The Rt Hon. the Lord Blencathra
Conservative
Member of the House of Lords
M
Lord Blencathra's full title is The Rt Hon. the Lord Blencathra. His name is David John Maclean, and he is a current member of the House of Lords.
Allowance claims · 2026
Data not yet released for 2026 — the Lords Finance Office publishes monthly CSVs ~6-8 weeks after month-end.
Lords votes · 2026
162 divisions
91 Content(56.2%)
5 Not-Content(3.1%)
66 didn't vote(40.7%)
2026-03-25
Content
95–137
Not-Content
2026-02-04
Not-Content
62–295
Not-Content
2026-01-12
Content
201–169
Content
2026-01-05
Content
131–127
Content
2026-01-05
Content
194–130
Content
2026-01-05
Content
168–178
Not-Content
2026-01-05
Content
210–131
Content
Source: lordsvotes-api.parliament.uk. "Result" shows the headline
Content vs Not-Content tally (including tellers). The Lords doesn't
publish a "didn't vote" attendance roll like the Commons, so the
figure above conflates absence with abstention.
Recent Hansard contributions · latest 25
My Lords, I apologise to the Committee—I was in Yerevan in Armenia monitoring the election for the Council of Europe at Second Reading. This is the only intervention I shall make in Committee. I have done an observation role for the Council of Europe for
2026-06-10
Food Supplements Purity Criteria (Magnesium L-threonate monohydrate) (England) Regulations 2026
My Lords, I thank the Minister for bringing forward this SI. These draft regulations are a purely technical measure, setting the purity criteria for magnesium L-threonate to be used in food supplements and for its legal sale and use, in compliance with t
2026-06-10
Farming and Food Production
My Lords, the Government announced this 25-year road map for farming in November 2024. That is 18 months ago. The noble Baroness has said it is going to happen this year, so when exactly might we see it in 2026? Will Defra now stand up for British agricu
My Lords, I thank the Minister for bringing forward this important SI. Two-thirds of the world’s oceans lies beyond any nation’s jurisdiction, so it is crucial that we support international co-operation and that we take our own responsibilities and oppor
2026-06-09
Water Companies
My Lords, delivery of strategic water infrastructure is crucial to tackling wider systemic issues. What assessment have the Government made of the benefits of smaller farm reservoir networks alongside large-scale water storage? That is the shortest quest
2026-05-18
King’s Speech
My Lords, I welcome the rhetoric of the Chişinău Declaration and the wonderfully sensible words in the No. 10 briefing on the immigration Bill that bogus illegals will not be able to use every excuse under the sun to prevent them being sent back. Will it
2026-05-18
EU-UK SPS Agreement: Food-related Standards
My Lords, the freedom to break out of the ridiculous EU ban on gene editing was one of the greatest successes of Brexit. We passed the law fully supported by the Labour Party, and the Food Standards Agency has developed all the necessary guidelines. Our
2026-03-20
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I had an amendment in this group but I withdrew it when I saw that other noble Lords had tabled an amendment that was superior to mine. So I rise to support some of their amendments and to express my concern about the new clauses proposed by th
2026-03-20
Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
My Lords, I rise to support the amendments in this group but first, if the Committee will permit me, I turn to face my noble friend Lady Nicholson of Winterbourne. She is absolutely right to criticise the lack of facilities for deaf people in this Chambe
My Lords, the United Kingdom has developed some excellent technological flood detection and prevention solutions, including FloodAdapt, Nautilus barriers, Floodstop, flood defence and others. The UK Government’s funding strategy of November 2025 promised
2026-03-18
Crime and Policing Bill
I have no objection to the court pronouncing on a point of law. However, on this occasion, it was not pronouncing on a point of law but making a judgment on the facts of the case and disagreeing with the Home Secretary on the facts.
