Live International Development Questions House of Commons

Order, order. In reply to addresses from this House. I have recdived

your humble addresses praying that I should reappoint Anna character to

be an electoral Commissioner with effect from the 1st of Janu`ry 0

16th for the aged ending thd 21st of December 2020, I comply with your

request. I have received yotr humble address to be that I should appoint

Rob Vincent to be an electoral Commissioner with effect from the

1st of January 20 16th for the deviant ending the 31st of December

2019. I comply with your repuest. I have received your humble address to

be that I should appoint Colin Miller is as chain of the local

permit boundary commission for England with effect from thd 1st of

January 20 16th to the 31st of December 20 20. I comply with your

request. I have received yotr humble address praying that I should

appoint Sir Robert on and John Thurso to the office of ordhnary

member of the independent Parliamentary standards authority

with effect from the 1st of January 20 16th until the end of December 20

20. I comply with your requdst. Order. I have two inform thd House

that, as required by section 14 of the representation of the pdople act

1983, I have received the certificate from the judges

appointed to try the election petition relating to the Orkney and

Shetland constituency electhon on the 7th of May 20 15. The jtdges

have determined that the petition he dismissed and have certified that

the honourable member for that constituency was duly returned at

the said election. I shall leave the certificate on the table together

with the shorthand writers notes and shall cause the full text of the

certificate to be entered in the journal. Members wishing to read the

certificate for themselves will find it set out in the votes and

proceedings for today which will be saturated with the order paper into

moral's vote bundle available online and from the vote office. Qtestions

to the Minister for the Cabhnet Office, Julie Elliott. Numbdr one. I

will answer questions one and seven together. The electoral comlission

will publish its assessment next year, in the meantime I am delighted

to inform the House that thd transition to IER are compldte. We

now have the register that hs cleaner, more accurate and less

vulnerable to fraud than evdr before and we must now find people less

entitled to vote such as people who were expatriates, students `nd those

not on the register and persuade them to sign up. Thank you for the

response however university towns and cities are some of the worst

affected areas. Will the government allow universities to speak to their

students this year? I think we mean different things by block

registration. There is some useful and effective new work being done in

places like Sheffield which is dramatically improving studdnt

registration rates. With anx luck we can take their example and persuade

others to do the same. The dlectoral commission states that 31% of 1 and

17 euros are registered appdared to 95% of over 65. The upcoming EU

referendum should ensure yotng people have a voice. Can I `sk why

the government are so indifferent to a whole generation? We addrdssed

this at some length yesterd`y in the referendum bill vote and thhs is now

the third or fourth time th`t the House has addressed this issue and

in each case delivered readx solid majorities against this mothon. The

vote yesterday was because we did not think it was sensible to change

such a fundamental piece of the franchise for just one vote. That

would leave as open to an accusation of trying to sweep the EU rdferendum

one way or another. Can I encourage my honourable friend to look at the

question of postal voting. Leaving aside what may or may not h`ve

happened at my election is ht not the case that it is far too easy

these days and renders the whole system open to very CDs abuse?

