Virtual Participation in Debate

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Owen Thompson

Tuesday 24th November 2020 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz]

I agree. This is just one small further step that we are asking the Leader of the House to make, which we know he is capable of doing. On the clinically vulnerable, it is very difficult for right hon. and hon. Members to have to go to a medical practitioner.

[Owen Thompson (Midlothian) (SNP)]

On the point about the clinically extremely vulnerable, does the right hon. Lady not agree that the fact that the definition of clinically extremely vulnerable is different in Scotland and in England raises further issues? Which criteria would we follow?

[Valerie Vaz]

If someone wanted to help to us to decide what the definition is, that would be very useful.

Proxy Voting

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Owen Thompson

Wednesday 23rd September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz]

I thank the right hon. Lady for that.

Turning to proxy voting during the pandemic, the second motion amends the Standing Order on voting by proxy to allow proxy votes

“for medical or public health reasons relating to the pandemic”

until 3 November 2020.

The Procedure Committee report found that

“the system of remote voting used in May was a more effective means of handling divisions in the House under conditions where the division lobbies could not be used in the traditional way and where a large number of Members were unable to attend for public health reasons.”

Her Majesty’s Opposition put that in our written evidence for the Committee on 9 July 2020, when we said:

“The electronic remote voting system was a practical and necessary measure which allowed Parliament to continue in unprecedented circumstances during the pandemic. The decision to end electronic voting on 2 June 2020 was”—

I am afraid—

“undertaken without consultation or consideration of Members”,

or of their democratic accountability. It was replaced by the proxy voting system, which was clearly inferior to the safe and efficient remote voting system that did not fail once.

In its report, the Procedure Committee found that the current system of proxy voting for coronavirus absences

“is barely adequate, is potentially unreliable and imposes disproportionate administrative burdens on staff.”

[Owen Thompson]

Even with the extension to proxy voting, does the right hon. Lady agree that a number of Members are still disenfranchised because they are not able to cast a vote in the House?

[Valerie Vaz]

They are able to cast a vote through the proxy system, but they are not able to come here to do that.

Electoral Commission

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Owen Thompson

Monday 7th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

I thank the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission for its third report. I wish Alasdair Morgan all good wishes for his work and thank him for serving on the Committee.

[Owen Thompson (Midlothian) (SNP)]

Again, I will be very brief. I thoroughly endorse the reappointment of Alasdair to the Electoral Commission. He has done an excellent job so far and his wealth of experience from this place and the Scottish Parliament certainly is of great benefit to the Commission.

House of Commons Members’ Fund

Debate between Valerie Vaz and Owen Thompson

Monday 7th September 2020 Commons Chamber

[Valerie Vaz (Walsall South) (Lab)]

May I start by paying tribute to Anne Main, the former Member for St Albans, who was part of the Members’ Fund? I thank the hon. Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew) and my right hon. Friend the Member for Tynemouth (Sir Alan Campbell) for agreeing to serve. I am sure that they will both do a very good job.

[Owen Thompson (Midlothian) (SNP)]

I will be very brief. I cannot disagree with anything that was just said; I thoroughly endorse that position.