Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Premier League clubs are being permitted to introduce rail seating for the new football season; what form this permitted rail seating will take; whether it will be described as "safe standing"; and how many of such seats each club will have.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.
The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.
As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is their policy to permit safe standing in football stadiums through rail seating when requested by clubs; and what is the timetable for doing so.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.
The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.
As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish their Standing at Football review.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
In 2019, the Government made a commitment to work with fans and clubs to introduce safe standing at football stadia. The Government is working closely with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) on planning the next steps for implementing this manifesto commitment. In June 2021, the SGSA published its research into the Safe Management of Persistent Standing in Seated Areas at Football Stadia, which found that the installation of barriers or rails can have a positive impact on spectator safety, particularly in mitigating the risk of a progressive crowd collapse.
The technical requirements for seats with barriers or independent barriers are detailed in the current (6th) edition of SGSA’s Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide). Football clubs may, in consultation with the relevant local authority and other partners, install such types of spectator accommodation in any part or all of their grounds as part of their management strategies for persistent standing.
As the all-seater policy remains in place, these areas are licensed as seating areas only at present.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government which documents set out the triage policy in relation to a pandemic for (1) hospitals, and (2) care homes, as of January 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Re-configuring service delivery to ensure sufficient National Health Service capacity was central to our preparedness for a pandemic and the COVID-19 response. However, the Department does not have - and did not have in January 2020 - a pandemic triage policy for hospitals and care homes, as this is a clinical matter. In the event that patient triage becomes necessary, clinical guidance would be produced to support decision-making.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what powers local councils have to ensure all those who attend council meetings provide a negative test result for COVID-19 before they are allowed entrance to those meetings in the period for which COVID-19 restrictions are in place.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 9 June 2021 to PQ HL577 and HL578, see (attached) the links:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-05-25/hl577
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-05-25/hl578
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they intend to provide to local councils to comply safely with holding council meetings in public.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 9 June 2021 to PQ HL577 and HL578, see (attached) the links:
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-05-25/hl577
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-05-25/hl578
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how many private businesses operating using facilities within the Palace of Westminster have been granted COVID-19 business support; and given that support based on business rates is not applicable, on what criteria money was allocated.
Answered by Lord Vaux of Harrowden
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Finance Committee, to respond on his behalf. There are a number of private businesses that operate using facilities within the Palace of Westminster, including the Gym, Creche and Hairdressers, none of which have requested or received financial support from the House of Lords Administration. As these are private businesses, we are not aware of the extent to which they might have sought or received Government provided COVID-19 business support.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question
To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much additional accommodation or other facility space will become free once the parliamentary archives are removed from Victoria Tower; and on what date the completion of the removal is anticipated.
Answered by Lord Touhig
The Senior Deputy Speaker has asked me, as Chair of the Services Committee, to respond on his behalf. The Parliamentary Archives will be removed from the Victoria Tower by the beginning of September 2025. The Victoria Tower occupies seven percent of the Palace of Westminster. Future use of the space is yet to be determined.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, while national COVID-19 restrictions remain in force, what powers local councils have to ensure that all those who attend council meetings have tested negative for COVID-19 before they are permitted entry.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
Ultimately it is for individual local authorities to satisfy themselves that they have met the requirements for public access and apply the COVID-19 guidance to ensure meetings take place safely. Government has published updated guidance to highlight ways in which councils can, if necessary, minimise the need for, or risks of, face-to-face meetings.
Asked by: Lord Mann (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support they will give to local councils to enable them to safely comply with the Government's guidance on returning to holding council meetings in public.
Answered by Lord Greenhalgh
As councils now need to meet in person, we have published updated guidance on how to minimise the risks of face-to-face meetings, supported by unprecedented emergency funding to manage the impact of the pandemic.
The Government has committed over £45 billion to help local authorities support their communities and local businesses during the pandemic, including over £12 billion directly to councils in England to tackle the impacts of COVID-19. Over £6 billion of this is unringfenced and so, where needed, it can be used to ensure that appropriate arrangements are in place to manage any risks involved in face-to-face meetings while COVID-19 restrictions remain in place.