Here's entirely right. Therd are large numbers of people concerned

about this. Eric Nichols, the honourable gentleman for Brdntwood

is at this moment considering a report and if my honourable friend

has any suggestions about what might be in it he is very welcome to make

suggestions to my right honourable friend. Thank you. I am glad the

Minister has noticed there was a Parliamentary by-election in all the

last week. When he studies the figures he will see the dark 18 4

fewer voters in that region than at the general election. If those are

extrapolated across the country it will mean 1 million fewer rdgistered

than one year ago. This was predicted and have happened

intentionally. I design, thhs minister is responsible for

silencing the voices of over 1 million voters in Britain. How does

he feel about being the onlx minister in British history to

disenfranchise 1 million people I can see that the conspiracy

theorists are out in force this morning. The register entrids that

will have been crossed off `s the result of the individual eldctorate

registration introduction which was supported by the party opposite in

principle, will be people who have died or moved House. Anyone who is a

legitimate electorate who h`s a pulse will be confirmed on the

electoral register and if anyone is worried the may not be they can

register online before me, ht takes less than three minutes and they

will get their vote. To number two. Thank you. My guests... He speaks

Welsh. The government digit`l service is committed to enstring

that the needs of Welsh language speakers are met. Every govdrnment

organisation now has the abhlity to publish Web content in Welsh. He and

our Welsh language versions of the new digital services such as

registered to vote. It has put forward design recommendations for

Welsh language government sdrvices. She replies in Welsh. Thank you very

much indeed for the introduction in Welsh. But considering that not a

single glove .uk department`l website says that Welsh is `vailable

on the home page people do not know they can use Welsh. When will they

stop preventing the governmdnt departments from fulfilling their

legal duty to Welsh speakers? I recognise the honourable lady's

Welsh is more fluent than mhne and I look forward to a lesson or two at a

future date at actually the government is doing a huge `mount to

show support for Welsh digital services in departments. It is about

quality, not quantity. The honourable lady will know that every

page of the predecessor to `bove .uk was translated into Welsh, barely

4000 pages. Half of the people who saw them dash few pages had visits.

HE SPEAKS WELSH HE SPEAKS WDLSH And I congratulate the Minister for the

positive sentiment he echoes towards the Welsh language. As we are the

party that set up and established in 1983 a committee there is no doubt

about our committee to the language. I thank my honourable friend, I

could not have put better mx self, in Welsh. On the subject of Welsh

rather than Gillick. Mr Angts Brendan McNeill. I would like to say

that I would -- that I like to see the respect Wells has been shown and

I would like to see the samd respect shown to Scottish Gillick. @lways a

pleasure to answer my honourable friend and he will be happy to know

that the Cabinet Office does the same for the Hall of the Unhted

Kingdom. If the minister gods up to the peninsula for six weeks he will

be learning fluent Welsh thdre, I can tell him. Can I say, having

served in the Welsh languagd group in 1993, we can be very protd of

that, it is important that ht is clearly laid out whether thhngs are

in English or Welsh, sometiles you get Welsh then English, or Dnglish

then Welsh, can we have a sxstematic approach across government? My

honourable friends will be pleased to know that we are doing a lot from

the centre to encourage dep`rtments to better support the needs of the

Welsh language speakers and earlier this year which the Welsh office we

can -- be conducted extensive research into the needs of Welsh

language users and we have identified a series of Welsh

language end to end user jotrneys that can be better supported by our

website. Question number three. Thank you very much. With pdrmission

I will answer questions thrde and nine together, the UK has m`de great

strides in digital government that there is much more to do to remain

world beating, we set aside a total of almost ?2 billion in the spending

review led by the governments Digital service to make this happen.

I agree that government dep`rtments must work together in that way to

enable people to use digital technology safely and effichently,

but can he also gave an exalple of how government departments `re

working together to meet increased demand for cyber security including

engaging with the citizens? Alongside the digital transformation

it is vital we have secure online activity and the increased hn the

budget, almost doubling the budget for cyber security over the coming

parliament is a vital part of protecting not only governmdnt

services at the whole of thd UK to make sure people are safe online.

Devalue portal is an innovative way to provide advice and insight for

communities and business about the best way to achieve social value.

Could the minister outline his department is back how his

department is encouraging other departments to take advantage of

things like the social valud portal to ensure a greater in fermdntation?

Digital transformation can hmprove government, it can improve the

economy but also strengthen civil society and the social valud portal

is a good example of working across government to deliver some of the

changes in social value act, there are eight funded projects and I look

forward to working with him and others to make them happen. Mr

Speaker even on these benchds many of us thought that the innovative

work of the Cabinet Office hn the last government was something really

to applaud in terms of innovation but isn't it the fact that the lack

of resources and leadership in the Cabinet Office now means we are

going backwards rather than/ in terms of innovation? The honourable

member missed the Autumn St`tement in which we double the fundhng going

forward for the Cabinet Offhce digital service, it is world

beating, we made sure that over this parliament that is ?450 million to

make sure that while there hs digital transformation in

departments there is strong leadership from the centre. Given

the recent media reports of cyber security breaches in the prhvate

sector across the United Kingdom what steps are being taken to ensure

there is no repeat, particularly on data protection issues and hn

relation to government departments? We are as a country as well as both

the government and the priv`te sector under constant cyber attack,

and we need to make sure th`t we step up our game to respond to that.

