Lords motion to take note of the report of the Home-based Working Committee on Is working from home working? (HL 196 2024-26). Agreed to on question.

Lords motion to take note of the report of the Home-based Working Committee on Is working from home working? (HL 196 2024-26). Agreed to on question.

My Lords, it is now 18 months since the Home-based Working Committee was established to conduct a special inquiry into the effects and future development of home-based working in the UK. At that time, barely a day went by when there was not a media story about working from home,...

My Lords, it is now 18 months since the Home-based Working Committee was established to conduct a special inquiry into the effects and future development of home-based working in the UK. At that time, barely a day went by when there was not a media story about working from home,...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, who chaired the proceedings of the committee with considerable

skill and good temper, as we were all searching for data which does not exist and may never exist, I suspect, given the Government’s priority list. She gave...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, who chaired the proceedings of the committee with considerable

skill and good temper, as we were all searching for data which does not exist and may never exist, I suspect, given the Government’s priority list. She gave...

My Lords, I too warmly congratulate the noble Baroness on her report: thoughtful, practical, and admirably free from dogma. I think we are all going to ask her to review the report a couple of years’ time, because it is clear that we need more evidence.

As has been well said,...

My Lords, I too warmly congratulate the noble Baroness on her report: thoughtful, practical, and admirably free from dogma. I think we are all going to ask her to review the report a couple of years’ time, because it is clear that we need more evidence.

As has been well said,...

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for so ably chairing the committee, and for her excellent introductory speech covering the findings that most of us will probably repeat in part.

I intend to concentrate on health and disability issues. I welcome...

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for so ably chairing the committee, and for her excellent introductory speech covering the findings that most of us will probably repeat in part.

I intend to concentrate on health and disability issues. I welcome...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Watkins, in speaking in this important debate. I was appointed Business and Energy Secretary on 13 February 2020, just as the enormity of the Covid crisis was beginning to be understood by the Government. As noble Lords know,...

My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Watkins, in speaking in this important debate. I was appointed Business and Energy Secretary on 13 February 2020, just as the enormity of the Covid crisis was beginning to be understood by the Government. As noble Lords know,...

My Lords, I too thank our committee team and specialist adviser for their excellent work on this report, and the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for her leadership of the committee and her introduction to this debate.

As we have heard, digital technology has grown quickly since the pandemic....

My Lords, I too thank our committee team and specialist adviser for their excellent work on this report, and the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for her leadership of the committee and her introduction to this debate.

As we have heard, digital technology has grown quickly since the pandemic....

My Lords, one of the greatest challenges that the committee faced when writing this report was the lack of good data on how we work in the UK. I would like to expand on some of the points made by our excellent chair, the noble Baroness, Lady Scott.

Without knowing who...

My Lords, one of the greatest challenges that the committee faced when writing this report was the lack of good data on how we work in the UK. I would like to expand on some of the points made by our excellent chair, the noble Baroness, Lady Scott.

Without knowing who...

My Lords, I too pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for her excellent chairing of the committee. Bringing together members with different experiences and perspectives is no small task, yet she guided our deliberations with patience, skill and good humour throughout. I also thank our...

My Lords, I too pay tribute to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for her excellent chairing of the committee. Bringing together members with different experiences and perspectives is no small task, yet she guided our deliberations with patience, skill and good humour throughout. I also thank our...

My Lords, I am grateful to the committee for its work and its recommendations, and in particular very grateful to the chairman, the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for a very comprehensive introduction.

I have some form on this. Rather like the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley, I remember the...

My Lords, I am grateful to the committee for its work and its recommendations, and in particular very grateful to the chairman, the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, for a very comprehensive introduction.

I have some form on this. Rather like the noble Baroness, Lady Bottomley, I remember the...

My Lords, I begin by congratulating the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, on securing this debate and on her exemplary chairmanship of the committee. I also thank our excellent clerk and staff team who supported the members of the committee, on which I served, and those who gave evidence to the...

My Lords, I begin by congratulating the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, on securing this debate and on her exemplary chairmanship of the committee. I also thank our excellent clerk and staff team who supported the members of the committee, on which I served, and those who gave evidence to the...

My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for her amazing, herculean efforts to pull together such a difficult subject. I start, however, by offering a data point that I am not sure would have surfaced in the research. I started a small karaoke chain, Lucky Voice, which...

My Lords, I too thank the noble Baroness, Lady Scott, for her amazing, herculean efforts to pull together such a difficult subject. I start, however, by offering a data point that I am not sure would have surfaced in the research. I started a small karaoke chain, Lucky Voice, which...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Lane-Fox, and I add my thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, and the members of the committee for this timely report. As noble Lords have said, it comes at a very prescient time,...

My Lords, it is always a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Lane-Fox, and I add my thanks to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, and the members of the committee for this timely report. As noble Lords have said, it comes at a very prescient time,...

My Lords, I join the chorus of congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, and her committee for the excellent and relevant report. To inject a personal note, I am honoured and excited to be back in your Lordships’ House, this time hopefully for life.

I have had...

My Lords, I join the chorus of congratulations to the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, and her committee for the excellent and relevant report. To inject a personal note, I am honoured and excited to be back in your Lordships’ House, this time hopefully for life.

I have had...

My Lords, I too thank our excellent chair and fellow committee members for what I found to be quite a fascinating inquiry.

The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic transformed home-based working from a relatively niche practice into a normal part of working life for millions of people. The question for our...

My Lords, I too thank our excellent chair and fellow committee members for what I found to be quite a fascinating inquiry.

The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic transformed home-based working from a relatively niche practice into a normal part of working life for millions of people. The question for our...

My Lords, I start by declaring my interest as a partner and practising solicitor with DAC Beachcroft.

What an interesting debate this has been. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market. I have served with her on committees before. She has great skill, and this report is a...

My Lords, I start by declaring my interest as a partner and practising solicitor with DAC Beachcroft.

What an interesting debate this has been. I congratulate the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market. I have served with her on committees before. She has great skill, and this report is a...

My Lords, I am pleased to respond for the Government, and I will address the key themes that have emerged through this thoughtful debate. I, too, start by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, not only for securing the debate but for her skilful chairing of the...

My Lords, I am pleased to respond for the Government, and I will address the key themes that have emerged through this thoughtful debate. I, too, start by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Scott of Needham Market, not only for securing the debate but for her skilful chairing of the...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for engaging so comprehensively with the committee’s report and for some useful updates, and I am sure the committee would join me in that.

We have had an excellent debate, and not just because noble Lords all said nice things about me —although I am...

My Lords, I thank the Minister for engaging so comprehensively with the committee’s report and for some useful updates, and I am sure the committee would join me in that.

We have had an excellent debate, and not just because noble Lords all said nice things about me —although I am...