Electric Vehicles: Transition
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Evans of Rainow(5 days, 15 hours ago)
Lords ChamberRead Full debate Read Hansard Text
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
My noble friend raises some crucial points. When I go home, I have to tell people that, in going around London, one of the most dangerous exercises is crossing the road because of the fear of unregulated cycles coming through. We have had many debates on this. I do not have a definite direction for my noble friend, but I know that he will maintain a strong interest in this area and will make sure that, as we move forward, we take everyone with us to achieve better results.
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
Going back to rural areas and the electric vehicle charging infrastructure, is the Minister aware that, if you have a drive, you will have to dig it up to put new cabling in because older housing stock is not capable of taking the new power? In rural areas, 5G is intermittent or non-existent, so the charge point does not speak to the internet and therefore the smart meter. To add to that, it is not smart enough to log on to the house’s domestic wifi, so the box is not able to communicate with the app. Rural infrastructure is not good enough to go along with the Government’s noble aims.
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I have a feeling that the noble Lord might be speaking from experience given the depth of his knowledge. I met my neighbour—not that we live in a particularly rural area—who had these issues. That is why the Government are investing so significantly into the whole area of charging. One of the issues that really aggrieves me, living in a city such as Leeds where we have a lot of terraced houses, is that back-to-back houses do not have the potential for a garage. But that is why I really welcome the £25 million specifically going into that work. We know this is challenging and we know that there are a whole variety of different circumstances, but with proper consultation and engagement through local authorities in our local areas, I think we can move forward.
Early Years Education
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Evans of Rainow
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
One of the interesting developments with the Best Start family hubs is that local councils are being tasked with having dedicated SEND practitioners in each of them. Dyscalculia comes under the umbrella of those conditions, and I know that its profile is being raised and better understood, not least because of the noble Baroness’s efforts. As with anything else, the earlier it is picked up, the better.
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
My Lords, a Labour MP’s visit to a school in his constituency in Bristol was cancelled by members of the National Education Union purely because he is Jewish. What message does that send about the long-term outcomes for our children?
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I am not apprised of the actual details. Obviously, this is something that has been picked up and will be looked at very seriously going forward.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Givinostat
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Evans of Rainow
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
I cannot give the detailed answer on the numbers that the noble Lord is after, but I am very happy to write to him. We have this experience in a whole range of other medicines, but I appreciate the noble Lord’s particular interest in this. This is a very difficult area. It is for NICE to look at the best way forward on providing medicines that give the best results and value for money and achieve the right outcomes. This is an ongoing situation, and I am happy to write to the noble Lord on the detail.
Lord Evans of Rainow (Con)
My Lords, I witnessed a close family member suffer with this dreadful disease, and the Minister is right to say that she cannot comment on the actual drug and NICE’s decision. However, before this drug is administered, you require blood-clotting platelets so that the drug can have the best effect. However, there is a big shortage of platelet donors within the NHS, as the noble Baroness may be aware. Waiting for NICE’s decision may be part of the administration cost of administering this drug, but one thing it may use to say it cannot do it is a shortage of donors, so perhaps we can proactively ask the NHS to look into how we can get more donors for platelets.
Baroness Blake of Leeds (Lab)
The noble Lord touches on a very sensitive matter that could be replicated around a variety of issues. Looking for more people to come forward is a perpetual challenge, and I am sure that everything should be done to encourage people to do so. I am sure that many people do not know that this is an issue, and some promotion could be helpful.
Victory in Europe and Japan: 80th Anniversaries
Debate between Baroness Blake of Leeds and Lord Evans of Rainow
Baroness in Waiting/Government Whip (Baroness Blake of Leeds) (Lab)
We will have a Cross-Bencher first.