:00:09. > :00:19.Questions to the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
:00:20. > :00:26.Working collaboratively with our partners and local government we are
:00:27. > :00:34.delivering better integration of public services. We have raised ?1.8
:00:35. > :00:44.billion in capital receipts and reduce running costs by three
:00:45. > :00:47.quarters of ?1 billion. I welcome the Minister placing this on record.
:00:48. > :00:51.Does he agree that at a time when the country needs to build more
:00:52. > :00:55.housing on brown field sites, it is essential that the government leads
:00:56. > :00:58.the way on this. Has the government then any audit that is actually
:00:59. > :01:03.there to ascertain the amount of land available and the number of
:01:04. > :01:07.houses and flats that could be built on that land? We have done some
:01:08. > :01:11.work. It is in the nature of the work that we are doing that there is
:01:12. > :01:14.not sufficiently good quality of understanding of public sector land
:01:15. > :01:17.which is why we are seeking to make it better but we did deliver 100,000
:01:18. > :01:24.homes in the last parliament on public sector land and we'd aspire
:01:25. > :01:28.to build 150,000 in this. I will provide him with further details as
:01:29. > :01:33.and when we discover it. The Minister will know that in 2010
:01:34. > :01:38.there was a report that said that the changes to the civil service,
:01:39. > :01:42.the regionalisation of the civil service, would take political
:01:43. > :01:46.leadership. What we have seen is a reduction in the size of the estate
:01:47. > :01:50.in London but we have seen an increase in the number of top
:01:51. > :01:55.officials and civil servants in London. Under his tenure, will we
:01:56. > :02:01.finally see that political leadership and the regions actually
:02:02. > :02:04.having a voice? I have to say to the honourable gentleman, I thank him
:02:05. > :02:08.for his kind comments, in my previous post it was a great
:02:09. > :02:13.pleasure to be working with civil servants, especially in Yorkshire,
:02:14. > :02:16.and I saw myself how it is possible to have senior civil servants around
:02:17. > :02:20.the country and I agree that the more we can get senior positions of
:02:21. > :02:25.all kinds around the country, the better we will be able to serve the
:02:26. > :02:30.people we are elected to serve. The speed with which the new Brexit
:02:31. > :02:33.department has been established from scratch has been truly impressive.
:02:34. > :02:37.This is the key to a modern government which can respond to
:02:38. > :02:43.modern needs, to have as much flexible, open plan office space as
:02:44. > :02:46.possible. I completely agree with my honourable friend. The way that we
:02:47. > :02:50.have been able to set up the new department and the other departments
:02:51. > :02:56.so rapidly is a tribute to the work done by my predecessors in reform of
:02:57. > :03:00.the civil servants. He will have heard the comments of my right
:03:01. > :03:05.honourable friend, the member for Exeter, about the very significant
:03:06. > :03:16.support he has received both in number and quality from the civil
:03:17. > :03:19.service so far. With your permission I shall answer
:03:20. > :03:25.this question and question four together. We are committed to
:03:26. > :03:28.insuring our electoral system is as transparent as possible. We are
:03:29. > :03:31.working closely with the Law Commission to decide which reforms
:03:32. > :03:36.might be brought forward following a report earlier this year. The
:03:37. > :03:42.government is also considering the review into electoral fraud and we
:03:43. > :03:47.will respond in due course. Smaller parties received almost a quarter of
:03:48. > :03:53.the votes cast in the 2015 election and while once 97% of the electorate
:03:54. > :03:57.voted Labour or Tory, none of that is reflected here. Is it not now
:03:58. > :04:02.time for a very serious and mature discussion on how we can make every
:04:03. > :04:06.vote count in the UK general election? The government believed
:04:07. > :04:09.that first past the post is the best system for electing a government. At
:04:10. > :04:13.the same time as ensuring the vital constituency link between a member
:04:14. > :04:18.of Parliament and their constituents is retained. This is clearly in line
:04:19. > :04:21.with the public mood reflected in the overwhelming majority support
