Conference Daily. Contents. Wednesday 8th October. Autumn Conference 2014 Glasgow

Transcription

1 Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October Autumn Conference 204 Gasgow Information from the Conference Committee for Wednesday 8th October and report back for Tuesday 7th October. Pease read in conjunction with the Agenda and Conference Extra. Contents Report back for Tuesday 7th October 3 Timetabe for Wednesday 8th October F36 Report: Diversity Engagement Group 4 F37 Report: Campaign for Gender Baance F38 Report: Federa Executive 4 F39 F40 Report: Federa Finance and Administration Committee Membership Subscription and Federa Levy F4 Emergency motion: Towards a Federa UK F42 Poicy motion: Rebanking the UK F43 Q&A session: Environment F44 Poicy motion: Protecting Private Tenants F45 Party Awards F46 Speech: Rt Hon Nick Cegg MP, Leader of the Libera Democrats and the Deputy Prime Minister If no page number is indicated next to a session or item of business, there are no changes or additiona information to that in the Conference Agenda or Conference Extra. Pease note that timings are approximate ony. Some items of business may occur earier than indicated. Conference representatives wishing to speak in any of the debates are requested to fi in and submit a speaker s card as soon as possibe. Pease keep hod of your copy of Conference Extra throughout conference, and make sure you pick up a copy of Conference Daiy from the iterature coection points in the SECC each morning it wi be vita to your understanding of the day s business. Conference Daiy and other conference documents are avaiabe to downoad from or ask at the Information Desk in the SECC. Pubished by the Poicy Unit, Libera Democrats, 8 0 George Street, London, SWP 3AE. Design and ayout by Mike Cooper, mike@mikecoopermcc.co.uk.

2 According to the independent Committee on Cimate Change s (CCC) Juy 204 report, a 60 per cent growth in fights by 2050 is compatibe with achieving the Government s overa carbon reduction targets. Let Britain Fy is campaigning for poiticians of a parties to make a pubic commitment to buid vita new runways in order to buid a stronger economy. We beieve the buiding of new runways can be done sustainaby: According to the independent Committee on Cimate Change s (CCC) Juy 204 report, a 60 per cent growth in fights by 2050 is compatibe with achieving the Government s overa carbon reduction targets. The cumuative carbon footprint of the UK s 8 biggest airports has shrunk by 3 per cent since 200, whist passenger numbers have increased by 5 per cent over the same period. At Heathrow, between 980 and 2006 the number of peope affected by noise fe from two miion to around 250,000 despite a 75 per cent growth in fights. Simiar eves of noise from road traffic, measured in the same way, on average and across the day, affect over two miion peope in London; whie simiar eves of noise from trains affects amost 300,000 peope. In 993, there were 4,600 peope in the 57dB noise contour around Gatwick. By 20 this had reduced to 3,050. This is despite a rapid growth in air trave at the same time, from around 9,000 fights a year in 993 to 244,74 in 20. The Airports Commission recommended the estabishment of an Independent Aircraft Noise Authority to provide expert and impartia advice about the noise impacts of aviation. The Government has not acted on this recommendation. The estabishment of an Independent Aircraft Noise Authority is supported by Let Britain Fy, the London Assemby and London First as we as the antiexpansion groups HACAN and Stop Stansted Expansion and supported by Libera Democrat MPs incuding Mike Crockart MP, Juian Huppert MP, Adrian Sanders MP, Mike Thornton MP and Mark Wiiams MP. Want to find out more? Visit us at stand F5, sign up to our pubic pedge and take part in our party conference prize etbritainfy.com/sign-up Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 2

