Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation to end the anomaly whereby many Ministers, particularly in the Lords, are unpaid; and which Ministers are currently unpaid.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The number of salaries available to the Government to pay ministers is set by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act (MOSA) 1975. The limit on salaries, which applies across both Houses, is 109.
The Government has no current plans to introduce new legislation in this area.
As of 22 July, the unpaid ministers currently serving in the Government are as follows:
Ministers of State: Ellie Reeves MP (n.b. she is paid by the Labour Party), Lord Timpson, Lord Hanson, Lord Hunt
Parliamentary Secretaries: Hamish Falconer MP, Mary Creagh MP, Baroness Sherlock
Lords’ Whips: Lord Leong, Baroness Twycross, Baroness Blake
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Prime Minister's announcement that 70,000 civil service jobs will be cut to finance extra defence spending, whether those civil servants are doing work that is unnecessary; and what are the functions that will no longer be carried out.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Prime Minister’s announcement of longer-term reductions in Civil Service numbers is a reiteration of the policy announced by the Chancellor in October 2023. The longer-term reductions will build on the shorter-term headcount cap put in place through to March 2025. The detail of how the return to pre-pandemic numbers will be delivered will form a key part of the next comprehensive spending review.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of removing London weighting from civil service salaries in the event that employees do not work in their London offices for at least three days a week.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Since the pandemic began, Civil Servants have been delivering the Government’s priorities from home and in the workplace. The Civil Service continues to follow the latest Government guidance and departments have plans to move gradually to hybrid working.
Pay below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments. London pay levels reflect the need to recruit in the London market, not simply the costs incurred by staff for working in the capital. There are no plans to change terms and conditions around London based pay.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average age of people who have had COVID-19 cited as a contributory cause of death in the last four weeks; how many such people were (1) 0–18, (2) 19–30, (3) 31–40, (4) 41–50, (5) 51–60, (6) 61–70, (7) 71–80, (8) 81–90, and (9) over 90, years old at the time of death; and in each cohort how many such deaths occurred in people with underlying health conditions.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.
14 January 2021
Dear Lord Balfe,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what is the average age of people who have had COVID-19 cited as a contributory cause of death in the last four weeks; how many such people were (1) 0-18, (2) 19-30, (3) 31-40, (4) 41-50, (5) 51-60, (6) 61-70, (7) 71-80, (8) 81-90, and (9) over 90, years old at the time of death; and in each cohort how many such deaths occurred in people with underlying health conditions (HL11720).
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing numbers of deaths registered in England and Wales. Information on deaths involving COVID-19 and pre-existing health conditions was published in July[1]. As part of deaths registered weekly in England and Wales[2], the ONS produces the number of deaths involving COVID-19 by age group. Table 1 provides the number of deaths involving COVID-19 by age group in the last four weeks.
Table 2 is the mean and median age at death of those whose death involves COVID-19 and for all deaths in the last 4 weeks.
Table 3 shows deaths involving COVID-19 where there is no pre-existing condition against total COVID-19 deaths for that age cohort. Data is available from March 2020 to June 2020, however we will be resuming publication of this data within the next 6 weeks.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
Table 1: Deaths registered weekly in England and Wales involving COVID-19 by age group, Week ending 4 December to Week ending 25 December 2020[3],[4],[5],[6],[7]
Week number | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | |
Week ended | 04-Dec-20 | 11-Dec-20 | 18-Dec-20 | 25-Dec-20 | |
Deaths by age group | |||||
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
1-4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
5-9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
10-14 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
15-19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
20-24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
25-29 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | |
30-34 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
35-39 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | |
40-44 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | |
45-49 | 21 | 19 | 25 | 21 | |
50-54 | 41 | 37 | 43 | 41 | |
55-59 | 62 | 65 | 75 | 63 | |
60-64 | 105 | 126 | 119 | 107 | |
65-69 | 170 | 154 | 177 | 160 | |
70-74 | 288 | 258 | 252 | 275 | |
75-79 | 414 | 400 | 388 | 397 | |
80-84 | 509 | 492 | 544 | 583 | |
