Martyn Day Portrait

Martyn Day

Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk

First elected: 7th May 2015


Health and Social Care Committee
5th Jan 2022 - 12th Sep 2023
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Health and Social Care)
14th Dec 2021 - 4th Sep 2023
Shark Fins Bill
9th Nov 2022 - 16th Nov 2022
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Public Health and Primary Care)
7th Jan 2020 - 14th Dec 2021
European Scrutiny Committee
9th Jul 2018 - 6th Nov 2019
Petitions Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Public Accounts Commission
16th Nov 2017 - 9th Jul 2018
Public Accounts Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 9th Jul 2018
Petitions Committee
31st Oct 2016 - 3rd May 2017
Administration Committee
20th Jul 2015 - 3rd May 2017


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Martyn Day has voted in 595 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Martyn Day Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Matt Hancock (Independent)
(40 debate interactions)
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(27 debate interactions)
Jacob Rees-Mogg (Conservative)
(20 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department of Health and Social Care
(111 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(30 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(24 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
Legislation Debates
Health and Care Act 2022
(707 words contributed)
View All Legislation Debates
View all Martyn Day's debates

Linlithgow and East Falkirk Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We want the Government to review and increase allowances paid to foster carers, and also tax exemption levels for foster carers, so they reflect the true cost of caring for a child.

A new offence should be created and legal sanctions should be introduced to stop MPs intentionally or recklessly misleading the public. This could restore a degree of trust in the UK's political system.

The Government should introduce legislation to make lying in the House of Commons a criminal offence. This would mean that all MPs, including Ministers, would face a serious penalty for knowingly making false statements in the House of Commons, as is the case in a court of law.

Make it illegal for retailers and services to decline cash payments.

All businesses (excepting internet-based ones) and public services in which monetary transactions take place should be required by law to accept cash as a method of payment

The Government needs to take back ownership of strategic energy assets. It needs to accept that the Free Market has failed the energy sector, that it is in the national interest to renationalise our energy assets. The Government must therefore renationalise all the UK energy assets.

There is no excuse for the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to continue to effectively fund the slaughter of bears for ceremonial headgear since an indistinguishable alternative has been produced, which is waterproof, and mimics real bear fur in appearance and performance.

The Government needs to change the law so laboratory animals are included in the Animal Welfare Act. Laboratory animals are currently not protected by the Act and are therefore victims of 'unnecessary suffering' (see section 4 of the Act: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/45/section/4).

Make it illegal for any employer to mandate vaccination for its employees. This should apply to all public sector (including the NHS, armed forces, care workers), third sector and all private sector.

We would like the Government to ban all animal testing UK, including for the development of cosmetics, household products and medicines. Alternatives need to be actively funded. Many products that are tested on animals end up not being suitable for humans. Animal testing is outmoded and should end.

The Government must recognise the urgent need to use animal-free science and publish a clear and ambitious action plan with timetables and milestones to drive the phase-out of animal experiments. As well as preventing animal suffering, this will benefit public health and business.

We ask Government to significantly increase targeted research funding for motor neurone disease (MND).

A new investment of £50m over 5 years could kickstart a pioneering MND Research Institute.

This would lead to better, faster and more definitive research outcomes and hope for those with MND.

The Government should class in-person interaction with family members and unmarried partners abroad as an essential reason to travel.

The air ambulances that operate around the UK cost around £12,000 per day to run and maintain, and are mainly funded through charity organisations. This petition is to ask the Government to fully fund the air ambulances through the emergency services.

The Coronavirus Act grants potentially dangerous powers including to detain some persons indefinitely, to take biological samples, and to give directions about dead bodies. Powers last up to 2 years with 6 monthly reviews, and lockdown powers could prevent protests against measures.

The Government should allow golf courses to remain open during the second lockdown, and any future restrictions. Shops and clubhouses can close, but courses should be allowed to remain open, with social distancing in place.

Consider keeping gyms open during lockdown because so many people have mental health and stress and they need something to do to take their mind off it closing all fitness facilities can affect us pretty badly.

