Became Member: 13th October 1993
Left House: 12th December 2018 (Retired)
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Lord Lester of Herne Hill, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Amend the law of defamation; and for connected purposes.
A Bill to make provision about the property of deceased persons who are survived by a cohabitant.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Joint Committee on Human Rights has now been appointed. The Lords membership was agreed by the House on Wednesday 19 July. The House of Commons agreed its members of the Joint Committee on Monday 30 October. The appointment of Commons Members is a matter for the House of Commons.
Clause 5 of the draft Public Service Ombudsman Bill entitles any person who is authorised by the affected person to make a complaint to the Ombudsman on their behalf, including a member of the House of Lords.
The draft Bill requires the Ombudsman to send a statement setting out her findings and any recommendations to the department or public body in question. As now, it will be for the department or public body to decide whether and how to give effect to any such recommendations. The legislation retains existing powers that allow the Ombudsman to draw attention to unremedied hardship or injustice where she considers it has not been or will not be put right.
This is a significant power that includes the ability to require information about how a designated authority will respond to the Ombudsman's findings and to bring that information to the attention of others – for example, by laying the report before Parliament or sending it to members of a local authority.
On 17 February, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) published procurement guidance for public authorities that makes clear that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the UK Government.
This new guidance gives no consideration to matters of common law, which is a matter for the courts. However, the guidance makes it clear that local level boycotts can be unlawful and lead to severe penalties against the contracting authority and the Government.
On 17 February, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) published procurement guidance for public authorities that makes clear that boycotts in public procurement are inappropriate outside where formal legal sanctions, embargoes and restrictions have been put in place by the UK Government.
This new guidance gives no consideration to matters of common law, which is a matter for the courts. However, the guidance makes it clear that local level boycotts can be unlawful and lead to severe penalties against the contracting authority and the Government.
As set out in my answer to the noble Lord on 3 February, the Cabinet Office is actively reviewing its remaining 1987 and 1988 files and is seeking to complete this work as quickly as possible. It would be premature to comment about what will be released until this work is complete.
The Government is committed to transparency and the Freedom of Information Act. Requests for information are examined on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the requirements of the Act.
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to the Noble Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 5 November 2015 to HL3046,HL3047,HL3048,which I have attached for ease of reference.
The Ministerial Code is normally updated and reissued after a General Election. The updated Code makes clear that Ministers must abide by the law. The obligations of Ministers under the law including international law remain unchanged.
Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not disclosed.
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given to the Noble Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 5 November 2015 to HL3046,HL3047,HL3048,which I have attached for ease of reference.
The Ministerial Code is normally updated and reissued after a General Election. The updated Code makes clear that Ministers must abide by the law. The obligations of Ministers under the law including international law remain unchanged.
Information relating to internal discussions and advice is not disclosed.
The Prime Minister of the day appointed the Chair and Committee Members of the Iraq Inquiry. The Cabinet Office, as the sponsor department, is responsible for the terms of service for the Chair and Committee members of the Iraq Inquiry.
Members of the Inquiry Committee are paid a daily rate with no bonus incentives. Sir John Chilcot has said that he and his colleagues intend to deliver their report to the Prime Minister as soon as it is possible to do so.
The Maxwellisation process is a matter for the Inquiry; Sir John Chilcot has described the process as essential and confidential, and to comment further might jeopardise the confidentiality of the process. Once his report is complete, Sir John Chilcot will deliver it to the Prime Minister. It is for Government to publish the report, and once it is delivered we expect to publish without delay.
The daily fees for the Chair and Members of the Inquiry are published on the Inquiry’s website.
Members of the Inquiry are paid at the following rates: Chairman - £790 per working day; Committee members - £565 per working day. These rates have not changed since the beginning of the Inquiry.
The Chairman of the Inquiry is paid £790 per day and the members of his committee £565 per day. The Chairman and members are only paid for days that they work. These figures have not changed since the beginning of the Inquiry. In financial year 2013/14, the Committee and Advisers’ remuneration was £201,100.
I have nothing further to add to my written answer of 15 July 2014.
The Chairman of the Inquiry is paid £790 per day and the members of his committee £565 per day. The Chairman and members are only paid for days that they work. These figures have not changed since the beginning of the Inquiry. In financial year 2013/14, the Committee and Advisers’ remuneration was £201,100.
I have nothing further to add to my written answer of 15 July 2014.
The Inquiry is independent of Government, and the timing of the delivery of its report to the Prime Minister is a matter for the Inquiry. Sir John Chilcot said in May that it was the Inquiry's intention to do so as soon as possible. Government is doing everything it can to ensure this is possible.
The European Supply Agency forms part of Euratom Treaty arrangements. The UK will leave the European Supply Agency at the same time that it leaves Euratom.
