🗣️ Speeches and Debates
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My Lords, I remind noble Lords of my registered interests, that I was a previous leader and councillor for the London Borough of Bexley and vice-president of London Councils, and that I have had involvement in the Local Government Association. I must admit that when I heard the title of this Bill, I was really quite intrigued, as in my opinion there are so many avenues it could have gone...
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That means that that is actually taxpayers’ money. There are many other things that the Bill could go into. It seems a shame that the Bill presents an opportunity to address some of those issues that really impact people, but I am sure that the Minister will be open to conversations throughout its passage.
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My Lords, I will speak briefly to Motion C1, in support of my noble friend Lady Scott of Bybrook. The Minister will be aware that, during the passage of the Bill, I have suggested on a few occasions that there should be a full review of the London mayoral governance process, because there is lots of learning since the original scheme was brought through that really should be revisited. The...
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My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who contributed to the debate. There may have been few speakers, but they were fairly powerful. The Minister said that the current structure has served London well, yet she has spoken to a member of the GLA and, with all due respect, she has not spoken to the Official Opposition—she might have had a different view had she done so. This is a pragmatic...
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My Lords, I remind the House of my interest as a councillor in the London Borough of Bexley. I was previously Bexley’s longest-serving leader, with associated involvement in London Councils and the Local Government Association. I will speak to my Amendment 83 and to Amendment 84 in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Pidgeon, to which I have added my name, as they are interlinked Before I...
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My Lords, the Minister said that she recognised the value of the electoral returning officers. I absolutely agree with that, but the fact is that they are always looking at the next set of elections, so the fact that they stood down some elections would have caused a difficulty. The Minister said that the Government got legal advice before they proceeded to cancel the elections. If they did,...
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Will the Minister confirm that all the pilots are not exactly the same, so therefore there will be different evidence from the different types of pilots done? Surely the sensible thing is to find out what works best and what does not.
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My Lords, I support my noble friend Lady Barran on Amendments 6, 13, 17, 250 and 251. I have also added my name to Amendments 11, 15 and 16. I remind your Lordships of my registered interests: I am a councillor in the London Borough of Bexley and was previously leader and a cabinet member for children’s services—hence my interest in this area. I put on record my thanks to the Minister in...
More of Baroness O'Neill of Bexley's speeches and debates
✍️ Written Questions and Answers
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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of political knowledge among 16- and 17-year-olds in light of research published by the Electoral Commission on 3 March showing that around 30 per cent of young people aged 18 and under report having heard about politics at school or college in the past year; and what assessment they have made of the implications of those findings...
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To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential impact of extending the franchise to 16- and 17-year-olds without corresponding increases in civic education.
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To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to deal with historic dedicated schools grant debt.
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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 7 April (HC40908), what is the evidential basis for the designation of the site of special scientific interest that prevented the development of the town due to jumping spiders.
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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 10 March (HCWS510), what is their timetable for the publication of the consultation on removing statutory consultees in the planning process; and which elements of the wider reform will be delivered through primary and secondary legislation.
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To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the best value inspection of Tower Hamlets Council in 2024, what assessment was made by the Commissioners of the standards of behaviour in council meetings.
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To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to change the electoral qualification and disqualification provisions on whether Members of Parliament can (1) stand for election, and (2) continue to hold office, as (a) councillors, (b) council mayors, (c) Police and Crime Commissioners, and (d) combined authority mayors.
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To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter issued on 9 January to local authorities by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the indicative capital transitional costs for the introduction of weekly food waste collections, whether they have plans to defer the deadline of 19 January for local authorities to respond to the banking details request until...
More of Baroness O'Neill of Bexley's written questions
