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Written Question
Wetlands: Urban Areas
Wednesday 7th June 2023

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the total monetary value of the benefits delivered by urban wetlands.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Rt Hon. the Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

26 May 2023

Dear Lady Jones,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what assessment has been made, if any, of the total monetary value of the benefits delivered by urban wetlands (HL8042).

The UK Natural Capital Accounts produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) provide monetary estimates for the goods and services provided by a range of eight broadly defined habitats.

“Wetlands” is not among these, but can be found in several other habitats such as “Freshwater” and “Mountains Moorlands and Heath”.

“Urban” is one of these eight habitats, and captures a range of other ecosystems in and around dense population areas. We will be updating our approach in our upcoming Urban habitat account release this summer. In this, we plan to include data on the total area of sub-habitats that can be found within “urban” areas, including estimates of the total area of “urban-wetlands”. We would be very happy to discuss these results with you once they are available.

While the natural capital accounts are primarily national, in our 2022 Natural Capital Accounts Roadmap [1] we committed to increasing their spatial granularity. This will help us to more readily address questions requiring lower geographical levels.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/economy/environmentalaccounts/articles/naturalcapitalaccountsroadmap/2022


Written Question
10 Downing Street: Alcoholic Drinks
Monday 21st February 2022

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of a drinking culture in No 10 Downing Street; and what records they have, if any, of ministers or staff being intoxicated on the premises since March 2020.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

I would refer the noble Lady to PQ114640, answered by the Prime Minister on 31 January:

The Civil Service Code governs the overarching conduct of civil servants. This includes the requirement to “always act in a way that is professional”.

The Government has accepted the Second Permanent Secretary’s general findings in full. As the published update states, steps must be taken “to ensure that every Government Department has a clear and robust policy in place covering the consumption of alcohol in the workplace.”


Written Question
10 Downing Street: Crown Lands and Estates
Friday 7th January 2022

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Number 10 Downing Street is a Crown property; and, if so, whether regulations made under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 apply there.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

No 10 Downing Street is a Crown property. Regulations under the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 which relate to the activities of people, apply regardless of whether those activities took place on Crown property or not.


Written Question
National Audit Office: Email
Wednesday 28th July 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 13 July (HL1535), whether, as part of the National Audit Office (NAO) investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic, any private emails were (1) provided directly, or (2) forwarded as part of official correspondence, to the NAO on the grounds that they contained (a) substantive discussions, or (b) decisions.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The Government fully cooperated with the National Audit Office’s investigation into Government procurement during the pandemic and provided all information requested.

The NAO report sets out the NAO's investigative approach and the evidence drawn on as part of the investigation.


Written Question
National Audit Office: Email
Tuesday 13th July 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the National Audit Office were given access to the private email accounts of either (1) civil servants, (2) special advisers, or (3) ministers, when carrying out their investigation into government procurement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The Government fully cooperated with the National Audit Office’s investigation into Government procurement during the pandemic and provided all information requested.


Written Question
Local Government: Elections
Wednesday 10th March 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 22 February (HL13271), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what consultation, if any, they undertook with (1) independent candidates, (2) smaller political parties, and (3) the Independent Group of the Local Government Association, in the development of the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February.

Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

On 22 February, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since then published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions effective from 8 March. In developing this guidance, the Government consulted a number of groups, including the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.

From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.


Written Question
Local Government: Elections
Wednesday 10th March 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 22 February (HL13270), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) independent, and (2) smaller political party, candidates are not disproportionately affected by the restrictions on (a) doorstep campaigning, and (b) the delivery of leaflets by individual political party activists.

Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

On 22 February, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since then published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions effective from 8 March. In developing this guidance, the Government consulted a number of groups, including the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.

From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.


Written Question
Local Government: Elections
Wednesday 10th March 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 22 February (HL13269), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what evidence they have to suggest that the delivery of leaflets by individual political party activists carries a greater risk than paid deliveries by (1) the Royal Mail, or (2) other delivery services.

Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

On 22 February, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since then published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions effective from 8 March. In developing this guidance, the Government consulted a number of groups, including the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.

From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.


Written Question
Local Government: Elections
Wednesday 10th March 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord True on 22 February (HL13268), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, further to the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February, what evidence they have which supports the cessation of (1) doorstep campaigning, and (2) the delivery of leaflets, by individual political party activists.

Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in the Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

On 22 February, the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since then published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions effective from 8 March. In developing this guidance, the Government consulted a number of groups, including the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the Local Government Association; we are committed to ensuring we take into consideration the views of independent candidates as effectively as possible.

From 8 March, individual activists will be able to campaign outdoors in a COVID-secure way. The rules will allow for individual campaigners to deliver leaflets and to engage with electors on their doorsteps - but they should always be socially distanced and not enter inside people’s homes.


Written Question
Local Government: Elections
Monday 22nd February 2021

Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation, if any, they undertook with (1) independent candidates, (2) smaller political parties, and (3) the Independent Group of the Local Government Association, in the development of the letter dated 22 January from the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution to members of the Parliamentary Parties Panel and the May 2021 polls delivery plan, published on 5 February.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. As outlined in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766), the Government has confirmed that the set of council, mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner elections scheduled for May will go ahead, and made a firm commitment that the Government will support the sector to deliver them.

The Government has published a Delivery Plan for the May elections, setting out how the Government will support local elections teams to deliver effective polls that are covid-secure for voters and staff. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through the Parliamentary Parties Panel.

In relation to the current national lockdown restrictions and the delivery of leaflets by volunteers, I refer the Noble Lord to the Dear Colleague letter from the Minister for Constitution and Devolution, which I have placed in the Library. The letter reflects the broader guidance and law on the national lockdown, based on advice from the Chief Scientific and Medical Officers.