Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), and the Written Answers from Lord True on 17 February (HL12832 and HL12833), what representations they received from members of political parties prior to the Minister of the Constitution’s letter of 22 January which stated the Government view that campaigning activity should distinguish between volunteer distribution of campaign leaflets and identical activity by people paid by commercial organisations; and whether they received representations on this issue from (1) Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), or (2) people who may have been acting on CCHQ's behalf.
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 Medical Officers advised Ministers in drawing up this delivery plan. The Government has committed to further engage with political parties through 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.
Campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. On 22 February the Prime Minister announced the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown and we have since published guidance on campaigning reflecting the updated COVID restrictions/guidance.
The whole of England remains in a national lockdown and will do so until 29 March. The current restrictions do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual campaigners. Leaving home to undertake leafleting increases the risk of unnecessary social interactions and viral transmission both during travel and on doorsteps. Campaigners should instead ensure leafleting is carried out through existing commercial delivery services, which are already operating and delivering during the national lockdown. Any spending on this which is incurred during a regulated period must count towards a candidate’s spending limit.
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.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), what representations they received from members of political parties prior to issuing the letter on campaign leaflets on 22 January.
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 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.
Current National Lockdown restrictions in England do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists. However, campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. Further information on campaigning guidance and the interaction with prevailing covid restrictions will be issued in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), what was the basis for the advice on local election campaign leaflets in relation (1) to leaflets delivered by volunteers, (2) to leaflets delivered by Royal Mail and other commercial organisations, and (3) to volunteers delivering COVID-19 safety information.
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 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.
Current National Lockdown restrictions in England do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists. However, campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. Further information on campaigning guidance and the interaction with prevailing covid restrictions will be issued in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by the Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) on 28 January (HL Deb col 1804), whether the Minister for the Constitution and Devolution received evidence from (1) NHS England, (2) the Department for Health and Social Care, and (3) the Chief Scientific and Medical Officers, prior to issuing the letter on campaign leaflets to political parties on 22 January.
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 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.
Current National Lockdown restrictions in England do not support door-to-door campaigning or leafleting by individual political party activists. However, campaigning is an essential part of democracy. Voters deserve to be well informed before going to the polls and there must be a level playing field for candidates. Further information on campaigning guidance and the interaction with prevailing covid restrictions will be issued in due course and well in advance of the polls.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make arrangements for the local government election counts due to take place on 6 May in England to be conducted on a day soon after polling day to ensure that the counts can be COVID-19 secure.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The conduct of the count will be a matter for Returning Officers - the Government is working with the Electoral Commission to ensure guidance is available to support Returning Officers to effectively deliver the polls, as laid out in my Written Ministerial Statement of 8 February 2021 (HLWS766) and the Government’s Election Delivery Plan. In this process, we understand the importance of securing a safe environment for counts.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to introduce early voting for local elections in England, or (2) to allow polling to take place over the weekend.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Primary legislation states that the polls are to be held on 6 May. We do not consider there is a need for early voting. Advanced voting is already available to those who need or want it through postal voting on demand. Early voting in person would create unhelpful and unnecessary operational difficulties, by requiring additional polling venues and staffing requirements, in what is already a challenging environment for Returning Officers. We are instead supporting Returning Officers in delivering the elections on Thursday 6 May.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the proposal by Lord Young of Cookham on 14 January (HL Deb col 889), what assessment they have made of the suggestion that local authorities should include information about registering to vote and voting by post with council tax bills; and whether this information can be delivered safely.
Answered by Lord Agnew of Oulton
Electoral Registration Officers have the statutory responsibility for maintaining complete and accurate registers for their areas; decisions on what to include with local authority mailings is a matter for individual councils. The Electoral Commission (EC) also provides guidance for Electoral Registration Officers and will have a role in raising awareness of how people can vote by post or proxy. As part of their guidance to EROs on planning for the delivery of electoral registration, the EC advises that the online registration application form could be signposted on web pages that residents would most commonly use to carry out a transaction with the local authority, such as the page on which to register and pay for Council Tax.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures are in place for citizens to complain against an individual civil servant in instances where they are believed to have broken the Civil Service Code; and where are complaints published.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
All civil servants are required to adhere to the Civil Service Code values - integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. If a member of the public wishes to complain about a civil servant, they should in the first instance contact the Department or Agency where the civil servant is employed. Each Department or Agency has its own complaints procedure that can be found on GOV.UK.
If the complainant is unsatisfied with the manner in which their complaint was handled, they can request that their Member of Parliament refer the matter to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to investigate.
Details of complaints investigated by the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman are available in their published reports on their website, or included in the respective department's annual reports.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the ability of (1) civil servants, (2) legal regulators, including the Solicitors Regulation Authority, and (3) legal trade bodies, including the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, (a) to investigate, and (b) to adjudicate, complaints about antisemitism fairly; and of the effectiveness of those groups' (i) antisemitism procedures, and (ii) handling of accusations of antisemitism.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The Government regularly engages with legal regulators and representative bodies to understand the effectiveness of the regulatory system. No specific assessment has been made of the ability of legal regulators or legal trade bodies to investigate or adjudicate complaints about antisemitism fairly, or of the effectiveness of these groups’ procedures or handling of accusations of antisemitism.
The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of government and lawyers are regulated by approved regulators. There is an independent oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board, which has a statutory duty to approve the regulatory arrangements of the regulatory bodies covered by the Legal Services Act 2007. This includes conduct rules which set out the conduct and behaviour expected of licensed legal practitioners, which include matters of discrimination relating to the protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010. The Chartered Institute of Arbitrators is a professional organisation representing the interests of alternative dispute resolution practitioners. As a UK registered charity, it is regulated by the Charity Commission.
The Government is clear that all forms of discrimination are unacceptable. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. All civil servants are expected to adhere to the core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality as set out in legislation. Each Department or Agency has its own complaints procedure.
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar on 21 January (HL Deb, cols 95–6GC), whether they will place a copy of his legal opinion commending the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
My noble Friend, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, is keen to stress that this opinion — which he provided pro bono — is property of the client and legally privileged. However, the client has made the opinion publicly available online at the following link: https://antisemitism.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Opinion-on-the-International-Definition-of-Antisemitism.pdf.