Urgent call for the government to close all nurseries and early years settings in light of the new lockdown to protect early years staff.

We want the government to recognise the importance of gyms, health clubs, leisure centres and swimming pools in empowering people to look after their health and stay fit and for them to open first as we come out of lockdown.

We're also calling for government to fund a Work Out to Help Out scheme.

We want the Government to commit to not rolling out any e-vaccination status/immunity passport to the British public. Such passports could be used to restrict the rights of people who have refused a Covid-19 vaccine, which would be unacceptable.

The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms.

India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all.

As the Coronavirus escalates, there are concerns that a trade deal between the UK Government and the US deal might not exempt our NHS, leaving it vulnerable to privatisation and in direct contradiction to promises this would not happen.


Latest EDMs signed by Martyn Day

11th March 2024
Martyn Day signed this EDM on Monday 18th March 2024

World Water Day 2024

Tabled by: Virendra Sharma (Labour - Ealing, Southall)
That this House recognises that 22 March is World Water Day; acknowledges that 2.2 billion people in the world do not have safe water and 3.5 billion people in the world do not have a decent toilet of their own; notes that two-thirds of healthcare facilities in the 46 least …
17 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 6
Labour: 5
Independent: 2
Liberal Democrat: 2
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Green Party: 1
13th March 2024
Martyn Day signed this EDM as the primary signatory on Wednesday 13th March 2024

Detention of Palestinian human rights lawyer Diala Nader Ibrahim Eideh

Tabled by: Martyn Day (Scottish National Party - Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
That this House notes that, on 24 January 2024, the Israeli military issued an administrative detention order against Palestinian lawyer Diala Nader Ibrahim Eideh for a period of four months; condemns the degrading and humiliating treatment of Ms Eideh by Israeli soldiers throughout her initial ordeal; expresses grave concern at …
6 signatures
(Most recent: 18 Mar 2024)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 4
Independent: 2
View All Martyn Day's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Martyn Day, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Martyn Day has not been granted any Urgent Questions

1 Adjournment Debate led by Martyn Day

Monday 25th April 2022

1 Bill introduced by Martyn Day


A Bill to prohibit the practice of offering preferential energy tariffs to new customers compared to existing customers; to place further restrictions on energy pricing; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 21st June 2021

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
5 Other Department Questions
14th Jun 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she has taken to ensure her Department’s consultation on banning conversion therapy will prioritise the voices of survivors of those practices.

Any ban we bring forward must work for those who need it most, especially victims and survivors. We have already met with conversion therapy survivors, to hear about their experiences. We have committed to launching a consultation in September and this will be vital for ensuring the action we take is informed, effective and proportionate. I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of conversion therapy to respond to our consultation when it launches in September.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
3rd Mar 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will include improved data collection from LGBT+ employees as part of the LGBT+ Action Plan.

We understand that robust data collection can help employers to better understand the needs of their employees. The Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service has developed monitoring standards for sexual orientation and gender identity. These standards are freely available and can be found on the ONS website.

In 2020, the Minister for Women and Equalities announced that the Equality Hub in the Cabinet Office will be embarking on the Government’s broadest and most comprehensive equality data project yet. The Equality Data Programme will gather data in order to understand the barriers that people from every background are facing across the UK.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
3rd Mar 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what plans she has to strengthen the protection against intersectional discrimination and enact section 14 of the Equality Act 2010.

We have no plans to implement the dual discrimination provision in the Act. We believe that current protections are adequate and that enactment would introduce unwelcome regulatory complexity and place new costly burdens on business and the public sector consequent on the introduction of a further 21 protected characteristics. In addition, an employee or service user may bring a discrimination claim under more than one ground, which the courts can then consider consecutively, where appropriate.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
3rd Mar 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will publish guidance on inclusive language in relation to sexual minorities and gender identities in (a) Government reports, (b) official literature and (b) in-service delivery.

Terms and language regarding sexual orientation and gender identity are evolving rapidly and many terms may mean different things to different people.

