Question

To ask the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what recent discussions the Committee has had with the Electoral Commission on the security of postal votes.

Answered by Cat Smith

The Speaker’s Committee has not had discussions with the Electoral Commission on the matter referred to.

The Commission has highlighted that voting by post is a safe and popular method of voting, with safeguards in place to protect against from fraud. Postal voters are required to provide their signature and date of birth when applying for a postal vote, and again when casting their vote. Returning Officers are responsible for checking these match.

The Commission also encourages campaigners to follow the voluntary Code of Conduct, which makes clear that political parties and campaigners should not assist in completing a ballot paper, or handle completed ballot papers.

The Elections Act also included additional measures intended to further strengthen protections around postal voting at future elections.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of Biometric Residence Permits issued in each month since 1 January 2022 have been subsequently reissued to correct errors in visa conditions.

Answered by Robert Jenrick - Shadow Secretary of State for Justice

The information is not available publicly and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost.

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect that freezing the TV licence fee has had on the BBC’s funding in arts and culture.

Answered by Julia Lopez

The Licence Fee Settlement, announced in January 2022, means the BBC will continue to receive around £3.8 billion in annual public funding. We believe this is a fair settlement for the BBC and for licence fee payers across the UK, that allows the BBC to continue to deliver its Mission and Public Purposes and keep doing what it does best while not placing immediate additional financial pressure on households.

The BBC is operationally and editorially independent, and it is up to the BBC to determine how to use its funding to deliver its Mission and Public Purposes. It should prioritise using its £3.8 billion annual licence fee income as necessary to deliver that remit.

Ofcom as the BBC’s regulator will ensure the BBC is robustly held to account in delivering its Mission and Public Purposes.

It was a pleasure to host this event at the House of Commons - great work Dr @BosherHayleigh for organising https://t.co/iF1Z8SPkPI

Great performance Anna - love that Stormy Daughter song ? https://t.co/fczunhJrMq

@campbellclaret Sshhh!

I was delighted to take part in this event and video highlighting the great work of Cardiff City FC Community Foundation https://t.co/o5Tsz6voCt

Lovely Welsh contingent at Aviva reception ⁦in Parliament @ToniaAntoniazzi⁩ ⁦@Amandas_Shoes⁩ and ⁦@Tanni_GT⁩ https://t.co/TSPHfuW31g

Great visit to @CCFC_Foundation #ourclubchangeslives to hear about the work of the Cardiff City FC Community Foundation - shows how sport can reach out to make a real difference - big thanks to Grace (pictured) and Maddie for doing a fab presenting job! https://t.co/jGkJYieAy4

I was encouraged to channel my inner Zulu warrior by the wonderful South African visitors to Herbert Thompson Primary today @HTPSchool @BCouncil_Wales when presenting the school with their International School Accreditation https://t.co/30h3oPhq5t

Recently had a very interesting meeting with @FairGameUK on their campaign around the football governance white paper and what it could mean for clubs like @CardiffCityFC – including a fairer financial flow to football league clubs and putting fans first. (1/3) https://t.co/V3BFS6Oi7H

The @FairGameUK report states fans and supporter trusts like @CCST1927 should have more power: "Trusts could hold the share lock that protects the crown jewels of the club – including badge, pitch, colours etc - from being changed without the permission of the supporters." (2/3) https://t.co/Oi8bsKSttB

If you want to know more about @FairGameUK's proposals you can download a pdf of their report here: https://t.co/liroUNCSWd

@PeteWishart @HTPSchool @BCouncil_Wales You might be right Pete!

I can confirm that @MrTomGray is still ‘loquacious’ #brokenrecord https://t.co/sOLjCU1cvh

BBC suspends proposed closure of the BBC Singers - and rightly so - well done ⁦@WeAreTheMU⁩ https://t.co/BzZhkVIcFR

In @CommonsDCMS I spoke to the former Director General of the BBC, Lord Birt, about the current BBC regime and its appointment's process. Firstly I asked Lord Birt what he thought about the current BBC Chair, Richard Sharp, going AWOL during the Gary Linker debacle? (1/6) https://t.co/36e0ZpYOs9

Lord Birt says, "I regret it, it's an important matter... I would hope to hear from the BBC Chair... you will know, not least because your Committee questioned him and then issued its own report - there are very substantial issues hanging over his head." (2/6)

I then asked Lord Birt about the appointment of Richard Sharp and the fact that the @CommonsDCMS Committee found there was a clear breach of the public appointments procedures in him failing to declare his role in a loan to the then Prime Minister. (3/6) https://t.co/nEB4sEoXaG

In response Lord Birt says, "I don't think his appointment should stand, he's a person of obvious weight and consequence but in one vital respect he was an unsuitable candidate and the appointment's process was fundamentally flawed." (4/6) https://t.co/kj0FKKjlCB

"I think the Cabinet Secretary made a grave error, when Richard Sharp approached him about the financial arrangement, he should have advised him and the PM, Boris Johnson, that the cosiness of these arrangements should disqualify Mr Sharp as a candidate for the BBC." (5/6) https://t.co/SBCX8gvlz0

Finally, I asked Lord Birt if Richard Sharp should resign before the report is published? Lord Birt says, "I think we should wait for the report as everything I've said is on the evidence as we have it, the person who should have absolutely seen the danger is the Cab Sec. (6/6) https://t.co/WCDwN2u6RF

Back in Cardiff rocking out to the brilliant ⁦@Brixsmithstart⁩ solo album Valley of the Dolls / it’s a cracker! https://t.co/NTayzDT1wK

Exactly why @CommonsDCMS Committee and my Private Member’s Bill sought to introduce equitable remuneration for music steaming #brokenrecord #fixstreaming https://t.co/32UZx6kaL4

@asoundreaction Dreadful click bait

@PlaidRhys @asoundreaction ?duh!

@clem_burke Ultimate fame! Say hello to my good friend Glen

Congratulations to my constituent @KatJonesArtist on winning the Self Employed/Freelancer of the Year award at the @FSB_Wales awards. We're lucky to have so many talented people working within the creative industries in Cardiff West. Good luck for the final Katherine #FSBAwards https://t.co/W6uSN5HjDq

For those interested in seeing some of Katherine's brilliant work you can visit her website here: https://t.co/P6xNUBkGe2

Last year the APPG on Music and @UK_Music released our report Let the Music Move - A New Deal for Touring. I've written to the UK Government twice on this matter without a reply. Today I raised it for a third time! #APPGonMusic #LetTheMusicMove #ANewDealForMusic #CarryOnTouring https://t.co/9jVLYP1VfH https://t.co/0WBqAMLg1I

@SamiraAhmedUK @BBCNews Quite right too - very exciting discovery

Honouring Laura Nuttall

Artificial Intelligence in the entertainment industry