Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will adjust the current restrictions on wedding ceremonies to allow them to be held in England with up to five people, including the couple, witnesses and the officiant, providing that the venue's capacity allows for 2m social distancing.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
On 4 January, the Prime Minister announced a National Lockdown for all of England, in accordance with growing evidence of virus prevalence. Under these new restrictions, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies should only take place in exceptional circumstances. Up to six people can attend (including the couple). Anyone working is not included in that limit.
We recognise the restrictions may be disappointing for those planning such events. By their nature, weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are events that bring families and friends together, including from across the country and sometimes across the world, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19. We do not wish to keep restrictions in place for any longer than we have to, and restrictions will be kept under review in line with the changing situation. For further information, please refer to the guidance for small weddings and civil partnerships https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships/covid-19-guidance-for-small-marriages-and-civil-partnerships. There is different advice for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The government continues to regularly make available scientific evidence supporting its COVID-19 response, including at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/scientific-evidence-supporting-the-government-response-to-coronavirus-covid-19.
On 22 February, the Prime Minister will set out the plan for reopening schools, and gradually reopening the economy and society, in a sustainable way in England.
For further information, please refer to the Coronavirus (COVID‑19) page on gov.uk, which will publish further information regarding the roadmap on 22 February, https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to promote and protect the Union.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon. member to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s answer to the question asked by Robin Millar on 16 July 2020.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of jobs created in (a) Woking, (b) Surrey and (c) the UK since 2010.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I
have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what reduction in long-term unemployment there has been in Woking constituency since May 2010.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I
have asked the Authority to reply.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the rates of (a) suicide and (b) self-harm among people aged 11 to 18 years old in (i) England and (ii) Surrey in each of the last three years.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Asked by: Jonathan Lord (Conservative - Woking)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to simplify Government procurement processes to increase access to contracts by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Oliver Dowden
We have already made a number of changes to procurement processes to assist small businesses and we continue to focus on breaking down the barriers to entry for SMEs. These include:
○ Increasing the transparency of opportunities via Contracts Finder, a free-to-use digital platform which covers current and future public sector contracts and award notices above £10,000 in central government and £25,000 in the wider public sector.
○ Requiring public buyers to divide contracts into more accessible lots (or explain why not);
○ Our Public Procurement Review Service, allows suppliers to report poor procurement practice including payment issues in public sector contracts and through supply chains to the Cabinet Office.
In September 2019, tough new prompt payment measures come into force which may lead to suppliers being excluded from Government procurements if they cannot demonstrate prompt payment.