My Lords, the Labour Party has a record of trying to destroy what it regards as Tory support, particularly in the shires. We saw that with its cack-handed approach to regional assemblies, which got nowhere. I do not know how well the Minister knows Devon, my county, but she has...

My Lords, the Labour Party has a record of trying to destroy what it regards as Tory support, particularly in the shires. We saw that with its cack-handed approach to regional assemblies, which got nowhere. I do not know how well the Minister knows Devon, my county, but she has...

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they have issued to police forces in England and Wales regarding how long they may take to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals; and what assessment they have made of the length of time police forces in England and Wales have taken to process...

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they have issued to police forces in England and Wales regarding how long they may take to process shotgun and firearms licensing renewals; and what assessment they have made of the length of time police forces in England and Wales have taken to process...

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to rank police forces in England and Wales on the speed of their processing of shotgun and firearms licensing renewals.

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to rank police forces in England and Wales on the speed of their processing of shotgun and firearms licensing renewals.

My Lords, it is a very great honour to follow the noble and gallant Lord. I find myself in no man’s land, squeezed between a former Chief of the Defence Staff and a valedictory Bishop, so I shall try to navigate as best I can through what could be dangerous...

My Lords, it is a very great honour to follow the noble and gallant Lord. I find myself in no man’s land, squeezed between a former Chief of the Defence Staff and a valedictory Bishop, so I shall try to navigate as best I can through what could be dangerous...

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, is it the case that part of this deal is going to see the release of tens of millions of dollars, which are currently blocked, back to the Iranian regime from the US and other places? If that is the case, does the Minister share my concern that,...

My Lords, is it the case that part of this deal is going to see the release of tens of millions of dollars, which are currently blocked, back to the Iranian regime from the US and other places? If that is the case, does the Minister share my concern that,...

My Lords, the British people can be proud of the part we have played over the years in bringing relative peace to that part of the world. Can the Minister, though, reassure us that we will do everything we can to preserve the peace in that area in case it is knocked a bit by the recent humanitarian problems we have seen resulting from this earthquake?

My Lords, the British people can be proud of the part we have played over the years in bringing relative peace to that part of the world. Can the Minister, though, reassure us that we will do everything we can to preserve the peace in that area in case it is knocked a bit by the recent humanitarian problems we have seen resulting from this earthquake?

My Lords, if the Government—

My Lords, if the Government—

My Lords—

My Lords—

My Lords, the Government said that the two-state solution was still the only way forward, and that is certainly my belief. Does the Minister not concede that, if the building in the E1 area—3,000 new houses—goes ahead, that will build out, in effect, any chance of a two-state solution ever?...

My Lords, the Government said that the two-state solution was still the only way forward, and that is certainly my belief. Does the Minister not concede that, if the building in the E1 area—3,000 new houses—goes ahead, that will build out, in effect, any chance of a two-state solution ever?...

Will the Minister not concede that it would be self-defeating if, on the one hand, we were to encourage more people to go out and see our unrivalled countryside while, at the same time, presiding over the largest explosion of overhead power lines, up and down the country, in some of our most vulnerable landscapes? What more can the Government do to ensure

that there is better co-ordination for the transmission of overhead power, and that as much of that power as possible goes underground?

Will the Minister not concede that it would be self-defeating if, on the one hand, we were to encourage more people to go out and see our unrivalled countryside while, at the same time, presiding over the largest explosion of overhead power lines, up and down the country, in some of our most vulnerable landscapes? What more can the Government do to ensure

that there is better co-ordination for the transmission of overhead power, and that as much of that power as possible goes underground?

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Energy System Operator about building new onshore and offshore electricity transmission routes along the coasts to cater for Scotland's overcapacity in wind power and associated large converter stations.

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the National Energy System Operator about building new onshore and offshore electricity transmission routes along the coasts to cater for Scotland's overcapacity in wind power and associated large converter stations.

To ask His Majesty's Government what vetting procedures were undertaken prior to the appointments of Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation, and Baroness Harman as the Prime Minister's Adviser on Women and Girls.

To ask His Majesty's Government what vetting procedures were undertaken prior to the appointments of Gordon Brown as the Prime Minister’s Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation, and Baroness Harman as the Prime Minister's Adviser on Women and Girls.

For clarification, can the Minister tell the House what the current status is of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains: whether it remains funded, whether it is dormant and needs to be provoked into action if there is new information, whether it is properly staffed, and whether...

For clarification, can the Minister tell the House what the current status is of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains: whether it remains funded, whether it is dormant and needs to be provoked into action if there is new information, whether it is properly staffed, and whether...

My Lords, it is a singular honour to follow my noble friend Lord Blackwater’s excellent maiden speech. It was a privilege to be one of his supporters along with my noble and learned friend Lord Garnier, who seems to have attached himself permanently to my noble friend Lord Blackwater’s side.

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My Lords, it is a singular honour to follow my noble friend Lord Blackwater’s excellent maiden speech. It was a privilege to be one of his supporters along with my noble and learned friend Lord Garnier, who seems to have attached himself permanently to my noble friend Lord Blackwater’s side.

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There are many ways of slicing the cake, such as concessions for pensioners, student days or even free admission off season. The problem is that this argument has become politically hijacked, and it should not be. Let us build on the report by the noble Baroness, Lady Hodge, and re-examine...

There are many ways of slicing the cake, such as concessions for pensioners, student days or even free admission off season. The problem is that this argument has become politically hijacked, and it should not be. Let us build on the report by the noble Baroness, Lady Hodge, and re-examine...

My Lords, when the Minister rehearsed his list of government initiatives and investments, he left one thing out: the issue of gas storage. Can he tell the House this afternoon how many days of gas we have in storage in the UK at the moment available to us, and what...

My Lords, when the Minister rehearsed his list of government initiatives and investments, he left one thing out: the issue of gas storage. Can he tell the House this afternoon how many days of gas we have in storage in the UK at the moment available to us, and what...

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) expel Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir from the UK following their sentencing on 10 April for involvement in people smuggling, and (2) permanently revoke any rights they have to live in or visit the UK in the...

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to (1) expel Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir from the UK following their sentencing on 10 April for involvement in people smuggling, and (2) permanently revoke any rights they have to live in or visit the UK in the...

My Lords, as somebody who lives in Devon, I look forward to a long period of the cream teas of the noble Earl, Lord Devon, for which he will regrettably have more time to produce as a result of the delinking of the hereditary peerage and the legislative process of...

My Lords, as somebody who lives in Devon, I look forward to a long period of the cream teas of the noble Earl, Lord Devon, for which he will regrettably have more time to produce as a result of the delinking of the hereditary peerage and the legislative process of...

My Lords, why are the Government so steadfast in their refusal to have a proper, open debate about the relative benefits, environmental and otherwise, of burying power lines as opposed to having overhead power lines? This is not an argument that is going to go away. It is about time the Government fessed up on this and stopped relying on hugely inflated figures provided by the national grid.

My Lords, why are the Government so steadfast in their refusal to have a proper, open debate about the relative benefits, environmental and otherwise, of burying power lines as opposed to having overhead power lines? This is not an argument that is going to go away. It is about time the Government fessed up on this and stopped relying on hugely inflated figures provided by the national grid.