Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to learn from the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that the UK is prepared for pandemics and other threats in the future.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government regularly undertakes lessons learned reviews following civil emergencies. COVID-19 is the biggest challenge that the UK, together with nations around the world, has faced in decades. The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of the response to COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. We are still at a critical phase in our ongoing response to the pandemic.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons they have learned from measures to improve social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being undertaken by the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
There are a number of similarities in what Wales are currently doing in relation to the Future Generations Act, and what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) proposes to do within the Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill, which they will publish before Christmas. This includes setting out environmental principles in primary legislation and monitoring the application of the principles. However, the main focus of the Environment (Principles and Governance) Bill is to be broadly equivalent to the governance provided by Europe relating to the environment and this is wider than just considering principles.
We have learnt a great deal from the good work that Wales has done on the Well-Being of Future Generations Act and will continue to do so as we develop our policy statement on the principles as well as wider considerations on environmental governance. This includes reflecting on how the legislative framework is set out and the outcomes that they seek to achieve.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to measure the progress of the UK's development other than by the measurement of GDP per capita, as set out in the Social Progress Imperative report, Social Progress Index 2017; and what assessment they have made of the UK's ranking in that report.
Answered by Earl of Courtown - Captain of the Queen's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard (HM Household) (Deputy Chief Whip, House of Lords)
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply and will place a copy of their letter in the house library.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to assist electors without a permanent address to register to vote, including registering online; and whether any forthcoming review of electoral law will address and include measures to reduce the proportion of homeless and vulnerably housed electors who are not registered to vote.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
We are committed to a democracy that works for everyone, including homeless people. The Minister for Constitution has gathered specific evidence on the registration barriers faced by homeless people as part of his Every Voice Matters tour.
Specifically, the Minister for the Constitution met with homelessness organisations and their clients to hear how the electoral registration system could better respond to their needs. We will continue to work with homelessness charities, such as Shelter and others, to overcome barriers and help those with no fixed address to register to vote.
Asked by: Lord Bird (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Social Reform Cabinet Committee is planning to identify and tackle the root causes of poverty; and if not, whether any cross-departmental poverty strategy will be forthcoming.
Answered by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Social Reform Cabinet Committee has been established by the Prime Minister to consider issues relating to social reform and lead the government’s work to make Britain a country that works for everyone.
This will include taking action to help the most disadvantaged with the focus on tackling the root causes – not the symptoms – of poverty.