Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to the policy paper "Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern & secure elections", published on 17 July, which are the "legitimate smaller parties” referred to in paragraph 63.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The prohibition on dual registration has historically affected organisations which operated under formal electoral agreements and stood joint candidates with other parties. Despite their longstanding and legitimate arrangements, these restrictions meant legitimate smaller parties were excluded from participating fully, effectively barring these parties from our democracy.
These reforms now plan to correct this issue in limited circumstances, which will allow legitimate campaigning, while still preventing parties from gaming the system.
These measures support the broader democratic objective of enabling a diverse range of campaigners to participate in political debate. It is vital that voters are able to hear a variety of voices and perspectives, and third-party campaigners play a critical role in fostering healthy democratic engagement.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the policy paper Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern & secure elections published on 17 July, whether they will put equal weight on the accuracy as well as the completeness of the electoral register as they develop their policy proposals.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Electoral registers are the foundation of our democratic processes, showing who is eligible to vote in which elections. The Government is committed to improving electoral registration. We are exploring a wide range of approaches to enable improvements in both completeness and accuracy of electoral registers, including making greater use of public sector data and digital services. Any changes will be based on robust evidence and user research.
The statutory responsibility for maintaining the completeness and accuracy of their local electoral registers lies with Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and the Government supports EROs in this.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in relation to paragraph 15 of the policy paper "Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern & secure elections", published on 17 July, why it has been decided that (1) the data for children aged between 16–18 will be available on the open register, and (2) children aged between 16–18 will be included in the requirements for house-to-house visits as part of the annual canvass by electoral registration officers; and what safeguarding issues were considered in that decision making process.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As outlined in the recently published ‘Restoring trust in our democracy: Our strategy for modern and secure elections’, the Government recognises the importance of taking a particularly careful approach to the handling of data of under 18s who are on the electoral register and our plans reflect this. We are working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office to ensure appropriate safeguards are put in place to protect young peoples’ data. We will ensure UK GDPR conditions are complied with, including a Data Protection Impact Assessment and providing a policy document setting out compliance and retention policies and we will ensure that any privacy notices are suitable for this age group.
We will also remove the presumption that citizens will be added to the open register unless they opt out. Citizens will need to opt in if they wish to appear on the open register. In line with guidance from Information Commissioner’s Office, we consider that an opt in arrangement is a more effective form of consent than the existing opt out process. This will mean those aged between 16 and 17, alongside those aged 18 and over, will be able to make an informed decision and their data will only appear on the open register if they actively decide that they want to allow it.
This government is committed to ensuring that everyone who is entitled to register to vote is able to. The primary purposes of the annual canvass are to ensure our electoral registers are kept up to date and to ensure those entitled to register are identified and invited to do so. 16- and 17-year-olds are already canvassed in the same way as other electors due to their inclusion on the electoral register as attainers. In extending the right to vote to 16- and 17-year-olds, it is vital they are given the same opportunities to be accurately registered as any other elector.
Our approach balances the need for adequate safeguards within our electoral system, without disadvantaging young voters from being able to participate in it. This mirrors the approaches taken in Scotland and Wales, where the right to vote has already been extended to those aged 16 and 17.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to allow installation of solar panels as a permitted development right in (a) domestic property, and (b) business premise where physically practical.
Answered by Lee Rowley
To support the generation of renewable energy there are a range of permitted development rights that allow for the installation of microgeneration equipment, including rooftop solar panels on domestic and non-domestic properties, without having to make a planning application.
We will keep the existing permitted development rights for solar equipment under regular review.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with regards to the right to buy scheme, announced by the Prime Minister in his speech on the 9 of June 2022, what estimate he has made of the number of properties likely to be purchased in each of the next three years; and at what level the scheme is capped.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This Government is committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their dream of home ownership.
As the Prime Minister has announced, we want housing association tenants to have the same opportunity as local authority tenants to be able to enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings.
We will be working closely with the housing association sector as we develop the scheme and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate he has made of the cost of the Right to Buy scheme announced by the Prime Minister in his speech on the 9 June 2022.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This Government is committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their dream of home ownership.
As the Prime Minister has announced, we want housing association tenants to have the same opportunity as local authority tenants to be able to enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings.
We will be working closely with the housing association sector as we develop the scheme and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Right to Buy scheme announced by the Prime Minister in his speech on 9 June 2022, how eligibility will be determined in the event that the cap on how many homes may be bought under the scheme is exceeded.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This Government is committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their dream of home ownership.
As the Prime Minister has announced, we want housing association tenants to have the same opportunity as local authority tenants to be able to enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings.
We will be working closely with the housing association sector as we develop the scheme and will announce more details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Harper (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Right to Buy scheme announced by the Prime Minister in his speech on 9 June 2022, whether housing associations will be under a legal obligation to use the proceeds from selling their houses to tenants to invest in more social housing stock.
Answered by Stuart Andrew - Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
This Government is committed to the Right to Buy, which has helped nearly two million council tenants to realise their dream of home ownership.
As the Prime Minister has announced, we want housing association tenants to have the same opportunity as local authority tenants to be able to enjoy the benefits that homeownership brings.
We will be working closely with the housing association sector as we develop the scheme and will announce more details in due course.