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IN THE CHAMBER

It is unwise and discreditable of the UK not to help Afghan interpreters who are in danger of being abandoned and hunted down by the Taliban, Lord Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon told peers in a debate on the Queens Speech. The UK is the only Nato country yet to provide Afghan interpreters with asylum, dealing with claims on a case-by-case basis. This, said Lord Ashdown this week, was shameful. He said: I cannot understand why my Government have not before now clarified the position of these men, who have placed their lives at the service of our country and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our troops in some of their most difficult hours. Without them, those troops could not have acted at all. It follows a growing campaign for Afghan interpreters to settle in the UK. Lord Ashdown said there were only 400 and said he had been told the Ministry of Defence and Home Office were content but the matter was being held up by Downing Street. Their families live, day in and day out, threatened by mortal th reat from the Taliban in Afghan society, he said. Our troops come home every six or nine months, whereas they do not. They have served us, day in and day out, month in and month out, year in and year out, yet the Government are wavering as to whether they should have the same rights that interpreters had in Iraq. We are not asking much, we are not asking anything new, or for something the Government have not done before. The precedent is already established.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK My Lords, I am grateful for what we have heard today of Her Majestys Governments aspirations for a stronger economy and a fairer society, because those two are held together at the head of the gracious Speech. We aspire to them ourselves, even as far north as Birmingham. A st ronger economy. A fairer society. Is The Lord Bishop of Birmingham a secret Lib Dem?

TWEET OF THE WEEK We'll keep working at fixing the deficit & creating new jobs while the Tories are more concerned about ripping into each other over Europe Lord Strasburger (@LordStras) plonks his hammer firmly on the head of the nail.

Lord Sharkey used the debate on the Queens Speech to reiterate Liberal Democrat support for a commitment to spend 0.7% of GDP on international development. The commitment was not included in the speech because, Lord Sharkey said, of the negative reaction of some Tory MPs. He told peers: If this is true, it is a pity. If it is not true, it is hard to see why the 0.7% commitment was left out. In either case, I am glad that we are currently on target and that Nick Clegg has confirmed that he remains committed to writing the 0.7% into law.

Baroness Parminter asked the Government whether it was considering introducing a mandatory charge for plastic bags in England, as already happens in Wales and Northern Ireland and is being consulted on in Scotland. She said: Are the Government aware of the substantial hidd en costs that English consumers bear from retailers buying and storing and local authorities disposing of plastic bags?. Lord De Mauley said the Government was considering schemes elsewhere before making a fully-informed decision.

Lord Dholakias Private Members Bill increasing the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12 was given its First Reading in the Lords. The Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill would change the minimum age at which a child can be arrested or charged with a crime. Its First Reading a formality which signals the start of its journey through Parliament took place on Tuesday. Lord Dholakia said: It is wrong to criminalise children at such a young age.

16,500 young people are absent from school because of bullying, Baroness Brinton said, as she asked the Government what funding was available to allow them to return to education. She said: Does the Minister agree that specialist education and psychological support i nterventions, such as the very successful Red Balloon Learner Centres, are the best way of helping these children back into mainstream schooling? Schools Minister Lord Nash said such intervention may well be the most appropriate provision but that would not always be the case.

And Lord Dykes called on all negotiations on reform of the EU at the forthcoming European Council to be handed to... Nick Clegg and party colleagues. Following the Commons vote on the Queens Speech amendment, he said the solution would be to assign any negotiations to the Deputy Prime Minister and other Liberal Democrats in the Cabinet, who have excellent relations with other EU member states and who would help to exorcise the Tory demons of xenopho bia. Responding, Lord Wallace of Saltaire said: This is a coalition government and we work as a coalition government.

WHATS COMING UP MONDAY

Lord Roberts of Llandudno to ask the Government what consideration it has given to allowing asylum seekers the right to work after six months of waiting for an application decision. Lord Greaves to ask the Government if it plans to introduce any proposals affecting local bus services. Second reading of the Offender Rehabilitation Bill, led by Lord McNally. WEDNESDAY Baroness Benjamin will lead a debate on extending the Public Lending Right to e-books and audio books. Lord Chidgey will lead a debate on the impact on the region of the recent Kenyan presidential election. Lord Avebury will lead a debate on curbing religious violence in Pakistan. Lord Sharkey will lead a debate on media plurality in light of the Leveson Report. For a more detailed look at what's coming up in the Lords, click here.

It is only in logic that contradictions cannot exist Sigmund Freud

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