AGENDA LIBERAL DEMOCRATS AUTUMN CONFERENCE BOURNEMOUTH 14-17 SEPTEMBER 2019 Plain text This plain text version of the Conference Agenda contains the text of the published Agenda. Note that page numbers refer to the pages in the printed Agenda. Graphics and some complex page layouts and adverts are omitted. Some elements may appear in a different location to that in the printed Agenda. Welcome to the Liberal Democrat 2019 Conference Agenda. If you have any questions whilst at conference please ask a conference steward or go to the Information Desk on the ground floor of the Bournemouth International Centre. For features, general conference information, exhibition and fringe, see the separate Directory. Conference venue Bournemouth International Centre (BIC), Exeter Road, Bournemouth, BH2 5BH Please note that the BIC is within the secure zone and that access is only possible with a valid conference pass. Further information, registration and conference publications (including plain text and clear print versions) are available at: www.libdems.org.uk/conference Contents Information: - 2-6 Auditorium information - 2 Agenda: - 7-69 Agenda index and timetable - 7 Saturday 14 September - 9 Sunday 15 September - 28 Monday 16 September - 45 Tuesday 17 September - 61 Conference timetable 2020 - 27 Standing orders - 70-80 Federal Party - 81 Auditorium information This Agenda covers the auditorium sessions at autumn conference. The formal rules are set out in standing orders on pages 70-80. General conference information can be found in the conference Directory. Conference Extra and Conference Daily Conference Extra is published ahead of conference and Conference Daily each day at conference, containing updates to the agenda including changes to timings, amendments, topical issues, emergency motions and questions to reports, available at: www.libdems.org.uk/conference_papers and via the Conference App. Limited hard copies of Conference Daily will be available each morning - enquire at the Information Desk. Venue Access to the Bournemouth International Centre is possible only with a valid, conference pass worn with the official lanyard. You will be asked to show your pass when you enter the secure area and you are required to wear the pass visibly at all times within the area. Do allow time for security check queues during key times - particularly after lunch and ahead of popular events. Please ensure mobile phones are on silent before entering the auditorium. Accessibility - There is access to the stage via a via a wheelchair lift to stage right. The chair of the session will ensure wheelchair users are called in plenty of time to access the stage. - An induction loop system, which can be linked to hearing aids. - Sign language interpretation during all auditorium sessions; a number of seats are reserved for attendees using this service, at the front of the auditorium. - Reserved seats at the front of the auditorium for those who would benefit from being closer to the stage due to a visual impairment. A limited number of electric scooters will be available for use around the conference venue (they need to be returned each evening). If you need assistance at the venue, please contact the Information Desk in the BIC. If you need assistance or information in advance or to request the use of an electric scooter, please contact the Conference Team on conferences@libdems.org.uk Debates and votes at conference Debates on policy and business motions are at the heart of federal conference. It is through them that the party sets its policy and future direction. Unlike in other parties, Liberal Democrat members are sovereign, and what they decide really matters. The structure of debate on policy and business motions: Proposer of the motion speaks V Proposers of any amendments speak in turn V Speakers called on all sides of the debate with the chair seeking to ensure balance V Interventions taken (if listed on the agenda) V Summators of amendments speak in turn V The summator of the motion speaks V The chair takes votes for and against the amendments and separate votes (if any) in turn V A vote will be taken on the motion as a whole Interventions: concise (one minute) speeches made from the intervention microphone(s) on the floor of the auditorium, during debates where it is indicated in the Agenda. Amendments: all motions except emergency motions are open to amendment; amendments accepted will be printed in Conference Daily. Voting: decisions on most motions and all amendments and separate votes are by simple majority of those voting (2/3 majority for constitutional amendments). To vote, voting members must show their voting badge whilst seated on the ground floor of the auditorium. Separate votes: a vote to delete or retain the specified words or section. A request for a separate vote may be submitted by any party member: by the start of the first conference session on the day before the debate is scheduled, or by the deadline for emergency motions for debates scheduled for the first day of conference; using the online form at libdems.org.uk/conference_papers, by email to separate.votes@libdems.org.uk, or in writing to the Speakers' Table in the auditorium. Counted vote: the chair of the session may decide that a vote needs to be counted. Any voting member may request a count from the floor; if fifty voting members stand and show their voting cards, a count will be taken. Speaking and voting at conference Eligibility to speak and vote All party members are entitled to speak and vote in conference debates, providing they are: ? attending conference as a party member (and not eg an exhibitor or observer); and ? not registered as a day visitor. Party members fulfilling these criteria are known as 'voting members'. Federal Conference Committee may also give permission for other persons to speak (but not vote) in conference debates. Length of speeches The length of speeches is shown against each motion in the Agenda. There are three lights on the speaker's rostrum and visible either side of the stage. The green light is switched on at the beginning of the speech. The amber light is switched on 60 seconds before the end of the allowed time (20 seconds before the end of an intervention). The red light is switched on when all the time is used up, and the speaker must stop immediately. Applying to speak To make a speech in a debate you must: - complete a speaker's card, collected from and returned to the Speakers' Table at the front of the auditorium, an auditorium steward or the Information Desk; or - submit an electronic speaker's card online at www.libdems.org.uk/speakers-card, from 10 September up to one hour before the start of the debate. Completing a speaker's card When completing a speaker's card, remember: 1 Submit your card well in advance. The chair and aide team for the debate will meet well in advance to plan the debate - sometimes the previous day. 2 Fill in your card completely. Complete the back of the card as well as the front. These sections are needed for the chair and aide to balance the debate, so they can call people with relevant experience and avoid a string of people making the same point. 3 Make sure it's readable! Don't fill every square centimetre of the card and write legibly - the easier you make it for the chair and aide to read the card the more likely you will be called. Interventions To speak during interventions, voting members should complete an intervention form, collected from and returned to a steward in the auditorium. Speakers will be chosen by the chair of the session by random ballot. Other conference sessions Emergency motions and topical issue discussions Emergency motions are debated and voted on and make formal party policy like other motions, but refer to a substantial development since the deadline for submission of motions. Motions selected for debate, and/or for selection by ballot along with the ballot procedure, will be printed in Saturday's Conference Daily. Topical issue discussions allow members and spokespeople to discuss and comment on a political issue live at the time of conference; they do not make party policy. The topical issue to be discussed is chosen by officers of the Federal Conference Committee and Federal Policy Committee and will be printed in Saturday's Conference Daily. Question & answer sessions Any party member may submit a concise question (maximum 25 words) on any subject for the Leader's Q&A. Questions will be selected by the chair and put by the submitter from the intervention microphones in the auditorium. Questions may be submitted using the online form: - at libdems.org.uk/conference_submissions. - by 13.00 Monday 2 September. Questions may also be submitted on a form collected from and returned to the Speakers' Table in the auditorium by: - 12.50 Sunday 15 September. Reports The reports of Federal Committees and Parliamentary Parties are printed in the separate reports document. Any party member may submit concise questions on these reports. The chair will select which questions will be asked. Questions to reports of the Parliamentary Parties may relate to any aspect of Liberal Democrat activities in the UK or European Parliaments. Questions may be submitted using the online form: - at libdems.org.uk/conference_submissions. - by 13.00 Monday 2 September. Questions received by the deadlines above will be printed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadlines above may be submitted on speaker's cards at the Speakers' Table up until one hour before the start of the relevant session. Submitting amendments, emergency motions, topical issues and appeals Amendments and emergency motions Amendments and emergency motions must be: - signed by 10 party members; OR - submitted by one or more of: a local party, state party, regional party in England, Federal Specified Associated Organisation or Federal Party Committee. Amendments and emergency motions must be submitted by 13.00 Monday 2 September. Submitters should include: - For amendments - a short explanation of the intended effect of the amendment. - For emergency motions - a short explanation of its emergency nature. Topical issues Suggestions for topical issues may be submitted by any party member by: - 13.00 Monday 2 September. The title of the issue should be no more than ten words, and should not include an expression of opinion; please include full contact details of the submitter and up to 100 words explanatory background. Drafting advice Submitters are encouraged to use our drafting advice service: draft amendments and emergency motions should be submitted by: - 13.00 Tuesday 20 August. Amendments, emergency motions and topical issues should be submitted to the Policy Unit: - using the online form at www.libdems.org.uk/conference_submissions Appeals Appeals against the non-inclusion of emergency motions or amendments must be signed by the original drafting contact and should be no longer than one side of an A4 sheet; give a contact name and telephone number; include a copy of the motion/amendment to which they relate; and give justification for the appeal and new information Conference