Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the debarment list.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Procurement Act 2023 (the Act), which received Royal Assent in October 2023, creates a new debarment regime, including a public debarment list.
As of the 24th February 2025 the Act comes into force, at which point debarment investigations can be started and the debarment list can be created.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of recognising the disabled person's bus pass as an official form of identification across Government services.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Each individual government service decides what constitutes acceptable forms of identification, based on the requirements of the service.
In Cabinet Office, Government Digital Service, in collaboration with other government departments, is developing a single sign-on and identity verification service, named GOV.UK One Login. One Login will allow people to create and reuse a digital identity to access public services.
One Login’s secure and robust identity checking process currently accepts two forms of photographic documentation: passports and driving licences.
We recognise that not everyone has a passport or driving licence and therefore, over time, we will implement other ways for users to verify their identity when using GOV.UK One Login. This is to ensure as many people as possible can access the services they need online.
This will involve reviewing options to use the disabled persons bus pass in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the background work is expected to commence to establish the Commission on Covid Commemoration; and when he plans to publish a detailed timetable for setting up the Commission on Covid Commemoration.
Answered by Michael Ellis
As the Prime Minister previously announced, the Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the timetable is to bring forward legislative proposals to allow UK citizens living abroad for more than fifteen years the right to vote in UK elections.
Answered by Chloe Smith
On 5 July, the Government introduced the Elections Bill which includes measures to remove the current 15 year rule and enfranchise all British citizens for UK Parliamentary elections who were previously registered or resident in the UK.
The passage of the Bill can be followed here https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3020.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths have been officially attributed to lead poisoning in the last 10 years.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether people without internet access who have been unable to reach the census 2021 helpline as a result of reported waiting times will receive a fine for not submitting a census form by the given deadline.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many calls have been unanswered by the Census 2021 helpline since it opened in 2021.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many requests the census 2021 helpline has had for paper forms since it opened in 2021.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to issue covid-19 related guidance on trick or treating.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
We appreciate that people will be thinking about how they can safely mark halloween. Local Authorities will communicate relevant advice on halloween in their area, and the Government is working with Local Authorities to support understanding of how the social distancing rules apply.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that there is an investigation of alleged links between financial backers of the Vote Leave campaign and Russian intelligence.
Answered by Chloe Smith
We have seen no evidence of successful interference in the EU Referendum. The Intelligence and Security Agencies produce regular assessments of the threat posed by Hostile State Activity, including around potential interference in UK democratic processes.