I would like to address honours in general...

My Lords, like others in your Lordships’ House, I welcome the Bill and the opportunity that it gives us, once again, to express the widespread view that the House of Lords is not irretrievably broken and thus need not be radically fixed. I would like to address honours in general...

My Lords, as one of the very first batch of the new breed nominated by the Stevenson Commission for the Cross Benches, it will not surprise any of your Lordships to know that I support the Steel Bill wholeheartedly. In addition, I suppose that I could call on my experience...

My Lords, as one of the very first batch of the new breed nominated by the Stevenson Commission for the Cross Benches, it will not surprise any of your Lordships to know that I support the Steel Bill wholeheartedly. In addition, I suppose that I could call on my experience...

My Lords, I wholly endorse the Bill. It represents an excellent opportunity to make progress and I wish to make only two points. The first is that the Bill has clear cross-party support among Back-Benchers. That is obvious. The need to move ahead on the basis of consensus between the...

My Lords, I wholly endorse the Bill. It represents an excellent opportunity to make progress and I wish to make only two points. The first is that the Bill has clear cross-party support among Back-Benchers. That is obvious. The need to move ahead on the basis of consensus between the...

My Lords, the spotlight is on this House in two very different ways today because of the Bill of my noble friend Lord Steel—I hope that I can all him that—which I basically support, and the announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service, following which questions must be asked and answered....

My Lords, the spotlight is on this House in two very different ways today because of the Bill of my noble friend Lord Steel—I hope that I can all him that—which I basically support, and the announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service, following which questions must be asked and answered....

My Lords, I am a very enthusiastic supporter of the Bill of the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, because its proposed measures to take reform forward are apt as to timing and purpose, they are well thought through and relatively uncomplicated. For that, we owe a great debt to...

My Lords, I am a very enthusiastic supporter of the Bill of the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, because its proposed measures to take reform forward are apt as to timing and purpose, they are well thought through and relatively uncomplicated. For that, we owe a great debt to...

My Lords, I am delighted to speak in support of the Second Reading of this Bill. I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, for the timely Bill and for the manner in which it is framed. Yesterday, the Bill was dismissed, first, as not providing a...

My Lords, I am delighted to speak in support of the Second Reading of this Bill. I pay tribute to the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, for the timely Bill and for the manner in which it is framed. Yesterday, the Bill was dismissed, first, as not providing a...

My Lords, I welcome the Bill as a positive, timely and useful initiative towards making progress on a problem that has been outstanding for so long. It is not going to go away, and we should grasp the opportunity now to make real progress towards a solution. The Bill recognises...

My Lords, I welcome the Bill as a positive, timely and useful initiative towards making progress on a problem that has been outstanding for so long. It is not going to go away, and we should grasp the opportunity now to make real progress towards a solution. The Bill recognises...

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. I am cheered to see so many Members here on a Friday. At the beginning, I make it clear that this is not a Liberal Democrat Bill, as no doubt my noble friend Lord McNally...

My Lords, I beg to move that this Bill be now read a second time. I am cheered to see so many Members here on a Friday. At the beginning, I make it clear that this is not a Liberal Democrat Bill, as no doubt my noble friend Lord McNally...

My Lords, I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the House that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the House of Lords Bill, has consented to place her prerogative and interest, so far as they are affected by the Bill, at the...

My Lords, I have it in command from Her Majesty the Queen to acquaint the House that Her Majesty, having been informed of the purport of the House of Lords Bill, has consented to place her prerogative and interest, so far as they are affected by the Bill, at the...

My Lords, my mother used to tell me that I spoke too quickly and I may now be about to prove it. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Steel, on the powerful and, I believe, compelling case that he has made for the Bill. The Bill delivers on those parts...

My Lords, my mother used to tell me that I spoke too quickly and I may now be about to prove it. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Steel, on the powerful and, I believe, compelling case that he has made for the Bill. The Bill delivers on those parts...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Steel, has presented an impeccable case for the Bill. I associate myself with his remarks about Sir Patrick Cormack, who is here, and the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth. Since we put forward the idea about a year ago they have had an...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Steel, has presented an impeccable case for the Bill. I associate myself with his remarks about Sir Patrick Cormack, who is here, and the noble Lord, Lord Norton of Louth. Since we put forward the idea about a year ago they have had an...

My Lords, my noble friend Lord Lea provided for me what I thought was the nightmare scenario; that is, the unrobing of Jack Straw’s committee by some sort of seven veils striptease. However, at the end of his speech, I merely reflected that, however this committee is described, it does...

My Lords, my noble friend Lord Lea provided for me what I thought was the nightmare scenario; that is, the unrobing of Jack Straw’s committee by some sort of seven veils striptease. However, at the end of his speech, I merely reflected that, however this committee is described, it does...