Lord Greaves

Routes into Languages is a Higher Education Funding Council (HEFCE) funded project. The project’s steering group will consider the future of the programme as part of HEFCE’s budget process, taking account of the grant letter to be provided by the Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) Secretary of State.

The Government has made no separate assessment of the KPMG report. There are a number of reports that provide a good indication of the skills the construction industry believes it will require between 2015 and 2019, for both housing and wider construction.

The Government values post-16 education, including construction education and training, highly. We have made substantial progress driving up the quality and rigour of the post-16 offer, and area-based reviews of 16+ provision are providing an opportunity for institutions and localities to restructure provision to achieve maximum impact.

Initiatives, by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), or flowing from the work of the Construction Leadership Council, are seeking to encourage more young people into construction careers including the launch of the GO-Construct website and work with the National Careers Service and Construction Ambassadors for schools. In addition the CITBhas developed a range of initiatives, working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions, the Armed Forces resettlement service and Local Enterprise Partnerships, to encourage experienced individuals into the sector.

While CITB returned over £42m last year, supporting 18,500 first, second and third year construction apprentices, it is clear that the sector is not currently offering enough apprenticeships nor opportunities for young people to train. The 17,000 apprenticeships starts in 2015/16 is still some way below the 27,000 offered in 2006. The CITB has developed a number of shared apprenticeships schemes and reformed the grant process to encourage apprenticeship take up. In addition, the Government continues to pay AGE grant, on top of its usual support for the training of young apprentices, to encourage companies to take on their first apprentices.

At the summer budget the Chancellor announced a levy on large employers across all sectors to fund apprenticeships. This will link larger employers directly to its skills investment and promote the value, and drive the uptake, of apprenticeships.

The Chancellor will announce further details of the apprenticeship levy, including the scope and rate, at the Spending Review.

The Government has a number of ongoing projects to investigate issues surrounding solid wall insulation, including monitoring current installation practices (DECC), modelling the risks of unintended moisture-related problems (DCLG and DECC), preparing practical guidance for industry to reduce the risks of such problems (DECC) and a wider high-level study of solid wall insulation issues (BIS – the Hansford report, to be published on 12 November).

The Government recognises that it is important that we do more and that is why we have commissioned Dr Peter Bonfield to undertake an Independent Review into Consumer Advice, Protection, Standards and Enforcement for both energy efficiency and renewable energy. The Review is due to report in March 2016 and represents a real opportunity to put energy efficiency on a more consumer-focussed and sustainable long-term path for the future.

Operators are required to disclose fully the composition of fracturing fluid additives as part of their application for environmental permits. The Environment Agency (EA) assesses the hazards presented by fracturing fluid additives or drilling muds on a case-by-case basis and will not permit the use of chemicals hazardous to groundwater where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. The EA has the power to restrict or prohibit the use of any substances where they would pose an environmental risk.

Information on chemical substances and their maximum concentrations is included within the environmental permit. The permit is placed on the public register.

EY’s 2014 report, ‘Getting Ready for UK Shale Gas: Supply chain and skills requirements and opportunities’ identifies that over the period of 2016–32 c.£33bn of spend could be required to bring up to 4,000 wells into production. At peak this equates to around £3.3bn of spend and some 64,500 jobs (6,100 of which are direct roles).

The full report can be viewed at:

http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/Getting_ready_for_UK_shale_gas/$FILE/EY-Getting-ready-for-UK-shale-gas-April-2014.pdf

Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs) are not specific to shale gas. They grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons, including shale gas but also other forms, within a particular onshore area. A separate consent is required before any drilling or hydraulic fracturing (fracking) can take place. So far the Government has granted hydraulic fracking consent for shale to Cuadrilla’s Lancashire operations.

The Oil & Gas Authority does not have any undetermined consent applications. Applications for new PEDLs under the 14^th Onshore Licensing Round are being considered – 95 applications for 295 licence blocks have been made.

Planning permission is a matter for the local Mineral Planning Authority. However, the applications submitted by Cuadrilla in Lancashire and by Third Energy in North Yorkshire are in the public domain.

The shale gas industry has made a commitment to the Community Engagement Charter, co-ordinated by its representative body UK Onshore Oil and Gas, which includes a commitment to provide benefits to local communities at the exploration/appraisal stage of a minimum £100,000 per well site where hydraulic fracturing takes place.

The Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing. Once these provisions come into force, the Government will not issue a hydraulic fracturing consent unless satisfied that a scheme is in place to provide financial or other benefit for the local area.

A Sovereign Wealth Fund would ensure that revenues from shale gas and oil are put to good use. Proposals will be brought forward in the next Parliament.

There are frequent deliveries of mail from the mail screening centre to the Estate. Mail received from the centre before 6.40am is delivered to Members’ offices between 9am and 10am. Mail received between 6.40am and 10am is delivered between 12noon and 1pm. Any mail received later is delivered the following working day.

