Today we had a debate on how far the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been achieved. For those unfamiliar with MDGs, these are a series of actions spelt out by the UN to eradicate poverty in the most deprived countries of the world by 2015. So some 20 peers with wisdom and experience recorded their…
I feel rather guilty for not keeping up with my blogging this last few days. I have the excuse I was away ill last week but this week I have been busy two afternoons and evenings with Grand Committee in the Moses Room on the Health and Social Care Bill. The Moses Room is an…
Tomorrow (2 May) the House will not be sitting, but people will be sitting in the House. The UK Youth Parliament will be holding a number of debates in the chamber (only the second time the chamber has been used for a non-parliamentary function), with 300 young people from all over the UK taking part.…
Much of the work of the House now takes place away from the chamber. The past thirty years have seen a significant growth in the number of select committees. The increase in the active membership of the House, with many of these members having expertise or experience in particular areas, has enabled the House to…
Our celebration party on Monday went very well. It was an opportunity for me to thank the staff of the House and of the Hansard Society for all the help they gave in setting this blog up so successfully. It was an enjoyable occasion even if we did stay very sober – no Lords a…
Further to an earlier post, the Parliamentary Photo Exhibition has now been opened. This year’s competition attracted over 500 entries of which there were 7 ‘Judges Choice’ entries. For those who were interested, three of my photos were exhibited: one showing a woman sitting on the floor next to her broom, taken from above; one…
I was re-elected to the Commons – after a gap of 18 years, during which I had a real job – in April 1992. Almost immediately I set up a small all-party group of MPs and Peers who were concerned about the serious health effects for farmers who used organophosphate (OP) sheep dips. Having met…
Given Bedd Gelert’s comment on my post on the 1958 Life Peerages Act, I thought it may be helpful to identify the principal legislation that has shaped the House of Lords over the course of the past century. There are five key measures. The Parliament Act 1911 limited the ability of the House of Lords to veto…
I met today with the head of an industry group, concerned that some approaching legislation would damage his members’ business. Without any significant research support ourselves, beyond the ever helpful library, it can be difficult to know whether the case being made is a good one. What irks me most about the lack of movement…
