Baroness Smith of Llanfaes (PC)

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Taylor of Bolton, and her committee for their report and the thoughtful way in which they have approached the subject, on which there are, unsurprisingly, st

My Lords, first, I welcome the Government’s decision to extend the franchise to 16 and 17 year-olds. Young people already contribute to our society and have a direct stake in the future, shaped by pol

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Oates, for introducing the Bill and for giving the House the opportunity to consider, once again, the future of youth justice. The noble Lord’s intentions are en

My Lords, I welcome the establishment of No. 10 in the north of England. If the Government agree that centralisation in London is a problem, should the answer not be to strengthen devolution across th

My Lords, unlike Scotland, which has taken on significant social security powers and used them directly to address child poverty in Scotland, Wales has limited control over the welfare system. Does th

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for bringing forward this important debate. Few issues test the conscience more directly than child poverty. Across the UK today, around 4.5