:04:22. > :04:30.for first past the post and the referendum held in 2011. Many 16 and
:04:31. > :04:39.17-year-olds field disenfranchised by Westminster. In 2007, Scotland
:04:40. > :04:44.lowered its voting age to 16 and the turnout among 16 and 17-year-olds is
:04:45. > :04:48.higher than among other first-time voters. Will the Minister commit to
:04:49. > :04:52.seriously examine the evidence to extending the franchise to our young
:04:53. > :04:55.adults? The government believes that it is absently vital to our
:04:56. > :05:00.democracy that young people should be engaged in the democratic process
:05:01. > :05:04.and will continue its commitment to increase participation. The current
:05:05. > :05:08.voting age of 18 is widely recognised as the point at which one
:05:09. > :05:12.becomes an adult and gains full citizenship rights. I know the issue
:05:13. > :05:17.of lowering the voting age has been issued -- debated in this House when
:05:18. > :05:21.it has been defeated, including three times during the referendum
:05:22. > :05:28.Bill. The government has no plans to reduce the voting age. I welcome my
:05:29. > :05:33.honourable friend to the dispatch box and I thank him and his
:05:34. > :05:37.predecessor for the help given in the compilation of my report. Is my
:05:38. > :05:45.honourable friend alarmed that it is harder to take out a library card or
:05:46. > :05:53.to collect a parcel from the Post Office than it is to either vote or
:05:54. > :06:00.to obtain a postal vote? This place is our ballot boxes at a peculiar
:06:01. > :06:05.risk. I would like to thank my honourable friend for the work he is
:06:06. > :06:09.undertaking in producing his report on electoral reform he published in
:06:10. > :06:13.the summer. It made an excellent summer read. The government is
:06:14. > :06:17.taking electoral fraud extremely seriously and as a result we are
:06:18. > :06:25.currently considering his puzzles and will be formally responding to
:06:26. > :06:35.his report in due course. May I welcome the Minister to his new
:06:36. > :06:38.position very warmly. As the Minister considers proposals to
:06:39. > :06:41.strengthen electoral law against voter fraud, will he also consider a
:06:42. > :06:46.new legal requirement for people with more than one residents to
:06:47. > :06:51.choose one of them in advance as the only place where they wish to be
:06:52. > :06:55.legally registered to vote? I don't mind but I like to pay tribute to my
:06:56. > :07:00.predecessor for the work he has undertaken. He has left me with a
:07:01. > :07:04.rich inheritance. The incident involving Charles Moore is currently
:07:05. > :07:07.the subject of an investigation and therefore it would be inappropriate
:07:08. > :07:11.for me to comment on it at this time. I note that the Law Commission
:07:12. > :07:14.report includes recommendations on electoral residents which the
:07:15. > :07:21.government will respond to in due course. May I welcome the Minister
:07:22. > :07:26.to his position and say I look forward to working with him but I do
:07:27. > :07:30.think there is a frightening complacency in the answer to the
:07:31. > :07:33.questions so far. The Prime Minister spoke recently on the steps of
:07:34. > :07:37.Downing Street about the disenfranchised. Does he not realise
:07:38. > :07:42.that it was the voting system itself that disenfranchises many of our
:07:43. > :07:45.citizens, particularly at 16 and 17-year-olds and those who broke
:07:46. > :07:49.from minor parties and will he not now commit in this government to
:07:50. > :07:54.renewing our system to make it more fair and democratic? The government
:07:55. > :07:58.is committed to ensuring that we have a democracy that works for
:07:59. > :08:01.everyone. Already the introduction of individual electoral registration
:08:02. > :08:06.has made it easier to register to vote than ever before, with 20
:08:07. > :08:11.million applications online since 2014. The Electoral Commission's
:08:12. > :08:14.report from 2016 shows that electoral registers are not only
:08:15. > :08:18.more complete than ever before but are critically more accurate than
:08:19. > :08:22.ever. But we recognise as a government there is always more to
:08:23. > :08:24.do and are committed to a programme of registration among vulnerable
:08:25. > :08:34.groups in order to engage in democracy. Question three. The
