Parthenon Sculptures
Lord Sahota Excerpts(1 week, 1 day ago)
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Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I assure the noble Lord, not least because of his role in ensuring that we were able to bring the Bayeaux Tapestry to the UK for the first time in more than 900 years, that there is no intention to keep the Bayeux Tapestry in this country. It would be over my dead body.
Lord Sahota (Lab)
My Lords, I wish all noble Lords a happy Diwali, which is at the weekend. When Britain annexed the Sikh Empire in 1849, the koh-i-noor diamond was taken from its young maharaja, Duleep Singh—he was only 10 years old—and subsequently presented to Queen Victoria. Many Sikhs have long maintained that the diamond was taken under duress and rightfully belongs to their heritage. Will the Government consider returning the koh-i-noor diamond to the Sikh community as this was an act of historical injustice?
Baroness Twycross (Lab)
I thank my noble friend for raising this issue, and I share his best wishes to everyone celebrating Diwali. I recognise the historical significance for the Sikh community. The diamond has a contested history. However, it remains the UK Government’s long-standing position that the koh-i-noor diamond should remain in the UK.
S4C
Lord Sahota Excerpts(2 years, 9 months ago)
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Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
I am afraid I would not be able to provide much of an answer, other than to say “diolch yn fawr”.
Lord Sahota (Lab)
My Lords, the Welsh language received a grant of some £250,000 from the Welsh Government. There are only half a million Welsh language speakers in the UK, so how come other languages such as Polish, Punjabi, Bengali and Gujarati never receive any grant at all, even though they have a much larger number of speakers?
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay (Con)
My Lords, speaking in minority languages is an important contribution from our broadcasters across the UK. The Government support the Welsh Government’s ambition to reach the target of 1 million people in Wales being able to speak Welsh by 2050, and S4C clearly plays an important part in that. On the broader question of other languages, I look forward to the debates we will be having on the Media Bill about the support our public service broadcasters can give.