Speech – The Economy

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Last week, Lord Bilimoria took part in a debate about the steps that the Government has taken to boost the UK’s economy.  Shortly following the release of the 2016 Budget, the debate gave Peers a chance to scrutinise the Chancellor’s policies and contribute their thoughts about the action needed to improve the country’s economic growth.  Lord Bilimoria praised the strides that the Government has made in boosting entrepreneurship, but highlighted topics that the Government needs to improve on, notably productivity and higher education, while stressing the impact that the EU referendum may have on the UK’s economy.

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Speech – Budget 2016

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Last Wednesday saw the Lords debate Budget 2016, George Osborne’s last before the upcoming EU referendum.  Lord Bilimoria welcomed the business friendly measures that the Government introduced, such as the expansion of business rates relief and the sustained reduction in Corporation tax, but he lamented the impact of the Chancellor’s proposals on the UK’s increasingly complex taxation system and condemned the poorly thought out plans to cut Personal Independence Payments.

 

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Speech – Armed Forces Bill

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Lord Bilimoria spoke during the Second Reading of the Armed Forces Bill in the House of Lords yesterday. His speech focused on the implications of spurious lawsuits against the UK Armed Forces and stressed the need for the Government to ensure that soldiers were given the freedom to do their jobs effectively.  After debate, the motion was agreed to and the bill was committed to a Grand Committee.

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Speech – Adult Education and Lifelong Learning Debate

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In his first parliamentary speech of 2016, Lord Bilimoria participated in a debate moved by Baroness Guildford relating to adult education and lifelong learning, and the need to develop the skills needed to strengthen the United Kingdom economy.

In his speech, Lord Bilimoria detailed the impact that his education has had on his career and raised concerns about funding cuts to adult education and lifelong learning.  He urged the Government to invest in adult learning in order to improve skills and productivity and stated that the Government should play to win, rather than playing not to lose.

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Speech – Autumn Statement 2015 debate

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Yesterday, Lord Bilimoria responded to the UK Government’s Autumn Statement 2015 in a debate in the House of Lords. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria welcomed the Chancellor’s change of heart over planned cuts to tax credits. He also applauded the introduction of measures which improve the provision of funding to mature and part-time students, as well as those which provide further support to postgraduate students, while calling for the government to introduce measures to help increase the UK’s manufacturing output.

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Speech – Spending Defence and Security Review 2015

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Earlier today, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the recently published Spending Defence and Security Review 2015 in the House of Lords.  The review, which sets out the government’s approach to national security for the next 5 years, was warmly received by many in the chamber and Lord Bilimoria was keen the praise the government’s commitment of 2% of GDP on defence spending.  He criticised the 2010 Review as negligent and celebrated the defence budget’s dedication towards scientific research.

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Speech – Syria – UK Military Action

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Earlier this evening, Lord Bilimoria spoke in a debate in the House of Lords about whether the UK should engage in military operations in Syria.  He noted the mistakes made in past operations and outlined the reasons for intervening in the region now, while stressing the limitations of relying on air power alone.

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Speech – Armed Forces: Reserves

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Lord Bilimoria spoke in the House of Lords yesterday about the government’s plans to update the Reserve Forces.  He praised the Chancellor’s decision to commit to 2% of the UK’s GDP on defence spending, which ensures that Britain continues to meet NATO’s spending defence target, and agreed with measures that would strengthen and modernise the armed forces reserves.  Lord Bilimoria noted several concerns, chiefly about the ability of the UK to project power in the short term and about the way in which reservists are being integrated into the armed forces, and he called on the government to ensure that the armed forces are suitably equipped to carry out the actions that may be required of them.

 

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Speech – Lord Bilimoria delivers ADRI Foundation Lecture

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On the 12th September Lord Bilimoria delivered the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) Foundation Lecture in Patna. In the lecture, which has previously been delivered by Nobel Laureates Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz, Lord Bilimoria discussed the role of Jamshetji Tata and the contribution of Parsis in the Indian freedom struggle. Drawing on his personal experiences as a Zoroastrian Parsi, Lord Bilimoria talked passionately about the role that the Parsi minority has had in business both in India and the UK.  He also highlighted how the struggle of Tata, both as a visionary businessman and as a freedom fighter, was representative of the struggle of the Parsi minority and closed with words by Mahatma Gandhi, stressing both their general importance, as well as the specific resonance they hold for the Zoroastrian community.

 

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Speech – Productivity Debate

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Yesterday, Lord Bilimoria spoke about the government’s planned proposals to increase productivity in the UK in a debate in the House of Lords.  Titled: Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation, the government’s productivity plan stressed the need for Britain to boost productivity and advocated a series of reforms designed to bolster long term investment and create a more dynamic economy.  Speaking in the debate, Lord Bilimoria welcomed plans to make the UK more attractive to inward investment but lamented the lack of action that the government has taken on funding for research and development.  He also quizzed the Minister, Lord O’Neill of Gatley, about the level of support that the government is providing to quickly growing businesses to scale up their operations.

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