:08:35. > :08:39.boundary commissions for England and Wales will be publishing their
:08:40. > :08:43.initial registrations in September and the boundary for commission in
:08:44. > :08:46.Scotland later this year. The Boundary Commission for Northern
:08:47. > :08:49.Ireland has published the recommendations yesterday. The
:08:50. > :08:53.conduct or the boundary review is a matter for the independent boundary
:08:54. > :08:57.commissions. The initial proposals will be the subject of extensive
:08:58. > :08:59.consultation between political parties and local communities after
:09:00. > :09:05.which revised proposals will be published at a later date. I thank
:09:06. > :09:07.the Minister for his response and welcome him to his position where I
:09:08. > :09:20.am sure he will make an excellent job. Does the Minister agree that if
:09:21. > :09:23.the boundary review is to achieve constituencies of equal size, by the
:09:24. > :09:30.next election, then these factors would need to be taken into
:09:31. > :09:33.consideration? During every previous boundary review, Parliament has
:09:34. > :09:39.accepted there must be a defined date and a set of register to
:09:40. > :09:43.access. This was set down as a result of the 2013 review, voted for
:09:44. > :09:46.by Labour members. Those who now seek to delay the boundary review
:09:47. > :09:50.even further not only seek to overturn the accepted will of
:09:51. > :09:54.Parliament but also to delay the boundary review again, ensuring
:09:55. > :10:03.constituencies that are both dramatically and equal size are
:10:04. > :10:08.based on data over two decades old. The boundary review next week is
:10:09. > :10:15.going to be a sham. Nearly 2 million voters haven't been counted of. Why
:10:16. > :10:22.doesn't the Minister start again so our democracy is not undermined by
:10:23. > :10:27.next week's partisan gerrymandering? Without the limitation of these
:10:28. > :10:30.reforms, legislated by a majority in the previous parliament, then this
:10:31. > :10:35.will continue to represent constituencies that were drawn up on
:10:36. > :10:38.data over 20 years ago. This regarding significant changes in the
:10:39. > :10:42.population since that has happened. The status quo at cannot and will
:10:43. > :10:46.not be an option and in future boundary reviews will also take
:10:47. > :10:47.place every five years to ensure constituencies remain up-to-date, as
:10:48. > :11:03.they should be. The number of electors in Welsh
:11:04. > :11:06.constituencies varies greatly. My constituency is roughly in the
:11:07. > :11:11.middle with 40 8000. Does the Minister agree that it can't be
:11:12. > :11:18.right for each of these constituencies to elect one MP when
:11:19. > :11:22.the number of voters within them is so radically different? Absolutely
:11:23. > :11:26.right, we cannot continue with the historic injustice of such unequal
:11:27. > :11:30.representation. Representation that allows the one seat to be twice the
:11:31. > :11:36.size of another or to allow one elector's wrote to be worth twice
:11:37. > :11:42.that of another. This injustice, long recognised, must be resolved. I
:11:43. > :11:45.congratulate the honourable gentleman on his well-deserved
:11:46. > :11:50.promotion to the Treasury bench. In the past, ministers have argued that
:11:51. > :11:54.cutting the number of MPs will save the taxpayer ?12 million. The exact
:11:55. > :12:01.amount of money the previous Prime Minister has spent on his list of
:12:02. > :12:05.honours. This boundary redistribution is proceeding on the
:12:06. > :12:12.basis of a register where 2 million people are excluded. Is that not an
:12:13. > :12:19.affront to democracy? He is right to recognise that cutting the number of
:12:20. > :12:23.MPs from 650 600 will not only save ?12 million but ?66 million over the
:12:24. > :12:27.course of a parliament. At time when many areas of public life have found
:12:28. > :12:33.savings, it is right we should put our own house in order. We should
:12:34. > :12:38.establish the democratic principle of equal sized constituencies. First
:12:39. > :12:48.called for it by the chartists in 1834 and endorsed by the committee
:12:49. > :12:51.for standards in public life. All departments are looking to get the
:12:52. > :12:59.best deal for the whole of Britain. The Cabinet Office it that is
:13:00. > :13:04.helping co-ordinated that effort. The shape Whitehall comes in at a
