Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Union Policy Implementation Committee has met in each of the last three years.
Answered by Chloe Smith
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether EU citizens (a) with pre-settled or settled status and (b) without such status will be eligible to (i) stand as candidates in and (ii) vote in local government elections in England and Wales in 2021, including the London Assembly election.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers given to PQ 38882 on 27 April 2020 and to PQ 1802 on 29 January 2020.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government has taken to mitigate the risks identified in the National Risk Registers of Civil Emergencies, published on 14 September 2017.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Departments are responsible for addressing their portfolio of risks as identified in the National Risk Register, working with a wide range of stakeholders to coordinate, enact and test appropriate plans.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has used the powers under section 52(1A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983 to require local authorities to keep electoral registers in a standardised digital format.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government has not issued a ministerial direction to require local authorities to keep electoral registers in a standardised digital format. However, the issue of a common standard for electoral register data has been discussed previously at meetings between the Parliamentary Parties Panel and Cabinet Office officials.
This Panel is run by the Electoral Commission and gives representatives of the main political parties a forum to discuss issues affecting them. More information can be found at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/who-we-are/how-we-make-decisions/party-panels
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require that digital copies of the electoral register be supplied to candidates and political parties in a standardised format consistent across all local authorities.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government has not issued a ministerial direction to require local authorities to keep electoral registers in a standardised digital format. However, the issue of a common standard for electoral register data has been discussed previously at meetings of the Parliamentary Parties Panel.
This Panel is run by the Electoral Commission and gives representatives of the main political parties a forum to discuss issues affecting them. More information can be found at: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/who-we-are/how-we-make-decisions/party-panels
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse of renovation works to Chequers has been in each the last five years up to and including February 2020.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Chequers is run and managed by an independent trust. Details of any renovation works are a matter for the Chequers Trust.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the rates of theft of catalytic converters from automobiles in each of the last five 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: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether EU citizens (a) with pre-settled or settled status and (b) without it will be eligible to (i) stand as candidates in and (ii) vote in local government elections in England and Wales in 2020, including the London Assembly election.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The UK Government has been clear that the issue of local voting rights of EU citizens living in the UK needs to be considered alongside the rights and interests of British expats living abroad.
The rights of EU citizens to vote and stand in local elections will not immediately change on exit from the EU. We are seeking reciprocal bilateral agreements to maintain this right. The Government has already signed reciprocal bilateral agreements with Spain, Portugal and Luxembourg to guarantee local voting and candidacy rights for UK nationals in those states. Together these three voting rights treaties protect the rights of a third of UK nationals living in EU Member States.
In that context the Government can confirm that resident EU citizens will be able to vote and stand in the May 2020 local elections in England (including London Assembly elections) and the May 2020 Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales. Those elected to office will be able to serve their full term and this will also apply to those elected before 2020.
The National Assembly for Wales is responsible for the franchise in local elections in Wales and elections to the Nationals Assembly for Wales. The UK Government is responsible for the franchise in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in England and Wales.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, at what time his officials found out that the addresses of recipients of honours in the 2020 New Year Honours list had been published.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon Member to the written Ministerial Statement laid on Tuesday 7 January 2020, HCWS21, available on the Parliament website.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to investigate how the addresses of recipients of honours in the 2020 New Year Honours list were published in error; and whether the results of that investigation will be made public.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Hon Member to the written Ministerial Statement laid on Tuesday 7 January 2020, HCWS21, available on the Parliament website, which lays out the action taken by the Cabinet Office to limit the impact of the breach and to ensure it does not happen again.