Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord Carrington for his insightful introduction to the debate, and declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. The previous Government rightly identified MMC as a potential game-changer in addressing our housing needs. As their 2021 commitment to the MMC Taskforce highlighted, there was recognition that MMC could significantly...
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are taking steps to ensure that the freedom to pray silently will be upheld when section 9 of the Public Order Act 2023 comes into effect.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any risks to a woman's health are accurately assessed before she may be sent abortion pills to be taken at home.
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I add my welcome to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hermer, and the noble Lord, Lord Booth, and welcome the noble Lord, Lord Khan to his position on the Front Bench. I also declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. Local government can and will, I am sure, do everything it can to support the new Government’s growth agenda, but by no means does...
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether additional new burdens funding will be committed to local authorities who will require additional enforcement capacity within trading standards teams to enforce the policies included in the 2023 Department For Health and Social Care policy paper Stopping the Start.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of establishing a specific policing unit to support local councillors who are experiencing threats and intimidation.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps are being taken to support local authorities with cyber security and the rise in related threats.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Project Adjustment Requests were received in respect of Levelling Up Fund applications; and how many of these requests have been approved.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty’s Government, further to their 2022 response to the report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life on Local Government Ethical Standards, what plans they have to address concerns about councillors having to publish their home addresses.
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I welcome the noble Lord, Lord Banner, and thank him very much for his contribution. I know that we all look forward to hearing much more from him. I also thank my noble friend Lord Moylan for the clarity of his introduction to this debate, and the team of experts and staff who helped us create the report...
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, in considering measures for sustainably managing waiting times for asylum claims, does my noble friend agree that a balanced approach, which effectively deters economic migrants while prioritising the timely processing of genuine asylum seekers, is essential for maintaining the integrity and efficiency of the asylum system?
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I declare my interest as a vice-president of the Local Government Association. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Shipley, on securing this incredibly important debate today on local government finance. Local authorities across the nation—small and large, rural and urban—continue to deliver the very best for the communities they serve. We saw this during the coronavirus...
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I understand that there have been reports suggesting that the pressure on childcare places will cause special needs children to be squeezed out of the provision. Could my noble friend clarify the situation?
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, does my noble friend the Minister agree that, should Labour enter government and introduce the 20% VAT on private school fees which was mentioned earlier, it would have a massive knock-on impact on local government, specifically for local authorities that have children in care who are supported by local independent schools?
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, how are the Government collaborating with western partners to address shared challenges and promote democratic governance, human rights and the rule of law? What opportunities exist for joint initiatives and co-operation in supporting India’s democratic trajectory while advancing mutual interests?
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial situation of internal drainage boards and what plans they have to ensure that internal drainage boards can collect levies independently to that of local government.
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the role of the Environment Agency in ensuring that drainage ditches owned by riparian owners are maintained
Baroness Eaton: My Lords, I am sure that the Environment Agency would accept that councils play an important part in the management of flood risk and coastal erosion. Despite this, councils report anecdotally that the process of securing grant-in-aid funding is becoming more and more bureaucratic and competitive. Will my noble friend the Minister update the House on what is being done to place fewer burdens...
Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a register of children outside of school.
