King’s Speech

Lord Carrington Excerpts

Thursday 9th November 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Carrington (CB)]

My Lords, I welcome much that is in the gracious Speech but would like to concentrate on the housing measures, both new and carried forward from the previous Session. In this respect, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Truscott, for his remarks and would like to build on some of them. I therefore declare my own interests in the private rented sector, as set out in the register.

As the Secretary of State Michael Gove has said in the other place, the best solution to our housing problem in this country would be a greater supply of housing, which I hope this Government and future Governments will address. However, in the meantime there are challenges in the housing market that need to be addressed urgently. In this respect, one of the biggest problems is the private rented sector. I am greatly looking forward to the swift arrival of this Bill in this House, as it will belatedly address some very real issues that are causing significant pain to those who rent and unnecessary uncertainty among those who provide rental properties to the degree that some are exiting this important market which serves many important roles in the economy. Indeed, the rental sector is approximately 20% of the housing market. Our debates at Second Reading and in Committee will look into these issues in depth and from the side of both the renters and the owners of rental property and, hopefully, we will be able to improve the Bill.

In the meantime, I want to highlight the cross-departmental aspects of this legislation that are already causing concern—certainly that concern is not unique to this legislation but affects other Bills across the spectrum. In respect of housing, it is correct that the lead should be the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, but in the instance of the Renters (Reform) Bill there is the necessity of huge input from the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Energy and Climate Change. I will be grateful if the Minister will explain how exactly this interministerial involvement works, how commitments made in the Bill are actually delivered and in what timescale. It is clearly unacceptable that a housing Bill is conditional on the involvement of another ministry that perhaps does not see its work on a housing Bill as a priority focus.

The principal issues before the Ministry of Justice are Section 21, which allows no-fault evictions and Section 8 which is the alternative legal route for evictions and repossessions. The noble Lord, Lord Markham, outlined what needs to happen, and the noble Lord, Lord Young, and others highlighted some problems of the Government’s approach. With the Renters (Reform) Bill, the Minister of State has made it clear that unless landlords have confidence in systems that underpin the justice system, we will not have good landlords to provide properties available to rent throughout the country. She emphasised that work to provide that confidence remains a priority for the department and for the Ministry of Justice, but absolutely no timeframe is given. It all sounds like, in the words of Lewis Carroll,

“jam to-morrow and jam yesterday—but never jam today”.

Meanwhile, until improvements are agreed and Section 8 is fit for purpose, no-fault evictions under Section 21 will continue with all the associated misery caused by unscrupulous landlords. At the same time, good landlords may take the opportunity provided by the delay and the uncertainty about the outcome of legal reforms to exit the sector. The CLA has already suggested that this is happening with the direct consequence of there being fewer houses available to rent and continued pressure on rental levels.

A similar issue is the involvement of the Department of Energy which has withdrawn the current minimum energy efficiency standards, which were certainly not fit for purpose in a large proportion of our older homes, but no new standards have been proposed nor any timetable given. Surely this, together with other proposals related to the promised decent homes standards, should have been part of this or another Bill and been included in the gracious Speech.

The issue of interdepartmental co-operation, or lack thereof, is certainly not unique to housing. As a cautionary tale, we passed the Agriculture Act in 2020 and the Environment Act in 2021, but we still await clarification from the Treasury on the tax treatment of farmers and landowners for environmental schemes developed and encouraged by those Acts. Tax issues relating to VAT, income tax, capital gains tax and inheritance tax are involved. Treasury consultation has taken place and closed back in June, but we still have no decisions. Inevitably, lack of information on tax has caused farmers and landowners to sit on their hands, thereby delaying measures designed to address carbon emissions.

The interrelationship of housebuilding, environment and tax will all come to a head very soon when the Government’s policy on biodiversity net gain is finally introduced. Failure by the Treasury to resolve tax issues will severely limit the incentive for farmers and landowners to offer land for biodiversity net gain and consequently affect housebuilding numbers, leaving aside lost biodiversity opportunities in the process.

I have tried to highlight the importance of interdepartmental co-operation, which has the power to make or break good legislation unless it operates in a strict timeframe, and warn of the consequences of not co-operating. I look forward to the Minister’s response on this issue.

