Lord Faulkner of Worcester

WELCOME TO MY WEBSITE!

2019-07-28T13:00:00.000+01:00

I set up this personal website over four years ago to present a simple account of what I do. Parliamentary Questions and Debates catalogues my work in the House of Lords. Elsewhere you can read about my other interests and various issues which concern me.

Richard Faulkner / House of Lords / London SW1A 0PW

AUNG SAN SUU KYI

2012-02-27T10:33:00.018Z

27 February 2012: On my way back from Australia, I was privileged to spend time with Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.
We talked about her current election campaign and possible plans to visit the UK this summer.

The portrait is of Daw Suu’s father Aung San, the father of modern Burma, who was assassinated in 1947.

I first met Daw Suu when we were both reading PPE at Oxford in the 60s.

OLYMPIC GAMES 2012: MATCH FIXING AND SUSPICIOUS BETTING - QUESTION FOR SHORT DEBATE

2012-02-10T09:39:00.004Z

9 February 2012: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I join others in congratulating the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan, on giving us the opportunity to debate this very important subject. He may not be aware of the significance of today's date. It was seven years ago exactly - 9 February 2005 - when the report of the inquiry into the effects of betting on sport, which I chaired on behalf of the Parliamentary All-Party Betting and Gaming Group, was published.
Read my contribution to the debate in full

PROTECTION OF FREEDOMS BILL - REPORT 2ND DAY

2012-02-07T17:17:00.001Z

6 February 2012: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I have added my name to Amendment 37A, tabled by my noble friends Lady Royall and Lord Rosser, because the new powers that it confers on authorities to enter and inspect scrap metal dealerships represent, as my noble friend Lord Rosser says, an important element in the comprehensive overhaul of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964, which I have been calling for in your Lordships' House since I asked my Oral Question on the subject on 3 October last year. It also fits perfectly with the move to cashless transactions, which the Home Secretary said in a Written Statement on 26 January that the Government now support. This is the subject of my own amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which the Committee will be considering on Thursday, possibly alongside the Government's own amendments, the details of which we are awaiting.
Read contribution in full

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON TOBACCO CONTROL

2012-02-06T17:42:00.002Z

6 February 2012: Read my article in PoliticsHome Smoke out tobacco companies influence ahead of my Question on implementation of the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco control.

PEERS IN SCHOOLS PROGRAMME - VISIT TO ST MARY'S, WORCESTER

2012-02-04T17:15:00.001Z

3 February 2012: Visited St Mary’s School, Worcester where I talked to the girls about the work and role of the House of Lords. This was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster generally.

The visit was arranged through the Lord Speaker’s Peers in Schools programme, which has been running across the UK since 2007 and has so far involved around 30,000 young people. This continuing outreach programme sends members of the House of Lords into schools and colleges across the country to give talks in support of the citizenship curriculum.

STATEMENT FROM LORD FAULKNER OF WORCESTER ON METAL THEFT

2012-01-27T10:00:00.002Z

26 January 2012: am delighted that the Government has decided to join me in tabling an amendment to the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill to prohibit the use of cash to purchase scrap metal, and to increase significantly the fines for all offences under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964.
This is precisely the approach that I have been urging on them since I first raised it in the House of Lords on 3 October last year, drawing attention to the scale of metal theft in the country, which has now reached epidemic proportions, and touches almost every aspect of our national life. Scarcely a day goes by without a report of trains being delayed by the theft of signalling cable, and of manhole covers, works of art, war memorials, lead from church roofs and sacred objects within churches, electricity sub-station wire all being stolen for its scrap metal value - the list is endless.
I have received scores of messages of support from concerned individuals and organisations: they are unanimous that an essential first step in reforming the law is to outlaw the use of cash in settling transactions. Further legislation to license and regulate this £5 billion industry will need to follow, and I hope to see a bill to do this in the next session of Parliament.
Meanwhile today's announcement from the Government is very good news indeed for everyone - except the individuals who have been profiting in a variety of ways from this despicable crime.
For further information contact Lord Faulkner of Worcester on 07785 261785.

RAILWAYS: HIGH SPEED RAIL

2012-01-11T12:17:00.005Z

10 January 2012: During the statement on Railways: High Speed Rail

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I am sure that the Minister will be heartened by the so far universal expressions of support for the Government's decision. I should like to add to them; I think that this is a very significant day for Britain's railways and represents a real step change in our approach to transport policy. When I was working at the railways board in the late 1980s and 1990s, an official from the Department of Transport joined the board as a non-executive member, looked around the table at his first meeting and said, "You must understand that my job is to preside over the orderly decline of the railway". That was only 20 years ago, so this decision and the fact that the government document that goes with it contains statements such as,

"the Government does not consider that there is a case for major new motorways",and,
"It does not ... support a new runway at Heathrow and wants to see modal shift away from domestic routes where possible",
with the emphasis in future to be on the railway, are very significant.

