Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they (1) have,
and (2) plan to, put in place to ensure that all eligible
electors who are prevented from voting in person by (a) medical
advice relating to, and (b) the restrictions in place to address,
the COVID-19 pandemic are able to participate in the elections
due to take place on 6 May.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, I cannot resist a quick personal tribute to the Lord
Speaker. I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on
the Order Paper.
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office () (Con)
My Lords, likewise: it was only 40 years ago that the Lord
Speaker and I first worked together and I should like to express
my sadness at the notice, and my appreciation of all that he has
done for party, country and, indeed, the world, and we look
forward to his independent career.
I can use a little bit of the time available because I can give
the noble Lord, , a positive Answer that we are changing proxy rules to
enable those who need to self-isolate to request an emergency
proxy vote at short notice, right up to 5 pm on polling day. This
week we have laid a statutory instrument to make this change.
(LD) [V]
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for his response. We all
appreciate that the Government have been able to take advantage
of expert advice since I tabled this Question and have published
some good guidance and some very useful changes, especially
addressing the problems faced by shielding and self-isolating
electors in arranging proxy votes, a matter to which I drew
attention. In the meantime, can he clear up the mystery of the
scientific or health advice on which the Cabinet Office
unilaterally declared that a leaflet delivered by a volunteer was
a serious Covid health hazard but that one delivered by a
commercial company was not?
(Con)
My Lords, guidance has been issued on aspects of election
campaigning and further guidance will be issued. Campaigning is
an essential part of democracy. The current national lockdown
restrictions in England say that one must not leave or be outside
one’s home unnecessarily, and those restrictions do not support
door-to-door campaigning or leafleting. However, I take advice
from the noble Lord’s question and, as I have said, there will be
further guidance on top of the guidance that has already been
issued.
(Lab)
[V]
My Lords, frail elderly people, people with disabilities and
their carers have traditionally relied on transport services
provided by the voluntary sector to access polling stations.
Since many of those services are now in short supply, or even
non-existent because of a shortage of money, volunteers or Covid
restrictions, how does the Minister suggest that this should be
addressed so that those less able citizens are not denied their
democratic right to participate?
(Con)
My Lords, like most people in this House, I have driven electors
to polls and I anticipate a future when I myself might be driven.
I can assure the noble Baroness that the arrangements that we are
putting in place for emergency proxies right up to 5 pm on the
day should ensure that anyone who is self-isolating or has tested
positive for Covid-19 can still have their say in the elections
without having to leave their residence. That will be the
Government’s policy and is the assurance that I give the House.
(PC) [V]
My Lords, will the Minister clarify who is responsible for this
round of elections in Wales? As he knows, the running of the
Senedd elections is devolved, while the election of police
commissioners in Wales has not yet been devolved, although the
Silk commission set up by the Cameron Government recommended that
the police service should be devolved in Wales, as in Scotland.
Will he clarify whether the police commissioner elections could
go ahead in Wales while not doing so in England, if Senedd
elections go ahead as planned, or will we face unnecessary
duplication of the cost of holding two separate rounds of
elections in Wales?
(Con)
My Lords, I sincerely hope not. The noble Lord, in a sense,
answered the first part of his question. The position is
obviously that Senedd elections are the responsibility of the
Welsh Government and police commissioner elections of the UK
Government. We are working closely with the Welsh Government on
planning for polls. The UK Government have confirmed that local,
mayoral and police commissioner elections scheduled for 6 May
will go ahead in England and Wales. A decision to postpone the
Senedd elections would be for the Welsh Government but our
understanding is that they have no plans to do so at this time.
So I hope that all can go together.
(Con)
Lord Speaker, on behalf of the noble Lord, Lord Collins, and
myself, I say thank you very much.
Moving on to my supplementary question, first, I record my thanks
and those of the noble Lord, , and the noble Baroness, Lady Hayter, for the
Government’s willingness to change the procedure in relation to
signatories for nomination forms, which has greatly benefited
everybody in these circumstances. I also take this opportunity on
behalf of everyone involved to welcome the extreme efforts that
all members of electoral services organisations are making to
deliver free and efficient elections in difficult circumstances.
