Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the integrity of elections, and (2) the time taken to determine outcomes of disputed elections, in England.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
We have a robust electoral system that commands public confidence. Electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level and the Government committed in its 2019 manifesto to introduce a range of measures to strengthen further the electoral process, including introducing a requirement to show identification to vote at polling stations and tightening up postal vote provisions to close off opportunities for fraud in the system.
The current election petition process is designed to ensure certainty of election results and to avoid vexatious challenges by candidates or electors. The Government is aware that issues have been raised with the current challenge system, notably the high cost and complexity of the process, and will consider these matters further in consultation with stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legislative framework governing the conduct of election petitions; and what plans they have, if any, to change any such framework.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
We have a robust electoral system that commands public confidence. Electoral fraud is unacceptable on any level and the Government committed in its 2019 manifesto to introduce a range of measures to strengthen further the electoral process, including introducing a requirement to show identification to vote at polling stations and tightening up postal vote provisions to close off opportunities for fraud in the system.
The current election petition process is designed to ensure certainty of election results and to avoid vexatious challenges by candidates or electors. The Government is aware that issues have been raised with the current challenge system, notably the high cost and complexity of the process, and will consider these matters further in consultation with stakeholders.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the data held by the Office for National Statistics on the Parliamentary electorate of each polling district and local authority ward as of 2 March.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The conduct of the next boundary review is a matter for the independent Boundary Commissions.
We are in regular contact with the Boundary Commissions to ensure that any issues, such as the data to be used in the next boundary review, are appropriately addressed.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that Electoral Statistics for the 2 March 2020 are scheduled to be published on 5 January 2021.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the support that the Boundary Commission for England will need from the Local Government Boundary Commission for England in accessing the latest polling district maps and data ahead of the next boundary review.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The conduct of the next boundary review is a matter for the independent Boundary Commissions.
We are in regular contact with the Boundary Commissions to ensure that any issues, such as the data to be used in the next boundary review, are appropriately addressed.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that Electoral Statistics for the 2 March 2020 are scheduled to be published on 5 January 2021.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Boundary Commissions have access to the latest polling district maps and data for the local authorities where local government wards will be considered in the next boundary review.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The conduct of the next boundary review is a matter for the independent Boundary Commissions.
We are in regular contact with the Boundary Commissions to ensure that any issues, such as the data to be used in the next boundary review, are appropriately addressed.
The Office for National Statistics has confirmed that Electoral Statistics for the 2 March 2020 are scheduled to be published on 5 January 2021.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken by the Office for National Statistics to ensure that parliamentary constituency boundary data for March is made available promptly to the Boundary Commissions ahead of the next review of constituency boundaries.
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 Lord Hayward,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking about the steps taken by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to ensure that parliamentary constituency boundary data for 1 March is made available promptly to the Boundary Commissions ahead of the next review of constituency boundaries (HL9840).
The publication of Electoral Statistics for the 2 March 2020 is scheduled for the beginning of January 2021 and we are confident of publishing at this time. The publication was originally scheduled for October 2020 but problems with Electoral Registration Officers in England and Scotland supplying the required data to ONS and National Records for Scotland meant that the release was delayed. We have been in regular contact with the Cabinet Office and the Boundary Commissions for England and Wales to ensure that any issues are appropriately addressed. We remain on track to release the Electoral Statistics on the revised publication date.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide joint coverage with insurers to ensure adequate insurance provision for individuals and businesses planning events in 2021 which will enable them to start incurring costs for these events during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
The Government is in continual dialogue with the insurance sector on its response to this unprecedented situation. We are working closely with the insurers, the trade bodies and regulators to understand what more the industry can do to help individuals and businesses in time of need, and how the insurance market delivers the support firms need as the economy reopens.The Government is exploring all options to ensure businesses can build resilience following the outbreak of COVID-19. We encourage businesses encountering financial difficulty as a result of this unprecedented situation to review the initiatives in the Government’s support package, such as Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, for which the application window has been extended to 30 November, and businesses rates holidays. We have taken steps to make our schemes deliverable, fair and targeted at those who need it the most. We continue to keep the Government support package under close review.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increased pressures facing organisations which provide support to children and young people as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The government is aware that the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in increased pressure on the full range of organisations which provide support to children and young people, including local authorities’ children’s services and voluntary sector organisations, as well as schools, colleges and early years settings.