3 Report back for Tuesday 7th October F29 Poicy motion: Recaiming the Peope s Game Passed (Amendments One and Two passed) F30 Poicy motion: A Stronger Economy and a Fairer Passed (Amendment Three passed, Society (Pre-Manifesto Poicy Paper) Amendments One, Two and Four defeated; ines 60 6 in the motion retained; the move to suspend standing orders was defeated) F33 Poicy motion: Age Ready Britain (Ageing Society Passed (Amendment One passed with ines Poicy Paper) 4 5 retained; ine 62 in the motion retained) F35(A) Emergency motion: A Hoistic Pathway to Peace in the Midde East F35(B) Emergency motion: The FE s unconstitutiona behaviour and gender quotas for committee eections Passed Passed (ines 26 4 were retained; Option A was seected, with the words from provided that to cose of nominations deeted) Left uggage A eft uggage faciity wi be avaiabe at the Crowne Paza in the Staffa meeting room between and 8.00 on Wednesday 8th October. Capacity is imited and wi be avaiabe on a first-come first-served basis. A sma charge may appy. Lost property If you have ost something at conference, pease go to the Information Desk in the Cyde Foyer between and 4.30 on Wednesday. Disabed access steward Unfortunatey our usua disabed access steward, Robert Littehaes, is no onger abe to attend conference this year. Joene Rixon wi be covering this position in his absence. To contact Joene on-site, pease go to the Information Desk in the foyer of the Cyde Auditorium or she is contactabe on during main auditorium hours. WiFi Free Wi-Fi, kindy sponsored by Gatwick Airport, is avaiabe throughout the SECC: Network name: Lib Dem 204 Username: ibdem Password: 204 The Crowne Paza is offering free WiFi in a areas of the hote: Network: Crowne Paza; seect voucher code Username: Event/Crowne Password: PLAZA Keep up-to-date throughout conference with our socia media Foow us #dconf Like us on Facebook facebook.com/ibdems Visit Googe+ pus.googe.com/+ibdems Search YouTube youtube.com/ibdem Browse Fickr fickr.com/ibdems Ministeria Q&A sessions Wednesday Dan Rogerson & Kate Parminter , SECC, Carron Work and Pensions with Steve Webb , SECC, Carron See Conference Extra for detais of a sessions Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 3

4 Wednesday 8th October F36 Mover: F38 Q Report: Diversity Engagement Group Sir Andrew Stune MP Report: Federa Executive Submitted by Coin Rosenstie On what basis has the FE agreed that haf the eected positions to Federa Committees must be fied by women, in effect overriding the previousy agreed constitutiona requirements on gender baance of a minimum one third of each gender, without bringing a constitutiona amendment to this conference? Q2 Submitted by Duncan Brack Artice 2.4 of the constitution permits the FE to impose gender or other quotas on the outcome of federa committee eections if the 200 Equaity Act is amended to cose to a conference to permit the submission of a constitutiona amendment. Since the Act has not been amended, why is the FE imposing quotas? Q3 Submitted by Duncan Brack Since the FE took the decision to appy gender quotas to the outcomes of this year s federa committee eections before the deadine for the submission of constitutiona amendments, why did it not submit a constitutiona amendment to conference? Q4 Submitted by Gareth Epps Where is party strategy decided, and when was the ast time the FE had a fu debate on strategic issues with the expectation of decision-making? Q5 Submitted by Gareth Epps When did the Chief Officer s Group ast meet? Q6 Submitted by Gareth Epps Why has the FE decided to take action to impose quotas for Federa Committee eections based on one protected quaity characteristic but not others; and what evidence base was used to weigh up participation based on characteristics other than gender? Q7 Submitted by Gareth Epps Why has the FE not introduced a constitutiona amendment to this Conference with regard to gender quotas when they have been discussing the proposa for months? Q8 Who takes decisions on the party s strategy? How many written reports have been provided in the ast two years as a basis for their decisions? Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 4

5 Wednesday 8th October Q9 How many times in the ast 2 years, has the FE received reports as a basis for decisions on the work and priorities of the Wheehouse? Q0 Who decides on the Party s messages and sogans? On how many occasions in the ast two years have proposas with aternatives been made to them? Q What does the President understand about FE s responsibiity for directing co-ordinating and impementing the work of the Party and how has he fufied this roe? Q2 How many reports has the FE received on management of the Party s assets, risk management, interna and externa audit, crisis management and disaster recovery? Q3 To whom is the Chief Executive accountabe? What systems are there for appraisa, persona deveopment and target-setting and how many forma appraisas have taken pace? Q4 Submitted by Mark Pack What were the dates and ocations of pubication of the meeting reports promised for after each committee meeting at the March conference Q & A? F4 Emergency motion: Towards a Federa UK 0 conference representatives Mover: Rt Hon Aistair Carmichae MP (Secretary of State for Scotand) Summation: Lord Marks QC Conference ceebrates Scotand s decision to remain within the United Kingdom in the referendum of 8th September and beieves the nations of Great Britain and Northern Ireand are stronger together. Conference further beieves that Scotand s decision aows the creation of the fuy Federa UK ong advocated by Liberas and Libera Democrats. To that end, Conference cas for the UK Government to take action for Scotand to: i) Impement in fu the deivery pan for further Scottish powers promised by the three pro-union party eaders during the independence referendum campaign without any conditionaity on progress in other areas. ii) Support the proposas detaied in the Scottish Libera Democrats report Federaism: the best future for Scotand as set out in the pre-manifesto A Stronger Economy and a Fairer Society. Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 5

