"My Lords, I declare an interest as chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Knight, on securing the debate, and the noble Baroness, Lady Curran, on her maiden speech. It is a short congratulations because I am already running out of time; I apologise for …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"My Lords, can the Minister reassure both me and the House that the Government and the Treasury understand that growth in the economy is about investing not just in capital projects but in people? We have seen an underinvestment in skills for the last 15 years. Are we going to …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"I too acknowledge the commitment and effort being made, and also, of course, the commitment on the front line. I am not a health professional—and I feel particularly conscious of that, given some of the people in the Chamber this afternoon—but I have spent too much time in the last …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"Would the Minister take this opportunity to reassure the House and those of us who are privileged to live in the south-west that our transport needs are given as much attention and priority as those of our vocal friends in the north? It is beginning to feel, with the impact …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"My Lords, I join others in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Butler, in securing a debate on this subject. I thoroughly agree with the noble Lord, Lord Maude, that we do not discuss the Civil Service often enough in this place; it is really rather important.
"My Lords, it is difficult to follow those personal recollections, but they bring home to us the suffering that so many people have experienced. I should, in the spirit of openness, say that I chaired the inquiry’s expert advisory group on public health and public administration and, in that capacity, …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"My Lords, when you are the 61st and last Back-Bench speaker, you can at least hope that some people will be pleased to see you—and I hope that noble Lords are. Building on that positive start, I add my welcome and congratulations to the Attorney-General and the noble Lord, Lord …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"My Lords, the Minister said that this is unprecedented, which of course it is in many respects. However, we are seeing a number of examples at the moment of the state finding it very difficult to deal with its failures, so I wonder whether we can be reassured that some …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech
"My Lords, I too speak in support of Amendment 134. I have to apologise, for I am afraid I was unable to attend Second Reading. I speak on this amendment as someone who has spent a good deal of time in the last couple of years chairing one of the …..." Lord Bichard - View Speech