85-89 | 598 | 570 | 609 | 605 | |
90+ | 599 | 611 | 736 | 639 | |
Source: ONS | |||||
Table 2: Average age of deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, Week ending 4 December to Week ending 25 December 20203,4,5,6,7
Week number | 49 | 50 | 51 | 52 | |
Week ended | 04-Dec-20 | 11-Dec-20 | 18-Dec-20 | 25-Dec-20 | |
All deaths | Median age | 81 | 81 | 82 | 82 |
Mean age | 78 | 78 | 79 | 79 | |
Deaths involving COVID-19 | Median age | 83 | 83 | 83 | 83 |
Mean age | 81 | 81 | 81 | 81 | |
Source: ONS
Table 3: Number of deaths involving COVID-19, by age group and whether a pre-existing condition was present, England and Wales, deaths occurring between March and June 2020[8],[9],[10],[11],[12]
Age | All deaths involving COVID-19 | COVID-19 deaths with pre-existing condition | COVID-19 deaths with no pre-existing condition |
0-44 | 542 | 441 | 101 |
45-49 | 457 | 366 | 91 |
50-54 | 847 | 724 | 123 |
55-59 | 1,453 | 1,226 | 227 |
60-64 | 2,065 | 1,835 | 230 |
65-69 | 2,791 | 2,498 | 293 |
70-74 | 4,627 | 4,220 | 407 |
75-79 | 6,693 | 6,174 | 519 |
80-84 | 9,588 | 8,889 | 699 |
85-89 | 10,327 | 9,525 | 802 |
90+ | 10,945 | 9,961 | 984 |
[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsinvolvingcovid19englandandwales/deathsoccurringinjune2020
[3] Deaths where COVID-19 (ICD10 codes U07.1 and U07.2) are mentioned anywhere on the death certificate
[5] Does not include deaths where age is either missing or not yet fully coded.
[6] Does not include deaths of those resident outside England and Wales or those records where the place of residence is either missing or not yet fully coded.
[8] Figures include deaths of non-residents
[9] Figures are provisional
[10] Based on deaths involving COVID-19 (ICD-10 codes U07.1 and U07.2) rather than deaths where COVID-19 was the underlying cause of death
[11] Deaths occurring between March and June 2020 rather than deaths registered between March and June 2020
[12] Including deaths registered up until 4 July 2020.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish their plans and preparations for any peak in COVID-19 infections during the winter period, including for any reasonable worst-case scenario.
Answered by Lord True - Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
Our collective understanding of the virus, and how it spreads, has vastly improved since the initial wave of infections. As a responsible government, we have been planning and continue to prepare for a wide range of scenarios, including the reasonable worst case scenario. In the coming months, we will continue to assess what the UK can learn from other nations, and carry out a series of exercises, to test the Government’s winter plans, including for a reasonable worst case scenario and to ensure effective coordination between departments and with the devolved administrations.
In May, we published the UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy. This was updated in July, including details on planning for the winter. Our planning assumptions and guidance are kept under review and amended as the scientific and medical advice develops.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL Deb, cols 110–14), how many European Parliament Voter Registration (UC1) forms they received from the government of Germany in respect of UK citizens, resident in Germany, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (1) 2014, and (2) 2019, in Germany under the terms of EU Council Directive 93/109/EC; where those forms were received; how they distributed those forms to the respective UK constituencies; and how many such forms they sent to the government of Germany in respect of EU citizens, resident in the UK, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (a) 2014, and (b) 2019, in the UK.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Under EU law, EU citizens living in another Member State are able to vote in their State of residence in European Parliamentary elections. Member States will, therefore, arrange for EU nationals to register to vote in their State of residence for these elections. Member States in advance of an upcoming European Parliamentary poll will exchange with each other data on EU nationals who have chosen to register to vote in another Member State. This is intended to identify and avoid double voting at European elections.
In the UK, the UC1 form implements this requirement under EU law. EU Council Directive 93/109/EC requires all Member States to send the details of any EU citizens’ declarations to the state they are a citizen of, “sufficiently in advance of polling day” to ensure an EU citizen does not vote twice in the same European Parliamentary election. This is not a new requirement and has been in place for previous European Parliamentary elections. A similar provision applies to UK citizens living in the other EU Member States.
The UK Government receives data about UK citizens from the other Member States via a secure online portal managed by the European Commission. Data that can be matched to a local authority is then shared with the relevant local authority via encrypted file transfers. Electoral Registration Officers are responsible for sending the data in respect of EU nationals in the UK to the relevant Member States; the Cabinet Office does not see this data. The requested figures are attached in a deposited paper.
