To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Sanctions: Local Government and Public Bodies
Friday 12th April 2024

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have received any representations from allies at ministerial or ambassadorial level about specific boycotts undertaken by UK local authorities or other public bodies.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)

The Government is concerned by instances of local authorities and other public bodies pursuing boycotts and divestment activity. These campaigns can undermine community cohesion and are often inconsistent with UK Government foreign policy. Complete details of representations are not held centrally, but we are not aware of representations about specific boycotts from such sources.

Written Question
Infrastructure: Cybersecurity
Monday 18th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Browne of Ladyton (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of existing cyber-resilience regulations relating to the UK’s critical national infrastructure.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)

The National Cyber Strategy 2022 set outcomes for critical national infrastructure (CNI) (in the private and public sector) to better understand & manage cyber risk and minimise the impact of cyber incidents when they occur. In addition, at CyberUK 2023, the Deputy Prime Minister announced specific and ambitious cyber resilience targets for all CNI sectors (public and private sector) to meet by 2025.

Over the past year, the Cabinet Office has been progressing foundational work to support the creation of common but flexible resilience standards across CNI and do more on the assurance of CNI, including cyber assurance preparedness, by 2030. This includes work to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of all regulation that applies to CNI, including (but not limited to) NIS regulations, and to bring more private sector businesses working in CNI within the scope of cyber resilience regulations.

The Government is also committed to ensuring cyber security in the public sector, which is why GovAssure was launched in April 2023. Under GovAssure, government organisations regularly review the effectiveness of their cyber defences against common cyber vulnerabilities and attack methods. We are currently evaluating the first year’s assessments. GovAssure will enable government organisations to accurately assess their levels of cyber resilience across their critical services, highlight priority areas for improvement and provide the Government with a strategic view of cyber capability, risk and resilience across the sector.

Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 20 Oct 2022
Unemployment Figures

"My Lords, the number of inactive people in this country of working age is increasing inexorably. In the last three months alone, it has increased by 80,000 people, and of the 640,000 who have become inactive since the onset of the pandemic, 55% say that they are long-term sick. Instead …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Unemployment Figures
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 20 Oct 2022
Net-zero Emissions: Behaviour Change

"My Lords, I am also a member of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, and I congratulate the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Oxford on securing this extremely timely debate so soon after the publication of our committee’s report on the importance of changes to people’s behaviour, by which …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Net-zero Emissions: Behaviour Change
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 13 Jun 2022
Bain & Company: Public Sector Contracts

"My Lords, the Minister sought in part to assure us, saying that Bain & Company—I think I quote him properly—are not doing any substantial business with the Government. What does “substantial” mean in those circumstances, and were any of these insubstantial contracts agreed after the judicial inquiry in South Africa …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Bain & Company: Public Sector Contracts
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 27 Jan 2022
Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: Gambling Addiction

"My Lords, the RAF Benevolent Fund research, to which the noble Lord, Lord Foster, refers, merely corroborates the Army’s own assessment that military veterans are eight times more likely to have gambling problems than the rest of the country’s population. Should the Government ask themselves not what do we do …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: Gambling Addiction
Speech in Lords Chamber - Thu 27 Jan 2022
Ministerial Code

"My Lords, once again we are being treated to Ministers in studios and in the House not facing up to the fact that the evidence is out there. These emails are there for people to see. I have not heard one Minister deny that the Nowzad animals were helped out …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Ministerial Code
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 25 Jan 2022
Downing Street Parties: Police Investigation

"My Lords, I infer from the noble Lord’s statement that we can expect publication of only the findings of Sue Gray’s report and not the whole report. Am I right?

Secondly, does this sequence of events not raise serious questions about the nature of policing these lockdown regulations? It is …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Downing Street Parties: Police Investigation
Speech in Lords Chamber - Tue 11 Jan 2022
Downing Street Event

"My Lords, no one who has read this email is in any doubt that there was a party. That means that millions of people in this country who have had the advantage of being able to read it know that it was an invitation to a party. They know that …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Downing Street Event
Speech in Lords Chamber - Mon 11 Oct 2021
Net-zero Emissions Target

"My Lords, I am sure the Minister will agree that the Government need to take a joined-up approach to decarbonising the economy. Surely it is inefficient and wasteful to public funds to stimulate decarbonisation with some funds, while stimulating the creation of greenhouse gas emissions with others. When will we …..."
Lord Browne of Ladyton - View Speech

View all Lord Browne of Ladyton (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Net-zero Emissions Target