2026-03-18
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I shall speak to the two amendments in my name. Like many noble Lords, I was surprised by the decision of the High Court that the Home Secretary’s decision to proscribe Palestine Action was unlawful, in view of her detailed description of its t
2026-03-12
Peatland Restoration
My Lords, the United Kingdom peatlands hold over 3 billion tonnes of carbon. I welcome the Government’s commitment to continue funding the Conservative Government’s innovative £50 million England Peat Action Plan, since the benefits of peatland restorati
2026-03-04
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I shall speak to my Amendment 344 on tackling the growing danger posed by food delivery couriers. There are moments in public policy when the evidence becomes so overwhelming, and so consistent across press reporting, academic research and live
2026-03-02
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, we should at least be grateful that we are dealing with this matter well after the dinner break. I support my noble friend’s amendment. I also support government Amendment 301. It is a big improvement on the current law, but I am very disappoin
2026-03-02
Crime and Policing Bill
I am sorry for holding the House back this late at night. The Minister says that there is nothing to stop the CPS prosecuting for animal cruelty if it is prosecuting a case of sex with an animal and discovers cruelty. In that case, will she guarantee tha
2026-03-02
Crime and Policing Bill
The Minister says that the accused could be charged. Charged and prosecuted by whom?
2026-02-27
Arrangement of Business
My Lords, we all agree with the Chief Whip, and the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, that everything in this House should be treated with kindness, courtesy and respect. Will he therefore condemn in no uncertain terms the articles in t
2026-02-27
Rare Cancers Bill
My Lords, I spoke to this excellent little Bill at Second Reading and said that I wanted to table an amendment to put the Royal Marsden hospital front and centre in new subsection (3)(b) inserted by Clause 2(b), which states,
“ensure that a person (to
I do not seek to delay matters at this time on a Thursday night, but the Minister did say that China was our third-largest trading partner. I wanted to be sure, for the record, so I have just looked it up. We had a £60 billion deficit with China in 2025.
My Lords, it was a delight to listen to the noble Lord, and a pleasure to listen to the noble Lord, Lord Isaac, give his maiden speech. Some of us may have been sceptical about the achievements of some new Peers in their past local government or party-po
2026-02-26
New Housing: Flood Risk
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that reply. The framework may suggest that, but reliable figures from the insurer Aviva reveal a trend of more and more new homes being built in medium and high flood risk areas, up from 8% 10 years ago to 11%
2026-02-26
New Housing: Flood Risk
To ask His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to mitigate the risks arising from new housing being built in areas of medium or high flood risk.
2026-02-24
Tobacco and Vapes Bill
My Lords, unlike the noble Lord, Lord Rennard, I rise to support my noble friends’ amendments in group 1, not to defend tobacco, but to defend common sense, public safety and the livelihoods of tens of thousands of small shopkeepers who would be most har
2026-02-12
Changing Weather Patterns and Floods
For the first time ever in this House, I think, I find myself in complete agreement with the noble Baroness, Lady Ritchie of Downpatrick. Agricultural land covers 70% of the UK’s land area, meaning that the countryside is where most of our national capac
Source: hansard.parliament.uk via hansard-api. Snippets shown
verbatim from the search API; click any debate title for the full record.
Register of Interests · 1 entries on file
Declarations under the Lords Code of Conduct. Free text — no monetary values, no hours worked. A declaration that an interest exists, not a claim about its size.
Category 1: Remunerated employment etc.
-
Director, Cleanstreets CIC (programme to tackle smoking-related litter)
registered 2021-12-01 · amended 2025-12-15
Source: UK Parliament Members API (Lords register). Refreshed weekly.
Read the full
Lords Code of Conduct
for what each category covers and the disclosure thresholds.