The nature of future arrangements with Euratom and the EU will be subject to negotiation which started this month. Our aim throughout the negotiations with the European Commission will be to maintain our mutually successful civil nuclear cooperation with Euratom and the rest of the world.
The UK is keen to ensure that there is minimal disruption to civil nuclear trade following the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom. We have bilateral Nuclear Cooperation Agreements (NCAs) in place with several countries that we will continue to rely on after our exit from Euratom.
We intend to maintain continuity of cooperation with our international partners and will develop new arrangements as necessary.
The EU’s Joint Undertaking for ITER (F4E) funds the €540m p.a. EU contribution to the ITER programme. This is funded primarily through the EU central budget with small additional membership fees from member states. The UK pays a €290,000 annual membership fee directly to F4E.
UK membership of F4E gives UK scientists and engineers the opportunity to work at, and in partnership with, ITER on development of fusion as a clean, safe and virtually inexhaustible energy source. It also gives the UK access to intellectual property developed at ITER and helps the UK maintain its position as a world leader in fusion technology.
F4E membership has enabled the UK to win high-value ITER construction contracts, with opportunities to bid for significantly more during the construction which has a current budget of €14.4bn overall and will be complete in 2025.
Within the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators budget it is not possible to identify the membership costs for any individual member state. Details of their costs and the work they do are set out in their Programming Document[1] for 2017-2019.
In common with other EU agencies, as part of exit negotiations the government will discuss with the EU any potential future relationship with the Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators.
The European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency is funded from the European Union budget. It is a Union Agency established to deliver the EU’s satellite navigation programmes Galileo and EGNOS. The Agency will be responsible for operating the systems, managing the services provided and for promoting their adoption to create new industrial markets.
The Government recognises the benefits our involvement in these programmes brings for the UK.
The Government recognises the importance of an effective and balanced intellectual property regime to support the UK's innovative and creative industries and to make the UK an attractive place for inward investment.
In order to inform our position in the upcoming negotiations with the EU, the Government continues to undertake a rigorous and extensive programme of analysis, which includes intellectual property. The UK's future relationship with the EUIPO will be a matter for negotiations and so it would not be appropriate for me to discuss the details of any analysis now.
The European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound) informs and contributes towards better evidence-based policymaking in areas relevant to living and working conditions.
Eurofound is funded from a central EU budget and the UK has not made any additional voluntary financial contributions to the foundation.
Since the EU referendum vote, the UK has continued to participate in Eurofound. Future engagement between the UK and Eurofound will be considered as part of the broader EU exit negotiations.
In leaving the EU, we want to achieve the best possible outcome and the strongest possible partnership – one that works for the UK and the EU. Good communication between our respective authorities will be important to securing this partnership. The future relationship between UK authorities and information sharing mechanisms such as the Internal Market Information System, will be determined in the course of our negotiations with the EU.
The business case for action has been made. While we know that many companies are already taking forward some of the recommended actions, more needs to be done. We set out in the Government response that we will be working with Business in the Community in supporting companies to make these changes including developing a simple guide on how to discuss race in the workplace, ensuring easy access to an online portal of best practice and celebrating success through a list of the top 100 BME employers. We will also monitor progress through the new Diversity and Inclusion Group, chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility.
The Government welcomes Baroness McGregor-Smith’s report and encourages businesses to take forward her recommendations. The practicalities of implementation will differ depending on the business in question, but as we set out in the Government response, we will be working with Business in the Community in supporting companies to make these changes. My hon. Friend the Minister for Small Business, Consumers and Corporate Responsibility has also announced that she will chair a new Business Diversity and Inclusion Group which will bring together some of the key figures leading work on this agenda to provide strategic leadership and ensure that we deliver a clear and coherent message to the business community on what they are expected to do.
Membership of the European Network and Information Security Agency (ENISA) is one of the ways in which the UK discusses cyber security policy and shares expertise with European partners.
In 2016, ENISA received €10.1m of central funding from the EU budget. The UK contributes to the budget as a whole, not to individual projects or agencies.
Public authorities must act in a manner compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. The government expects that the NAO and Ofcom would seek to act in a way which is compatible with the Convention, but of course it is a matter for them to discharge their obligations.
The licence fee is not a payment for BBC Services or any other specific television service. The government will trial a contestable fund to benefit underserved audiences and genres, funded from broadband underspend, over the coming three years.
The Government will consult on the fund in due course.
The summer 2015 funding settlement represents a positive financial outcome for the BBC. The licence fee will rise over the next 5 years and by 2022 the BBC will have received around £18 billion of public money. The BBC has welcomed this funding settlement.