Under the Public Sector Equality Duty, public authorities must, in all their functions, have ‘due regard’ to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people with different protected characteristics, including when designing policies and delivering services. This is key to the Government’s commitment to delivering equality of opportunity for all and my officials in the Equality Hub provide advice to departments to assist with this.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
3rd Mar 2021
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what research she has conducted on the health, economic, and social effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the LGBT+ community.

Government vigorously scrutinises research from a wide range of sources on the impact of Covid-19 on minority groups, including the LGBT population. We routinely monitor research by academics and other agencies published in this area.

Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
26th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) male and (b) female former civil servants have applied for reinstatement after taking time off for caring responsibilities in the last five years.

The information requested is not held by the Government Recruitment Service (GRS). Reinstatements are managed by each individual Department who will hold their own data rather than centrally by GRS.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
26th Feb 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reinstating former civil servants on public finances.

Individual departments are responsible for the recruitment of their staff and are able to set their own policies accordingly, subject to the framework of instructions set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Civil Service Recruitment Principles. This includes the reinstatement of former civil servants under exception five of the Recruitment Principles.

John Glen
Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
9th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that AI generated deepfakes do not impact elections in the UK.

The Government works continuously to understand, assess and address the risks presented by emerging and critical technologies. To date, the Cabinet Office has drawn on a significant range of analysis to inform Government understanding of the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence and the UK elections; we continue to coordinate with other Lead Government Departments.

We keep our assessments of these issues under constant review. For example, in the lead up to the AI Safety Summit, a suite of products was published by the Government to help inform the public and Summit participants of our assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI. The risk to the information environment was included within this: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-ai-capabilities-and-risks-discussion-paper.

More broadly, the security of elections is considered a priority task across HMG and touches on work being undertaken by the Defending Democracy Task Force, DSIT and within the National Security Secretariat in Cabinet Office.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
9th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of AI generated deepfakes on elections in the UK.

The Government works continuously to understand, assess and address the risks presented by emerging and critical technologies. To date, the Cabinet Office has drawn on a significant range of analysis to inform Government understanding of the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence and the UK elections; we continue to coordinate with other Lead Government Departments.

We keep our assessments of these issues under constant review. For example, in the lead up to the AI Safety Summit, a suite of products was published by the Government to help inform the public and Summit participants of our assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI. The risk to the information environment was included within this: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-ai-capabilities-and-risks-discussion-paper.

More broadly, the security of elections is considered a priority task across HMG and touches on work being undertaken by the Defending Democracy Task Force, DSIT and within the National Security Secretariat in Cabinet Office.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
9th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of AI generated misinformation and disinformation on elections in the UK.

The Government works continuously to understand, assess and address the risks presented by emerging and critical technologies. To date, the Cabinet Office has drawn on a significant range of analysis to inform Government understanding of the risks associated with Artificial Intelligence and the UK elections; we continue to coordinate with other Lead Government Departments.

We keep our assessments of these issues under constant review. For example, in the lead up to the AI Safety Summit, a suite of products was published by the Government to help inform the public and Summit participants of our assessment of the risks and opportunities associated with the use of AI. The risk to the information environment was included within this: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/frontier-ai-capabilities-and-risks-discussion-paper.

More broadly, the security of elections is considered a priority task across HMG and touches on work being undertaken by the Defending Democracy Task Force, DSIT and within the National Security Secretariat in Cabinet Office.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th Dec 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister plans to respond to the letter of 27 November 2023 from the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk and Lord Scriven on Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei.

As stated in the answer of 7 December 2023, Official Report, House of Lords, PQ HL571, this is a matter for the Conservative Party, rather than the Government.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
12th Sep 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all Government contracts include a requirement to pay staff (a) the Living Wage Foundation’s real Living Wage and (b) occupational sick pay.

This government is committed to paying properly, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. This is based on the recommendations of the Low Pay Commission. In April 2023, the National Living Wage increased to £10.42 per hour, an increase of 9.7%. By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.

Departments are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of employment for their civil servants, in accordance with the rules of the Civil Service Management Code. This includes matters related to sickness absence.

28th Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2022 to Question 125579 on Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study, if the Government will expedite any recommendation that is made on interim payments to mitigate further hardship to the victims.

