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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

STATEMENT FROM LORD FAULKNER OF WORCESTER ON METAL THEFT


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.

LEGAL AID, SENTENCING AND PUNISHMENT OF OFFENDERS BILL


25 January 2012: It is thought the Government may be preparing to back new legislation to ban cash payments for scrap metal after a private member's (Graham Jones MP) bill was thrown out last week.

It is understood that the Cabinet is discussing an amendment by Lord Faulkner to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill currently before Parliament that would also introduce unlimited fines for trading stolen material.

RAILWAYS: HIGH SPEED RAIL


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


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


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

WORCESTER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB


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


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


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


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

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

30 October 2011: 97 years 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.

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


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

CHARLBURY DOUBLE TRACK OPENS


Charlbury - Morris Dancers on the platformCharlbury - Lord Faulkner of Worcester speakingCharlbury - Lord Faulkner of WorcesterCharlbury - Prime Minister speakingCharlbury - plaqueCharlbury - David Cameron unveils plaque
  • Click to view set on flickr

    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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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