We are bringing in a nation`l cyber centre that will be a singld place

of expertise under the GCHQ umbrella but clearly able to coordin`te and

talk to wider society and btsiness to make sure that we have all of the

expertise in one place, properly funded to take this fight on.

Question number four, Mr Spdaker. The electoral commission will

publish its assessment of the 2 15th annual canvass in spring next

year but in the meantime thdre is a growing acceptance that while the

annual canvass is an essenthal tool in maintaining accurate reghsters

the process is taking -- usdd to undertake are increasingly tnder --

out of date, they were developed in an analogue and not a digit`l world

and we will look to provide our registration officers more

discretion to adapt their activities to make the canvass more effective

in future. I thank the Minister for his answer, only 6.4% of holeowners

are not on the electoral register, yet of those living in rentdd

accommodation this figure is a massive 36.7%. The government has

made and is making it harder for generation rents to get on the

property ladder or to obtain a secure tenancy. Is that why they do

not want to hear the voices of private renters in our democracy? Mr

Speaker we do want to hear everybody's voice in our delocracy,

and therefore one of the thhngs we are aiming to do in this new

approach in the speech I mentioned in my initial response is to look at

other ways to make better contact with those groups which are

underrepresented and to makd sure that one of them gets to usd their

voice and democratic right. On the topic of using other ways to contact

people to register their vote, has the Minister considered using credit

reference agencies as a way to list electoral register nation? That is

an intriguing and to meet ndw idea, I would be very interested to hear

anything more the honourabld gentleman may have the suggdstion

that area. Question five. I am glad to be able to tell the honotrable

member that the Autumn Statdment significantly increased the funding

for this involuntary and social sector in the Cabinet Officd, and

that has enabled us to expand the National citizens service and expand

our efforts on social impact bonds and I am delighted to see that in

the honourable member's own constituency Kirkley 's council has

issued a very good contact with the voluntary sector showing how they

can collaborate with them and I very much hope that they will be able to

take advantage of the extra funds now available. I thank the Linister

for that answer but as he whll be aware country is in the grip of a

growing social care crisis, significant funding shortfalls

projected by 2020 and huge pressures on families, carers and the NHS in

my constituency and nationwhde. Can he specifically say what pl`ns he

has the support those charities currently plugging the gap hn terms

of care but under enormous strain? The Treasury Secretary as a whole as

an income of about 40 million per year which is stable but I have been

looking at the council accotnts for her own area and it turns ott that

the Kirklees Council as ?200 million of usable, and used reserves. The

problems to which the reserve - referrers are not real ones. Number

six Mr Speaker. Mr David Burrows. Dublin complex needs effecthvely has

been something of a holy gr`il out of reach, so could I suggest ?1 5

million to tackle this issud? I agree with my honourable frhend who

has been a passionate advoc`te of social impact bonds, this is a huge

change in the way our country is organised. If we can get to the

point where we are actually paying for outcomes and not for inputs

through social impact bonds which we leave it up the amount that

government putting on behalf of taxpayers with huge other

contributions from the priv`te sector and those double bottom line

investors we could see a huge transformation in public services.

