Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to Question 47495.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 47495 on 3 June 2020.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 May 2020 to Question 41211, whether the Government is taking steps to make it possible for under-18s to submit questions for the Government’s Covid-19 press conferences.
Answered by Chloe Smith
We are mindful of the importance and value of young people being able to contribute their views on how the Government, and the country, can collectively tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
Notwithstanding, I would note that members of the public who ask questions, particularly those who are filmed, place themselves in the public eye to a significant extent – both on television, but also subsequently are subject to comment on social media.
There are practical issues with children being subjected to such scrutiny, without parental consent and involvement. As it stands, parents and carers can ask questions on behalf of under-18s as a way for them to participate in the daily press conferences.
The Government is actively considering alternative options for under-18s to submit questions to ministers. For example, we have organised a virtual assembly in conjunction with NSPCC, hosted by Ant & Dec where the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children and Families will answer questions from children on our response to Covid-19.
Asked by: Nadia Whittome (Labour - Nottingham East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reasons only people aged 18 and over are able to submit a question to the Government's daily covid-19 press conference.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
We have introduced a process to verify the individuals asking questions. Accepting questions from people under the age of 18 will require further processes and additional protections to ensure that privacy is protected.