I have set up this personal website because I wanted to present a simple account of my work. Here you will find a record of speeches I have made, and activities in which I am engaged. By following the links at the side of this page you will be able to explore the different areas in which I am most involved. Parliamentary Questions and Debates catalogues questions that I have raised, and debates which I have introduced, or made a contribution to, in the House of Lords. In each case you will be able to access the relevant pages of Hansard to read the item in context. If the content is of special relevance to another category, you will find it filed there also. Inevitably there is some overlap between my political activities and other interests, and through the links I hope you will enjoy reading about the various issues which concern me. Richard Faulkner House of Lords London SW1A 0PW

RAILWAYS: NEW LINES

29 February 2016: Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage new or reopened rail lines to be cost-effective during the Question..... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, the Minister is absolutely right to draw attention to the success of the community rail partnerships. They have contributed to growth well above the growth on regional railways generally and have attracted some 3,200 volunteers to help improve stations and to work generally on the railway alongside full-time railway staff. This is a great success story and it is important that the Northern Rail franchise embraces that. But does the Minister not agree that for that strategy to succeed, it will be necessary for Network Rail to look realistically at cost levels and get them down where it can, because those have been a bar to opening lines until now? I declare an interest as chairman of the Great Western Railway advisory board and, indeed, the author of a book which deals extensively with this subject. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I am sure noble Lords will be lining up outside the Chamber for a signed copy.

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SCOTLAND BILL - REPORT (2nd DAY)

29 February 2016: Clause 42: Policing of railways and railway property - adjourned debate on Amendment 41. Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, on Wednesday night we had an hour-long debate on the role of the British Transport Police in Scotland. A number of issues remain unresolved and may be the subject of further amendments at Third Reading but meanwhile, as far as this afternoon is concerned, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

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SCOTLAND BILL - REPORT (1st DAY)

24 February 2016: Clause 42: Policing of railways and railway property Amendment 41 was moved by Lord Faulkner of Worcester 41: Clause 42, page 46, line 17, at end insert— “( ) There shall be an agreement between the British Transport Police Authority and the Scottish Government to ensure that the British Transport Police continues to police railways and railway property in Scotland.” Lord Faulkner of Worcester): My Lords, in moving Amendment 41, I shall speak also to Amendments 42, 43 and 44. I express my appreciation to noble Lords in all parts of the House who have supported Amendments 41 and 42, and I am happy to support my noble friend’s Amendment 43 and Amendment 44 proposed by the noble Lord, Lord Empey. These amendments give the Government a sensible way out of the dilemma that became very clear in relation to the role of the British Transport Police in Scotland when these difficulties were identified by noble Lords in Committee........ Read the exchanges which followed here

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SCOTLAND BILL - COMMITTEE (2nd DAY)

19 January 2016: Lord Empey moved Amendment 53A under Clause 42: Policing of railways and railway property during the debate: Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): This has been a remarkable debate, and I am sure that British Transport Police officers will be delighted by the degree of support expressed for them in all parts of the Committee, starting with the splendid speech from the noble Lord, Lord Empey, who was followed by the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth. I shall correct one thing the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, said. He said he thought the force had been around since the 1850s. That is not right. The force was started in 1825, in the earliest days of the railways. It predates a great many of our normal civil forces. The reason the railway police were formed in the first place was because criminals discovered that by getting on the new-fangled trains they were able to get away from the scene of the crime much quicker than they could by any other means. It was therefore necessary to have a force that was able to operate across county boundaries and country borders. I find it extraordinary that this proposal to lose that ability should come forward now... read more.....

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ACCESSIBLE SPORTS GROUNDS BILL [HL] - THIRD READING

18 January 2016 A bill to define laws around the greater accessibility of sports grounds. Read more about the Accessible Sports Grounds Bill The Bill was passed and sent to the Commons.

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RAILWAYS: SUICIDES

21 December 2015: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to reduce the number of suicides on railways, and to reduce the disruption they cause. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport and Home Office (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): My Lords, the Government are fully supportive of initiatives which the rail industry is taking, led by Network Rail, in liaison with the Samaritans and other organisations, to reduce the number of suicides on the network. They are beginning to show results. The initiatives include measures to reduce the ease of access to platforms passed by fast trains and to train staff to intervene to help people near the railway who may be in a distressed state. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I am sure the Minister will agree that it is impossible to exaggerate the distress and disruption caused by people taking their own lives on the railway to the bereaved families and friends, to station staff and passengers who may witness the event and to the train drivers affected, many of whom are so traumatised that they never drive again. British Transport Police tells me that fatality delays this year will amount to more than 455,000 minutes and that the number is rising. Does the Minister agree that the railway cannot tackle this problem on its own and that, while much is being done with bodies such as the Samaritans, which he mentioned, there needs to be a national campaign involving the Government, the civil police, mental health professionals, rail staff and the travelling public to identify people at risk and discourage them from harming themselves on our railways? read more......

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LGBTI CITIZENS WORLDWIDE - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

17 September 2015: Lord Scriven moved that this House takes note of the treatment of LGBTI citizens worldwide. during the course of the debate... Lord Faulkner of Worcester .....In the United Kingdom and Church of England, can we please adopt a sensible, non-hypocritical approach to same-sex relationships? We all know that there are very senior priests and probably bishops who are openly gay and yet unable to openly profess that because of the strange, “Don’t ask, don’t tell” rule that applies in the Church of England. The sooner the Church of England comes to terms with this and agrees that the exceptions it was granted when we passed the same-sex law should no longer apply to it, the sooner our own society will be more tolerant and a much happier place. read contribution in Hansard

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DEATH PENALTY: WORLDWIDE ABOLITION

20 July 2015: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in securing the worldwide abolition of the death penalty. The Earl of Courtown (Con): My Lords, during the last Parliament, the Government worked with partners, notably the Swiss Government and experts such as the Death Penalty Project and the all-party parliamentary group, to promote global abolition. This policy was successful. In 2014, only 22 countries executed, while 140 were abolitionists. We will continue to raise death penalty cases abroad. The Diplomatic Service will make the practical and moral cases against the death penalty to retentionist countries. Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, the Government’s continued commitment to the abolition of the death penalty is very welcome, but the Minister will be aware that some countries pose particular problems. Perhaps I may ask particularly about Iran, much in the news lately because of the welcome news about the signing of the deal on its nuclear programme. Is he aware that, according to Amnesty International, around 743 people were executed in Iran last year, most in secret, including juvenile offenders, drug offenders and political activists? That is probably more per head of the population than in any other country in the world. Can he give an assurance that, as UK-Iranian relations develop, Foreign Office officials will take every opportunity to demand improvements in Iran’s human rights record and that the barbarous use of the death penalty on such a grotesque scale comes to an end? read on.....

