Summary

  • Peers looking at the Civil Partnerships Bill

  • Stalking Protection Bill debated as well

  1. 'Much would need to be settled' before a second referendumpublished at 15:23 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit referendum legislation debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord LisvaneImage source, HoL

    Crossbencher and former Clerk of the House of Commons Lord Lisvane says that "much would need to be settled" before a second Brexit referendum, and these issues would need to be "settled very quickly".

    He states that the "will" for a second referendum "can be implemented" if the two bills, external already tabled by Tory backbencher Dominic Grieve go ahead.

  2. MPs consider children's social care in Englandpublished at 15:12 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    The debate on mental health concludes, and MPs move to support the motion without a division.

    They have now moved on to their second backbench debate of the day, which focuses on children's social care in England.

    This is another debate that has been delayed as a result of Brexit developments over the last few weeks.

  3. Government to 'engage with employers' on mental health supportpublished at 15:09 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace Debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Jackie Doyle-PriceImage source, HoC

    Responding for the government, Health Minister Jackie Doyle-Price says she agrees "with much of what has been said" during the debate.

    She says the government is creating 21,000 new posts in the mental health workforce, but there is more work to do.

    Parity of esteem - valuing mental health equally with physical health - has been written into the law, but "is not the end, it is the start", she adds.

    "We recognise that mental health first aid has a role", she says, but "on its own, it is not enough".

    The government intends to "engage with employers" on how mental health sufferers can remain in work, and support mental health charity Mind in developing its mental health online gateway.

  4. Electoral Commission 'should be much faster moving'published at 15:04 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit referendum legislation debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord AdonisImage source, HoL

    Labour's Lord Adonis urges 16 and 17 year olds to be allowed to vote in referendums, as well as automatic registration.

    He adds that polling stations should be available at schools and places of study.

    He states that if people see incorrect information during a campaign online, then the Electoral Commision should be easily accessible to the public, and should be "much faster moving".

    The last EU referendum is "only just coming to the attention of the police", he says.

  5. Tory peer warns over referendum regulationpublished at 15:00 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit referendum legislation debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Baroness BrowningImage source, HoL

    Conservative peer Baroness Browning says that her "main concern" is on referendum issues raised by the Electoral Commission.

    She says the Commission has made "specific recommendations" following the 2016 referendum.

    She says that the "absence of loan controls" was a "significant gap" in the regulation of referendums.

    "Joint spending controls should be incorporated" to help police referendums, she adds.

  6. Lords debates legislation for second EU referendumpublished at 14:55 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit referendum legislation debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord TylerImage source, HoC

    Liberal Democrat Lord Tyler is introducing his debate on the legislation that would be needed to enact a second referendum on the UK's EU membership.

    He says that the "ever-increasing insistence" that a no-deal would be bad coming from government means that Parliament and government may move towards a second referendum.

    He says he has "never witnessed" the kind of "kicking the can down the road" undertaken by the current government.

    Polling day should be any time up until the beginning of May, he says, to try and coincide as best as possible with European Parliament polls at the end of the month.

    He recommends that a new poll should be a straight choice between the prime minister's negotiated deal and remaining in the EU.

  7. 'Mental health services must be properly funded'published at 14:49 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Mental Health First Aid

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Julie CooperImage source, HoC

    Closing the debate for Labour, shadow health minister Julie Cooper says 15.4 million working days are lost each year to stress, anxiety and depression, more than are lost to physical health issues.

    She says to businesses that the best way to improve a company's productivity is to improve the health and welfare systems available for its workforce.

    "Mental health services must be properly funded to give people the support they need," Ms Cooper adds.

    She says businesses should be under a duty to supply mental health first aid, saying it can be "a great first step" to improving wellbeing and is "too important to be left to the goodwill of employers".

    Ms Cooper says the government "must support employers to deliver this".

  8. Government 'takes devolution warnings seriously'published at 14:42 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit and the union debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord YoungImage source, HoC

    Wrapping up the debate, Cabinet spokesman Lord Young of Cookham says the government takes the warnings of Lord Lisvane "extremely seriously".

    He says he is personally "cautious" about referendums, but there are some issues where they are the best way for a resolution.

    Referring to Lord Lisvane's Act of Union Bill, external, Lord Young says it is "perverse" that a law seeking to bring the UK together would allow for each country to have its "own single sovereignty"

    He adds that the Bill "risks locking the UK into a system which is outdated", and could be "cumbersome, complicated, and inflexible".

    He also says "major steps" have been taken to decentralise government through the 2016 Cities and Local Government Devolution Act.

  9. 'Win-win-win' if mental health taken more seriouslypublished at 14:19 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace Debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Norman LambImage source, HoC

    Another supporter of the motion, Lib Dem Norman Lamb, says every time someone in a public position talks openly about mental health it makes it easier for young people.

    Mental health issues can "absolutely dominate lives", he says, and whilst the cost to employers is significant "it's important to actually focus on the most important thing - the cost to individuals."

    Taking mental health more seriously would be a "win-win-win" for individuals, the government and employers, he tells MPs.