Committee was unaware of when it made its decision. Appeals should be sent to: - appeals@libdems.org.uk and submitted by: - 13.00 Thursday 12 September. Agenda index and timetable Saturday 14 September 09.00-09.05 F1 Opening of Conference - 9 09.05-09.30 F2 Report: Federal Conference Committee - 9 F3 Report: Federal Policy Committee - 9 09.30-10.15 F4 Policy motion: Continuing the Fight for Gender Equality - 10 10.15-10.30 F5 Report: Campaign for Gender Balance - 12 F6 Report: Federal Appeals Panel - 12 10.30-11.30 F7 Policy Motion: Business Tax Reform: Fair for Business and Fair for Society - 13 11.30-11.50 F8 Speech: Wera Hobhouse MP - 15 11.50-12.50 F9 Policy Motion: Equal Marriage - 16 12.50-14.40 Lunch 13.00-14.30 Consultative session - The Nature of Public Debate Policy Working Group - 18 14.40-15.55 F10 Policy motion: A Fairer Share for All - 18 16.10-16.30 F11 Speech: Baroness Brinton, President of the Liberal Democrats - 22 16.30-17.15 F12 Policy motion: Rehabilitation of Offenders - 22 17.15-18.00 F13 Reports: Parliamentary Parties - 27 Sunday 15 September 09.00-09.45 F14 Policy motion: Young Carers - 28 09.45-11.30 F15 Policy motion: Stop Brexit to Save the NHS and Social Care - 30 11.30-11.50 F16 Speech: Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable MP - 35 11.50-12.50 F17 Policy motion: Europe - 35 12.50-14.10 Lunch 14.10-15.10 F18 Question and answer session with Jo Swinson MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats - 36 15.10-16.00 F19 Policy motion: Education is for Everyone: Investing in Further Education and Learning Throughout Life - 36 16.00-16.20 F20 Speech: Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats - 39 16.20-16.50 F21 Party business: Federal Board Report - 39 16.50-17.00 F22 Business motion: Membership Subscriptions and Federal Levy - 39 17.00-18.00 F23 Party Business: Constitutional Amendments - 40 F24 Party Business: Standing Order Amendments - 44 Monday 16 September 09.00-09.35 F25 Policy Motion: Music Venues - 45 09.35-09.30 F26 Policy Motion: United Against Crime - 47 11.00-11.20 F27 Speech: Chuka Umunna MP - 50 11.20-14.10 Lunch 14.10-14.30 F28 Speech: Siobhan Benita - 51 14.30-16.10 F29 Policy Motion: Tackling the Climate Crisis Together - 51 16.10-16.30 F30 Speech: Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP - 57 16.30-17.15 F31 Policy Motion: Open Britain: Policies to Support Tourism - 57 17.15-18.00 F32 Emergency motion or topical issue discussion - 60 Tuesday 17 September 09.00-09.45 F33 Emergency motion or topical issue discussion - 61 09.45-10.30 F34 Policy Motion: Deprivation of Citizenship - 61 10.30-10.50 F35 Speech: Willie Rennie, Leader of the Scottish Democrats - 63 10.50-11.10 F36 Tribute to Paddy Ashdown - 64 11.10-11.50 F37 Policy Motion: Reforming Housing Legislation: Scrapping Section 21 'No Fault Evictions' - 64 11.50-12.50 F38 Policy Motion: Building Railways Fit for the 21st Century - 66 12.50-14.10 Lunch 14.10-15.30 F39 Speech: Jo Swinson MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats - 69 Saturday 14 September 09.00 Party business Chair: Baroness Brinton. Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, Federal Conference Committee). Hall Aide: Geoff Payne (Chair, Federal Conference Committee). F1 Opening of Conference by Cllr Vikki Slade, Leader of Bournemouth Council @vikki4mdnp, #LDconf 09.05 Party business Chair: Cllr Simon McGrath. Aide: Sarah Brown. Hall Aide: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. F2 Federal Conference Committee Report Mover: Geoff Payne (Chair, Federal Conference Committee). The deadline for questions to this report is 13.00, Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 08.50 Saturday 14 September. See page 5 for further information. F3 Federal Policy Committee Report Mover: Jeremy Hargreaves (Vice Chair, Federal Policy Committee). The deadline for questions to this report is 13.00, Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 08.50 Saturday 14 September. See page 5 for further information. 09.30 Policy motion Chair: Cara Jenkinson. Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Chris Maines. F4 Continuing the Fight for Gender Equality 11 members Mover: Wera Hobhouse MP (Spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change). Summation: Christine Jardine MP (Spokesperson for Work and Pensions). Conference notes that: A. In the UK in 2016, items marketed specifically at women were 37 per cent more expensive on average than those marketed at men. B. Approximately 40 per cent of girls in the UK have used toilet roll because they couldn't afford sanitary products. C. In Wales Liberal Democrat Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, this year announced a scheme to provide sanitary products to girls across primary and secondary schools and colleges. D. Tampons and towels are currently taxed as a non-essential item, with the rate set at five per cent in the UK. E. 2019 figures show that the median pay gap this year was 11.9 per cent. F. Survivors of sexual assault are being turned away from accessing vital support services; the Istanbul Convention says there should be at least 150 Rape Crisis Centres in England and Wales, but currently there are only 44; Campaigner Fern Champion's petition on the issue has over 150,000 signatures. G. Overall just 32 per cent of MPs are women and there are significant variations between parties. H. The impact of inequality, prejudice, and discrimination is multiplied for women who are disabled, BAME, LGBT+, or from other disadvantaged backgrounds or groups. I. Jo Swinson fought to