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ACCESSIBLE SPORTS GROUNDS BILL [HL] - 2ND READING

17 July 2015: Lord Faulkner of Worcester moved that the Bill be read a second time. Relevant document: 5th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, I start by expressing my thanks to all noble Lords who have indicated their wish to speak. I hope very much that the Government and the football authorities in particular will appreciate the great support that exists in this House and outside for the principles underlying this short but necessary Bill. Its purpose is to create a civilised and safe environment for disabled people who want to watch sporting events at football and other stadiums. The Bill does so by giving local authorities a discretionary power to refuse a safety certificate to sports grounds which do not comply with the accessible stadia guidelines published by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority. I am proud to declare my unpaid interest as a vice-president of the charity Level Playing Field, which has done so much to raise the profile of disabled sports fans and to campaign effectively on their behalf. I pay tribute to the zeal, courage and dedication of LPF’s chair, Joyce Cook OBE, who has raised to great effect the needs of disabled fans in Britain and indeed in Europe. Your Lordships will be aware that this is not the first time that I have raised the subject in this House. Almost exactly a year ago, on 14 July 2014, I asked an Oral Question about how the Government planned to ensure that professional sports clubs follow the accessible stadia guidance. I drew attention to the letter written in April 2014 by Mr Mike Penning, the then Minister for Disabled People, to all professional clubs, in which he described the situation with professional football as,“‘woefully inadequate’, when it was revealed that only three clubs in the Premier League, the richest league in the world, comply with the requirements for the number of spaces for supporters in wheelchairs”. I said that,“the time has now come for equality law to be properly enforced and the guidelines, which have been in place since 2004, properly implemented”. Answering for the Government, the noble Lord, Lord Gardiner of Kimble - who I am delighted to see is in his place on the Front Bench—said that, “the Government are committed to ensuring that all spectators have enhanced and appropriate access to sporting venues and services, and that professional sports clubs are aware of their responsibilities towards disabled spectators. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of measures to ensure that the rights of disabled spectators are met by professional sports clubs … Premier football clubs have considerable means and I think that they should be looking to do very much better”. I think that we can all say amen to that. The “considerable means” to which the Minister referred included the clubs’ share of the latest broadcasting deal, which amounts to £5.34 billion. Read full report of proceedings in Hansard Watch the debate on Parliament TV Report of debate together with links to media coverage of Lord Holmes of Richmond (Chris Holmes), Equality and Human Rights Disability Commissioner, from Level Playing Field website

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COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION - QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

22 June 2015: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. during the debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I have two relevant interests to declare: the first as co-chair of the War Heritage All-Party Parliamentary Group and the second as a member of the Government’s World War 1 centenary advisory group. It is in respect of both those bodies that I want to speak this evening, because they are related to the Great War centenary. In 2013 the all-party group that I chaired started discussing with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission the possibility of mapping war graves in the United Kingdom—which the noble Lord, Lord Forsyth, referred to—to see whether there was a possibility of linking those to parliamentary constituencies. The mapping was carried out by volunteers from the In From The Cold Project, and at the beginning of November 2013, all MPs and Peers received an email from Jeffrey Donaldson MP and me, as co-chairs of the group, giving access to a drop-box site from which they could source war graves by constituency or administrative area. Of the 650 constituencies in the UK, around 640 contain commission sites, usually located within cemeteries and churchyards. The remaining constituencies contain war memorials, and these were listed for the relevant MPs with the information taken from the Imperial War Museum database. read contribution in full

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NORTH OF ENGLAND: TRANSPORT - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

17 June 2015: Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon moved that this House takes note of transport connectivity and infrastructure in the north of England. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, judging from the many excellent speeches so far, the subtitle of this debate should be, “The North Fights Back”. We have just heard a very good example of that from the noble Lord, Lord Kerslake. I congratulate the Minister on what I believe is his first speech from the Dispatch Box in his new role. I hope that he will not mind my saying but, coming after the noble Baroness, Lady Kramer, who was in her place earlier, and my noble friend Lord Adonis, he has two very hard acts to follow. Both those Ministers presided over and contributed to the revival in Britain’s railways, in which I wholeheartedly rejoice. Since 1997-98, the annual growth in passenger journeys has been around 4%, compared with just 0.3% in the previous 16 years. The Office of Rail and Road recently reported that the total number of journeys on franchise operators last year was up to 1.654 billion—the highest ever. Noble Lords, I think, will have heard me speak before about the contrast in recent years with the situation in which the railways found themselves in the post-Beeching 1970s and 1980s, when decline, contraction and penny-pinching were all the order of the day read on .....

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FIFA - QUESTION

4 June 2015: Lord Bach asked Her Majesty’s Government what criminal investigations the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office have undertaken in the last five years into allegations of corruption and other illegal behaviour involving FIFA. during the Question... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: Will the Minister heed those who are calling for the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to be reopened? Will the Government make it clear that they wish to see that happen?

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FIFA - STATEMENT

1 June 2015: The Earl of Courtown : My Lords, with the leave of the House I beg to repeat a Statement read earlier by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the other place during the brief debate which followed... Lord Faulkner of Worcester : My Lords, it is tempting to wring our hands at the re-election of Mr Blatter, as I think every contributor to this short discussion has done today, and I join them. However, my concern is that once the events of the past few days have passed, Mr Blatter is re-established and the long arm of the law does not catch up with him, things will go on just as they are. In that case, it is very important that the lead that the Minister has taken in this House and the Secretary of State has taken in the other House is followed up. Will he be assured that the Government will have the support of everyone in this Chamber if he wishes to take an active part in cleaning up FIFA and in reforming the governance of football more generally?

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FIFA

28 May 2015 - The Earl of Courtown repeated in the form of a Statement the Answer to an Urgent Question given earlier by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. “Mr Speaker, the arrests that took place in Zurich yesterday, along with the statements released by both the US Department of Justice and the Swiss Attorney-General were shocking in both scale and scope. Unfortunately, they were far from surprising. Anyone who has spent any time looking at FIFA will know that this is merely the latest sorry episode, which has revealed FIFA to be a deeply flawed and corrupt organisation. read more .... During the short period of Questions and Answers which followed: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the noble Earl’s welcome return to the Dispatch Box is marked by unanimity across the Chamber. That is very welcome indeed. Does he agree that UEFA holds the key to whether FIFA can be reformed? If it is willing to boycott the assembly which is due to start tomorrow and effectively pull out of it, that would make a great impact on FIFA and could assist with the reforms which I think everyone in the Chamber wishes to see. I wish to press the noble Earl on what he said about sponsors. Are the Government willing to talk to some of these not just household names but very great worldwide brands and their representatives in the UK to make clear our displeasure at what is going on and the fact that their names are being tainted by the association with FIFA? The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, the point the noble Lord made concerning sponsors is very valid. The fact is that the disgust of the paying footballing public will not go unnoticed by the sponsors. I feel that more and more pressure is being put on FIFA. As the noble Lord said, UEFA and Michel Platini will no doubt play a very important role in this regard.

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ACCESSIBLE SPORTS GROUNDS BILL [HL] - FIRST READING

28 May 2015: First reading of a Bill to make provision about greater accessibility of sports grounds; and for connected purposes. The Bill was introduced by Lord Faulkner of Worcester, read a first time and ordered to be printed.

