Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a local authority employee can decline to carry out duties in relation to (1) the operation of polling stations on 6 May, (2) the counting of votes in relation to elections on that day, and (3) other activities involving direct contact with members of the public.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local 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 clear 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.
Proxy voting rules will be changed, enabling those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency proxy vote at short notice - right up to 5pm on polling day itself. This will mean that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self isolating, can still have their say in these elections without having to leave their residence.
It is an offence to provide false information on any voter registration form or any form requesting an absent vote. Information will have to be taken at face value as not all electors will be able to produce evidence. For example, some electors will be self-isolating due to contact with others. Others may show symptoms too late to be tested or otherwise have symptoms and are unable to produce a positive test.
Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions will be given (1) to returning officers for, and (2) to persons acting on their behalf at, the elections on 6 May on how to proceed if two or more applications to appoint a proxy are made in respect of the same elector and they purport to appoint different persons as the proxy for that elector; and whether any such instructions include guidance on what to do should multiple such applications be handed in at the same time at the last possible time for such applications.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local 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 clear 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.
Proxy voting rules will be changed, enabling those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency proxy vote at short notice - right up to 5pm on polling day itself. This will mean that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self isolating, can still have their say in these elections without having to leave their residence.
It is an offence to provide false information on any voter registration form or any form requesting an absent vote. Information will have to be taken at face value as not all electors will be able to produce evidence. For example, some electors will be self-isolating due to contact with others. Others may show symptoms too late to be tested or otherwise have symptoms and are unable to produce a positive test.
Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they plan to put in place to ensure that applications for a proxy vote for the elections on 6 May (1) are made by the person to whom the vote belongs, (2) are accompanied by clear and full information on why a proxy vote is being requested, (3) are not systematically collected by political parties or candidates at those elections or persons acting on their behalf, (4) include contact information for the applicant, and (5) ensure that late applications can be efficiently and properly processed.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local 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 clear 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.
Proxy voting rules will be changed, enabling those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency proxy vote at short notice - right up to 5pm on polling day itself. This will mean that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self isolating, can still have their say in these elections without having to leave their residence.
It is an offence to provide false information on any voter registration form or any form requesting an absent vote. Information will have to be taken at face value as not all electors will be able to produce evidence. For example, some electors will be self-isolating due to contact with others. Others may show symptoms too late to be tested or otherwise have symptoms and are unable to produce a positive test.
Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make provision for (1) the suspension, or (2) the cancellation, of polls on 6 May in the event of a local emergency, including a local surge in COVID-19 cases resulting from an outbreak of a new variant which spreads rapidly, in a particular (a) polling district, (b) electoral division, (c) local authority, and (d) mayoral or police commissioner election; and who will have the authority to make such decisions under any such plans.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local 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 clear 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.
Proxy voting rules will be changed, enabling those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency proxy vote at short notice - right up to 5pm on polling day itself. This will mean that voters who have tested positive for COVID-19, or are self isolating, can still have their say in these elections without having to leave their residence.
It is an offence to provide false information on any voter registration form or any form requesting an absent vote. Information will have to be taken at face value as not all electors will be able to produce evidence. For example, some electors will be self-isolating due to contact with others. Others may show symptoms too late to be tested or otherwise have symptoms and are unable to produce a positive test.
Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the prospectus for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) will help to level up and create opportunity across the UK for places most in need, such as ex-industrial areas, deprived towns and rural and coastal communities, and for people who face labour market barriers.
In addition, to help local areas prepare over 2021/22 for the introduction of the UKSPF, we will provide additional UK funding to support our communities to pilot programmes and new approaches.
The November 2020 Spending Review set out the main strategic elements of the UKSPF in the Heads of Terms. The Government will publish a UK-wide investment framework in Spring 2021 and confirm multi-year funding profiles at the next Spending Review. Further details on the operation of the additional funding in 2021/22 will be published soon.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the number, and (2) the circumstances, of Hong Kong residents of South Asian descent who are UK citizens, including UK citizens by descent, who do not have British National (Overseas) status; in what ways such citizens and their families can emigrate to the UK; and what steps they intend to take to support those people.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
UK Citizens have right of abode in the UK, including those who acquire it by descent.
UK Citizens can sponsor their dependents to come to the UK under the Family Migration Rules. Similarly, their dependents and families may also apply for any other migration route for which they are eligible, including the new Hong Kong BN(O) route if they hold this status.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of local newspapers' (1) importance to local communities and towns, and (2) economic health and future viability; and what plans they have to provide support to local newspapers.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to supporting local and regional newspapers as vital pillars of communities and local democracy. They play an essential role in holding power to account, keeping the public informed of local issues and providing reliable, high-quality information. They also play a key role in democratic engagement - last year, government-commissioned research into the importance of newspapers to local communities found that changes in news provision and consumption over time had significant effects on participation in local elections in England, underlining the vital importance of a sustainable local news industry to a properly functioning democracy.