In practice, we have found that the Commission’s voter information exchange process is of poor quality, as Member States record different information in respect of persons registering to vote and this may not be sufficient for other States to identify them.
For the avoidance of doubt, this does not hinder the ability of the citizen to register to vote, nor indeed, to vote legally in elections.
Rather, this is a deficiency in the European Commission’s mechanism to identify double voting. Notwithstanding, it is a criminal offence to vote twice in such elections, and information on voting participation will be recorded in marked registers.
The requested figures for the European Parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2019 are as follows:
Belgium |
|
|
| Usable Records Received | Records Sent to Member State |
2014 | 1 | 1,699 |
2019 | 0 | Not available yet* |
|
|
|
Germany |
|
|
| Usable Records Received | Records Sent to Member State |
2014 | 28 | 13,101 |
2019 | 18 | Not available yet* |
*The figures for the 2019 European Parliamentary elections are not currently available.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Young of Cookham on 5 June (HL Deb, cols 110–14), how many European Parliament Voter Registration (UC1) forms they received from the government of Belgium in respect of UK citizens, resident in Belgium, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (1) 2014, and (2) 2019, in Belgium under the terms of EU Council Directive 93/109/EC; where those forms were received; how they distributed those forms to the respective UK constituencies; and how many such forms they sent to the government of Belgium in respect of EU citizens, resident in the UK, who had declared their intention to vote in the European Parliament elections in (a) 2014, and (b) 2019, in the UK.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Under EU law, EU citizens living in another Member State are able to vote in their State of residence in European Parliamentary elections. Member States will, therefore, arrange for EU nationals to register to vote in their State of residence for these elections. Member States in advance of an upcoming European Parliamentary poll will exchange with each other data on EU nationals who have chosen to register to vote in another Member State. This is intended to identify and avoid double voting at European elections.
In the UK, the UC1 form implements this requirement under EU law. EU Council Directive 93/109/EC requires all Member States to send the details of any EU citizens’ declarations to the state they are a citizen of, “sufficiently in advance of polling day” to ensure an EU citizen does not vote twice in the same European Parliamentary election. This is not a new requirement and has been in place for previous European Parliamentary elections. A similar provision applies to UK citizens living in the other EU Member States.
The UK Government receives data about UK citizens from the other Member States via a secure online portal managed by the European Commission. Data that can be matched to a local authority is then shared with the relevant local authority via encrypted file transfers. Electoral Registration Officers are responsible for sending the data in respect of EU nationals in the UK to the relevant Member States; the Cabinet Office does not see this data. The requested figures are attached in a deposited paper.
In practice, we have found that the Commission’s voter information exchange process is of poor quality, as Member States record different information in respect of persons registering to vote and this may not be sufficient for other States to identify them.
For the avoidance of doubt, this does not hinder the ability of the citizen to register to vote, nor indeed, to vote legally in elections.
Rather, this is a deficiency in the European Commission’s mechanism to identify double voting. Notwithstanding, it is a criminal offence to vote twice in such elections, and information on voting participation will be recorded in marked registers.
The requested figures for the European Parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2019 are as follows:
Belgium |
|
|
| Usable Records Received | Records Sent to Member State |
2014 | 1 | 1,699 |
2019 | 0 | Not available yet* |
|
|
|
Germany |
|
|
| Usable Records Received | Records Sent to Member State |
2014 | 28 | 13,101 |
2019 | 18 | Not available yet* |
*The figures for the 2019 European Parliamentary elections are not currently available.
Asked by: Lord Balfe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people were ennobled on their appointment as ministers in the Parliaments of (1) 2001–05, (2) 2005–10, (3) 2010–15, (4) 2015–17, and (5) 2017 to date; and how long each of those ministers served as ministers broken down by (a) zero to six months, (b) six months to one year, (c) one year to 18 months, (d) 18 months to two years, and (e) longer than two years.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The following table shows the number of individuals who were ennobled on their appointment as a minister and how long those ministers served in Government:
Parliament | Total no of individuals | Length of service in Government | |||||
0-6 months | 6 months to 1 year | 1 year to 18 months | 18 months to 2 years | More than 2 years | Ongoing | ||
2001-2005 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - |
2005-2010 | 10 | - | 2 | 2 | - | 6 | - |
2010-2015 | 4 | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | - |
2015-2017 | 4 | - | - | 1 | - | 3 | - |
2017 to date | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | 3 |