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STANDARDISED PACKAGING OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS REGULATIONS 2015

16 March 2015: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health, Earl Howe moved that the draft regulations laid before the House on 23 February be approved. .........during the debate on the amendment to the motion moved by Lord Naseby Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, unlike the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, I am pleased to welcome unreservedly the regulations moved by the Minister and to congratulate him not only on the way he introduced the debate but on the part that he played in persuading his ministerial colleagues that the introduction of standard packaging for tobacco products will make a significant contribution towards public health. I thank him for the kind words that he spoke about me and the other four members of the group, from all sides of the House, who saw the opportunity to add amendments to the Children and Families Bill to introduce a range of tobacco control measures. read more ....

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VAT: COLLEGES & SCHOOLS

23 Feb 2015: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of VAT on the finances of sixth form colleges and non-maintained special schools. Baroness Garden of Frognal (LD): My Lords, the Department for Education estimates that for sixth-form colleges their VAT costs are equivalent to approximately 3% of their income. Non-maintained special schools are able to cover the full costs of provision, including VAT costs incurred, from their total funding from the Education Funding Agency and local authorities. The effect of VAT on their finances is therefore minimal. Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, this is not a satisfactory situation at all, and has been the subject of a letter written by 76 Members of Parliament of all parties to the Education Secretary. They make the point that maintained schools and academies are able to reclaim VAT on their purchases but sixth-form colleges are not. The effect on those establishments is the loss of around £335,000 a year, even though they are highly graded by Ofsted and, indeed, perform better than the majority of other schools and colleges, being rated as good or outstanding. As far as the special schools are concerned, my information is a little different from that which the Minister has just given us, and I should be grateful if she would look again at that information, because my understanding is that they are at a serious competitive disadvantage compared with local authority special schools and special academies. I am thinking particularly of colleges such as New College Worcester, which caters for blind and partially sighted pupils. read more....

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IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

19 January 2015: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about the future of the Imperial War Museum’s library and Explain History service. Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): I beg leave to declare an interest as chair of the All-Party Group on War Heritage. Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): My Lords, the Government have received a number of representations about the future of the Imperial War Museum’s library. The museum is considering changes to its library service provision and the future of the Explore History centre as part of its forward review. The department is in discussions with the museum about the review. The museum’s programme of digitisation of core collections is well in hand. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I know that the Minister appreciates what a very special place the Imperial War Museum is and how anxious people are that it should not lose its worldwide reputation as the authority on conflict. That is why around 19,000 people have signed a petition asking that the proposed £4 million cuts be reconsidered. Can he give an assurance that scholars will continue to have access to the material in the library in the Imperial War Museum? Is there any hope that the walk-in centre can be retained for public access as well? read Hansard report in full

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LONDON HEALTH COMMISSION: SMOKING - QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

15 January 2015: Lord Darzi of Denham asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support the recommendations of the London Health Commission with regard to combatting the impact of smoking on health. during the debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, I think that the noble Lord, Lord Naseby, will find that he is a lone voice in this debate. I will not attempt to counter all the points, but when he comes to reply, perhaps the Minister will have something to say about the so-called evidence adduced from Australia, which so far as I am aware has been produced only by the tobacco industry itself. It funded the research. Perhaps the Minister will be able to confirm that. I shall start by congratulating my noble friend Lord Darzi on securing the debate and on contributing to a brilliant report which, if it is implemented, will help London set the lead for all of us to lead healthier lives in the future. I agree with absolutely everything he said in his speech. read on....

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HOUSE OF LORDS - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

6 January 2015: Lord Williams of Elvel moved that this House takes note of the case for effecting a reduction in the number of Peers attending the House each day without recourse to primary legislation. during the debate... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: As we have heard, the actual number of new Peers has been 160, which exceeds by a substantial amount the total who have left, whether by death, retirement or resignation. This is the reason why the membership of the House now stands at nearly 800. However, the really important statistic is the number who are attending regularly, which has crept up to around 500. That compares with, for example, 350 to 450 before the passage of the House of Lords Act in 1999, when the membership of the House was well in excess of 1,000. One reason why more Peers are attending is because the average age of new Members is a lot lower than that of those who have left us. Your Lordships tend to live longer than most members of the population, and the average age of departure—until recently, that has been a euphemism for death—has been 85, whereas the average age for new Members has been 59 in the current Session. Intriguingly, the overall average age of Members, at 70, is almost exactly the same today as it was when I joined the House in 1999. The one difference, I am afraid, is that I am now much closer to the average than I was 15 years ago. read contribution in full

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SPORT: GOVERNANCE - motion to take note

4 December 2014: Lord Moynihan moved that this House takes note of the governance of sport, both nationally and internationally. during the debate .... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, I am delighted to congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, on securing this debate, which is turning out to be a highlight of the parliamentary calendar. I particularly congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Brady, on her maiden speech. I shall say more about West Ham in a moment, if she does not mind. I should declare an interest as a vice-president of the Football Conference, and share with the House the knowledge that I shall be spending Sunday in Scunthorpe with Worcester City in its FA Cup tie. It is not a club that often gets mentioned in your Lordships’ Chamber, and this is a good opportunity to do so, because the team is enjoying an exceptional season. Following the powerful speeches of my noble friend Lord Triesman, in particular, and the noble Lords, Lord Birt and Lord Horam, I wonder if I may put one or two practical questions to the Minister about the governance of football in England and the Government’s attitude towards the FA. Is he satisfied with the progress that the FA has made in implementing the changes that the Minister for Sport demanded in his response to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee report in July 2011? The Sports Minister, Hugh Robertson, said then that the FA had until 29 February 2012—he called it an “absolute deadline”—to make the necessary changes to tackle debt levels, “to overhaul its board and bring in a new licensing system for clubs”. May I ask the Minister what has happened to the parliamentary Bill which, according to the Guardian in May last year, “would seek to enable the transformation of the FA into a modern governing body”, and which, according to the report, parliamentary counsel had been instructed to prepare? read contribution in full

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HONG KONG

25 November 2014: Baroness Falkner of Margravine asked Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of recent events in Hong Kong on the prospects for democracy in that region. contributing to the Question: Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, bearing in mind that the noble Baroness’s question refers to democracy in the region, will the Minister take the opportunity to pay tribute to the people of Taiwan, who change their Governments regularly through the ballot box, and whose parliamentary system is very close to our own, unlike that of mainland China? I declare an interest as co-chair of the British-Taiwanese All-Party Parliamentary Group.