The department has been working closely with local authorities to assess the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, setting up dedicated Regional Education and Care Teams (REACTs), comprising of education and social care staff from the department and Ofsted. The teams work closely with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services and with local authorities. The REACTs have weekly calls with directors in each region of the country and follow up with individual councils of concern as necessary.
The department also conducts the fortnightly Vulnerable Children and Young People survey, which goes out to all local authorities in England. This provides an overview of how children’s services are operating and includes information such as the number of referrals to children’s social care services, social worker contact with vulnerable children and numbers of children going into care. A report of data from Waves 1 to 8 of the survey can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vulnerable-children-and-young-people-survey.
The government has provided an unprecedented package of support for those that support vulnerable children through both statutory and voluntary services. This support package includes £3.7 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19-related pressures, including in children’s services. This funding is un-ringfenced, recognising local authorities are best placed to decide how to meet the major COVID-19 service pressures in their local area. The support also includes the Adoption Support Fund, which has provided £8 million to help families under pressure as a result of the outbreak. It also includes the Innovation Programme, which has funded more than £12 million for 14 projects related to areas including domestic violence and supporting teenagers at risk of exploitation.
Additionally, this support package includes funding of more than £7 million to Barnardo’s for the See, Hear, Respond service, which offers targeted help to vulnerable children, young people and their families affected by COVID-19 and the measures put in place to stop its spread. It also includes a £7.6 million joint fund between the department and the Home Office for national children’s charities operating in England and Wales that offer services to safeguard vulnerable children and that have financially suffered due to the impact of COVID-19. We have also provided funding to other charities working with vulnerable children, including Grandparents Plus, Family Rights Group, FosterTalk, the Care Leavers Association, Become, Drive Forward Foundation and Adoption UK.
This funding is in addition to the joint investment from the department and the Home Office in the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s helpline of £1.6 million and additional £310,000 to enhance Childline. In addition, approximately £10 million has already been committed to the Family Fund, helping families with children that have complex needs and disabilities through grants for equipment that makes their lives easier while implementing social distancing measures, including computers, specialist equipment and educational toys.
We know children and young people’s wellbeing and mental health has been affected in various ways during the last 6 months. We have advised schools and colleges to place emphasis on pastoral and wellbeing support, provided new resources on mental health as part of the relationships, health and sex education curriculum and hosted national webinars for education settings and local partners. The government is investing £8 million to launch the new Wellbeing for Education Return programme, which will train experts in local authorities to provide schools and further education providers all over England with the knowledge and practical skills they need to support teachers, students and parents to help improve how they respond to the emotional impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.
The government is making available a catch-up package worth £1 billion, including a catch-up premium worth a total of £650 million to support schools to make up for lost teaching time. Alongside the universal catch-up premium, we are launching a £350 million National Tutoring Programme to provide additional, targeted support for those children and young people who need the most help.
We have also made a wide-ranging package of support available to the early years sector. Many settings have used the furlough scheme and we have also continued to pay local authorities by bulk-buying childcare places under our entitlements for free hours for 2, 3 and 4 year olds. We will continue to pay local authorities for those hours this autumn term even if fewer children are attending settings. We have asked local authorities to pass this funding on in full.
Our latest guidance on supporting vulnerable children and young people during the COVID-19 outbreak is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-for-childrens-social-care-services.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they intend to have with the Rugby League authorities about its policies on equality, and in particular homophobia, following the re-signing of Israel Folau by a Super League club.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
There is no place for racism, sexism, homophobia or any other kind of discrimination in sport. Government’s sport and physical activity strategy ‘Sporting Future’ sets out the ambitions for sport to be at the forefront of equality and inclusion.
Government has frequent discussions with the Rugby Football League on a range of issues including equality. It continues to support national governing bodies and other sports organisations on anti-homophobia initiatives, for example Stonewall's Rainbow Laces Campaign.
Asked by: Lord Hayward (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 26 March (HL2548), whether they have published the revised impact assessment agreed by the Regulatory Policy Committee; if so, (1) where it is published, and (2) whether they clearly identified the differences between the original and the revised version.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government will publish the revised impact assessment on extending the carrier bag charge to small and medium-sized retailers, which has been assessed as fit for purpose by the Regulatory Policy Committee, alongside the summary of the responses to the consultation and the Government response setting out next steps. We intend to publish these documents shortly.