Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health impacts, including on loneliness, lack of opportunities for physical activity and provision of services locally to where people live, of the sale of public buildings and spaces each year in England.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Any decision involving the sale of public buildings will consider social cost and public value, in line with HM Treasury Green Book guidance. Property sales may form part of a wider programme. Where this is the case, the net social value will form part of the overall cost benefit analysis.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the updating of the National Resilience Strategy; when it will be published; and whether they intend to incorporate the recommendations from the Institute for Government report Managing Extreme Risks, published on 20 July.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Integrated Review committed the Government to publishing a Resilience Strategy and in 2021 the Cabinet Office ran a Call for Evidence to inform this. The Strategy draws on a wide evidence base including international best practice; experience of recent crises; and external reports and recommendations on issues such as risk and critical national infrastructure from a range of organisations including Parliamentary Committees and formal advisory bodies.
The Strategy will be published at the earliest opportunity by the incoming administration.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish environmental and greenhouse gas emission figures beside the quarterly GDP figures.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 7 April is attached.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician
Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
13 April 2022
Dear Lady Bennett,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Question asking what plans the Government have to publish environmental and greenhouse gas emission figures beside the quarterly GDP figures (HL7794).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is planning to publish a pilot publication of climate change-related statistics on the same day as the quarterly preliminary estimate of UK Gross Domestic Product [1], scheduled for 12 May 2022. Subject to assessment of impact and feedback, the intention would be for this to become a regular quarterly publication.
The ONS also produces annual estimates of residence-based greenhouse gas emissions [2]. These enable direct sectoral comparison with the national accounts. Options have been under review for a quarterly estimate of this emissions measure, and an initial methodological publication is planned for May 2022. Further progress will be informed by stakeholder and user feedback.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1 https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/grossdomesticproductgdp
2 https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/bulletins/ukenvironmentalaccounts/2021
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many contractors have been refused government contracts in excess of £5 million on the basis of guidelines for prompt payment in government contracting; and what assessment they have made of the level of compliance in public sector contracts with the provision that 95 per cent of invoices should be paid within 60 days.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Individual departments are responsible for the implementation of the prompt payment exclusion measure and decisions on their own procurements. The Cabinet Office has been made aware of at least seven suppliers that have been excluded from procurements wholly, or in part, on grounds of non-compliance with the requirements to pay their suppliers promptly.
The UK’s large businesses are required to report on a half yearly basis on their payment practices, policies and performance. All information is publically available. Since the implementation of the prompt payment measure in Central Government contracts in September 2019, through businesses' published payment data, there have been some significant improvements in the prompt payment performance of key Government suppliers.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have (1) to ban the deployment of the spyware tool Pegasus, and (2) to set up an inquiry into its impact on the UK.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
It is essential that nation states and other cyber actors use capabilities in a way that is legal, responsible and proportionate, and to ensure cyberspace remains free, open, peaceful and secure.
The UK and its allies are committed to ensuring key technologies are not misused in a way that threatens human rights and, as such, it is right that their trade is appropriately controlled. We continue to promote with our international partners the need for tighter export controls to ensure cyber capabilities are used legally and responsibly, and do not threaten or undermine human rights.
Unauthorised access to a computer system to upload spyware, such as Pegasus, would be likely to constitute an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Our national security framework is one of the most robust and transparent in Europe. One of the key pieces of legislation is the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 which sets out the regulatory framework for authorising such conduct. Any such conduct requires a warrant, which provides assurance that the conduct/access is authorised, necessary and proportionate.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 31 January (HL Deb col 685) regarding the Sue Gray report, what steps they have taken in response to its publication; and what plans they have, if any, to remove the 34-bottle capacity wine cooler from the Downing Street offices.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
I would refer the noble Lady to the Prime Minister’s statement of 31 January 2022. It would not be appropriate to comment further while the Metropolitan Police Service’s investigation is ongoing.
The Government has accepted the Second Permanent Secretary’s general findings in full. Further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the collapse of Greensill Capital, what assessment they have made of the Crown Representative programme.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Crown Representatives act as independent advisors to support the Government’s relationships with strategic suppliers. They help the Government to act as a single customer and work across departments to:
ensure a single and strategic view of the government’s needs is communicated to the market
identify areas for cost savings
act as a point of focus for cross-cutting supplier-related issues.
Crown Representatives cover all sectors of service provision including small and medium enterprises, voluntary sector organisations, mutually owned organisations, large suppliers and specific sectors. All Crown Representatives complete Conflict of Interest declarations every six months.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to widen consultation on the operation of elections in future to include (1) independent representatives, and (2) parties with at least one MP.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Where it is appropriate to consult with political parties on the conduct of elections, the Government is committed to ensuring that all relevant views are taken into account. In developing recent guidance to support campaigning ahead of the May elections, the Government consulted a number of groups, including the Parliamentary Parties Panel, the Green Party and others, as well as the Local Government Association. We are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to widen consultation over how elections are run to include (1) independent representatives, and (2) parties with at least one MP.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.
The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what the fatality rate from COVID-19 is among (1) individuals with a residence permit with the condition of no recourse to public funds, and (2) individuals who are not subject to the residency condition of no recourse to public funds.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
Dear Lady Bennett,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what the fatality rate from COVID-19 is among (1) individuals with a residence permit with the condition of no recourse to public funds, and (2) individuals who are not subject to the residency condition of no recourse to public funds (HL9704).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are based on the information provided by doctors and coroners through death registration, which focuses on the causes of death and does not include all the circumstances of the deceased. We are unable to provide figures related to residency status.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond