Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reconsider their decision not to extend the Brexit transition period.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
None. At the second meeting of the WAJC on 12 June, the UK formally notified the EU that it will neither accept nor seek any extension to the Transition Period.
The deadline for extension has now passed.
The UK will regain its economic and political independence on 1 January 2021 at the end of the transition period and uphold a key demand of the British people.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review trading arrangements with the EU.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Last week the UK completed its fourth round of negotiations. Negotiations covered the full range of issues and were mostly constructive and positive in tone, including on the most difficult issues such as fisheries, governance, and the so called “level playing field” where our differences are the most acute.
We believe it still would be straightforward to agree a suite of agreements with a Free Trade Agreement at the core, like those the EU has agreed with other close partners around the world, and that this could be done quickly.
A Written Ministerial Statement (HLWS267) was made on 8 June to update the House on the progress of negotiations.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to extend the transition period as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to PQ HL3150 on 28 April 2020.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Prime Minister's statement on 20 December 2019 (HC Deb, col 146) that "now is the moment, as we leave the European Union, to reunite the country", what steps they are taking in order to do so.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
I refer the noble Lord to the Prime Minister’s address to the nation given on Friday 31 January 2020.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the anticipated cost of any Government-sponsored celebrations about the UK's departure from the EU on 31 January.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The commemorations for this historic day included the release into circulation of a new 50p coin, and a light display at Downing Street, alongside a special address by the Prime Minister. Union Jack flags also lined Parliament Square and the Mall on 31 January and the public saw government buildings in Whitehall lit up throughout the evening. The costs of these events were drawn from existing budgets.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the regulations regarding the posting of ballots were last reviewed.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Government keeps under review all electoral legislation, including the requirements relating to postal voting, to ensure it continues to support electors’ participation in elections and effective electoral administration. As part of this, we will consider any recommendations that the Electoral Commission may make about the current postal voting arrangements, for example, in its reports on elections and referendums.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what service providers other than the Royal Mail they engaged in the postal vote distribution for the recent elections to the European Parliament.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The running of polls is a matter for independent Returning Officers. The Electoral Commission provides guidance and resources for Returning Officers administering European Parliamentary elections on its website.
It is for Returning Officers to contract with suppliers and service providers for the production and distribution of items like poll cards and postal votes. Delivery times would depend on a number of factors including the recipient’s location.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many days they expected postal ballots to take to reach each recipient for the recent elections to the European Parliament.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The running of polls is a matter for independent Returning Officers. The Electoral Commission provides guidance and resources for Returning Officers administering European Parliamentary elections on its website.
It is for Returning Officers to contract with suppliers and service providers for the production and distribution of items like poll cards and postal votes. Delivery times would depend on a number of factors including the recipient’s location.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what instructions they gave to local electoral returning officers regarding the posting of postal votes for the recent elections to the European Parliament.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The running of polls is a matter for independent Returning Officers. The Electoral Commission provides guidance and resources for Returning Officers administering European Parliamentary elections on its website.
It is for Returning Officers to contract with suppliers and service providers for the production and distribution of items like poll cards and postal votes. Delivery times would depend on a number of factors including the recipient’s location.
Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many electors required a postal ballot for the recent elections to the European Parliament.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Data on the number of postal votes applied for and cast are not collected by the Government. The Electoral Commission will publish this data alongside its statutory report on the European Parliamentary elections in the Autumn.