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INFRASTRUCTURE BILL [HL] PEPORT (1st DAY) - AMENDMENT 53A (to AMENDMENT 53)

3 November 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, in moving Amendment 53A, which is in my name and the names of the noble Lords, Lord Ramsbotham, Lord Bradshaw and Lord Jenkin of Roding, who I am delighted to see in his place at this late hour, I shall speak also to the other amendments in this group, which were tabled by the Minister and by the same group of four of us. I start by expressing my very genuine thanks to the Minister for listening so closely to the arguments which were put forward in Grand Committee and for accepting the principle that the Infrastructure Bill is an appropriate vehicle to put right the anomalies surrounding the jurisdiction and powers of the British Transport Police. That is why I was happy to add my name to her Amendment 53. I shall not repeat the arguments that I made in Committee on 8 July, not least because the Minister has accepted many of those points. However, there remains the one unresolved issue, to which the Minister referred, and that concerns Section 100(3)(b) of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001. The Minister said that she wants to keep that in being and the purpose of our amendment is to take it out. In effect, subsection (3)(b) states that when a BTP officer is off-jurisdiction he or she has to decide whether to act and use the power of arrest. That involves a judgment call—indeed, the Minister used those words. read contribution in full

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RAILWAYS: HIGH SPEED 3

21 July 2014: Baroness Eaton asked Her Majesty’s Government, following the announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 23 June of a possible HS3 rail link between Manchester and Leeds, what assessment they have made of the potential benefits to northern cities of such a link, and particularly to those in West Yorkshire. during the debate on the Question.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, while it is generally understood that the Chancellor’s announcement about HS3 came as a complete surprise to the Department for Transport, is the noble Baroness aware that the Government’s commitment to the extension of high speed rail is very welcome and can she confirm that no country in the world that has embarked on a programme of high speed rail construction has regretted it?

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CRIMINAL JUSTICE & COURTS BILL COMMITTEE (2nd Day contd)

21 July 2014:Amendment 42 moved by Lord Sharkey during the debate on the Amendment..... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, I, too, have added my name to the amendment of the noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, because I am very happy to be a co-sponsor of his Private Member’s Bill to secure the pardon for Alan Turing, which fortunately needed to make no further progress in Parliament because the Government granted that pardon. I do not want to say any more, other than that I agreed with every word that the noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, and, indeed, Lord Lexden, said. This is a case that deserves widespread support. I hope that colleagues on my own Front Bench will support it and that the Government will respond.

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SPORT: ACCESSIBLE STADIA GUIDANCE

14 July 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that professional sports clubs follow the Accessible Stadia Guidance. My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, and declare an interest as vice-president of the charity, Level Playing Field. Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Con): My Lords, the Government are committed to ensuring that all spectators have enhanced and appropriate access to sporting venues and services, and that professional sports clubs are aware of their responsibilities towards disabled spectators. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of measures to ensure that the rights of disabled spectators are met by professional sports clubs. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: Does the Minister agree that, although some sports are making a real effort, the situation with professional football is, as the Minister for Disabled People said when he wrote to all professional clubs in April, “woefully inadequate”, when it was revealed that only three clubs in the Premier League, the richest league in the world, comply with the requirements for the number of spaces for supporters in wheelchairs? Does he not think that the time has now come for equality law to be properly enforced and the guidelines, which have been in place since 2004, properly implemented and clear new instructions issued to the Sports Grounds Safety Authority? See Hansard report

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INFRASTRUCTURE BILL [HL] [ COMMITTEE 2nd day]

8 July 2014: Amendment 63 moved by Lord Faulkner of Worcester After Clause 15, insert the following new Clause— “Powers of the British Transport Police to protect transport infrastructure (1) In section 100 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (jurisdiction of transport police)— (a) at the end of subsection (2)(b) insert “or to prevent damage to property”; and (b) omit subsection (3). (2) In section 172(2) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (duty to give information as to the identity of driver etc in certain circumstances), in relation to an offence involving a railway crossing, “chief officer of police” includes the Chief Officer of the British Transport Police.” See Hansard report

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FIRST WORLD WAR - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

25 June 2014: Lord Gardiner of Kimble moved the Motion that this House takes note of the programme to commemorate the centenary of the First World War. During the debate..... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I express my appreciation to the Government and particularly to the Prime Minister’s special representative, Dr Andrew Murrison, for getting the programme up and running after it was first thought about in 2011. It was then that I was asked by the War Heritage All-Party Group, which I chair, to write to the Prime Minister because we were a little concerned that there seemed to be some lack of preparedness in the UK for the centenary, compared with what was being planned in other Commonwealth countries and in France and Flanders. That letter seemed to have some effect because, very soon after, I got a reply from Mr Cameron and Dr Murrison was appointed. Quite soon after that, the Government’s advisory board on the World War I centenary commemoration was established and I am very proud to be serving on it. It is very much to Dr Murrison’s credit that the tone and content of the programme is correctly nuanced. That was very much reflected in the Minister’s speech this afternoon. It would be so easy to get this wrong but I do not think that we have. The theme of commemoration—not celebration—is absolutely right, as is the determination to combine traditional acts of remembrance with new initiatives to engage as much of the population as possible. Read full contribution in Hansard report

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QUEEN'S SPEECH DEBATE - 3rd DAY

9 June 2014: during the debate...... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, my brief contribution to this debate picks up on the points made by the noble Lords, Lord Patel and Lord Ribeiro, on the introduction of standardised packaging for cigarettes and tobacco products. Your Lordships will recall that tobacco control clauses were added to what is now the Children and Families Act as a result of initiatives taken by a cross-party group of Members of this House. read more.......

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OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC LEGACY COMMITTEE - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

19 March 2014: Lord Harris of Haringey moved that this House takes note of the Report of the Olympic and Paralympic Legacy Committee. during the debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester : My Lords, in common with every other speaker in this debate, I express my appreciation to my noble friend Lord Harris of Haringey not only for securing the debate but for the brilliant way in which he led the Select Committee. It was a pleasure to serve on it and I, too, thank our excellent clerk and special advisers who ensured that we covered the ground thoroughly and delivered the report on time. I also express my appreciation to my noble friend Lady King for suggesting the report’s title, Keeping the Flame Alive: The Olympic and Paralympic Legacy..... read more in Hansard report See also report on BBC website highlighting my comments on lack of facilities for disabled supporters at football grounds.

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HILLSBOROUGH: STATEMENT

12 February 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, as one of the very few Members of your Lordships’ House who was present at Hillsborough on 15 April 1989, I congratulate this Government and their predecessor on their determination to pursue the truth of that terrible tragedy. The Home Secretary deserves enormous credit, particularly for engaging with our much missed colleague, the Bishop of Liverpool, who has changed the whole nature of the way in which we are looking at the events on that day, 25 years ago. I was delighted to hear the Minister’s reference to the involvement of the former bishop as the Home Secretary’s adviser and with the family forums. Does the Minister agree that the police, particularly South Yorkshire Police and West Midlands Police, have a lot of very difficult questions to answer? Was he as astonished as I was to discover that 2,500 police pocket books have only now come to light? How many more pocket books does he think there may be out there that contain vital information? How many police officers have so far declined to co-operate with the IPCC or the bishop’s inquiry? read Hansard entry