    The potential risks of "not getting it right" would be a "failure for all of us", he adds, urging a focus on prevention of ill health in the work place and "creating healthy workplaces with dignity and respect".

  10. Tory peer 'not a particular fan' of devolutionpublished at 14:05 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit and the union debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord BalfeImage source, HoL

    Conservative peer Lord Balfe says there will be "unforeseen consequences of Brexit which are now coming to the surface".

    He says he is "not a particular fan" of devolution, as he believes, "like Gordon Brown", that "countries should work together."

    There is a big difference between Scotland, Ireland and Brexit, Lord Balfe says, noting that if Ireland voted for reunification it would automatically become part of the EU.

    Lord Balfe says he would like to see "greater solidarity in the UK", as currently, "we are on the way to being the most over-governed country in Europe".

    The union may need "tidying at the edges", he says, "but it does not need completely reforming".

  11. Debate part of a 'mental health revolution'published at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace Debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Johnny MercerImage source, HoC

    Conservative MP Johnny Mercer, who has supported the motion, says "mental health for millions of people in this country is their number one challenge".

    He explains that legislation is important as "this is too big a challenge to be left to personalities who are at different companies at different times".

    Mr Mercer says he has dealt with mental health issues himself, and things "can get better". Early intervention is very significant in this, he says.

    "There is a mental health revolution going on in this country...it is an unstoppable direction of travel and today is another point on that march."

  12. What motion are MPs debating?published at 13:58 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Today's motionImage source, HoC
  13. MP highlights economic costs of mental healthpublished at 13:54 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace Debate

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Luciana BergerImage source, HoC

    Labour MP Luciana Berger says today is a "solitary reminder that the work of this Parliament goes on" beyond Brexit, with a need to address the growing mental health "crisis".

    The aim of the debate is to change health and safety legislation to include employer first aid responsibility for mental health, not just physical health, she explains.

    One in six adults experience mental ill health, she says, "we are talking about a huge number of people affected in our country every single day".

    She says £8bn is lost from the economy every year as a result of absences related to mental health, and stress is costing businesses £1,000 per employee per year.

    Progress has been made in tackling mental health issues, but there is still a lot of work to do, she says.

    The prime minister has made clear her intention to address inequality between mental and physical health treatment, this is her opportunity to "solidify that commitment", she says.

  14. MPs begin debate on workplace mental health first aidpublished at 13:18 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    The short debate on the sustainable seas report comes to an end.

    MPs have now moved on to the much-delayed backbench business debate on mental health first aid in the workplace.

    This debate was selected by the backbench business committee but has been repeatedly delayed as a result of timetabling changes due to Brexit.

  15. Former cabinet secretary warns against new devolution lawpublished at 13:16 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit and the union debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord Armstrong of IlminsterImage source, HoL

    Crossbencher and former cabinet secretary Lord Armstrong of Ilminster says that Brexit arrangements are "complex" and "somewhat controversial".

    He says that Scotland would find being independent "a cold place to be" outside the UK and the EU.

    He warns against a "statute" on devolution, adding that it could become difficult to change when "requirements change".

    The UK has given "strength" to its "constituent parts," he says, adding: "we take it for granted, because it has always been there for us".

    Politicians should be "seeking to preserve" the current arrangements, he adds.

  16. Creagh: We need 'Paris Agreement of the Seas'published at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Report on sustainable seas

    House of Commons
    Parliament

    Mary CreaghImage source, HoC

    Mary Creagh says seas in the UK have been treated "as a sewer" and the government "should do more to prevent waste reaching the ocean".

    She adds that the UK shipping its waste to countries including China and Indonesia "could be exacerbating the problem".

    She says it is "pivotal" that the government does more to combat climate change and protect the environment and wildlife in the UK.

    She calls on the UK to be a leader in protecting oceans across the world, and for a "Paris Agreement of the Seas".

  17. MP presents report on 'sustainable seas'published at 12:57 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Sperm Whale with plastic wasteImage source, Science Photo Library

    Labour MP Mary Creagh is now making a statement on a new report from the environment audit committee on protecting marine life.

    Although the report acknowledges the government's action on single-use plastics, such as the carrier bag charge, the report makes recommendations for more action, including:

    • Bringing forward the 2042 date for achieving zero avoidable plastic waste
    • Bringing in the plastic bottle deposit return scheme before 2022
    • Creating widely-accepted definitions of 'single-use plastic' and 'avoidable plastic'
    • Banning single-use plastic that is hard to recycle
    • Introducing a 25p 'latte levy' on disposable coffee cups

  18. 'Nothing seems to have been learned'published at 12:33 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

    Brexit and the union debate

    House of Lords
    Parliament

    Lord Morris of AberavonImage source, HoL

    Former Labour Welsh secretary Lord Morris of Aberavon warns that powers are being given back to the UK from the EU, but the UK government is holding on to them, rather than devolving them to separate administrations.

    "Nothing seems to have been learned" on devolution, he states.

    He says in the future the government should look "comprehensively" at establishing a "convention" on the matter.

  19. Lib Dems to not support future no-confidence motionspublished at 12:30 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

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  20. Corbyn writes to PM with Brexit talks conditionspublished at 12:28 Greenwich Mean Time 17 January 2019

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