Can the Minister confirm that the package of compensation proposed in the Statement is significantly more generous than that accorded to householders who are affected by road-building programmes?

CRIME: METAL THIEVES

2011-12-16T14:14:00.002Z

15 December 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to establish a nationwide task force to target metal thieves.

The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): My Lords, the Government recognise the growing problem of metal theft and are taking urgent steps to address it. Five million pounds has been provided to establish a dedicated national task force to significantly increase enforcement activity to deal with both scrap metal dealers who trade in stolen metal and those who steal metal.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, that is fine as far as it goes but does the Minister agree with what his Home Office colleague James Brokenshire said in the other place on Monday? Mr Brokenshire estimated that the cost of metal theft may be now as much as £777 million a year and said,
"we have now reached the stage where the only conclusion is that new legislation is needed to tackle metal theft".-[Official Report, Commons, 12/12/11; col. 508.]
As a vital first step, will the Minister accept my amendment to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which would make cash transactions for scrap metal sales illegal, bearing in mind that probably as much as £1 billion out of the £5 billion in this industry is accounted for in cash and is the cause of most of the problems?

THE HOUSE MAGAZINE - 35TH ANNIVERSARY

2011-12-14T14:17:00.003Z

Writing in the current issue, Lord Faulkner recalls the birth of The House Magazine, a version of the article published for the 25th anniversary

35th anniversary of The House Magazine

WORCESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

2011-12-10T14:19:00.001Z

9 December 2011: "Lord Richard Faulkner says it is paramount to the survival of Worcester City Football Club that plans for a new stadium at Nunnery Way are approved without delay."
Read full report in Worcester News

VISIT TO ST AUGUSTINE'S SCHOOL, REDDITCH

2011-12-03T14:21:00.001Z

2 December 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester met with year 10 citizenship students and a small number of sixth form students from St Augustine's School, Redditch, for an hour to talk about the work and role of the House of Lords.

This was followed by a question and answer session on various aspects of the parliamentary process and life at Westminster generally.

GAMBLING COMMISSION: HEALTH LOTTERY

2011-11-29T08:44:00.002Z

28 November 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government what assessment the Gambling Commission has undertaken of the contribution being made to good causes by the Health Lottery.

Baroness Garden of Frognal: My Lords, the Gambling Act 2005 requires that at least 20 per cent of the proceeds of a society lottery go to the good cause that it supports. Each of the 51 society lotteries that are promoted under the umbrella brand of the Health Lottery must comply with this requirement. We understand from the Health Lottery that 20.3 per cent of the proceeds of each individual society lottery will go to the relevant good cause, addressing health inequalities in specific geographic areas of Great Britain.

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, may I ask the Minister two questions? First, is she aware of the great concern that has been expressed by the beneficiaries of legally run society lotteries in the health sector, which have benefited immensely from those local society lotteries, about what is seen as the unfair competition from the Health Lottery? Is she aware that the hospice movement is particularly alarmed, because it depends very heavily on society lotteries? In Worcester, for example, our two hospices receive £70,000 a year from the South Worcestershire Hospices Lottery, which pays 50p in the pound-not 20p in the pound-to those good causes.

Secondly, notwithstanding what the Gambling Commission may have decided initially about the Health Lottery's legality, how can it be legal to have 51 community interest companies linked to the Health Lottery which have no independent existence, but which all have the same three directors and all operate out of the same virtual office? How is that legal?

Read Question in full in Hansard Report - also article in PoliticsHome where I argue that the introduction of the Health Lottery is negatively impacting the money raised by hospices.