introduce gender pay gap reporting for large companies when she was a Minister in the Coalition Government; Liberal Democrats were the first party to lay a Parliamentary motion on the issue of period poverty and Layla Moran's 2019 motion has garnered cross-party support; Christine Jardine's Gender-based Pricing (Prohibition) Bill aimed to combat the price gap, but the Conservative Government did not give the Bill their backing; Wera Hobhouse's motion urging the government to bring the Istanbul Convention into UK law has broad cross-party support. Conference believes that: i) The gender price gap contributes to a 'double whammy' when partnered with the gender pay gap that women continue to face. ii) Menstrual hygiene should be considered a human right. iii) The government is neglecting people across this country by failing to guarantee the right to justice and support for survivors of sexual assault. iv) The UK needs more women in Parliament to successfully address the issues that face contemporary society, including those of inequality. Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to: a) Extending the Equality Act to all companies with over 250 employees or those who receive public funds, requiring them to monitor and publish data on diversity employment levels and pay gaps. b) Requiring diversity in public appointments and government procurement, including at senior level. c) Ensuring all women have access to affordable, good-quality sexual and reproductive health care and services, including by doing all we can to support the people of Northern Ireland to have access to abortion facilities at home. Conference calls for: 1. The UK government, and those of all other EU member states, to ratify and bring into law the Istanbul Convention. 2. The government to roll out free sanitary products to schools, hospitals, hostels, shelters, libraries, leisure centres, GP surgeries, food banks, colleges and universities. 3. The government to work within the EU to remove the VAT on sanitary products across all Member States, including the UK. 4. The government introduce legislation to scrap the gender price gap on all products. 5. The government to require large companies to publicly publish their parental leave policies, including information regarding funding, to extend shared parental leave to self-employed fathers, ensure shared parental leave is a day one right, and give fathers an additional four weeks of use-it-or-lose-it paternity leave. 6. The Liberal Democrats, and all political parties, to implement Section 106 of the Equality Act 2010, publishing their candidate diversity data; and for parental and carer leave entitlements for parliamentarians to be strengthened with provisions to be made to ensure constituents continue to be represented during these periods of leave. Applicability: Federal; except 2. (lines 59-61) which is England only. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion - see page 6 - and for requests for separate votes - see page 3 - is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. 10.15 Party business Chair: Alisdair Calder McGregor. Aide: Liz Lynne. Hall Aide: Sarah Brown. F5 Report of the Campaign for Gender Balance Mover: Cllr Julia Cambridge (Vice Chair, Campaign for Gender Balance). The deadline for questions to this report is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 08.50 Saturday 14 September. See page 5 for further information. F6 Report of the Federal Appeals Panel Mover: Alan Masters (Chair, Federal Appeals Panel). The deadline for questions to this report is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 08.50 Saturday 14 September. See page 5 for further information. 10.30 Policy motion Chair: Sally Burnell. Aide: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Cllr Simon McGrath. F7 Business Tax Reform: Fair for Business and Fair for Society 12 members Mover: Chris Davidson. Summation: Martin Wheatcroft. Conference believes that the existing business taxation system in the UK, and globally, is not fit for purpose and needs reform because it is: i) Too complicated and onerous to administer. ii) Too easily circumvented. iii) Too unstable. iv) Ill-equipped to ensure a fair contribution by multinationals and those operating in the digital economy; and sometimes unfair, perverse and irrational. Conference further believes that the UK should work with other major economies to develop a global system of international business taxation that ensures all businesses contribute to the societies in which they operate, based on the following principles: a) Businesses should pay tax. b) Businesses should be taxed on profits. c) Businesses should be taxed equitably. d) Taxes paid should be fairly allocated between jurisdictions, with businesses operating in the UK paying tax in the UK. e) Businesses should pay a single fair rate of tax on profits. f) Businesses should not be able to reduce their effective rate of tax on their profits to zero. g) The tax calculation should be straightforward. h) The tax system should be stable, with sufficient time for consultation and implemention whenever changes are necessary. i) Productive investment should be encouraged. j) Incentives should be targeted and provide value for money. k) Taxes should be transparent. Conference acknowledges that international reform will take time, and that reform of the domestic business tax system is necessary in the meantime. Conference therefore resolves that we need a balanced system of business taxation in the UK that supports long-term enterprise and investment, that ensures