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WINTER FLOODS:STATEMENT

6 February 2014: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley)repeated a Statement made by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government during the ensuing debate..... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I reinforce what my noble friend Lord Whitty said about the importance to Devon and Cornwall of the reinstatement of the main railway line that has been washed away at Dawlish. I declare an interest as a member of the First Great Western stakeholder board. Businesses are quoted this morning as saying that every day that the line is closed is costing them £30 million, so any delay beyond six weeks for its reinstatement will have a devastating effect on those economies—it is not just Cornwall; it is not just Plymouth; it is the whole of Torbay as well. I urge the Government to make sure that Network Rail is given every possible resource it needs to reinstate the line. Looking a little further ahead, will the Minister consider the need for a possible new alignment that takes the line at the coast inland? It is something that Isambard Kingdom Brunel looked at but felt was not necessary. He thought that his wall would survive for ever, but, as we have seen with the weather of recent days, that might not be the case. Another possibility would be the reopening of the old Southern Railway line to Plymouth, which would at least give an alternative route through from Exeter. read Hansard report

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CHILDREN & FAMILIES BILL: 3RD READING

5 February 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester speaking to amendments relating to Regulation of retail packaging etc of tobacco products and Protection of children’s health: offence of smoking in a private vehicle ..... I particularly thank the noble Baronesses, Lady Finlay of Llandaff and Lady Tyler of Enfield, and the noble Lord, Lord McColl, for agreeing to sign our original cross-party amendments on standard packaging. I commend the noble Lord, Lord Ribeiro, for persisting with his campaign to ban smoking in cars when children are present, and my right honourable friend Andy Burnham and my noble friend Lord Hunt of Kings Heath for their support on all these issues. I particularly thank the Health Minister, the noble Earl, Lord Howe, whose courtesy, willingness to listen and determination to get the policy right nobody in this House could possibly fault.... read Hansard report of my contribution

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CHILDREN & FAMILIES BILL - REPORT (5th DAY)

29 January 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I added my name to Amendments 57BB, 60 and 62 and will speak briefly to those, but I start by congratulating the noble Earl on bringing forward his Amendment 57B and for overseeing a significant change in government policy on the subject of standard packaging. Like many of your Lordships, I was heartened when I heard the then Public Health Minister, Anna Soubry, around a year ago saying that the Government were minded to go down the standard packs route and then bitterly disappointed last summer when the plans were suddenly dropped. Various conspiracy theories were propounded at the time and I will not go into those now, but it looked as if the issue was dead, at least for the foreseeable future. At that point, it seemed sensible to look at whether there was any possibility of adding a standard packaging amendment to another Bill, which might not immediately present itself as the most appropriate, in order to be able to give the House the opportunity to debate the issue and come to a view on it. With the help of staff in the Public Bill Office—about whom I cannot speak highly enough, as their help was invaluable in framing our original amendment in Committee and the subsequent amendment that we tabled for today—we were able to bring the issue to the Committee and approach the issue in an entirely cross-party and non-party way. The amendment that we put together was signed by the noble Baronesses, Lady Finlay and Lady Tyler, the noble Lord, Lord McColl, and myself. Read my main contribution to the debate.... Hansard report in full

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CRIME: METAL THEFT TASK FORCE

23 January 2014: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they will continue to support the metal theft task force. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): My Lords, no one doubts the success of the metal theft task force. The Government have provided funding from January 2012 to 31 March 2014. With a new licensing regime in place since October, we will take a view nearer the time as to how to take forward our efforts to tackle metal theft in the future. Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, the Minister is right to say that the metal theft task force has been successful. The British Transport Police, in particular, deserves a lot of credit for the work that it has done. This has resulted in a 44% reduction in metal theft-related crime in 2012-13 and, according to ACPO, has saved the national infrastructure £339 million, an incredibly good rate of return on the £5.5 million that the task force has cost so far. Does the Minister agree that, with the introduction of cashless transactions, which your Lordships added to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, and the passage of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, we are at last turning the tide against this awful crime? Would it not be extraordinarily short sighted to cut off the funding of the metal theft task force at the end of March and should we not be building on that success and not jeopardising it? Read Hansard report of Question See also BBC Democracy Live video clip and report of proceedings

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CITY OF BRADFORD METROPOLITAN DISTRICT

16 January 2014: Baroness Eaton asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the opportunities and constraints for the wellbeing of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District. during the Question for short debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, it is always a privilege and a pleasure to follow a maiden speech, particularly one of such quality and eloquence as that which we have just heard from the noble Baroness, Lady Williams of Trafford.... My contribution today is as a trustee of the Science Museum, which is the parent of Bradford’s National Media Museum, as mentioned by the noble Lord, Lord Shutt. The museum attracts almost 500,000 visitors a year and is the second most-visited attraction in Yorkshire. It contains some of the finest and most compelling visual material to be found anywhere in the world, such as the oldest known surviving negative, John Logie Baird’s original television apparatus and the camera that made the earliest moving pictures in Britain. The museum is the reason why Bradford received City of Film status from UNESCO. read Hansard contribution in full

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STANDARDISED CIGARETTE PACKAGING IN ENGLAND

28 November 2013: As a direct result of amendments tabled to the Children and Families Bill to introduce standardised packaging of cigarettes, the Coalition Government have announced an independent review to report by March 2014. See today's Guardian report Read Hansard report from 18 November Read article in Fabian Review

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HIGH SPEED RAIL PREPARATION BILL - 2ND READING (& remaining stages)

19 November 2013: The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer)(LD) moved that the Bill be read a second time My contribution to the debate can be read here

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CHILDREN & FAMILIES BILL - COMMITTEE STAGE - 11th DAY

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff moved Amendment 263, with which were grouped amendments 264,265,266 Lord Faulkner of Worcester spoke to amendments 264, 265 and 266 Read Hansard report here

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RAILWAYS: BRITISH RAIL

12 November 2013: Lord Spicer asked Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to mark the passage of the legislation enabling the privatisation of British Rail. during the Question.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, has any assessment been made of the sort of railway that we would be enjoying today had the British Railways Board received the same levels of support and investment — much of which has come from the taxpayer, despite what the noble Lord, Lord Mawhinney, said, but has been made available to privatised industry—and had the railway not been subject to the negative influences of decline and contraction, to which the Minister rightly referred, largely at the behest of Her Majesty’s Treasury?