:13:05. > :13:11.time when many people feel Whitehall will not be able to cope with the
:13:12. > :13:17.scale of negotiations. With exit negotiations looming, rather than
:13:18. > :13:26.laying off civil servants, is it not time the civil service was properly
:13:27. > :13:30.resourced? I reject the honourable Lady's assertions, the civil
:13:31. > :13:34.servants is one of the finest in the world. It has risen to the challenge
:13:35. > :13:39.of the immediate opportunities that face us as a country. That is why I
:13:40. > :13:44.am glad we have been able to resourced the two departments so
:13:45. > :13:49.successfully. The secretaries of state art content with that. May I
:13:50. > :13:58.congratulate my right honourable friend on his new position and say
:13:59. > :14:04.how much we on the public administration committee look
:14:05. > :14:08.forward to working with them. As well as focusing on resource in and
:14:09. > :14:14.machinery. Our enquiry into the civil service will focus on civil
:14:15. > :14:18.servants leadership. Does he agree we need to develop stronger
:14:19. > :14:27.leadership in the civil service, the right attitude for which a high
:14:28. > :14:33.functioning organisation is based. I look forward to continuing my
:14:34. > :14:37.long-standing relationship with the chairman of public and Constitution
:14:38. > :14:48.committee. I agree with him entirely about his point. We want the senior
:14:49. > :14:55.talent team in the civil servants. They have their work cut out to make
:14:56. > :14:59.sure we can do even better. In the context of the recent machinery of
:15:00. > :15:05.government changes, when will we know who will have lead
:15:06. > :15:09.responsibility for cross government coordination with the British Irish
:15:10. > :15:14.Council which relates to all eight administrations in this island? I
:15:15. > :15:19.say to the honourable gentleman that I retain responsibility for the
:15:20. > :15:23.constitution as a whole, as does the Cabinet Office. I will write a
:15:24. > :15:30.detailed reply to this question so he can have the satisfaction of
:15:31. > :15:34.that. The government is determined that those whose personal safety
:15:35. > :15:38.would be at risk if their details appeared on the register should be
:15:39. > :15:43.able to register anonymously. I have arranged to meet with the women's
:15:44. > :15:47.aid to discuss their concerns over the process of anonymous
:15:48. > :15:50.registration and have written to the Minister for women and equality is
:15:51. > :15:59.to look at plans for regulation on this policy. Thank you for the
:16:00. > :16:05.information he has just given. You have acknowledged that some domestic
:16:06. > :16:14.violence victims do not choose to go to the police and do not have access
:16:15. > :16:19.as a result. I look forward to you announcing the steps that could
:16:20. > :16:23.take. Gray order, this is very unfair. The honourable lady is
:16:24. > :16:26.asking a question about help for victims of domestic violence who
:16:27. > :16:30.wish to register to vote anonymously. I really think the
:16:31. > :16:36.house should be attentive to this matter. Thank you Mr Speaker. I am
:16:37. > :16:39.pleased you add knowledge the difficulties that these women have
:16:40. > :16:49.in registering. I look forward to what steps you roll out in the
:16:50. > :16:54.future, it is difficult to register to vote to to the limited number of
:16:55. > :16:59.officers and women do not have easy access to those people. That this on
:17:00. > :17:04.Friday and -- disenfranchises them. I thank her for raising this issue,
:17:05. > :17:08.those who have left are messed it violence to seek a new life, they
:17:09. > :17:12.are some of the most vulnerable in society but also they are some of
:17:13. > :17:18.the bravest. Today I can announce the government will look closely
:17:19. > :17:23.with appropriate charities and the honourable member because nobody
:17:24. > :17:31.should be denied the opportunity to vote. I've thank the Minister and I
:17:32. > :17:35.welcome him to his position. He will be replying to a letter I wrote when
:17:36. > :17:39.I was reporting on this topic. I warmly welcomed what he has said
:17:40. > :17:45.today. He could clean things up by adding to the list of the domestic
:17:46. > :17:53.violence protection orders and I would urge him to do that speedily?