Delivery of courier items received at the Parcel Office between 8am and 3pm is attempted within two hours. Items received after 3pm are delivered by 10am the following working day.

Royal Mail items requiring signature received before 1.30pm are delivered in a round beginning at 2pm; if items are delayed another round is carried out at 4pm.

Communications between Her Majesty’s Government and Lancashire County Council have been carried out in accordance with the “Guidance on Planning Propriety Issues” published by the Department for Communities and Local Government in February 2012. The merits of the planning applications at Roseacre Wood and Little Plumpton have not been discussed.

Officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government communicated with officials from Lancashire County Council by telephone and by e-mail in September and October 2014 to obtain factual information on the total number of representations received in relation to, and the local authority’s intended timescales for decisions on, both planning applications. Two communications were held on 20 January between officials from the Department and the local authority. One, by telephone between the Chief Executive of the local authority and the Permanent Secretary, was to inform the department of the officer recommendations that would be in the reports to be published at 9.00am the following day. The other was an e-mail from Lancashire County Council to advise when the reports would be published and where they would be made available on their website.

In developing part of the £5 million Government shale support package that was announced in the Autumn Statement 2014, there were also telephone conversations between officials, one in December 2014 and one in January 2015, to try and identify areas where local authority resources come under most pressure when processing these type of applications.

On 3 November 2014, Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) officials wrote to Lancashire County Council to provide comments on the relevant aspects of DECC’s regulatory role that might be helpful in considering the applications. On 17 November 2014, 19 January 2015 and 26 January 2015, DECC officials wrote two letters and an email in response to specific requests from Lancashire County Council officials, seeking views from DECC on certain comments received in the public consultation on the planning applications. DECC’s responses addressed only matters which fall under DECC’s regulatory responsibilities.

The Minister of State, Matt Hancock, met with the deputy leader of Lancashire County Council on 12 November 2014, as part of a regional visit. This meeting did not discuss the merits of the planning applications. A meeting with officials to follow up was arranged (by email and telephone) for 14 January but after further consideration was postponed until after the planning decisions.

A DECC official was invited to attend the meetings of the development control committee considering the planning applications on 28 and 29 January, to advise if necessary on DECC’s regulatory responsibilities. After due consideration of this request, DECC officials confirmed on 27 January that they would not attend.

The Director of Public Health at Lancashire County Council wrote to DECC in January asking for comments on the Health Impact Assessment, and DECC officials replied on 20 January to say they could not respond ahead of the Council’s decisions.

Democracy should not be cancelled because of covid. The Government has confirmed that the set of local 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 clear 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.

Further guidance for all those involved in the elections will be available in due course and well in advance of the polls.

To support the smooth running of the Police and Crime Commissioner and local elections, there will be an estimated £92 million of government funding that will be provided to Returning Officers and local authorities for the elections. Of this, £31 million is an uplift to address costs associated with making the polls covid-secure.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely - and in a way of their choosing.

The Government is also bringing forward additional measures to extend the ability to appoint a proxy, so that those that are affected by Covid-19 in the days before the poll are still able to make their voice heard.

Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review. The House will be kept updated.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely - and in a way of their choosing. We are also working to ensure that disruption to children’s education is kept to an absolute minimum. Schools and local authorities should consider relevant public health advice.

We are providing for voters to be able to appoint a proxy at short notice if they need to isolate shortly before or on the day of the polls. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely - and in a way of their choosing. We are also working to ensure that disruption to children’s education is kept to an absolute minimum. Schools and local authorities should consider relevant public health advice.

We are providing for voters to be able to appoint a proxy at short notice if they need to isolate shortly before or on the day of the polls. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review.

Primary legislation states that the elections will go ahead in May 2021.

We continue to work closely with the electoral and public health bodies to resolve challenges and ensure everyone will be able to cast their vote safely and securely - and in a way of their choosing. We are also working to ensure that disruption to children’s education is kept to an absolute minimum. Schools and local authorities should consider relevant public health advice.

We are providing for voters to be able to appoint a proxy at short notice if they need to isolate shortly before or on the day of the polls. Guidance will be published in good time ahead of the polls and this matter will be kept under review.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) remain subject to the statutory duties placed on them to deliver the annual canvass and electoral registration. They continue to deliver these essential services despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cabinet Office officials have actively engaged with EROs throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to identify and mitigate any possible effect of the pandemic on the annual canvass. The reforms the Government had already introduced to the annual canvass process for this year allowed EROs to make more use of online and telephone communications than previously, meaning a canvass that was safer for both Electoral Services teams and the general public. In addition, the Representation of the People (Electoral Registers Publication Date) Regulations 2020 has also provided EROs with additional flexibility to conduct this year’s annual canvass by allowing them an additional two months in which to publish their final revised register, if required - thus helping to safeguard the completeness and accuracy of the electoral register.