I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave on 24 February to PQ 125060.

23rd Feb 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to reduce paper usage in Government departments in light of the climate emergency.

The Government is proud to lead the world in ending our own contribution to climate change and we have achieved a lot on our road to net zero already.

Under the new Greening Government Commitments Framework for the 2021-25 period, the government committed to reducing paper use by at least 50% against the 2017-18 financial year baseline. The first Annual Report against the new Framework, covering the 2021-22 financial year, is due to be published later this year.

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) and Government Digital Service (GDS) in the Cabinet Office lead a ‘digital by default’ approach to government services. As a result, thousands of government services are now mostly used online and most service users are no longer using a paper-version of a service.

Last year, CDDO added a new mandatory standard to the existing Technology Code of Practice on ‘Make your technology sustainable’, which implements the published Greening Government ICT and Digital Services Strategy (2020).

7th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the inquiry into the Government's handling of the covid-19 pandemic will include the Government's strategy to secure global access to vaccines and other pandemic health tools.

On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 will be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers and that it will begin its work in spring 2022. A chair will be appointed by the end of the year. More details about the inquiry, including its terms of reference, will be set out in due course.

14th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 30 March 2021 to Question 171522 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, what the Government's timescale is for (a) developing and (b) introducing a covid-19 vaccine certificate scheme.

The Government committed to explore whether and how COVID-status certification might be used to reopen our economy, reduce restrictions on social contact and improve safety. As set out in the ‘COVID-19 Response - Spring 2021,’ the Government will set out its conclusions on the COVID-status Certification Review in advance of Step 4 of the Roadmap, in order to inform the safe reopening of society and the economy.

An update on the Roadmap Reviews was published on 5 April and can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-spring-2021-reviews-terms-of-reference/roadmap-reviews-update.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster further updated via a Written Ministerial Statement on 29 April 2021, which can be found below:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2021-04-29/hcws947

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
22nd Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what digital architecture the Government plans to use to underpin the covid-19 vaccine certificate system.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ171522 on 23 March 2021.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
22nd Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has for a covid-19 vaccine certificate scheme that will be accessible in (a) online and (b) offline formats.

I refer the hon. Member to the previous response provided in PQ171522.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
22nd Mar 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's timescale is for introducing a covid-19 vaccine certificate scheme.

I refer the hon. Member to the previous response provided in PQ171522.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
10th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many migrants without settled status or indefinite leave to remain in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency earn less than £25,600 annually.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

10th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the guidelines on measuring and managing supplier performance provided in the Contract Management Standards; and if he would make a statement.

Details of the Contract Management Professional Standards, including a foreword by the then Civil Service Chief Executive, are published on GOV.UK and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/contract-management.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in employment who are aged between (a) 50 to 59, (b) 60 to 69 and (c) over 70 years old.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are employed by companies registered in the EU in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, and (c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people are registered as self-employed in (a) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people under the age of 25 in (a) Scotland and (b) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency are employed on zero-hours contracts.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many small and medium-sized businesses in Linlithgow and East Falkirk placed a bid for a public contract in the last five years.

This information is not held centrally.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency are employed on zero-hours contracts; how many of those people are (a) aged between 16 and 24-years old and (b) women.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what life expectancy is for (a) men and (b) women in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

9th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have been employed on a full-time basis in Linlithgow and East Falkirk in each year since 2015.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

5th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people declared themselves as self-employed in each of the last three years in Linlithgow and East Falkirk.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

5th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people in employment which primarily requires working at night in (a) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK in the last 12 months.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

5th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of household debt in (a) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK in each year since 2015.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

5th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) women and (b) men working in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency earn less than £10 per hour.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

4th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people with learning difficulties and seeking work were unemployed in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in each year since 2010.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

4th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people aged 18 to 25 are classified as long-term unemployed in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

4th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to introduce the option of advance physical voting at elections.

There are no plans to make such a provision.

4th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the average debt of people aged 18 to 25 in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

4th Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many EU nationals are resident in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many occasions the Government has paid small and medium-sized businesses more than 60 days after the invoice was received in each of the last five years.