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RAILWAYS: PASSENGER DEMAND

31 October 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcesterasked Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have made of the cost of upgrading the West Coast and East Coast main railway lines to bring them up to the standard likely to be required to meet passenger demand after 2020 ...... With the number of people travelling by train now higher than at any time in the history of Britain’s railways, with growth over the past five years running at 5%, does she agree with Network Rail’s assessment that a make-do-and-mend approach to the main lines built by our Victorian ancestors would require 2,770 weekend closures, endless bus substitutions and increased journey times over 14 years, and do little for economic growth for our great cities outside London? Read Hansard entryhere

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HIGH SPEED 2 - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

24 October 2013: Lord Greaves moved that this House takes note of the expected impact of High Speed 2. during the debate... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): "The case for High Speed 2 is not primarily about the length of time that it takes to travel from London to Birmingham, although it is obvious that if we build a new railway, it should be built to 21st-century standards using technology that is tried and tested throughout Europe and Asia, rather than that of the Victorian age, and that means high speeds and shorter journey times. No, this debate is about something much more important: it is about what sort of transport infrastructure we are to bequeath to our children and grandchildren. We could go back to the thinking of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, when it was assumed that private motoring and heavy lorries would reign supreme. The transport imperative then was to build motorways on a predict-and-provide basis to serve them. The railways at that time were expected to decline gracefully, with many more lines being closed and services replaced by buses, passengers being discouraged by ever higher fares, and the rail freight business being largely abolished except for heavy-haul bulk loads and some container traffic." Read contribution in full

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CHURCH OF ENGLAND: APPOINTMENT OF BISHOPS

14 October 2013: Lord Trefgarne asked Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Church of England about the procedure for the appointment of bishops in the Church of England. during the Question ... Lord Faulkner of Worcester (Lab): My Lords, what assistance are Her Majesty’s Government giving to the most reverend Primate the Archbishop of Canterbury in redressing the gender imbalance on the Bishops’ Benches in your Lordships’ House See Hansard entry

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ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL - MOTION TO TAKE NOTE

25 July 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: ....... The noble Lord, Lord Bates, and other noble Lords are right to draw attention to the immense success, in economic terms, of the English Premier League. I want to draw the House’s attention to a slightly separate aspect and make the point that this success has not been without controversy or consequences for the governance of the game and for the England national team. Two weeks ago, the Guardian published the results of an investigation into the number of English players performing at the highest level. Their findings, which relate to last season, show that only 189 English players featured in the Premier League and that as few as 88 of them appeared in more than half the matches. The top four Premier League clubs used only 29 English players between them. That is in contrast to top European leagues abroad. In Spain’s La Liga, for example, there were 332 Spanish national players, making 6,391 appearances in the season. The absence of English footballers playing at the highest level is having a serious effect on the ability of the England national team manager to put together a credible side to compete in international competitions; a point which perhaps the noble Lord, Lord Wei, was referring to obliquely when he talked about the need for success at national level. The problem is particularly acute with young players. The England under-21 and under-20 national teams finished without a single win in their respective European Championship and World Cup finals this summer...... Read contribution to debate in full

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ALAN TURING (STATUTORY PARDON) BILL [HL] - second reading

19 July 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I join others in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Sharkey, on the way in which he has introduced his Bill today and his persistence in pursuing this very good cause. It is particularly appropriate that we should be debating this Second Reading just two days after the announcement of Royal Assent to the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act — as it were, the ending of a particular chapter of which the Labouchère Act, to which the noble Lord referred, was the shameful beginning. The case that he made for granting a statutory pardon to Alan Turing is compelling, and I wholeheartedly support the Bill..... Read contribution to debate in full

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PUBLIC BODIES (Merger of the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission) ORDER 2013

15 July: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the short speech I was planning to make has changed dramatically as a result of the Minister’s opening speech, which I very much welcome. I was going to raise the conflict of interest between the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission, an issue which the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee picked up on and which I referred to during Committee on the Public Bodies Bill in March 2011. I made the point that from the inception of the National Lottery, the National Lottery Commission has operated with an inherent conflict of interest in that, as the Minister said, it is required to maximise the return for good causes but at the same time is supposed to protect players’ interests. I do not believe that the National Lottery Commission has, up to now, succeeded in doing that. Read contribution to debate in full

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PUBLIC BODIES (Abolition of BRB (Residuary) Limited) ORDER 2013

10 July 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: "...... BRBR has also done really well in discharging its railway heritage responsibilities, and I thank the Minister for his reference to this issue in his speech. I speak as a former chairman of the Railway Heritage Committee and the current chair of its successor body, the Railway Heritage Designation Advisory Board, which as part of the Science Museum Group has taken on the RHC’s statutory powers of designation. This is partly thanks to the efforts of the Minister, who supported us in resisting its abolition under the Public Bodies Act 2011...." Read contribution in full

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MARRIAGE (SAME SEX COUPLES) BILL - SECOND READING (2nd day)

4 June 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I congratulate the Minister on the way in which she introduced the Bill yesterday — a long time ago now. She did it with skill and great courage. I hope that she will have the opportunity to take the Bill through the House in Committee, and that later today the House will reject the amendment moved by the noble Lord, Lord Dear. I hope, too, that it will take careful account of the very wise words that we have just heard from the noble Lord, Lord Cope, about the consequences for this House of rejecting the Bill at Second Reading. I remind noble Lords that even the Hunting Bill, which had fewer supporters in the House than this Bill, was given a Second Reading and eventually failed in Committee. To deny this Bill a Second Reading would leave it open to the other place to reintroduce the Bill in exactly the form that it is in now, as the noble Lord, Lord Cope, said. That would be a dreadful mistake and would reflect very badly on this House. read more.....

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QUEEN'S SPEECH - DEBATE - 3RD DAY

13 May 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, in my speech this afternoon I intend to concentrate on transport, with particular reference to the gracious Speech's very welcome confirmation that the Government are proceeding with a paving Bill to allow work to proceed on plans for the construction of High Speed 2. I wish them well with that and with the hybrid Bill, which I hope may pass before the end of this Parliament. I should remind the House of my relevant interests. I serve as an unpaid member of First Great Western's stakeholder advisory board. I am president of the Cotswold Line Promotion Group and the Heritage Railway Association. I am also the co-author of a recently published book called Holding The Line: How Britain's Railways Were Saved, which contains a political and social history of the railways, particularly since the publication of the Beeching report 50 years ago. Perhaps I may start by picking up a theme that runs through that book. It is sometimes hard to recall how massive the turnaround in the public's attitude to rail travel and the fortunes of the industry has been. In the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, the railways appeared to be in terminal decline. The process of retrenchment and cost-cutting, which had started at the time of Beeching, appeared remorseless and inexorable. Numerous plans were hatched to reduce the size of the network further by line closures, cuts in services and fare increases. read more ....

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TOURISM: QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

24 April 2013 Lord Lee of Trafford asked Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to maximise tourism potential in the United Kingdom. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I join others in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Lee of Trafford, on initiating this debate, and I remind the Committee of my unpaid interests as president of the Heritage Railway Association and as a trustee of the Science Museum Group. Britain's tourist potential depends on many factors, but principally on attractive destinations, such as those in the south-west that we have just heard about, enjoyable experiences in terms of where to stay and what to do, and ease of access. With more time, I would describe the huge contribution that our museums-the five museums in the Science Museum Group now attract 5 million visitors a year-make to tourism, but I shall concentrate on the part that Britain's heritage railways play in attracting visitors to Britain. read more ......

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GROWTH & INFRASTRUCTURE BILL - REPORT 2ND DAY CONTD.