Safety of Medicines and Medical Devices

Lord Carrington Excerpts

Thursday 28th February 2019 Lords Chamber

[Lord Carrington (CB) (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, in 1797 my four times great grandfather, the banker Robert Smith, was introduced to the House of Lords on the recommendation of William Pitt—that is, Pitt the Younger—to King George III. The result was that a goodly proportion of the House walked out because he was the first person in trade to be elected to your Lordships’ House. I can only hope I do not stir the same reaction.

I am really privileged to be here today making my maiden speech. Like others, I have sat quietly for some weeks observing the workings and customs of the House. I cannot say that I am yet confident about every aspect of being a newly minted Peer, although I have received endless help and attention, from the doorkeepers up to the Convenor of the Cross Benches, from the attendants up to Black Rod and, of course, from my mentor, my noble friend Lord Aberdare. I have also received help from Peers from every side of the House.

Furthermore, I am most grateful for the splendid services available to Peers, in particular, for the incomparable Library which magicked up a copy of my father’s first speech in your Lordships’ House. I fear this was not very helpful, as he did not make a maiden speech but instead asked an Oral Question—God forbid! The subject was the use of prisoners of war on farms, as they accounted for 40% of farm labour in 1945. I doubt that that is the solution to current agricultural employment issues. Many noble Lords knew my father, and it is therefore a frightening experience to follow in his huge footprints.

As for myself, because of my father’s political presence, I decided to follow a different career path, which I hope has given me sufficient experience in a number of areas to enable me to contribute to the work of this House. I am a banker by way of background, specialising in the world of investment, both direct and portfolio, and I still pursue this career as an independent adviser. I have lived in Asia and travelled widely. I have also worked in the Middle East and have been involved in Saudi Arabia since 1974. Currently, I sit on boards and have advisory appointments in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and the Far East. At home in England, I am an active farmer and a lover of the arts. I am privileged to be a governor of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

I thank the noble Lord, Lord O’Shaughnessy, for introducing this debate. Although I cannot claim to be an expert in the detailed subject of the safety of medicines and medical devices, I am fairly conversant with the importance of the regulatory aspects of the factors which govern the overall environment in which healthcare is brought to the general public. The patient safety aspect of medicine and medical devices is paramount and is constantly evolving with the assistance of new technology, innovation, data capture and identifying worldwide best practice. I am pleased to note that the independent medicines and medical devices safety review is under way and will bring invaluable recommendations to the Government.

I would, however, like to raise a broader issue which needs to be borne in mind throughout our deliberations, since healthcare accounts for some 10% of gross domestic product. In order to satisfy all patients, the provision of healthcare needs to be driven by innovation, demand, affordability and government regulations. The challenge for regulators worldwide, whether the European Medicines Agency, our own MHRA or, in the US, the Food and Drug Administration is to facilitate innovation without lowering standards. Whether we are in Europe or outside, the same issues arise. Innovation enables new, more efficient medicines and devices to be brought to patients at a more affordable cost. It is important that, while not compromising on safety, regulations do not inadvertently inhibit the all-important innovation.

In a small way, I have been involved in the analysis of a number of healthcare companies, particularly in the United States. Over the years, therefore, I have had cause to study the workings of the US FDA which, for many innovators, was seen as a regulatory roadblock. This has changed since the current commissioner took over; unusually in today’s environment, he is thought of positively on both sides of the US political divide. The FDA is now collaborating with companies in a more proactive way during the development process. It is offering more guidance and engaging in more interactive exchanges with companies prior to filings.

The importance of an innovation-friendly regulator cannot be overstated when the results are new products coming to the healthcare industry at a rapid pace, enabling patients to benefit faster than ever before. This is demonstrated by a 168% rise in drug approvals between 2016 and 2018 in the United States. There has been a similar improvement in the approval of medical devices. The regulation of medical devices differs from that of drugs, but the end goal of both approaches is the same: to ensure patient safety and performance. I would be interested to hear from the Minister whether the MHRA has been following these exciting developments at the FDA, and whether there is a process in place to learn from them.

The purpose of bringing these experiences of the FDA to your Lordships’ attention is to demonstrate the value of adopting best practice in the overall field of healthcare, from innovation to manufacture and delivery to safety. The FDA has its issues, and no doubt follows carefully the work of the EMA and MHRA, but I would urge that, in a field where the overall interests of patients are paramount, we can all learn from each other. Will the Minister please assure us that the principal regulators worldwide are communicating regularly and closely to achieve this essential balance between safety and innovation?