:17:54. > :17:57.I thank her for the question. I appreciated receiving the letter, it
:17:58. > :18:01.was one of the first things I was determined to act on. It is a
:18:02. > :18:06.slightly more complex situation, to change the regulations, it would
:18:07. > :18:14.require a change in primary legislation but the government will
:18:15. > :18:18.review aspects of this policy. Most victims of domestic abuse never
:18:19. > :18:22.report that abuse to the police. Will the government review the
:18:23. > :18:26.regulation so these women are able to register anonymously. I refer my
:18:27. > :18:37.honourable friend to the answer I have just given. Question number
:18:38. > :18:40.seven. Mr Speaker, the government is investing ?2.25 million in digital
:18:41. > :18:45.services over the next four years to recast the relationship between the
:18:46. > :18:49.people we seek to serve and the state. There is more to come and we
:18:50. > :18:56.are doing a lot but there is more to do. May I join the congratulations
:18:57. > :19:04.to the Minister in his new role. Turn us back to the use of digital
:19:05. > :19:13.technology in the NHS. How could we better use sharing services to
:19:14. > :19:16.reduce incidents in the NHS? My honourable friend is entirely right
:19:17. > :19:21.that it will be a digital solution that will bring the most advantage
:19:22. > :19:27.to the area of the health service that she identifies. I am glad that
:19:28. > :19:30.the close working of the health and safety investigation Branch and NHS
:19:31. > :19:33.improvement and the NHS litigation authority enabled through digital
:19:34. > :19:43.will mean we can reduce the number of events. Thank you Mr Speaker,
:19:44. > :19:49.ensuring the digital technology at pace, what steps are the government
:19:50. > :19:55.taking to make sure that the hacking of such technology decreases and is
:19:56. > :20:00.eliminated? The honourable gentleman is entirely right, hacking poses a
:20:01. > :20:04.serious threat to the infrastructure and I will have more announcements
:20:05. > :20:13.in the next few week which I hope will colour the detail he is
:20:14. > :20:17.seeking. Topical question. The Cabinet Office is responsible for
:20:18. > :20:22.delivering a democracy that works for everyone. And driving efficiency
:20:23. > :20:31.and reforms to make government work better. At a time where the
:20:32. > :20:34.government are reducing 50 members of this are elected house of
:20:35. > :20:45.parliament, is it right that we keep 100 hereditary peers in another
:20:46. > :20:51.place? It is not for me to revisit the arguments about the House of
:20:52. > :20:55.Lords here. As our manifesto made clear, it is not a priority of this
:20:56. > :21:00.government. He would be glad to know that we have reduced the cost of the
:21:01. > :21:04.House of Lords considerably. The house was courteous to the Minister
:21:05. > :21:12.as the Minister has been to the house, that would be a great
:21:13. > :21:22.advance. User-friendly and watertight. The Minister previously
:21:23. > :21:29.alluded to the report by the member for Brentwood and an girl, I wonder
:21:30. > :21:34.if he is able to commit to the full thrust to allow our system to
:21:35. > :21:38.continue? My honourable friend is absolutely right. We must take
:21:39. > :21:43.electoral fraud very seriously. The April 2015 election court judgment
:21:44. > :21:47.in Tower Hamlets exposed worrying electoral fraud and corruption.
:21:48. > :21:51.There is a range of measures to tackle such fraud and the government
:21:52. > :21:58.will consider this and give a full response in due course. Welcome back
:21:59. > :22:03.Mr Speaker and a warm welcome to the new ministerial team. I congratulate
:22:04. > :22:06.them all on their appointment. We look forward to a positive working
:22:07. > :22:10.relationship with them, holding them to account and making a difference
:22:11. > :22:14.where we can. Might I also apologise Mr Speaker for Mike friend, the
:22:15. > :22:19.member for land Koster and Fleetwood, a new member of my team,
:22:20. > :22:25.she is on her honeymoon and can't be with us today. I am sure we all wish
:22:26. > :22:31.her well in her marriage. Let me reassure the ministerial team that
:22:32. > :22:35.my colleague may be on her honeymoon but the honeymoon period for the
:22:36. > :22:39.Chancellor of the Duchy of Ulster is well and truly over. I have been
:22:40. > :22:48.asking a series of questions -- the Duchy of Lancaster. Can I ask any
:22:49. > :22:57.member of this team, where is he today and what does he actually do?
