Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 13 March (HL15001), whether the review of election documentation will be completed in time for any necessary changes to primary legislation to be incorporated in the Representation of the People Bill.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The planned review of election documentation will not be completed in time for any changes to be included in the Representation of the People Bill.
However, the Government is planning to consolidate existing legislation regarding election documentation using the powers from the bill. This will make it simpler for the Government to make improvements to the prescribed format and design of electoral documents through secondary legislation, including potential changes informed by the outcomes of the review.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 9 March (HL14751), what resources, guidance or similar they provide to departments to support their legal duty to keep under review the question of when uncommenced legislation should be brought into force; and what reporting mechanisms they use to ensure that that duty is being met.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Each Government department is responsible for ensuring that this duty is met, including monitoring, reporting and guidance.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 9 March (HL14751), and the remarks by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage on 5 March (HL Deb col 585GC), what steps they are taking to ensure that departments are resourced to meet their legal duty to keep under review the question of when uncommenced legislation should be brought into force.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Each Government department is responsible for ensuring adequate resourcing to keep uncommenced legislation under review.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government why there is a lower total spending limit set by section 94(3)(a)(ai) of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 than the individual constituency limit set by section 94(3)(a)(ii).
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Elections Act 2022 inserted section 94(3)(a)(ai) into PPERA, and in doing so introduced the £10,000 threshold for registering with the Electoral Commission for campaign expenditure during a UK Parliamentary general election or general election to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Third‑party campaigners spending above £10,000 across the UK must register with the Electoral Commission, after which the limits in Schedule 10 PPERA and the constituency limit set by section 93(3)(a)(ii) apply.
Full guidance on spending rules for third-party campaigners is available on the Electoral Commission’s website here.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of the design of poll cards; and whether they have plans to improve the effectiveness of poll cards in communicating electoral information to voters.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government is committed to improving the voting experience for electors, helping ensure they have the information they need to participate confidently in the democratic process.
The 2024-25 strategic review of electoral registration and conduct highlighted the need to improve election documentation, including the content of forms sent to electors ahead of polls, such as poll cards. In response to this, and as part of our wider work to improve information for electors, the government intends in the future to consider how best to enhance the design and clarity of poll cards.
Any work in this area will be conducted in close collaboration with local authorities and the Electoral Commission.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accuracy of company register information held by Companies House following the changes implemented in March 2024.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government recognises that register accuracy must be assessed, and this needs to be through a range of measures. The following have been taken to date:
Additional measures are in development to provide further insights.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Freedom of Information request review IR2025/20474 will be completed; and why that review has not yet been completed.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Cabinet Office responded to the Lord’s request for an internal review on 3 March 2026.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to carry out a review under the SAFER framework for digital brand safety of the suitability of Bluesky for government social media posts.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government develops wide-ranging communication campaigns which are delivered through tailored strategies aimed at reaching their target audiences. This includes posting or amplifying content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements on a range of channels, including social media, in order to reach the relevant audience and where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.
Government Communications takes an audience first approach and carefully considers which platforms can help us reach those we need to speak to. It may be the case that these audiences are reachable through existing channels. We keep our approach to reaching audiences under regular review, and undertake assessments of new platforms as needed.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that they are following their legal duty to keep under review the question of when uncommenced legislation should be brought into force.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Each Government Department is responsible for keeping uncommenced legislation under review.
Asked by: Lord Pack (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to paragraph 38 of the guidance Using non-corporate communication channels (e.g. WhatsApp, private email, SMS) for government business, published on 30 March 2023, whether they completed the review of that guidance by 31 December 2025; and when they plan to publish any revisions to that guidance.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
This government has a robust set of security policies and guidance to ensure our information is processed securely, which is kept under constant consideration.
As part of this government’s recent commitment to raise information security standards, we plan to examine whether the current codes of conduct and guidance relating to the use of non-corporate communication channels remain effective, given the changing ways in which we use modern technology in government.