Mr Speaker, thank you. Last week the Minister said that the government

was committed to a flourishhng civil society but the recent spending

review exposed that the offhce for the civil society is to be hollowed

out to just a handful of civil servants and is now describdd by the

sector as just a name on thd door. Does the Minister agree with me that

this is the last clear admission that the big society agenda is now

dead and was never anything but a cover for cuts to public services,

has served its purpose and hs now to be wound down? I am sorry that the

honourable lady did not takd in what I was seeing in the earlier answer,

actually the funding for thd voluntary community sector has

increased very significantlx in the Autumn Statement, and I havd to pay

tribute to the officials in the office of civil society who answer

to my honourable friend the Minister for civil society, in my experience

they are amongst the finest in Whitehall and will continue their

work with this increased budget they will be able to do mord, not

less. Chris White. , one. The Cabinet Office is responsible for

increasing the efficiency of government, and for deliverhng the

government's agenda and I al happy to say that with the help of the

fine civil servants to whom I just referred we are doing just that

Cookie Minister outlined thd steps the governor to sticking to promote

social enterprise, one of the finest sectors. My honourable friend is

right, this government is totally committed to the social entdrprise

sector, part of that is a m`tter of leading by example, which is why

with many of my honourable friend I sever my own village communhty shop,

we all undertake these things, it is about treating the frameworks within

which social enterprise can flourish and that comes back to the point

that my honourable friend w`s making Elliott that the social imp`ct bonds

offer a whole new future for the social enterprise sector. M`ny

volunteers on the emergency services, the Fire And Rescte

Services are heroically leading rescue efforts in the flooddd North

West region this week, the services have been at the receiving dnd of

some savage cuts on the front line, resulting in an told pressures. 87

jobs in Cumbria have been lost. Is it not time, Mr Speaker, th`t as

part of a modern civil conthngency that emergency national str`tegic

plans that this government hs agrees that Phil rescue being fullx be

sourced, statutory duty of the Fire and Rescue Service and cannx

ministers say if this issue of national importance was discussed

that the government Cobra mdetings? Mr Speaker 1st of May I welcome the

honourable member to his pl`ce, and look forward to speaking with him on

this and many other matters. The fact of the matter is that we not

only protected the budget for the police in the recent statemdnt but

the emergency services have done a fantastic job of reducing the amount

of damaging fires that have been over the last Parliament and have

been improving the efficiency and been improving the work that they do

which is vital to keeping pdople safe. In the last year therd have

been no hundred and 22 millhon visits to God .uk website, hs this

in mind with the Minister's expectations and how can thd service

before the improved? The website is of course one of the first parts of

the work that we have done to make sure that this government is

digitally enabled and just to make citizens lives easier by making it

easier to interact with govdrnment. The number of hits, the amotnt of

use is far higher than anyone expected which is a tribute to the

work of the people who put ht together. Questions and answers must

be heard! Mr Alan Thompson. Regarding the SS and bypass the

network, 12% of the UK SMEs still needs to be more than 90 daxs to be

paid by suppliers, and the Linister update the house on progress to meet

targets for payments to suppliers? We change the rules last ye`r to

make sure that when the govdrnment buys from the private sector,

payments must be made within 30 days and that cascade all the wax down

the supply chain but I can `lso report to the house Mr Speaker that

we have hit our target for ` quarter of all government procurement to go

to small businesses and we now want to increase at target from one

quarter to one third. What plans does the Minister have to ensure

that those groups currently underrepresented on the electoral

roll do indeed registered to vote? We are fully committed to bringing

in more underrepresented groups into electoral participation, th`t is why

we are working with various groups to bring people in from the BME

communities but I draw my honourable friend's attention to the

interesting experiments tridd at Sheffield University to nudge the

student population to sign tp for automatic registration systdms and

we are looking carefully at that. If it does indeed transpire th`t there

are fewer people on the new electoral register, will thd

government consider this a success or failure? I think what thd

honourable gentleman is missing is that what has happened as a result

of the measures that have bden taken is to eliminate people who were not

in the address at which thex had previously been registered `t and to

get an accurate register his name of democracy, not a defect democracy.

The voice of filth and Bradley Stone must be heard! -- the voice of

Felton. Can I ask what the government is doing to incrdase

social mobility in the civil service?

My honourable friend asks an important question because hf the

civil service is to work to support the whole country it needs to

reflect the old country so we are taking steps across the board to

improve social mobility as well as other diversity in the civil service

and one of the most exciting part of that is the huge apprenticeship

scheme that now allows people and encourages people from all

backgrounds to have a successful career in the civil servants.

Questions to the Prime Minister Chancellor of the