Party history
1983-07-28 → present
Conservative
current
Government posts
1993-05-27 → 1997-05-01
Minister of State (Home Office)
1992-04-14 → 1993-05-26
Minister (Department of Environment) (Environment and Countryside)
1989-06-26 → 1992-04-15
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food)
1988-07-27 → 1989-07-24
Lord Commissioner (HM Treasury) (Whip)
1987-06-18 → 1988-07-25
Assistant Whip (HM Treasury)
Opposition posts
2024-09-01 → present
Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
2001-09-18 → 2005-05-10
Opposition Chief Whip (Commons)
Committee memberships
1985-12-06 → 1987-05-15
Agriculture
2004-01-29 → 2010-05-06
Members Estimate Committee
2006-06-14 → 2010-05-06
Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)
Chair
+£12,500/yr
2006-06-12 → 2010-05-06
Statutory Instruments (Select Committee)
2006-06-14 → 2010-05-06
Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)
Chair
+£12,500/yr
2006-06-12 → 2010-05-06
Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)
2006-06-14 → 2010-05-06
Liaison Committee (Commons)
2012-05-16 → 2015-03-30
Procedure and Privileges Committee
2012-06-28 → 2012-11-28
Draft Communications Data Bill (Joint Committee)
2017-09-07 → 2022-01-19
Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
Chair
+£15,235/yr
2022-01-19 → 2025-01-30
Liaison Committee (Lords)
2023-01-31 → 2026-01-27
Public Services Committee
2026-05-13 → present
Lord Speaker's Advisory Panel on Works of Art
Contact
Parliamentary office
contactholmember@parliament.uk
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
020 7219 5353 · House of Lords, London, SW1A 0PW
APPGs (2026) · 2 active officership(s) · 5 historic
| Group | Role(s) | Funders | Officers in group | Next deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Health and the Natural Environment
Subject Group
|
Vice Chair | National Academy for Social Prescribing | 10 | 2023-08-27 |
|
Parks and Green Spaces All-Party Parliamentary Group
Subject Group
|
Vice Chair | Keep Britain Tidy | 4 | 2027-04-04 |
One row per active APPG. Funder names link out via the
/appgs Top secretariat funders panel — click any funder
there to open its full relationship graph. Officer matching is name-based against
the parliament.uk register text and may miss titled / hyphenated variants.
Written parliamentary questions · 2026
Showing
39
of 39 tabled
39 answered(100.0%)
13
departments
2026-05-19
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food Supply and Rural Areas: Weather
Answered
2026-05-19
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Armed Conflict and El Niño
Answered
2026-05-14
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Taiwan: Foreign Relations
Answered
2026-02-26
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
Taiwan: Foreign Relations
Answered
2026-02-26
Department of Health and Social Care
Health Professions: Sexual Offences
Answered
2026-02-06
Restoration and Renewal Client Board
Catering: Parliamentary Estate
Answered
Source: UK Parliament Members API. The amber "interest" tag is set
by Parliament's own system when the asking member has a register entry
it deems related — typically a paid role or directorship in the
sector being asked about. Click any "i" icon to see the full
question and the department's answer.
Bills sponsored & supported · 2026
0 bills
0 as lead sponsor
0 as supporter
No bills sponsored or supported in 2026.
Source: UK Parliament Bills API. "Lead" sponsor is the
primary mover (sortOrder = 1); "Supporter" rows are
members of either House who
backed the bill at introduction. Year is the bill's first-reading
date.
Historic bills (all-time)
8 bills
7 as lead sponsor
1 as supporter
| Bill | Info | Role | Status | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wheelchair Access Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 1st reading | 2023-12-04 | |
| Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 | Supported | Royal Assent | 2022-06-15 | |
| Joint Committee on Nominations to the Supreme Court Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2020-01-16 | |
| Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) (Disabled Access) Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2017-06-27 | |
| Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2015-06-11 | |
| Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2014-06-09 | |
| Equality Act 2010 (Amendment) Bill [HL] | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2013-05-20 | |
| Freedom of Information (Amendment) Bill | Sponsored | 2nd reading | 2006-12-18 |
Same source as the year-scoped panel above, but unconstrained by
year. The "Sponsored" tag = lead sponsor; "Supported" = backed at
introduction. Sorted newest first.