12 March 2013: Clause 22 Lord Faulkner of Worcester speaking to amendment 47 Lord Faulkner of Worcester speaking to amendment 48ZA and later

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RAILWAYS: REOPENINGS

11 March 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for future railway reopenings. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper and remind the House of my railway interests declared in the register. Lord Popat: My Lords, the Government recently announced a £20 million new stations fund to support the development of new stations promoted by third parties in England and Wales. The Government have also allocated funding for the reopening of a key part of the strategic east-west rail route in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. We believe that local authorities are best placed to consider whether a rail reopening is the best way to meet local transport needs. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I welcome the Minister to the Dispatch Box for his first transport Question. He has given the House a positive Answer, which I hope indicates that the pro-rail consensus in this House is in good order. The Beeching report was published 50 years ago this month. Its implementation cut off a third of the network and deprived many parts of the country of access to the railway. Does the Minister agree that one of the most shocking parts of the Beeching legacy was the indecent haste with which so many closed lines were sold off and the land built over, which made their restoration expensive and often impossible? While the Minister's support for reopenings is good news, will he take a particular look at schemes which run across local authority boundaries and which would bring major benefits, such as the Lewes to Uckfield route and the suburban lines around Bristol? read more......

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TRANSPORT: HS2

26 February 2013 - Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, this is a very high-speed debate and I am pleased to have the opportunity to repeat my wholehearted support for High Speed 2. We tend not to be very good at assessing the benefits of new rail schemes. A cost-benefit approach has been adopted to satisfy the requirement for analysis where public policy or public money is involved. However, cost-benefit appraisals for rail schemes have consistently underestimated the benefits that they bring. The growth in passenger numbers is often achieved much earlier than forecast. Total passenger numbers in 2012 were higher than at any time in our country since 1922, and parts of the railway are already full. Read the findings of the Commons Select Committee on the completion and sale of High Speed 1

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GROWTH & INFRASTRUCTURE BILL - COMMITTEE (4TH DAY)

4 February 2013 Clause 22: Special parliamentary procedure in cases under the Planning Act 2008 Amendment 75A (Clause 22, page 22, line 39, leave out "Sections 128 and 129" and insert "In section 128") moved by Lord Greenway. Speaking to this amendment - Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I start by thanking the Ministers-the noble Baroness, Lady Hanham, and the noble Lord, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon-for taking the time to see me with their officials last Thursday to talk about the amendments I have tabled to Clause 23 in the next group and also about my objections to the inclusion of Clause 22 in the Bill. read more..... Clause 23: Modifications of special parliamentary procedure in certain cases Amendment 77ZD (Clause 23, page 25, leave out lines 8 to 26) moved by Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I shall speak also to Amendments 77ZE and 77ZF. I have also given notice that I wish to oppose the Question that Clause 23 should stand part of the Bill. This is, in a sense, a continuation of our previous debate on Clause 22. Perhaps I may first respond to the Minister's generous offer to convene a meeting with the Canal & River Trust. I am delighted to accept, as, I am sure, the trust will be; I look forward to the meeting. read more ......

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RAILWAYS: HIGH SPEED RAIL

28 January 2013: Earl Attlee repeated a Statement made by the Secretary of State for Transport. during the debate.... Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I offer my wholehearted support for the Statement and the Government's strategy on High Speed 2. ..... With reference to what the Minister said about high-speed trains running north on conventional railways, particularly on the west coast main line, can he give an assurance that signalling and other infrastructure on the west coast main line will be sufficiently upgraded to allow these trains to run - obviously not at 300 kilometres an hour but certainly closer to a line speed of perhaps 140 or 150 miles an hour? read more....

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HELICOPTER FLIGHTS: CENTRAL LONDON

22 January 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the extent of helicopter flights over central London. Earl Attlee: My Lords, helicopter operations in central London are strictly controlled, and last week's accident was the first fatal helicopter accident in London since civil aviation records began in 1976. We are waiting for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to complete its investigation to ensure that the reasons for the accident are understood before we consider whether any further measures are necessary. There is no reason to believe that helicopter operations over London are unsafe. Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the safety record of helicopter flying in London has indeed been very good, as the Minister said, but does he not agree that the number of new high-rise buildings around Vauxhall Cross has made the approach to Battersea heliport increasingly hazardous? Can he give an assurance that the inquiry into last week's accident, which could have been so much worse, will include consideration of whether that heliport should continue to operate? Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the safety record of helicopter flying in London has indeed been very good, as the Minister said, but does he not agree that the number of new high-rise buildings around Vauxhall Cross has made the approach to Battersea heliport increasingly hazardous? Can he give an assurance that the inquiry into last week's accident, which could have been so much worse, will include consideration of whether that heliport should continue to operate? read more.....

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SCRAP METAL DEALERS BILL - COMMITTEE

18 January 2013: Earl Atlee moved amendment 1 to Clause 18 : Review of Act during the debate: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I hold the noble Earl in the highest regard, so I know he will not take personally the criticism that I going to direct at the amendment which he has moved this morning. In my time here, I can recall a number of occasions when attempts have been made in this House to add a sunset clause to a Bill that has come to us from another place. In every case, these clauses had been felt necessary in order to improve an otherwise unsatisfactory Bill-often to insert a safeguard into a measure that was controversial or threatened civil liberties and human rights. That is not what we have in front of us this morning. This amendment will not improve the Bill; indeed, it will damage it in two material respects. read more..... See also contribution and comment on LordsoftheBlog

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GROWTH & INFRASTRUCTURE BILL - SECOND READING

8 January 2013: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I am pleased to follow the noble Lord, Lord Burnett, on one particular theme: the question of democratic accountability and the role of Parliament. I will speak briefly about Clauses 22 and 23, which deal with special parliamentary procedure. read more....

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PUBLIC BODIES (ABOLITION OF THE RAILWAY HERITAGE COMMITTEE) ORDER 2013

18 December 2012: As an amendment to the Motion to approve the abolition of the Railway Heritage Committee moved by Earl Atlee, Lord Faulkner of Worcester inserted, "but that this House, whilst welcoming the Government's acceptance that the heritage of Britain's railways is sufficiently special to justify the continuation of the Railway Heritage Committee's powers of designation and their transfer to the Trustees of the Science Museum Group, regrets that the opportunity was not taken to bring within scope those railway organisations wishing to be covered by the new designation arrangements". Read contribution in full......

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BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE

3 December 2012:   Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government whether they will recognise the British Transport Police for the purposes of the Firearms Act 1968. read more ....

SCRAP METAL DEALERS BILL - 2ND READING

30 November 2012: Baroness Browning moved that the Bill be read a second time. during the course of the debate: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I offer my congratulations and thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Browning. I congratulate her on introducing the Bill with such skill, and I thank her for the very kind things she said about my contribution to this issue over the past year and a half or so. I am delighted that she has taken on the responsibility of piloting the Bill through your Lordships’ House. There is no better champion for it. In the regrettably all-too-short time that she was a Minister in the Home Office, she demonstrated commitment and sureness of touch on this issue. I have seen some of the letters that she wrote in support of measures that are not very different from those that are contained in the Bill before she left office in September 2011. I also congratulate the honourable Member Richard Ottaway for his patience and skill in getting the Bill through the other place. There was a very trying final day when it looked as though some of his honourable friends might have sought to talk the Bill out. Happily, that did not happen, and the Bill is in front of us today in a form that I hope the whole House will be able to support. As the noble Baroness said, the Bill is supported by all responsible members of the scrap metal and recycling industry, by numerous trade bodies, the Local Government Association, the British Transport Police and the civilian police. read more....