(Con)
My Lords, I strongly agree with my noble friend’s final comments
about electoral services officers. I am also grateful for the
interventions he and others made. The Government are always
willing to engage with noble Lords on these and other matters.
There is a collective will across the House to make sure that
elections can go ahead safely.
(LD)
My Lords, the easing of lockdown restrictions in general is
obviously welcome in the run-up to the scheduled elections but
does the Minister accept that if, for any reason, the easing has
to be halted or reversed, there may be a case for seeking
all-party agreement for the postponement of the elections? In the
meantime, in relation to the advice about what is appropriate for
campaigning in those elections, does he accept that the only way
in which to reassure people that the decision is based on
scientific, health and medical advice, not simply the interests
of his party, is to publish that advice?
(Con)
My Lords, the Government have published a delivery plan. I am
sorry that the noble Lord suggested that there was a party
advantage here. Our hope is to assist all people of all parties
and none to fight an election and record their democratic wishes.
The Government believe that these elections can be delivered
safely. We co-operate with, and will talk to, other political
parties, and I can assure the House that the medical officers
have advised Ministers in drawing up the delivery plan.
(Con)
My Lords, when we discussed this last month, my noble friend
described my contribution as “novel” and “interesting”. This was
the proposition that, when council tax bills are issued next
month, included should be details of how to vote by post or by
proxy in order to minimise voting at polling stations. What
happened to this novel suggestion?
(Con)
Well, I think I called it something like “ingenious”, although
“novel” is a good word. It was a good suggestion. It has been
passed on and I am aware that a number of local authorities have
chosen various ways to promote postal voting to their electorate,
for example through the canvass communications earlier this year.
I hope that my noble friend’s suggestion and others will be
considered positively; indeed, I always consider his suggestions
positively.
(Lab Co-op)
My Lords, I join the noble Lord, , in paying
tribute to hard-working electoral services staff across the
United Kingdom. Can the Minister speak to his officials and
satisfy himself that everything possible has been done to ensure
that voters who are shielding or ill are fully aware of the
options for postal and proxy votes—and emergency postal and proxy
votes—so that no one will lose their ability to cast their vote
in these important elections and, in the days after the poll, we
avoid those embarrassing media stories where citizens who have
always voted were denied the opportunity to do so purely because
they did not realise what voting options were available to them
at the time?
(Con)
My Lords, I strongly agree with the noble Lord. We have given
local authorities additional extra resources, and we will support
and encourage them to do everything that the noble Lord so wisely
suggests.
(LD)
I pay tribute to the way in which local government is swinging
behind these elections and getting them done. I want to hone down
on the count. ROs and election officers in Hertfordshire have
written to the Cabinet Office and are very concerned about the
count process, which, as we both know, can be intense and very
long. Certainly there is a fine balance to be struck between
safety and scrutiny; indeed, when I am a scrutineer, I am
definitely closer to people than I am to, say, my noble friend.
So how can we ensure that social distancing is maintained during
the verification and counting of votes, and when will we get that
guidance?
(Con)
My Lords, I hope that it will very soon. Yes, I have felt sharp
elbows at counts and hope that I have not used too many. Further
guidance on this important matter will be given very shortly.
(Con) [V]
My noble friend the Minister confirmed, I think, that attestation
will not be required to access a proxy vote under the new rules.
My noble friend asked
how information on proxy voting would be disseminated. Can he say
again how this will be done?
(Con)
My Lords, it will be done through every mechanism and through
both national and local means. Obviously, as the noble Baroness
who just spoke said, local authorities bear a major burden here.
We have tried to simplify the system. We recognise not only that
some people will not be able to provide proof of Covid symptoms
but that doing so would place unnecessary pressure on the health
service, so we will not ask for attestation. However, all other
security measures will remain in place to ensure electoral
integrity.