This information is not held centrally.

We recognise that being paid promptly is often vital to SMEs to ensure their survival and growth. The government has a commitment to pay 90 per cent of valid and undisputed invoices from SMEs within 5 days and last financial year, we spent almost £2bn more than the previous year with SMEs. In its most recent published report (Q4 2019/20), Cabinet Office paid 88% of invoices in 5 days and 97% in 30 days.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public procurement contracts were won by small and medium-sized businesses in Linlithgow and East Falkirk in the last five years.

This information is not held centrally.

We recognise that being paid promptly is often vital to SMEs to ensure their survival and growth. The government has a commitment to pay 90 per cent of valid and undisputed invoices from SMEs within 5 days and last financial year, we spent almost £2bn more than the previous year with SMEs. In its most recent published report (Q4 2019/20), Cabinet Office paid 88% of invoices in 5 days and 97% in 30 days.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of public procurement contracts have been awarded to small and medium-sized firms in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the last three years.

This information is not held centrally.

We recognise that being paid promptly is often vital to SMEs to ensure their survival and growth. The government has a commitment to pay 90 per cent of valid and undisputed invoices from SMEs within 5 days and last financial year, we spent almost £2bn more than the previous year with SMEs. In its most recent published report (Q4 2019/20), Cabinet Office paid 88% of invoices in 5 days and 97% in 30 days.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much Government investment has been made in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in each year since 2010.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the population can the gov.uk Verify identity assurance system identify in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland, and (c) Linlithgow and East Falkirk.

GOV.UK Verify enables individuals to prove who they are digitally and to access online government services safely and securely. Over 6.8 million accounts have been created on GOV.UK Verify since it went live in October 2014. The breakdown for the last five years is as follows:

  • 2014 - 1706

  • 2015: 526,164

  • 2016: 447,487

  • 2017: 753,782

  • 2018: 1,628,092

  • 2019: 2,194,816

  • 2020 (until 31 May): 1,294,337

The privacy-centric design of GOV.UK Verify means that it is not possible to provide a breakdown of users by constituency or region.

3rd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that people in Linlithgow and East Falkirk who are unable to access the internet are not (a) disadvantaged as consumers and (b) denied access to government services.

The Government is committed to making sure that our online services are accessible to all citizens, and that an appropriate alternative channel is available where citizens are not online.

The Government offers support to those who need “assisted digital support” to use digital by default public services.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the design of ballot papers for people with impaired vision.

The Government has improved the design and accessibility of ballot papers and forms at elections and referendums. This involved public user-testing of the revised voting forms, including the ballot paper, poll cards and postal voting statements. The work took into account the findings in the Electoral Commission’s “Making your mark” report and made improvements to forms which voters use in order to make voting as accessible as possible.

In partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People, the Government is taking action to further improve the support provided at the polling station to voters with sight loss. This has included the testing of a tactile audio device to allow the voter to access candidate information, and, at the 12 December General Election, encouraging Returning Officers to allow the use of smartphones with specially designed apps for reading documents and video magnifiers to help them cast their vote.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of Scottish public appointments approved by Ministers in his Department in each of the last five years.

Public appointments to devolved bodies in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with Ministers in the devolved Administrations on improving the level of voter registration; and if he will make a statement.

The Government has no plans to change the voting age, having been elected on a manifesto commitment to retain the current franchise at 18.

The Government has no plans to introduce automatic registration. The Government considers registering to vote (and voting) to be a civic duty, but does not believe it should be compulsory. With online registration, the Government has made it easier than ever for those who want to to register.

The Cabinet Office does not hold information on eligible electors who are not registered to vote for an election. Numbers registered for electoral events are published by the Electoral Commission. Reports on the 2015, 2017, and 2019 General Elections have been produced by the Electoral Commission and are available online at www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

Some headline registration statistics by area published by the Office for National Statistics. The latest bulletin is available at www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration.

The Cabinet Office has recently considered creating a live registration status check. There are technical, security and privacy issues but the Cabinet Office will continue to see whether future developments provide a feasible and cost-effective solution in coming years.