The Government appreciates the issues around using schools as polling places and asks that returning officers consider other venues where possible to minimise disruption to education. Where schools are designated as polling places, it should be with due consideration and for sound practical reasons. It can be the case that schools represent the most suitable and accessible locations and, in some instances, provide the only appropriate location for the situation of a polling station. Schools and local authorities should follow public health advice with regard to necessary cleaning and consider how this can be undertaken efficiently to ensure minimal disruption.

The Government has considered issues around staffing at the May 2021 elections with the electoral sector and Public Health England, and the Electoral Commission has included reference to this in recent guidance.

The Government appreciates the issues around using schools as polling places and asks that returning officers consider other venues where possible to minimise disruption to education. Where schools are designated as polling places, it should be with due consideration and for sound practical reasons. It can be the case that schools represent the most suitable and accessible locations and, in some instances, provide the only appropriate location for the situation of a polling station. Schools and local authorities should follow public health advice with regard to necessary cleaning and consider how this can be undertaken efficiently to ensure minimal disruption.

The Government has considered issues around staffing at the May 2021 elections with the electoral sector and Public Health England, and the Electoral Commission has included reference to this in recent guidance.

Many elections have taken place globally since the beginning of the pandemic, including the recent US Presidential and associated elections. The Government keeps international practice under regular review. The UK Government is working with the election sector and public health bodies to identify and resolve challenges involved in delivering the May 2021 elections. This includes supporting Returning Officers to ensure polling stations are safe and covid-secure places to vote. Voters will be able participate in the May 2021 elections safely, and in a way of their choice, whether in-person, by proxy or by post.

It is the Government’s view that polls can be delivered safely and securely if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. The Government is clear that the expectation is for polls to take place next May.

Many elections have taken place globally since the beginning of the pandemic, including the recent US Presidential and associated elections. The Government keeps international practice under regular review. The UK Government is working with the election sector and public health bodies to identify and resolve challenges involved in delivering the May 2021 elections. This includes supporting Returning Officers to ensure polling stations are safe and covid-secure places to vote. Voters will be able participate in the May 2021 elections safely, and in a way of their choice, whether in-person, by proxy or by post.

It is the Government’s view that polls can be delivered safely and securely if COVID-19 secure guidelines are followed closely. The Government is clear that the expectation is for polls to take place next May.

Parliament legislated to delay the May 2020 elections and subsequent local by-elections in location to May 2021. We are not changing that legislation, meaning no-one should expect elections to take place in England before May 2021. This decision was made to give Returning Officers and Electoral Registration Officers certainty on the timing and combination of elections at the start of the year.

This was outlined in the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution’s letter to Electoral Returning Officers, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/letter-from-chloe-smith-mp-to-returning-officers

Figures for expenditure over each financial year are published by the Boundary Commissions for England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland as part of their annual reports. These are available online.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

Dear Lord Greaves,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether the statistics for deaths from COVID-19 in local authority areas are based on the home addresses of the people who have died or the location in which they die (HL5296).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing mortality statistics for deaths registered in England and Wales. The most recent annual figures published are for deaths registered in 2018[1]. However, we do publish provisional weekly deaths registrations, which are currently published for deaths registered up to 29 May 2020[2]. We publish information at the local authority and health board regional levels as a dataset[3] alongside the weekly deaths bulletin.

ONS mortality statistics are based on information recorded when deaths are certified and registered. Details of the usual residence of the deceased are supplied by the informant to the registrar. In our publications, the local authority breakdowns are based on the place of usual residence of the individual. Therefore, if the death occurred in a different geographical location to the deceased’s usual residence, their death would be included within the number reported for the local authority relating to their usual address. The place of death (hospital, care home, home, etc.) is reported as recorded on the death certificate. More information is available in our Mortality Statistics User Guide[4].

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/deathsregisteredinenglandandwalesseriesdrreferencetables

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest

[3]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/datasets/deathregistrationsandoccurrencesbylocalauthorityandhealthboard

[4]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/methodologies/userguidetomortalitystatisticsjuly2017#area-coverage

The House of Lords has a key role in scrutinising the executive and as a revising chamber. It is important that the way it is constituted reflects that role and the primacy of the House of Commons as the elected chamber. The Government has an aspiration that all parts of the United Kingdom should feel connected to politics and indeed to politicians.

Where a matter is devolved, UK Government guidance available on GOV.UK is clear that measures apply in England-only and should be considered alongside local public health requirements, guidance and legislation.

The UK Government continues to work with the devolved administrations to take a coordinated approach to decisions and guidance related to the current measures.

