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
Financial Services Ombudsman
Wednesday 30th October 2019

Asked by: Baroness Debbonaire (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Financial Services Ombudsman has adequate resources to (a) conduct thorough investigations and (b) deliver timely decisions on cases.

Answered by John Glen

Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is required to take such steps as are necessary to ensure that the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is capable of exercising its functions, including approving the FOS’s annual budget. Furthermore, the FOS is subject to statutory audit by the National Audit Office and must publish reports of determinations.

The FOS and the FCA are operationally independent of Government.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 30 Sep 2019
No-deal Brexit: Short Positions against the Pound

"Does the Minister not understand that my constituents in Bristol West are smart enough to spot the hypocrisy of Members on the Treasury Bench telling us that we should vote for a deal when, first, none exists and, secondly, they did not vote for it last time? Does he not …..."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: No-deal Brexit: Short Positions against the Pound
Written Question
Treasury: Brexit
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: Baroness Debbonaire (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what meetings his Department has had with Bristol City Council to discuss preparations for the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Answered by Rishi Sunak

The Government has had extensive engagement with all local authorities, including Bristol City Council, as they continue to prepare for leaving the European Union on 31st October, with or without a deal. We continue to ensure that councils have the necessary information to prepare effectively, and continue to provide opportunities for specific local issues to be raised and addressed.

During December-March 2018/19, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government hosted eleven thematic engagement events for all councils in partnership with ten other government departments that were attended by 650 local government officers representing more than 270 councils. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government also chairs a monthly meeting of local authority leaders with Ministers from across Government attending as required. Since August, a monthly interactive conference with local authority chief executives and Brexit Lead Officers has been hosted by the Secretary of State answering questions submitted directly to him from the sector. The Government’s recent expectation that all local authorities designate a Brexit Lead Officer has further enhanced two-way communication between the different tiers of government as the country prepares to exit the European Union.

Across 2018/19 and 2019/20, MHCLG has allocated £79m to help local areas to prepare for Brexit. Of this funding, Bristol City Council has directly received £314,952 of capacity funding to help it to prepare and prevent disruption to the services that its residents rely upon.

Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 23 Jul 2019
Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)

"I want to follow up some of the questions asked by Members. You may be aware of the wildlife law report from the Law Commission—There was a consultation, and recommendations were published in 2015. Among those recommendations was one that the patchwork of existing legislation be replaced by a single …..."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 23 Jul 2019
Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)

"Q Inspector, you referred to the lack of time. That puzzled me a bit. Where does this idea of the lack of time comes from? We have done virtually nothing legislatively since April. Where has this idea that there was a lack of time to pass a bigger Bill …..."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 23 Jul 2019
Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)

"Interesting. I wonder, where could that have come from? Thank you...."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill (First sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 21 May 2019
Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)

"Q I have a follow-up for Mrs Brown. My colleague asked why you thought it was necessary to suggest that the Government would not ban wild animals if the Jollys were a Muslim family. I would like to push you on that, because you said that you felt Christians …..."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 21 May 2019
Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)

"Q I am sorry, Mrs Brown. I asked you about the comment on Muslims and whether you thought Mr Rutley had deliberately picked a piece of legislation—that is what you are alleging—

Rona Brown: That is my opinion...."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 21 May 2019
Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)

"This is in Mrs Brown’s evidence, and I want to know what she thinks it has to do with the Bill...."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)
Speech in Public Bill Committees - Tue 21 May 2019
Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)

"Q Mr Lacey, you referred to the past abuses of people in circuses as irrelevant. You referred to slavery and said it was also irrelevant because things move on. I think you might have missed the point that my colleague was trying to make. Things do indeed move on, …..."
Baroness Debbonaire - View Speech

View all Baroness Debbonaire (Lab - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill (Second sitting)