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Written Question
Foreign Policy and Security Council
Tuesday 8th November 2022

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what role the Foreign Policy and Security Council will play in co-ordinating inter-departmental collaboration between the Department for International Trade and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Foreign Policy and Security Council is no longer operational. Instead, as set out in its Terms of Reference, the National Security Council, will consider matters relating to trade strategy, amongst other issues including national security and foreign policy. The National Security Council (Europe) will consider matters of trade in relation to Europe.

The Cabinet Secretariat continues to support the Prime Minister and the chairs of Cabinet Committees in the conduct of government business, including international trade.

The full list of Cabinet Committees is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-cabinet-committees-system-and-list-of-cabinet-committees


Written Question
Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011
Monday 12th October 2020

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to announce the arrangements for a committee to carry out a review of the operation of the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011, in pursuance of section 7(4)(a) of the Act.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The Government has made a commitment, in the manifesto and the Queen's Speech, to take forward work to repeal the Fixed Term Parliaments Act. Announcements about the statutory review Committee will be made in due course.


Written Question
UK Government Union Capability Independent Review
Tuesday 3rd March 2020

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the report of Lord Dunlop's review into UK Government Union capability.

Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Lord Dunlop reported to the Prime Minister in the Autumn and the UK Government is carefully considering its recommendations.


Written Question
Scottish Parliament: Elections
Monday 27th November 2017

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their (1) ministers, and (2) officials, have held discussions with the Scottish Government regarding the rights of EU citizens to stand and vote in Scottish Parliament elections following Brexit; and if so, when.

Answered by Lord Young of Cookham

UK Government Ministers and officials have held regular discussion with Scottish Government Ministers and officials on the progress of citizens' rights negotiations, which includes the right to stand and vote in municipal elections. There have been official level conversations after each round of negotiations with the EU and Ministerial conversations after the majority of the rounds, including most recently at the British-Irish Council on 10 November.

The UK Government position is that we want EU citizens with settled status, or who are on the pathway to settled status, to retain the right to vote and stand in any UK election which uses the local government register (which includes Scottish Parliamentary elections), so long as the rights of British citizens living in the EU are similarly protected.


Written Question
Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations
Thursday 28th September 2017

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government on which dates the Joint Ministerial Committee on EU negotiations has met in 2017 to date; and which ministers attended on behalf of (a) the UK Government, and (b) the devolved administrations.

Answered by Baroness Sugg

The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations [JMC(EN)] met in 2017 on 19 January and 8 February.

On 19 January 2017, the following ministers attended:

a. On behalf of the UK Government: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon James Brokenshire; The Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon David Mundell MP; The Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP; The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon David Gauke; Minister of State for Europe and the Americas in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rt Hon Alan Duncan MP; Minister for Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Ben Gummer MP; and Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the EU, Rt Hon David Jones MP.

b. On behalf of the devolved administrations: from the Scottish Government, The Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, Mike Russell MSP; from the Welsh Government, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Mark Drakeford AM; and from the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister for Infrastructure, Chris Hazzard MLA and Junior Minister, The Executive Office, Alastair Ross MLA.

On 8 February 2017, the following ministers attended:

a. On behalf of the UK Government: The Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Rt Hon David Davis MP; The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Rt Hon James Brokenshire; The Secretary of State for Scotland, Rt Hon David Mundell MP; The Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Alun Cairns MP; Minister of State for Europe and the Americas in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Rt Hon Alan Duncan MP; Minister for Cabinet Office, Rt Hon Ben Gummer MP; Minister of State for the Department for Exiting the EU, Rt Hon David Jones MP; Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP.

b. On behalf of the devolved administrations: from the Scottish Government, The Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe, Mike Russell MSP; from the Welsh Government, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Mark Drakeford AM; and from the Northern Ireland Executive, Minister for Finance, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir MLA and Junior Minister, The Executive Office, Alastair Ross MLA.


Written Question
Electoral Register: Young People
Thursday 3rd March 2016

Asked by: Lord Wallace of Tankerness (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken to support Bite the Ballot’s National Voter Registration Drive 2016, as well as the efforts by other organisations to engage and register (1) attainers, and (2) young voters, ahead of the elections in May and the EU referendum.

Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley

The introduction of online voter registration makes it easier and faster to register to vote. This provided a platform for Bite the Ballot’s National Voter Registration Drive 2016 which made heavy use of on digital media. The Government supported the initiative by encouraging government departments and relevant stakeholders such as local authorities to promote it. Since its introduction, three quarters of applications to register to vote were made online by people aged 16-24. As part of the week long activity, my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister for Constitutional Reform met with representatives of several faith organisations to discuss democratic participation.