UK House of Lords

Find out what’s coming up this week in the House of Lords:        📃 In bills, regulation of water companies and amending the Arbitration Act 1996 in the spotlight as members debate draft laws.      📢 In debates, members raise issues on the contribution of science to the UK economy, the community and voluntary sectors, and rising tensions in the Horn of Africa.    ❓ In Lords questions, members quiz the government on winter support for pensioners, reducing the need for foodbanks, number of unemployed young people and confidentiality for whistleblowers.    📝 In committees, the Financial Services Regulation Committee speaks to executives at NatWest, the Financial Services Authority, Allica Bank and ClearBank.   ➡️ See full schedule https://lnkd.in/eu2eTHW8  

Members help students engage with the work of the House of Lords through our Learn with the Lords programme.  Hear from Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, Lord Haskel, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Natalie Bennett) and Baroness Fookes about why they take part in the programme and why they feel it’s important for young people to get involved with Parliament and democracy. ➡️Find out more about Learn with the Lords https://lnkd.in/evmAmgFR  #HouseOfLords #UKParliament #LearnWithTheLords #Education #Schools

Forty years ago this month, Robin Butler - Principle Private Secretary to Margaret Thatcher - was in the room with the prime minister when the Brighton bomb exploded nearby in their hotel. Hear from Lord Butler of Brockwell as he talks to the Lord Speaker about the experience, plus working with five prime ministers, in the latest Lord Speaker’s Corner. Watch or listen now – search ‘House of Lords’ on YouTube or visit https://lnkd.in/eumE7UmP #LordSpeakersCorner #HouseOfLords

We need a plan to fix our broken food system, says a Lords committee in its new report.      The Food, Diet and Obesity Committee found that obesity and diet-related disease are a public health emergency that costs society billions each year in healthcare costs and lost productivity. Over the last 30 years, successive governments have proposed nearly 700 policies to tackle obesity – but it has continued to rise.      The committee calls on the government to develop a comprehensive, integrated long-term strategy including banning the advertising of less healthy foods and introducing measures to make healthier foods more affordable.      Chair of the committee, Baroness Walmsley, said: 'Food should be a pleasure and contribute to our health and wellbeing, but it is making too many people ill. Something must be going wrong if almost two in five children are leaving primary school overweight or with obesity and so many people are finding it hard to feed healthy food to their families... Both the government and the food industry must take responsibility for what has gone wrong and take urgent steps to put it right.'   ➡️ Find out more and read report in full https://lnkd.in/eJp_-rgZ

British businesses and NHS face huge extra costs if crucial UK-EU data agreement is not reached, Lords committee warns.     The Lords European Affairs Committee has written to Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle MP, warning that the NHS will be hit by significant extra costs and red tape if the UK loses the right to exchange citizens’ personal data seamlessly with the EU.  The situation also risks serious damage to the UK’s reputation as a destination for international investment and triggering a decline in UK innovation.     Experts told the committee that losing data adequacy would increase friction as well as costs in trade and other interactions between the UK and EU, which would ‘probably feed through into higher prices for consumers and reduce consumer choice and hurt consumer confidence’.     Chair of the committee, Lord Ricketts said:     ‘The UK faces a potential cliff edge in June 2025 unless agreement is reached with the EU on the continued free flow of data. The loss of data adequacy would create new barriers and run completely counter to the government’s ambitions to grow the economy and reset relations with the EU.’     ➡️ Find out more and read the letter in full https://lnkd.in/efv8RgAx     #HouseOfLords #EU #Data #GDPR #Europe 

Find out what’s coming up this week in the House of Lords:        📃 In bills, apprenticeships, support for infants, parents and carers, and passenger railway services are in the spotlight as members debate draft laws.      📢 In debates, members raise issues around special needs schools and specialist education colleges, plus the situation in Ukraine.      ❓ In Lords questions, members quiz the government on the prisoner early release scheme, new social homes, absenteeism in schools, and impact of the benefit cap on child poverty.      📝 In committees, the Science and Technology Committee speaks to the Government Chief Scientific Adviser and the Public Services Committee hears from experts at The Bar Council of England and Wales and The Law Society on translation services in the courts.       ➡️ See full schedule https://lnkd.in/evjjZMrW  

📚 Did you know you can apply for a free Learn with the Lords session for your school? A member of the House of Lords will visit your class to deliver a presentation and answer questions from pupils. The Learn with the Lords programme brings Parliament to life for students and helps them develop a better understanding of the vital role of the UK Parliament’s second chamber. Hear from teachers who took part in a special Learn with the Lords Day, which brought students from across the country to Parliament to learn more about the role and work of the House of Lords and meet a Lords member. ➡️Find out more and apply for a session in your school https://lnkd.in/evmAmgFR  #HouseOfLords #UKParliament #LearnWithTheLords #Education #Schools 

Safeguard victims as priority or risk rise in modern slavery, warns Lords committee in new report.      The House of Lords Modern Slavery Act 2015 Committee raises concerns around rising exploitation in the care sector, the impact of immigration legislation on the modern slavery system and the results of the Act’s provisions regarding supply chains.     It calls on the government to prioritise protecting modern slavery victims by introducing legislation focused on prevention and ensuring perpetrators are prosecuted.     Committee chair, Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway, said:      ‘When the Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, the UK was said to be world-leading but that is no longer the case. The UK is falling behind other countries and victims are paying the price. This is not acceptable in a decent society.’    ➡ Find out more and read report in full https://lnkd.in/ec7z3zya

Electric vehicles in the spotlight today, Wednesday 16 October, as members debate committee report.     Earlier this year, the Environment and Climate Change Committee found that a combination of higher purchase costs, insufficient charging infrastructure and mixed messaging are preventing people from adopting electric cars. It called for action from the government to update its EV strategy in order to meet net zero targets.     Baroness Parminter, previous chair of the committee, said:    ‘Surface transport is the UK’s highest emitting sector for CO2, with passenger cars responsible for over half those emissions. The evidence we received shows the government must do more – and quickly – to get people to adopt EVs. If it fails to heed our recommendations the UK won’t reap the significant benefits of better air quality and will lag in the slow lane for tackling climate change.’     ➡️ Watch the debate on Parliament TV https://lnkd.in/eK63XBzh  📄 Find out more from the Lords Library https://lnkd.in/eeY7VrXQ 

Aspiration and specialist support is key to young disabled people thriving in the workplace, says a Lords committee. The House of Lords Public Services Committee has published its report on the transition from education to work for young disabled people. It calls on the government to work with employers to ensure they have the tools and support they need to create inclusive workplaces. The report also calls for increased awareness of the workplace rights of disabled people and the urgent need for systems to tackle workplace discrimination. Committee chair, Baroness Morris of Yardley, said: “There are many excellent innovative schemes tackling the barriers that young disabled people face when trying to enter the workplace...however, we found that these are the exception rather than the rule and this has to change...this report provides a blueprint for the new government to implement its commitment to getting more young disabled people into work." 📺 Watch a summary of the report with BSL interpretation on YouTube https://lnkd.in/eYUCTHan    ➡ Find out more and read report in full https://lnkd.in/eXchx9dN