European Union: Freedom of Movement

Debate between Baroness Williams of Trafford and Lord Hamilton of Epsom

Thursday 12th January 2017 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, the Government do not comment on other member states’ implementation of the free movement directive. We are about to begin these negotiations and it would wrong to set out our position in advance, but the Government are clear that at every step of these negotiations we will work to ensure the best possible outcome for the UK.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, I have been reading in the newspapers that the EU is demanding that we will have to give free movement of labour in return for access to the single market, but the United States has access to the single market and I am sure that it does not give free movement of labour between Europe and the United States.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, that will certainly be determined in negotiations as we exit the EU.

Hate Crime

Debate between Baroness Williams of Trafford and Lord Hamilton of Epsom

Tuesday 18th October 2016 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

I think the Government have made that quite clear: people who live here are quite welcome in this country and we will abide by our obligations, unless other EU states change their position.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, when I was delivering leaflets on behalf of the leave campaign in Barnstaple, I asked a man leaving his house whether he was going to vote leave on Thursday and he said, “No, you racist”. Was that a hate crime?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My Lords, it most certainly was not because we are all free to express our opinions. It is absolutely right that this country is a country in which we can express our opinions. The line lies where that expression incites people to commit hate crimes.

Housing: Office Conversions

Debate between Baroness Williams of Trafford and Lord Hamilton of Epsom

Wednesday 2nd December 2015 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

My Lords, to put the remarks of the noble Lord, Lord Goddard, in perspective, it is important that we know what is happening to demand for office spaces. I understood that with more people working from home, the demand for office spaces was waning somewhat.

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

My noble friend makes a very good point. My answer to the noble Lord’s first question is that it varies a lot across the country. In the north-west, where both I and the noble Lord live, there is a demand to build housing within town centres in an attempt to revitalise them. However, there is also a demand for housing nationwide; where that situation is distorted and reversed and office space is being lost, an Article 4 direction can be made.

Women in the Workplace

Debate between Baroness Williams of Trafford and Lord Hamilton of Epsom

Thursday 9th July 2015 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

The noble Lord asks a good question. The ONS monitors gender pay differences by department. I am very pleased that, in my own department, four out of seven of the senior executives are women, including the Permanent Secretary.

[Lord Hamilton of Epsom (Con)]

Is there not serious evidence of inequality in that a far higher percentage of women are employed than men?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

In other words, we are going in the opposite direction. I think it is only a good thing that more women are employed in senior positions. This Government have made a real effort in that direction.