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HMS "VICTORY"

during this Question for Short Debate tabled by Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn - 28 November 2012: Lord Faulkner of Worcester...... I speak as chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on War Heritage. I will refer to an issue that was brought to my attention earlier this year: the looting of three Royal Navy cruisers that were sunk in the North Sea off the coast of the Netherlands in September 1914. HMS "Hogue", HMS "Cressy" and HMS "Aboukir" were torpedoed by the Imperial German submarine "U-9" while on active service and lie at a depth of 33 metres. The majority of the crew of the three ships, around 1,500 naval personnel, lost their lives in the action; therefore, the wrecks are their war graves. Read more....

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EUROPEAN RAIL MARKET: EUC REPORT

14 June 2012: Tunnel Vision? Completing the European Rail Market - Motion to Take Note Moved By Baroness O'Cathain Lord Faulkner of Worcester: "Today's debate is important because, as the noble Baroness said, there is scope to attract more people to use international rail services and because much more needs to be done to encourage rail freight through the tunnel. The sub-committee's report makes an important contribution to moving this argument forward." Read my contribution in Hansard report

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SPORT: EURO 2012 - WRITTEN QUESTION

13 June 2012: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to follow Chancellor Angela Merkel and the European Commission in boycotting matches played in Ukraine during the Euro 2012 football championships, as a result of the imprisonment and alleged ill-treatment of Yulia Tymoshenko. [HL490] The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Government fully support England's participation in Euro 2012. We hope this is a successful tournament for the England team, the fans, and the people of Ukraine and Poland. No Ministers will be attending group games at Euro 2012. We are keeping attendance at later stages of the tournament under review.

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QUEEN'S SPEECH: DEBATE (6TH DAY)

17 May 2012: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I will speak about Britain's relations with two very different countries, neither of which has been mentioned in the debate today - although the noble Lord, Lord Alton, came very close a moment ago in his reference to human rights in China. I will first ask a simple question about Ukraine, in the context of the European football championships next month. The Minister will be aware that a number of heads of government, in particular Angela Merkel, said that neither they nor any of their ministerial colleagues would attend matches played in Ukraine unless Yulia Tymoshenko was released from prison. Do Her Majesty's Government plan to adopt the same approach? If so, will they offer similar advice to the President of the Football Association, His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge? I wish to speak mainly about the United Kingdom's relationship with Taiwan. I declare an interest as co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary British-Taiwanese Group. My co-chair is the noble Lord, Lord Steel of Aikwood, who leaves this evening at the head of the delegation of nine members drawn from all political parties in both Houses. They will attend the inauguration ceremony on Sunday for President Ma Ying-jeou, who was re-elected for a second four-year term on 14 January in what most observers regarded as a fair and open contest. In terms of the relationship, I start with the positives. In a number of areas, it is excellent. Last year, Taiwan purchased £1.5 billion-worth of British-made goods and another £1.5 billion-worth in services. There are 16,000 Taiwanese students at British universities and they and their parents contribute £0.5 billion in tuition fees and living expenses. Some 80,000 to 90,000 Taiwanese come here as tourists. Numerous Taiwanese manufacturing companies have located here. HTC, for example, which manufactures smart phones, has expanded from employing five people to 500. On 23 April, I attended the annual meeting of the Taiwan Britain Business Council and I was delighted to hear the noble Lord, Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint, make an enthusiastic and positive speech from his standpoint as Trade Minister about British opportunities for doing business with Taiwan. He visited the country in his official capacity last year and it would be a great pleasure if we heard him speak more often in this House on issues such as this. That is the positive side of the relationship. There is another, deeply unsatisfactory side as well. I do not have time today to discuss the wider "one China" issue, which in my view is in urgent need of review. We will need to return to it on another occasion. I need, however, to talk about the United Kingdom Border Agency. Yesterday, the noble Lord, Lord Henley, had a most uncomfortable time answering questions from his noble friends about its shortcomings. Your Lordships may recall that the noble Lord, Lord Dholakia, described how a CPA meeting yesterday with a Tanzanian parliamentary delegation had to be cancelled because the UKBA had denied the delegates visas. Similar problems are experienced on a regular basis by staff employed by the Taipei representative office in the UK. The visa waiver for citizens of Taiwan who come to the UK on holiday does not apply to them. The staff have to apply annually for a visa extension and are required to surrender their passports when doing so. Because UKBA often holds on to these passports for up to four months, when an emergency arises such as the need to visit a sick relative back home or attend a heads of mission meeting called at short notice, the individual has to decide whether to abandon the trip or submit themselves to a so-called fast-track option, for which the application fee is £648 but it still takes weeks to complete. By contrast, British staff at our office in Taipei receive a three-year multiple-entry free gratis service, which is processed within 48 hours. There is a straightforward way through this, and that is to establish a privileges and immunities protocol that sets out very clearly the status of Taiwanese Government staff working in the UK and their British counterparts in Taiwan. A good starting point is the view expressed by the noble Lord, Lord Howell of Guildford, who I am delighted to see on the Bench, when speaking from the opposition Front Bench in January 2003. He said: "I am sure that we all appreciate that because of respect for the 'one China' policy and our relations with the People's Republic of China, we do not accord Taiwan full diplomatic status. Can we at least be assured that we give Taiwan representatives in our country and the sort of causes that we are discussing in this Question the same support and encouragement as are given by our neighbours, particularly France and Germany, in their dealings with Taiwan? Are we as effective as they are in maintaining good relations with this remarkable democracy?".-[Official Report, 20/1/03; col. 432.] That is a very good question to which we still do not have a satisfactory answer. The best examples of what is possible are found in the Commonwealth countries of Australia and New Zealand, both of which have the same common-law legal system as we do. The Australian Government, which has a much closer relationship with China than we have, has in place a remarkable set of rules called the Taipei Economic and Cultural Offices (Privileges and Immunities) Regulations 1998, which grant the Taiwanese staff in Canberra and Sydney virtually all the same benefits as other diplomatic missions to which Australia grants diplomatic recognition. It is worth noting that, as Taiwan is a member of the World Trade Organisation, if there were ever a WTO ministerial meeting in the UK, Taiwanese participants would have to be given exactly the same privileges and immunities as all other participants, but we cannot, apparently, bring ourselves to grant them at any other times. That alone surely undermines any argument about possible legal implications. I would appreciate it if the Minister can give an undertaking that the FCO will look at a privileges and immunities protocol for Taiwan, and also promise to look at the problems of the United Kingdom Border Agency and its treatment of Taiwanese Government employees. We will have to come back to the question of the "one China" policy at another time because that is in urgent need of review.

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