The draft Charter and Agreement strengthen the independence of the BBC by giving it a powerful new unitary board, with the BBC able to appoint the majority of board members for the first time, one of the longest charter periods in history, fewer protected areas of funding to increase the freedom the BBC has to use its money as it sees fit, and a new system of regular 5 yearly licence fee settlements.
The BBC's draft Charter and Framework Agreement published was published on Thursday 15th September.
EU laws on telecommunications (electronic communications services) exclude services that provide, or exercise editorial control over content transmitted using electronic communications networks and services. While printed media (e.g. newspapers) are not within the scope of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the Directive does apply to audio visual media, (television broadcasts and other tv-like content). The Government has considered the impact of the Directive on freedom of expression when responding to the European Commission's consultation on the future of that Directive. The Government's response is attached.
The BBC Charter Review Consultation Paper, published in July 2015, set out the issues for consideration in Charter Review, including questions about how the BBC is funded. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper, but remains clear that the licence fee is a tax and therefore should ultimately be decided by Ministers. The level of the licence fee will be agreed once questions on the BBC's scope and purposes, have been agreed.
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.
These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper.
I will ensure that there is an opportunity for the BBC Charter to be debated by both Houses of Parliament before it is brought into effect.
I refer the noble Lord to the responses to HL4703 and HL4704. The attached Access to Public Records Manual is published by The National Archives and sets out the grounds for retention.
Yes, all decisions were made in accordance with the advice by the Advisory Council.
The administrative grounds for retaining public records referred to in my answer to HL4703 are: records or series of records which have not been selected for transfer to The National Archives or a place of deposit, but which the department has retained after they are defined as historical records because they are required for its own administrative purposes; records or series of records that have been selected for transfer to The National Archives or place of deposit but are still required for administrative purposes; records or series of records which are awaiting appraisal or preparation for transfer.
I refer the noble Lord to the response to HL4704.
As set out in the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended), public records selected for permanent preservation are transferred toThe National Archives or an approved place of deposit no later than 20 years after creation, unless an department is authorised to keep them for longer. Such decisions are undertakenwithadvice from the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.
The Access to Public Records Manual published by the National Archives sets out the seven broad grounds for retention, which is attached.
Retention instruments can cover multiple applicationsby departments to retain records and the number of applications covered by Lord Chancellor's Instruments 111-119 ranges from 37 to 253, which were submitted by between 8 and 15 departments.
The grounds provided by departments that were given permission to retain records under Instruments 111, 113, 114 and 119 are 1,2,4 and 6. Records under Instruments 112, 115, 117 and 118 were retained on grounds 1, 4 and 6 and records under Instrument 116 were retained on grounds 4 and 6. Each of the Instruments therefore covers documents retained on grounds of national security, as well as other administrative reasons.
There is a strong public interest in not releasing information which could undermine the safeguarding of national security.
As set out in the Public Records Act 1958 (as amended), public records selected for permanent preservation are transferred toThe National Archives or an approved place of deposit no later than 20 years after creation, unless an department is authorised to keep them for longer. Such decisions are undertakenwithadvice from the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.
The Access to Public Records Manual published by the National Archives sets out the seven broad grounds for retention, which is attached.
Retention instruments can cover multiple applicationsby departments to retain records and the number of applications covered by Lord Chancellor's Instruments 111-119 ranges from 37 to 253, which were submitted by between 8 and 15 departments.
The grounds provided by departments that were given permission to retain records under Instruments 111, 113, 114 and 119 are 1,2,4 and 6. Records under Instruments 112, 115, 117 and 118 were retained on grounds 1, 4 and 6 and records under Instrument 116 were retained on grounds 4 and 6. Each of the Instruments therefore covers documents retained on grounds of national security, as well as other administrative reasons.
There is a strong public interest in not releasing information which could undermine the safeguarding of national security.
Departments that wish to physically retain custody of records for an administrative or other reason (such as national security) for longer than the prescribed period require a retention instrument.
Since 2013, when the Government began its move towards transferring records to the National Archives when they are 20 years old, rather than 30, retention instrument numbers 111 to 119 have been approved.
Within the United Kingdom’s constitutional arrangements, responsibility for legislating on the subject of marriage in relation to Northern Ireland has been devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly and any change in the law is a matter for that Assembly. The situation in Italy is not comparable with the situation in Northern Ireland where civil partnerships are available to same-sex couples. Italy provides no legal recognition of same-sex relationships either through a civil union/registered partnership or through marriage.
In my answers to Noble Lords’ questions on 15 July, I sought to make clear that we understand the Employment Appeal Tribunal judgment in Chandhok and Anor v Tirkey as providing an existing legal remedy for claims of caste-based discrimination. We will keep the House informed of further developments in our consideration of the effect of this judgment on the caste duty.