Tag: Lord Lexden

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-04-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the comment by the Paymaster General, Matthew Hancock MP, reported in The Daily Telegraph on 15 February, whether the Cabinet Office has allocated money to pay for Acts of Parliament to continue to be printed on vellum; if so, whether an offer so to pay has been made to the parliamentary authorities; and if such an offer has been made, in what terms that offer was made.

Lord Bridges of Headley

I refer the Noble Lord to the statement by my Hon Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 20 April 2016. This is available at: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2016-04-20/debates/584554e7-fb8f-44d6-8df0-8b3af8476d1e/CommonsChamber

As my Hon Friend made clear during the debate the printing of Acts onto vellum is a matter for Parliament. The Government is keen to work with the House authorities to explore all avenues for continuing to print on vellum [in line with the will of the House of Commons.]

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-10-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether sales of school playing fields are increasing; and if so, whether they will take steps to curb such sales.

Lord Nash

Local authorities and schools must by law seek consent from the Secretary of State to dispose of playing field land. The department has a strong policy presumption against the disposal of school playing fields and only provides consent to dispose of playing field land if the criteria set out in the departmental guidance are met; which includes an expectation that proceeds from sales are reinvested in sports and education facilities. The department publishes a list of department decisions on applications for consent to dispose of school playing field land.

It would neither be practical or desirable to artificially curb the sale of school playing fields, when such disposals may represent the most effective use of public assets. Often changes are made to education provision, such as school closures or mergers, which mean it is no longer necessary to retain playing fields for school use. In such cases it is only right that local communities are able to benefit from space that otherwise would not be used. Converting surplus or unwanted assets to invest in school grounds has benefits that extend far beyond the school gates. No operating school has disposed of its entire playing field.

It is therefore right that schools should continue to determine what is suitable for their individual circumstances; subject to strong statutory protections including the Secretary of State’s consent and the application of rigorous criteria for what is best for pupils’ education and wider school and community life.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the implications of the vote in the House of Commons on 20 April in favour of retaining vellum for the printing of record copies of public Acts of Parliament.

Lord Laming

The House Committee considered this matter at its meeting on 3 May. The Committee agreed that, in response to the letter from the Clerk of the House of Commons about the debate, I should write to the Chairman of the House of Commons Administration Committee in the following terms:

“I am writing further to the backbench debate on printing record copies of public Acts of Parliament on vellum. I have consulted the House of Lords House Committee in preparing this reply.

As you know, this House agreed in 1999 to move to printing Acts of Parliament on archival paper instead of vellum. We are persuaded that printing on archival paper is a more appropriate use of public funds, and that the case for continuing to print on vellum is not made.

If, in the light of the debate, the House of Commons wishes to arrange a contract for printing record copies of public Acts on vellum then the House of Lords Administration will gladly share experience of managing the legacy contract to assist you in making any such arrangements. I am sure you will appreciate that this House does not wish to contribute financially to any future printing on vellum. It is also important that we ensure the longevity of any public Acts, as the Clerk of the Parliaments must certify a record copy of them.

Perhaps at our next regular meeting it would be possible for us to discuss some of the points made in the debate. I am, as ever, grateful to you for all your help in this matter.”

I wrote accordingly on 4 May.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-05-19.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Acts of Parliament have been passed since 2010; and how many of those have not been implemented.

Lord Bridges of Headley

212 Government and non-Government Bills have been passed by the United Kingdom Parliament since 2010. The Government monitors implementation of its policy commitments rather than individual legislative measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that local electoral registration offices in England and Wales work closely with schools, as has been done in Northern Ireland, to increase the number of young people registered to vote.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in Great Britain already work with their local schools and colleges to identify and register young people.

In a report before the start of the current canvass of electors in Great Britain, the Electoral Commission called on all EROs to update their local public engagement strategies for the canvass. The Commission noted that strategies should reflect the activity EROs intended to carry out to target under-registered groups, such as attainers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their planned legislation to enfranchise British citizens resident abroad for over 15 years will be introduced in the current Session.

Lord Bridges of Headley

The Government is committed to removing the 15 year time limit on the voting rights of British citizens living overseas, and will bring forward a Bill to make a permanent change on overseas voting rights as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-11-02.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the sale of the playing fields of over 100 schools since 2010 on the physical fitness of young people.

Lord Nash

The Government does not approve the sale of playing fields but assesses applications from schools and local authorities to dispose of them. A disposal can include a lease of the playing fields to a third-party commercial organisation with the fields, following investment and improvement, continuing to be used by the school.

It is neither the government nor the Department for Education that instigate the disposal of playing fields. It is the local authorities, academies or schools that seek consent to convert these often surplus or un-used fields to enable them to invest in school sport or education. However, there is strict control in place which requires an assessment of the facilities available to pupils. The government will only give permission to dispose of school playing fields if it is clearly demonstrated that they are surplus to requirements and the sports and curriculum needs of the school and its neighbouring schools will continue to be met.

Since any approved disposal would not impact on the provision of the sports curriculum at the school/s, no follow up studies on the sale of playing fields has been undertaken.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-05-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to extend VAT zero-rating to building work in independent schools that do not charge VAT on school fees and are therefore not registered for VAT.

Lord O’Neill of Gatley

The construction of a new building is normally subject to the standard rate of VAT.

However, the construction of buildings that are either designed as a dwelling, to be used solely for a relevant residential purpose, or to be used solely for a relevant charitable purpose may be zero-rated for VAT.

This relief is available to eligible consumers and businesses regardless of their VAT registration status.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2015-11-23.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 17 November (HL3184), how many electoral registration officers have visited schools and colleges in the last twelve months; and what proportion of the total number of electoral registration officers that figure represents.

Lord Bridges of Headley

This information is not collected centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Lexden on 2016-06-06.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the review of electoral fraud being undertaken by Sir Eric Pickles will be completed and its recommendations published.

Lord Bridges of Headley

Sir Eric Pickles will issue his report to the Prime Minister in due course.