Welcome to the latest edition of Letter of the Lords the weekly newsletter aimed at shining a light into the

e work the partys peers are doing in the second chamber. Why not let us know what you think? Email the newsletter onlordsmedia@libdems.org.uk. And thats also the address to give to friends, colleagues and loved ones to sign up too. Plus dont forget to keep up to date with the blog at libdemlords.org.uk and follow us on Twitter at@LibDemLords.

IN THE CHAMBER

With Liberal Democrat debate day in the Lords yesterday, Baroness Brintonled a discussion on an issue at the heart of the partys campaigning the importance of sustainable jobs to the British economy. Jobs, she said, were absolutely critical to the economy, and for an individuals life chances. She told peers: We need a strong economy to be able to compete on the global stage and we need sustainable jobs for a fairer society, helping everyone to get on in life. Of 11 speakers in the debate, eight were Lib Dems. Lord Teverson focused on the green economy and its critical role in creating sustainable jobs. Lord German brought in the plight of the long-term unemployed and Baroness Sharp of Guildford recalled the group that experienced unemployment in the 1980s and 1990s now referred to as the lost generation, as the unemployment had knock-on effects on their self-confidence and their ability to hold down jobs. Lord Cotter talked about his passion for supporting young people into work and talked about the lack of advice for young people in schools about apprenticeships, while Lord Shipley spoke about the importance of the regional growth fund and said us that sustainable employment was part of social inclusion. He said: We have to make sure that everybody is able to take part in the future growth of this country. That means that jobs need to be created, preferably through apprenticeships, for everybody. It is an obligation not just on government but on the private sector, the voluntary sector, the third sector and the public sector. We all have to do everything we can to get everybody who wants a job into one.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK The noble Lord, Lord Beecham, really should stop reading spy and thriller novels because his speeches are based entirely on sinister facts. Lord McNally advises Labour peer Lord Beecham to step away from the John le Carr in a debate on the Offender Rehabilitation Bill.

TWEET OF THE WEEK Labours infamous there is no money letter. No wonder the going is tough! We were drained dry! pic.twitter.com/r6Mwl3D2xa#labourslegacy Lord German (@mjgerman) on that letter.

Lord Loomba this week led a major debate in the House on the challenges faced by women across the globe, particularly those in developing countries. Too often, he said, the emphasis was put in the wrong place. A recent report noted that events aimed at improving the prospects of women within my own party were almost all aimed at the women themselves, he told peers. I have attended more events than I can count that attempt to solve the problem of under-representation of ethnic minorities. Asking women and those from ethnic minorities to solve the problems caused by sexism and racism is like trying to help someone trapped under a car by suggesting that they lift it off themselves.

Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked the Government what action it was taking to tackle the underlying causes of rough sleeping and homelessness. He pointed the a new report by the homelessness charity St Mungos which suggested that the factors more often present in the lives who slept rough were a traumatic childhood, drug and alcohol use and mental ill health. He called on the Government to join with organisations such as St Mungos, which do tremendous work with the homeless and rough sleepers in setting up a permanent group to look continuously at these issue s.

Net lending to small and medium-sized enterprises was down again, Lord Sharkey said as he asked the Government for its assessment of its initiatives to increase their funding. That, he said, may not be surprising as only a quarter of all SMEs were aware of the Funding for Lending scheme. The banks must know that you cannot sell a product if your customers do not know about it, he said. Does not the figure of 25% of SMEs aware of the Funding for Lending scheme strongly suggest that the banks do not actually want to lend to SMEs?. Minister Lord Popat said the Government would be launching a campaign to increase awareness.

And Lord Clement-Jones led a debate on the Public Health Responsibility Deal, which was set up by the Department of Health to promote action within the food industry to encourage people to eat more healthily. I know I am not alone in preferring to see voluntary action initially rather than increased regulation unless the former is shown to have failed, he said. It is far too purist a line to say that industry should not be involved in public health initiatives.

BEST OF THE BLOG

This week Lord Avebury and Khadija al-Moussawi, wife of the jailed Bahraini human rights activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, met with Foreign Office Minister Alastair Burt to discuss her husbands plight. More details on the Lib Dem Lords blog here.

WHATS COMING UP TUESDAY Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asks the Government what the criteria are for the issuing of food vouchers by Jobcentre Plus for use at food banks. Lord Greaves asks the Government for its latest assessment of the impact of the under-occupancy charge on properties with spare bedrooms.

Peers consider the Children and Families Bill at Second Reading. WEDNESDAY Peers consider the Care Bill at Committee stage. THURSDAY Baroness Hamwee leads a debate on the social and economic impact on families of recent changes to the immigration rules. FRIDAY Second Reading of Lord Clement-Jones Private Members Bill, making it easier for flyers to be distributed to publicise small live music and other entertainment events. For more detailed information on what's coming up in the Lords, click here.

I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realise I should have been more specific Lily Tomlin

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