:22:58. > :23:00.He has asked a number of questions, I will relate his questions to the
:23:01. > :23:09.Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, but he is responsible for
:23:10. > :23:12.the Duchy of Lancaster. What departmental responsibilities does
:23:13. > :23:19.he have and how is he carrying them out? He sits on a number of
:23:20. > :23:22.important Cabinet committees and another responsibilities that I am
:23:23. > :23:29.sure the Right honourable gentleman will find out in due course. Thank
:23:30. > :23:32.you Mr Speaker, can the Minister tell the house whether the Cabinet
:23:33. > :23:37.Office will play an important role in coordinating the exit
:23:38. > :23:49.negotiations from the EU and the activities to make sure they help
:23:50. > :23:53.them come to an agreement? My right honourable friend will be pleased
:23:54. > :23:56.that my job in this is to serve. I will make sure my right honourable
:23:57. > :24:00.friends have all the resources they need in order to do their report on
:24:01. > :24:09.job of work to make sure we make a success of the exit. The office
:24:10. > :24:16.which serves my constituency is to close by 2020, due to a modernising
:24:17. > :24:22.service. Order. This situation is intolerable. The honourable
:24:23. > :24:29.gentleman is entitled to be heard. I want to hear the honourable
:24:30. > :24:32.gentleman, can he be assured of it? During recess, government digital
:24:33. > :24:37.services lost its second rector general within a year and received
:24:38. > :24:44.resignation of chief digital officers in other departments. What
:24:45. > :24:48.steps is the minister taking to get the government digital provision
:24:49. > :24:53.under control and ensure people have access to reliable online services?
:24:54. > :24:56.I have to say I am proud what the government digital service has
:24:57. > :25:00.achieved in the last year. It is rated the foremost digital service
:25:01. > :25:05.in the world. I am pleased to welcome the new director-general. It
:25:06. > :25:09.is the first time that office has had a rector general, he had a fine
:25:10. > :25:13.pedigree in the private sector and he will bring that knowledge to the
:25:14. > :25:32.digital office. What progress has been made on the
:25:33. > :25:40.audit into racial disparities in public service? I am glad to hear my
:25:41. > :25:44.honourable friend endorse the words of the Prime Minister on the steps
:25:45. > :25:48.of Downing Street. She will be glad to know we have already had a
:25:49. > :25:52.substantial meeting to discuss the remit of the racial disparity audit.
:25:53. > :25:56.It will uncover uncomfortable truths but unless we do that, we cannot
:25:57. > :26:03.face up to those burning injustices that remain in our country. Mr
:26:04. > :26:06.Speaker, does he agree with the Lord Speaker that membership of the House
:26:07. > :26:14.of Lords should be less than that of the commons? The other place has an
:26:15. > :26:17.important role in drafting legislation as a revising chamber.
:26:18. > :26:22.The government is clear that an unelected chamber should not block
:26:23. > :26:25.the will of the commons. The manifesto was clear that reform of
:26:26. > :26:29.the House of Lords is needed and we have since ignored and reforms
:26:30. > :26:37.including the retirement of peers. Over 150 peers have left the chamber
:26:38. > :26:47.since 2010. The operating costs have also fallen by 14% since 2010. Last
:26:48. > :26:50.but not least, Caroline Ansell. The government recognises how vital
:26:51. > :26:56.small and medium enterprises are to our nation 's fortunes. It is
:26:57. > :27:00.increasingly looking to see how it can open government contracts to
:27:01. > :27:05.them. Last month launching a new resource. What more can the Minister
:27:06. > :27:11.and I do to seal the deal for local businesses in Eastbourne and
:27:12. > :27:15.Willingdon with the government? My honourable friend is entirely right,
:27:16. > :27:19.small and medium-sized enterprises power this nation and we hope the
:27:20. > :27:23.negotiations we begin will unleash them even further into the global
:27:24. > :27:29.market that Britain will be able to exploit. She is also right to say we
:27:30. > :27:32.should give more contract to small and medium-sized enterprises and we
:27:33. > :27:36.beat our target in the last Parliament, we have an ambitious
:27:37. > :27:37.target of more than a third of projects and I had to work with her
:27:38. > :28:04.to make sure we achieve that target. I would like to congratulate the
:28:05. > :28:14.British Olympic team on a great medical -- medal haul, finishing
:28:15. > :28:19.second, in front of China. CHEERING I know everyone would wish to give
:28:20. > :28:24.the very best wishes to our Paralympic athletes and wish them
:28:25. > :28:26.the best of success. This morning I had meetings with ministerial
:28:27. > :28:33.colleagues and others, and I will have further such meetings later
:28:34. > :28:38.today. May I add my warm wishes to those, all Paralympians and those
:28:39. > :28:39.from Bristol in particular,