The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.

The Government was elected on a manifesto pledge to continue to support First Past the Post for parliamentary elections. The First Past the Post system is a robust and secure way of electing Members of Parliament. It ensures a clear link between elected representatives and constituents in a manner that systems of Proportional Representation may not. This ensures that MPs can represent the interests of their constituents when debating national issues.

The UK Government works closely with ministers and officials in devolved administrations on a range of issues relating to elections, including electoral registration issues. Details of discussions are not normally disclosed.

Each Electoral Registration Officer maintains a register for their own local area, including the number of overseas electors registered in their area. Information is not collated or held centrally on voting by electors. The Government does not hold data on UK citizens resident overseas who are registered to vote, who have successfully applied for absent voting, or who voted in the 2019 UK Parliamentary General Election.

Since 2013/14, the Government has provided more than £27 million to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely, including among young people. For the 2019 General Election, of the 3.5 million people who registered to vote online between the day the poll was announced and the registration deadline, 66.1% were aged between 18 and 34.

The Cabinet Office is working closely with the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Government Chief Executives to support local authorities to deliver their duties in line with the Government’s guidance on Coronavirus. This includes working with the Electoral Commission on guidance for the 2020 canvass, which is now published on their website.

The planning and running of polls is the responsibility of Returning Officers, who are statutorily independent of local or national government. The Government does not collect data on those turned away from polls.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of supporting annual electoral registration was in each of the last 10 years.

The Government has no plans to change the voting age, having been elected on a manifesto commitment to retain the current franchise at 18.

The Government has no plans to introduce automatic registration. The Government considers registering to vote (and voting) to be a civic duty, but does not believe it should be compulsory. With online registration, the Government has made it easier than ever for those who want to to register.

The Cabinet Office does not hold information on eligible electors who are not registered to vote for an election. Numbers registered for electoral events are published by the Electoral Commission. Reports on the 2015, 2017, and 2019 General Elections have been produced by the Electoral Commission and are available online at www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

Some headline registration statistics by area published by the Office for National Statistics. The latest bulletin is available at www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/elections/electoralregistration.

The Cabinet Office has recently considered creating a live registration status check. There are technical, security and privacy issues but the Cabinet Office will continue to see whether future developments provide a feasible and cost-effective solution in coming years.

The Government believes that there is no clear evidence that voting on a national holiday would lead to an increase in turnout.

The Government was elected on a manifesto pledge to continue to support First Past the Post for parliamentary elections. The First Past the Post system is a robust and secure way of electing Members of Parliament. It ensures a clear link between elected representatives and constituents in a manner that systems of Proportional Representation may not. This ensures that MPs can represent the interests of their constituents when debating national issues.

The UK Government works closely with ministers and officials in devolved administrations on a range of issues relating to elections, including electoral registration issues. Details of discussions are not normally disclosed.

Each Electoral Registration Officer maintains a register for their own local area, including the number of overseas electors registered in their area. Information is not collated or held centrally on voting by electors. The Government does not hold data on UK citizens resident overseas who are registered to vote, who have successfully applied for absent voting, or who voted in the 2019 UK Parliamentary General Election.

Since 2013/14, the Government has provided more than £27 million to promote electoral registration and democratic engagement more widely, including among young people. For the 2019 General Election, of the 3.5 million people who registered to vote online between the day the poll was announced and the registration deadline, 66.1% were aged between 18 and 34.

The Cabinet Office is working closely with the Electoral Commission, Association of Electoral Administrators and Society of Local Government Chief Executives to support local authorities to deliver their duties in line with the Government’s guidance on Coronavirus. This includes working with the Electoral Commission on guidance for the 2020 canvass, which is now published on their website.

The planning and running of polls is the responsibility of Returning Officers, who are statutorily independent of local or national government. The Government does not collect data on those turned away from polls.

2nd Jun 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the level of (a) voter personation and (b) electoral fraud taking place at the 2019 General Election.

This data is not held by the Cabinet Office. The Electoral Commission reports on electoral fraud.