"My Lords, I wish to speak to Amendment 77 on foster carers’ leave, and Amendments 78 and 79 on kinship carers’ leave. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Palmer, on bringing them forward.
"I appreciate what the Minister has said. If I heard him correctly, he said it would not be appropriate to introduce this leave without undertaking an assessment of how it would be applied. Will such an assessment be undertaken? I think it is important...." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech
"My Lords, I very much welcome this Bill. It reminds me of that Frank Sinatra song about New York—so good they named it twice. The Bill has in effect been named twice, because it contains two very good and distinct parts, which merit being Bills in their own right. There …..." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make it more straightforward for parents to check their children’s eligibility for free school meals...." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech
"I thank my noble friend for her Answer, but the bureaucracy involved in registering is proving a barrier for many families. As a result, a considerable number of children are losing out on the free school meals to which they are entitled; the current estimate is about a quarter of …..." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech
"My Lords, it was a privilege to serve with colleagues under my noble friend Lady O’Grady, and the committee was brilliantly supported by our clerk Sabrina Asghar and her team. With the introduction of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 and the Illegal Migration Act 2023, the previous Government deliberately …..." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech
"My Lords, I am very pleased to welcome the maiden speeches of four new colleagues, each of whom will clearly make powerful contributions in the years to come in your Lordships’ House.
"My Lords, I would like to say a few words on Amendment 17 just moved by my noble friend the Minister. I tabled an amendment in Committee to try to ensure that the players appeared in the Bill, as originally they did not.
"The noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, was briefer than I had anticipated; I had intended putting this point to him. We have had a lot of discussion about the intervention of UEFA in terms of the regulator not being able to take into account UK government foreign policies and trade policies, …..." Lord Watson of Invergowrie - View Speech