Lord Faulkner of Worcester: Before inviting the Committee to consider the withdrawal of the amendment, I call the noble Lord, Lord Lansley, who was attempting to come in after the Minister.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: We now come to the group beginning with Amendment 9. Anyone wishing to press this or anything else in the group to a Division must make that clear in the debate.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I call the noble Lord, Lord Fox, who has asked to speak after the Minister.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: I call the noble Lord, Lansley, and then I shall call the noble Lord, Lord Purvis, who has requested to speak after the Minister.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: May I explain to the Minister that we are debating Amendment 2, with which other amendments are grouped? The debate that is taking place currently is on Amendment 2 only.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: We now come to the group beginning with Amendment 4. Anyone wishing to press this or anything else in this group to a Division should make that clear in debate.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many scrap metal dealers have been (1) prosecuted, and (2) convicted, for failing to hold a (a) site, or (b) mobile collector’s, licence since 2013.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many scrap metal dealers have been (1) prosecuted, and (2) convicted, for paying cash for scrap metal since 2013.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many incidents of metal theft were recorded on the Police National Database in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, this has been an extraordinary, wide-ranging and fascinating debate, and it is a pleasure to follow the noble Viscount. I found his speech absolutely riveting. I am happy to support what the Government are doing in this Bill, and I do not dissent at all from their wish to improve the natural environment and air and water quality. It is entirely appropriate that there should be...
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, all supplementary questions have been asked.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the Hybrid Sitting of the House will now resume. I ask Members to respect social distancing. We now come to Oral Questions to the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, the noble Lord, Lord Frost. There will be three Questions, with 10 minutes allowed for each, and we will proceed in the same way as for other Oral Questions. I call the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, to ask the first...
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, the time allowed for this Question has elapsed.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I remind the House of my railway interests as declared in the register. I am happy to share the optimism of the noble Baroness for the future of the railway, not least because of the involvement of both Andrew Haines and Sir Peter Hendy in Great British Railways. I have the highest confidence in both, and I believe they will work well to deliver what could be a very successful...
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I will speak briefly about a DCMS issue that I hope will lead to legislation in the current Session but was not in the Queen’s Speech: the outcome arising from the Government’s decision to establish a fan-based review of football, chaired by Tracey Crouch MP. Noble Lords will remember that this was prompted by the furious reaction of supporters to the monstrous plan by the six...
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Railway Industry Association Why Rail Electrification?, published on 22 April.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question in my name on the Order Paper and remind the House of my railway interests as declared in the register.
Lord Faulkner of Worcester: My Lords, I welcome that Answer. The Railway Industry Association report is indeed excellent and the case it makes for a rolling programme of electrification is unanswerable. Can the Minister confirm that the Government are committed to decarbonising the railway by no later than 2050? If so, do they accept that the most effective and beneficial way to deliver that is a steady, stable stream...