LEGAL AID, SENTENCING AND PUNISHMENT OF OFFENDERS BILL - 2nd READING

2011-11-22T09:02:00.000Z

21 November 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, at this late hour I do not intend to detain the House for long and shall concentrate on just one issue. In Committee, I intend to table two amendments to Part 3, Chapter 8, to amend the Scrap Metal Dealers' Act. The first would have the effect of making cash transactions in the buying and selling of scrap metal illegal. The second would introduce criminal charges for theft of scrap metal which take into account aspects of the crime other than the value of the scrap metal stolen.
See Hansard report

HOUSE OF LORDS DEBATES ARMED FORCES SACRIFICE

2011-11-11T09:04:00.001Z

10 November 2011:
As chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary War Heritage Group, I spoke on two matters of particular concern during this debate:

the desecration of war memorials by scrap metal thieves
the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War in 2014

Read Hansard report for my contribution in full

BATTLE OF GHELUVELT REMEMBERED

2011-11-01T14:02:00.002Z

31 October 2011: 97 years to the day after the Battle of Gheluvelt on 31 October 1914, the 370 men of the Worcestershire Regiment were remembered in a commemoration service held in the Worcester park that stands as a permanent memorial to the event

SCRAP METAL DEALERS (AMENDMENT) BILL [HL] 2010-11

2011-10-20T14:04:00.001+01:00

19 October 2011: First reading of Private Member's Bill

Keep up to date with progress of this Bill
Sign e-petition - Cashless Scrap Metal Trade
Also see my Question of 3 October 2011: Railways:Theft

CHARLBURY DOUBLE TRACK OPENS

2011-10-18T22:36:00.002+01:00

14 October 2011: Prime Minister David Cameron was joined at Charlbury Station by Lord Faulkner of Worcester, First Group Chief Executive Tim O'Toole, Network Rail's Route Managing Director Patrick Hallgate and other invited guests to celebrate the announcement of additional services along the line.

The Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the service improvements to the North Cotswold route and unveiled a plaque marking the improvements made to services along the route.

View video footage of event

UNIVERSITIES: IMPACT OF GOVERNMENT POLICY

2011-10-14T11:02:00.002+01:00

13 October 2011: Lord Giddens called attention to the impact of government policy on universities; and moved for papers.

during the debate....

Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Giddens for initiating this important debate. I am delighted to follow the noble Lord, Lord Bilimoria. I agree, I think, with every word of his speech and I shall follow some of his themes. I have two non-remunerated interests to declare: I am an honorary fellow of my old college in Oxford and I am also a fellow of the University of Worcester, which in recent years has been Britain's fastest-growing university.

There was an interval of 850 years in the start of teaching at these two universities, but each is an important member of the British higher education sector and both are being badly affected by government policies.

read my contribution in full

SPEECH TO MARK TAIWAN CENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

2011-10-09T12:40:00.001+01:00

6 October 2011: As co-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary British-Taiwanese Group, I was delighted to be asked to speak at the National Day and centenial celebrations at the National Liberal Club in London.

The content of my address can be read on the All-party Parliamentary Group website

RAILWAYS:THEFT

2011-10-04T21:36:00.002+01:00

3 October 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to amend the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1964 to prohibit cash transactions, as a means of reducing metal theft.
Read contributions to Question in full

See an article I wrote Tackling scrap metal theft for ePolitix.com
You are invited to sign the online e-petition Cashless Scrap Metal Trade at http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/406

LONDON OLYMPIC GAMES AND PARALYMPIC GAMES (AMENDMENT) BILL - 2ND READING

2011-10-04T21:28:00.002+01:00

3 October 2011: Lord Faulkner of Worcester: "A number of my questions concern ticketing, which has been referred to already in the debate by a number of noble Lords"
Read my contribution to the debate

ANNUAL DINNER OF THE HRA

2011-09-25T12:51:00.002+01:00

24 September 2011: Inaugurated earlier this year as president of the HRA (Heritage Railway Association), I was asked to speak at their annual dinner held in Criccieth.
The text of my speech can be read here

STEAM SPECIAL CELEBRATES COTSWOLD LINE IMPROVEMENTS

2011-09-19T09:59:00.002+01:00

17 September 2011: Travelled on the Cathedrals Express from Worcester to Paddington to celebrate the completion of the reinstatement of double track on the Cotswold Line in the company of local MPs Harriett Baldwin, Peter Luff, Robin Walker and Transport Minister, Theresa Villiers.

Locomotive 5043, Earl of Mount Edgcumbe, arriving at Paddington Station.

Watch a video of the journey with the

Earl of Mount Edgcombe on YouTube

TAIWAN TODAY

2011-09-16T10:29:00.001+01:00

In my role as co-chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary British-Taiwanese Group, I was pleased that my suggestion for a rail enthusiasts' tour of Taiwan tour came to fruition and was so successful.

A report of the tour can be seen in Taiwan Today here.

With the centennial celebrations in Taiwan imminent, the message of good wishes sent by members of the Group can be read on the All-Party Parliamentary British Taiwanese Group website.