Further to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS169 which I laid on 19 March 2020, the Government has confirmed that the scheduled local, mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections that were due to take place on 7 May this year will be postponed until the next ordinary day of election on 6 May 2021.

Other polls that had already been set for dates from 16 March 2020 and which arise over coming weeks and months will also be addressed in legislation being brought forward as part of the Coronavirus Bill.

The decision was taken following advice from the Government’s medical experts in relation to the response to the Covid-19 virus and the advice of those delivering elections.

Further to the Written Ministerial Statement HLWS169 which I laid on 19 March 2020, the Government has confirmed that the scheduled local, mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections that were due to take place on 7 May this year will be postponed until the next ordinary day of election on 6 May 2021.

Other polls that had already been set for dates from 16 March 2020 and which arise over coming weeks and months will also be addressed in legislation being brought forward as part of the Coronavirus Bill.

The decision was taken following advice from the Government’s medical experts in relation to the response to the Covid-19 virus and the advice of those delivering elections.

The House of Lords has a key role in scrutinising the executive and being a revising chamber. It is important that the way it is constituted reflects that role and the primacy of the House of Commons. The Conservative manifesto committed to looking at the role of the House of Lords and reviewing the relationship between the Government, Parliament and the courts.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission recommends individuals for appointment as non-party-political life peers. In line with established convention, the number of nominations to be offered to individual political parties is a matter for the Prime Minister. All appointments are vetted by the House of Lords Appointments Commission to ensure the highest standards of propriety.

The blog invites people to get in touch to discuss opportunities. The blog post does not set out proposed recruitment processes.

Recruitment to the Civil Service is through fair and open competition following section 10 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

Special Adviser appointments are made by Ministers in accordance with section 15 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.

The final reports of the four Boundary Commissions in the 2018 Boundary Review were submitted to the Government and laid before Parliament in September 2018.

The Government will continue to monitor closely the current legal proceedings in relation to the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland’s final report.

As we set out in our manifesto, the Government will ensure we have updated and equal parliamentary boundaries, making sure every vote counts the same.

As set out in the Queen’s Speech, the Commission will examine the broader aspects of the constitution in depth and develop proposals to restore trust in our institutions and in how our democracy operates. We are carefully considering the composition and focus of the Commission.

I am unable to offer further detail at the moment, as the precise scope of the Commission’s remit and programme has not yet been decided. Further announcements will be made in due course and I would be happy to provide further information at that time.

Data on people who are turned away from polling stations is not collected centrally.

Voter ID is part of a body of work this Government is delivering to strengthen the integrity of our electoral system and give the public confidence that our elections are secure and fit for the 21st century.

As was the case for the 2018 pilots, the 2019 pilot costs will be confirmed when they are known which will be after the pilot authorities have completed their work. That will be as soon as possible after the elections on 2 May. Funding for the additional cost of piloting voter ID will be provided to each local authority by the Cabinet Office.

The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) held responsibility for social care policy before the name change and will continue to do so. DHSC has taken on additional responsibility for delivering the forthcoming Social Care green paper. The team who have been leading the work on the green paper have moved from the Cabinet Office to DHSC. Responsibility for Local Authority funded social care will remain with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. There has been no change in responsibilities to any other department.

The Government's manifesto re-affirms the commitment to deliver equal and updated boundaries and reduce the size of the House of Commons.

The conduct of the current boundary review, which is proceeding in accordance with the laws already passed by Parliament, is a matter for the independent and impartial Boundary Commissions. Further information can be found on the websites for each of the four Boundary Commissions.

The handling of completed postal ballot packs by campaigners is unacceptable. The Electoral Commission already strongly advises against the practice, and as part of the wider reform package outlined in our response to Sir Eric’s review, the Government is considering how a ban on this activity could be implemented.

The Government does not hold this information.

Ballot papers for any given poll have a consistent appearance in order to reduce the risk of completed votes being identifiable as having been submitted by a particular voter or voters when they are verified and counted. That could happen if, for example, coloured ballot papers were used for postal voting (but not voting in person) and there was low use of them. Different coloured ballot papers are already used to help voters distinguish between different polls where polls are combined, and further use of different colours could lead to confusion.

The design of ballot papers used in elections and referendums in the UK was revised by the last Government to make them clearer and easier to understand for voters. The changes were subject to a programme of user-testing involving representative samples of the voting public. RNIB, who were consulted on the changes, considered that they did not raise significant issues for blind and partially sighted people

Returning Officers are required to display an enlarged version of the ballot paper in each polling station and provide upon request a large hand-held sample copy to assist visually impaired electors to vote. They must also ensure each polling station is equipped with a tactile voting device to assist blind / partially sighted electors. This device has raised numbers and numbers in Braille and fits over the ballot paper. When the Presiding Officer or a companion reads out the list of candidates or parties to the voter, it enables them to cast their vote independently and in secret.