However, as the independent Cairncross Review into the future of journalism identified, society is increasingly moving online and local news publishers are facing significant challenges in transitioning to sustainable digital business models. The government agreed with the majority of the Review’s recommendations for supporting the sector, and has already taken steps to implement many of them. Most recently, the government response to the CMA market study into online platforms and digital advertising accepted the case for a new pro-competition regime for digital markets. At the heart of this will be a mandatory code of conduct to govern the relationships between dominant firms and those that rely on their services, including news publishers. The code will be a significant intervention in the government’s effort to support the sustainability of the news publishing industry, helping to rebalance the relationship between publishers and the online platforms on which they increasingly rely.
In addition, local newspapers have benefited from a number of other recent interventions, including the extension of business rates relief for local newspapers in England for an additional five years; the investment of £2 million in the Future News Fund; and the zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers. During the pandemic, many newspapers have also benefited from a unique and unprecedented government advertising partnership, designed to deliver important messages to UK citizens. Newspapers received up to £35 million additional government advertising revenue as part of the first phase of our coronavirus communications campaign. The campaign has subsequently been extended with at least 60% funding going to smaller regional and local titles.
We will continue to consider all possible options in the interests of promoting and sustaining high-quality news journalism at a local level.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide assistance to households which do not have space for recharging electric vehicles from their own home; and, if so, how they plan to provide such assistance before 2030 (1) for houses where vehicles are parked on the street outside the house, and (2) for flats or apartments where communal parking facilities are not provided within the premises.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that not having access to off-street parking can be a significant barrier to motorists making the switch to zero emission vehicles and this is something we have sought to address. Local authorities are able to take advantage of the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which assists them with the cost of installing chargepoints on residential streets. To date the ORCS has supported over 100 local authorities to fund more than 3,800 chargepoints for residents who do not have off-street parking. The doubling of funding for the ORCS to £20 million announced in May last year by the Transport Secretary will allow local authorities to install up to 7,200 charging devices, making charging at home and overnight easier for those without an off-street parking space.
The Government also committed at Spending Review £90 million to fund local electric vehicle charging infrastructure, to support the roll out of larger, on-street charging schemes and rapid hubs in England. Details of this fund will be announced in due course.
Drivers without off-street parking at home can also take advantage of the Workplace Charging Scheme, which provides Government support of up to £350 towards the cost of installing a charge point socket for staff and fleet use, with a maximum of 40 sockets available per business. To date over 4,000 businesses have used this scheme to install over 12,000 chargepoint sockets. There are a growing number of solutions for drivers without private parking, such as initiatives like Community Charging, where those with personal chargepoints can share access with other residents.
The Government recognises the need to do more to address the challenges in this area and will continue to work with colleagues in Government and across industry to secure improvements for residents. We will continue to support industry and local authorities across the whole of the UK to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. A clear delivery plan will be published in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of facilities for recharging batteries of electric vehicles to households which do not have space to charge the vehicle from their own home; and what proportion of households do not have space to charge electric vehicles from their own home.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government recognises that not having access to off-street parking can be a significant barrier to motorists making the switch to zero emission vehicles and this is something we have sought to address. Local authorities are able to take advantage of the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS), which assists them with the cost of installing chargepoints on residential streets. To date the ORCS has supported over 100 local authorities to fund more than 3,800 chargepoints for residents who do not have off-street parking. The doubling of funding for the ORCS to £20 million announced in May last year by the Transport Secretary will allow local authorities to install up to 7,200 charging devices, making charging at home and overnight easier for those without an off-street parking space.
The Government also committed at Spending Review £90 million to fund local electric vehicle charging infrastructure, to support the roll out of larger, on-street charging schemes and rapid hubs in England. Details of this fund will be announced in due course.
Drivers without off-street parking at home can also take advantage of the Workplace Charging Scheme, which provides Government support of up to £350 towards the cost of installing a charge point socket for staff and fleet use, with a maximum of 40 sockets available per business. To date over 4,000 businesses have used this scheme to install over 12,000 chargepoint sockets. There are a growing number of solutions for drivers without private parking, such as initiatives like Community Charging, where those with personal chargepoints can share access with other residents.
The Government recognises the need to do more to address the challenges in this area and will continue to work with colleagues in Government and across industry to secure improvements for residents. We will continue to support industry and local authorities across the whole of the UK to make the switch to cleaner vehicles. A clear delivery plan will be published in 2021.
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice they are providing (1) to owners, and (2) to occupiers, of older terraced houses and similar properties on ways of insulating external walls to modern standards.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Access to accurate and up-to-date information tailored to occupants and owners is a key part of improving the energy performance of homes effectively.
The Simple Energy Advice Service (SEA), launched in 2018, is a digital and phoneline service to provide homeowners, landlords and tenants with impartial and tailored advice on energy efficiency measures. This includes advice on insulating external walls.
At a local level, the Government is also supporting skills development and advice provision through a number of local supply chain demonstration pilots, which are testing new approaches to delivering home energy retrofit in the able-to-pay sector and recognises the importance of locally provided advice.