6 Wednesday 8th October Conference further cas on the UK Government to: a) Impement the recommendations of the Sik Commission for Waes and address Waes recognised underfunding as set out in the pre-manifesto A Stronger Economy and a Fairer Society. b) Introduce a Devoution Enabing Bi to Pariament, permitting devoution on demand in Engand, the transfer of egisative powers from the UK Pariament to councis or groups of councis working together as set out in poicy paper 7, Power to the Peope. c) Buid on the success of City Deas and Growth Deas, by devoving more power and resources to groups of oca authorities and oca enterprise partnerships. d) Empower a constitutiona convention, with a citizens jury at its core, to produce a new written constitution for a Federa United Kingdom, and to further shape new institutions for Engand. Conference further wecomes evidence from the independence referendum that citizens wi engage with poitics and with democracy when they beieve their vote makes a difference, and their voice is heard. Conference therefore renews its ca for:. Fair votes through STV at every eve of eection, and an end to safe seats. 2. An eected second chamber, based on the mode deveoped through a decade of cross-party committees and commissions and embodied in the 202 Coaition Bi. 3. A 0,000 annua cap on donations to poitica parties to imit the capacity of weathy backers to buy infuence in the poitica process and access to eading poiticians, and reforms to party funding aong the ines of the recent report of the committee on Standards in Pubic Life. 4. Protection of the right for trade union members to consent to a poitica evy being deducted from their subscriptions, with a new right for each member to choose which party they wish to see receive their donation. 5. The franchise to be extended to a sixteen and seventeen year ods for a eections. There wi be a separate vote on c) (ines 7 8). Background briefing This motion restates existing poicy on a Federa UK as set out in poicy paper 7, Power to the Peope (March 204), and updates it in ight of the recent referendum campaign in Scotand. F42 Rebanking the UK The Federa Conference Committee has accepted the foowing drafting amendment to the motion: In 6. (ine 37) deete the Base. Amendment One Lewisham Mover: Summation: Tom Lawrence Wiiam Town 2 3 After 6. (ine 38) add: 7. The government to continue to support peer-to-peer ending, crowdfunding and simiar internet-based finance in ways which benefit enders, borrowers and organisations in the sector. Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 6

7 Wednesday 8th October The government to aow oca authorities and their pension funds to continue to exercise their own judgement over what they invest in, provided it accords with existing rues on prudent financia management, and in the case of pension funds, the objectives of the fund, and recognise the vaue of their knowedge of the oca economy. Background briefing This motion deveops poicy on promoting a more diverse banking system, incuding a focus on community banking and finance. Existing poicies on bank reform are set out in poicy motion Strengthening the UK Economy (203), poicy paper 05, Sustainabe Prosperity and Jobs (202), poicy motion Tougher Action on Banks and Bonuses (20) and the 200 genera eection manifesto Change That Works For You. F43 Chair: Q&A: Environment Tessa Munt MP (Co-Chair, Pariamentary Party Committee on the Environment and Cimate Change) Paneists wi be: F44 Rt Hon Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Cimate Change. Baroness Parminter, Lords Co-Chair of the Libera Democrat Pariamentary Party on Environment, Food and Rura Affairs. Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport. Stephen Wiiams MP, Minister for Communities and Loca Government. Martin Harper, Director of Conservation, RSPB. Protecting Private Tenants Amendment One Greater Reading Mover: John Grout Summation: Jenny Woods After. (ine 35) insert: 2. Landords using Section 2 Notices shoud be made to give their reasons for serving the notice. After 4. (ine 45) add: 5. Housing benefit is paid by oca authorities and the oca authorities shoud be abe to withhod payment if the premises in question are not up to standard. Background briefing This motion creates new poicy. Existing poicy on protection for tenants is set out in poicy paper 04, Decent Homes for A (202). Conference Daiy Wednesday 8th October 204 7

8 204 Gasgow Autumn Conference Appea Your gift wi hep to safeguard the future of the party by providing much needed resources for our Genera Eection Campaign, heping us to win more seats and gain more infuence. Most importanty, your gift wi be heping to protect the fundamenta vaues that we a beieve in; a fair and open society based on iberty, equaity and community in which no one sha be ensaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity. I woud ike to donate (cash/cheque): Other Or pease debit my credit/debit card Card No. Start Date Expiry Date Security Code Issue No. Signature Date Date Name Address Postcode. Emai Teephone Membership Number If you are making a donation of more than 500 or more you must fi in your name and address detais or we wi not be abe to accept your donation (Poitica Parties, Eections and Referendums Act 2000). Thank you. Leaving a Legacy Liberty Network By eaving a egacy you can hep secure the future of our party, ensuring that we can continue to stand for and deiver the kind of poitics and poicy you have spent your ife promoting. Nick Cegg If you woud ike more information about eaving a egacy pease tick this box The Liberty Network is a group of our most passionate and generous supporters, investing in the future of the Libera Democrats. If you woud ike more information about joining the Liberty Network pease tick this box