Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have in place to facilitate the postponement of (1) local, (2) mayoral, and (3) Police and Crime Commissioner, elections in May 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Government has been working closely with key electoral stakeholders, as well as Public Health England and representatives of political parties, regarding local and mayoral elections in England and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales in May 2021.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage young people to register to vote.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have the statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate registers for their areas. The Government is committed to encouraging democratic engagement amongst all electors, including young people, and we want to build upon recent record levels of individuals registering to vote for elections. Our Register to Vote website is widely used by young people, with almost 8 million online applications submitted by 16-24 year olds since the service was introduced in 2014.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) Scottish, and (2) Welsh, Government about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on any elections due to be held in May 2021.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Government has been working closely with key electoral stakeholders, as well as Public Health England and representatives of political parties, regarding local and mayoral elections in England and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales in May 2021.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have in place to ensure that polling stations comply with COVID-19 safety measures.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Government has been working closely with key electoral stakeholders, as well as Public Health England and representatives of political parties, regarding local and mayoral elections in England and the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales in May 2021.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultations they have held with (1) the Northern Ireland Executive, (2) the Scottish Government, and (3) the Welsh Government, about recommendations for appointments to the House of Lords which represent their respective nations.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
As has been the case under successive administrations, appointments to the House of Lords are a matter for the Prime Minister. Members of the House of Lords are appointed from a wide range of backgrounds to ensure the House is able to carry out its scrutiny work effectively.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what personnel would be necessary to manage any agreed administrative border between Great Britain and the island of Ireland; and where these personnel would be located.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The UK’s approach to implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol was set out in the Government’s Command Paper on The UK's Approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol, published on 20 May. As the document made clear, there will be no new physical customs infrastructure in Northern Ireland.
We have however, always been clear that some process will be required on agri-food goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, in order to respect the pre-existing status of the island of Ireland as a single epidemiological unit.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what changes will be necessary at the ports of Holyhead, Fishguard and Pembroke Dock following the end of the transition period with the EU on 1 January 2021.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
On 13 July, the Government announced a £705 million funding package in 2020/21 for border infrastructure, staffing and IT to ensure GB border systems are fully operational when the UK takes back control of its border after the end of the transition period. The £705 million will be split between £470 million for port and inland infrastructure and £235 million for new staff and IT systems.
As Ministers have previously set out, a breakdown will be provided, port by port and region by region, in due course.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure there will be no shortage of medicinal drugs produced outside the UK in the event they do not reach a trade agreement with the EU.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Our priority is to ensure that patients continue to have access to medicines and medical products that they need. We are working closely with industry, the NHS and others in the supply chain to ensure that precautions are in place.
The Government continues to hold stockpiles of medicines to cope with a range of scenarios, and robust contingency planning continues to ensure that the country is prepared for the end of the transition period.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the transition period for the UK’s departure from the EU beyond 31 December, in the light of the progress of negotiations.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
There are no plans. At the second meeting of the WAJC on 12 June, the UK formally notified the EU that it will neither accept nor seek any extension to the Transition Period.
The deadline for extension has now passed.
The UK will regain its economic and political independence on 31 December at the end of the transition period and uphold a key demand of the British people.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that ministerial replies, both oral and written, are fact checked to ensure accuracy.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The Government always strives to give accurate and timely responses to both oral and written questions, with guidance on both set out in its Guide to Parliamentary Work.