"My Lords, any easing of the cost of living is to be welcomed. However, the Minister will be aware that the VAT reduction cannot be directly applied to Northern Ireland because of the rules of the Windsor Framework and the arrangements with the European Union. At best, we will have …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"I am not going to deliver a speech, but the noble Baroness and the Minister have spoken about certainty. Does the noble Baroness not agree that certainty would be a lot more enhanced—and I look forward to the Minister’s reply—if we got some form of timescale for whatever is going …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the opportunity to raise what is both an important and timely issue. There is a truism which certainly affects my family, indeed most families: many years ago, it would have been said that the terrible scourge of cancer had touched pretty much every family in the …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"To ask His Majesty’s Government how the Modern Service Framework for Dementia and Frailty will improve dementia diagnosis, ensure robust and acceptable clinical data and performance metrics, and enable access to innovative treatments...." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I refer to my registered interests in the FE sector. Although there is an excellent job being done by schools and FE bodies in support of young people aged 16-19, we sometimes concentrate on the institutions rather than the individual students. There is a concern that some young …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, I welcome the remarks made so far by the Minister. We are aware of the drivers and that hypertension can lead to strokes and heart attacks. In particular, about 5% to 10% of those with hypertension have resistant hypertension. I ask the Minister specifically: when the cardiovascular disease …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, it is welcome that the Government seem to be setting national targets for dementia diagnosis. But targets are valuable only if they are accompanied by timeframes, not simply for diagnosis but for a treatment plan. Will the Government consider proposals such as from Alzheimer’s Research UK, which talks …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, the Best Start Family Hubs offer an opportunity for positive progress. However, if we are to provide the most assistance to families, particularly those with SEND children, it will require an integrated and holistic approach from the Government. Can the Minister outline how family hubs will integrate with …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech
"My Lords, early intervention can clearly be critical, but one of the barriers to early access, particularly to new drugs, is the current modelling of NICE. I think there is a level of criticism of its cost-benefit analysis in that sometimes it does not take sufficient cognisance of the health …..." Lord Weir of Ballyholme - View Speech