businesses fairly contribute to the physical, legal and social infrastructure they rely on, and that shares the burden of paying for public services between businesses and individuals on an equitable basis. Conference rejects Conservative plans to turn Britain into an unregulated tax haven and calls for a return to a corporation tax rate of 20 per cent, reversing the rate cut to 19 per cent and the planned reduction to 17 per cent, which are not necessary for international competitiveness and are an unjustified tax giveaway. Conference further rejects Labour's plans to increase corporation tax rate to 26 per cent, a penal increase that would undermine investment, reduce wages and employment, and harm Britain's attractiveness as a good place to do business. Conference calls for the replacement of corporation tax with a new British business tax that is fair to business and fair to society, based on the above principles and including the following features: 1. A long-term stable rate of tax on business profits, with a predictable future path of tax policy; this would be of much more benefit to business than a lower rate and the current approach of continual tinkering, with fewer changes in business taxes allowing more time to think each change through properly, more time for proper consultation, and more time for implementation. 2. A simpler tax system, making it easier for businesses to comply and for the government to administer, with lower administration costs, reduced opportunities for tax avoidance, and more resources devoted to tackling tax avoidance and tax evasion; there should be a simpler tax calculation based on accounting profits with a minimal number of adjustments. 3. Reformed place of establishment rules to ensure that all businesses operating in the UK pay tax in the UK on those operations, restricting the ability of multinationals to unfairly shift profits out of the UK to low tax jurisdictions; public utilities and outsourced providers of public services will be prevented from attributing profits made in providing public services in the UK to other jurisdictions. 4. A new standardised approach to incentives to eliminate opportunities to artificially manipulate the tax system and ensure established profitable businesses cannot reduce their taxes to zero, while expanding support for early stage businesses to help them grow into successful enterprises and generate future prosperity. 5. A business tax system that encourages (rather than discourages) investment, with simplified capital allowances, an increase in the Annual Investment Allowance ensuring that the overwhelming majority of businesses obtain tax relief for productive investment immediately, and higher Writing Down Allowances to encourage more investment by the largest businesses. 6. Greater transparency, with clarity over the cost of tax incentives provided to business and with large businesses required to disclose the taxes they pay in the jurisdictions in which they operate (as recommended by the OECD). Applicability: Federal. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion - see page 6 - and for requests for separate votes - see page 3 - is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. 11.30 Speech Chair: Cllr Nick De Costa. Aide: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. Hall Aide: Liz Lynne. F8 Wera Hobhouse MP, Spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change @Wera_Hobhouse, #LDconf 11.50 Policy motion Chair: Duncan Brack (Vice Chair, FPC). Aide: Jennie Rigg. Hall Aide: Sally Burnell. F9 Equal Marriage 10 members Mover: Layla Moran MP (Spokesperson for Education). Summation: Baroness Featherstone. Conference notes that: i) Marriage is a devolved issue in the UK with separate laws in England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. ii) Same-sex marriage is not recognised in NI and any same-sex marriages in the jurisdiction are recognised as civil partnerships. iii) The UK government has removed themselves from any burden of action by affirming their belief that the Northern Ireland Assembly and not the Westminster Parliament should take the lead on legalisation. iv) In November 2015, a majority of MLAs voted in favour of recognising same-sex marriage, the first time it had received majority support in the Assembly, but the vote was struck down by the DUP tabling a Petition of Concern to prohibit the motion having any legal effect. v) The subsequent collapse of the power sharing administration in Northern Ireland has led to any legislative progress stagnating, but public opinion shows support with a widely referenced poll conducted by Sky Data showing 76 per cent of people in Northern Ireland believe same-sex marriage should be legalised. vi) Campaigners in Northern Ireland such as Sara Canning, partner of murdered journalist Lyra McKee, have called on politicians to make progress on the issue despite political gridlock at Westminster. vii) The Northern Ireland (Executive Formation and Exercise of Functions) Act 2018 references the incompatibility of human rights of the people of Northern Ireland with the current laws on abortion and marriage and further includes a duty on the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to report to the House of Commons on their plans to address the impact of the absence of Northern Ireland Ministers on human rights obligations. viii) When in government, the Liberal Democrats started the legislative process and two years later successfully passed the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013 through Parliament, allowing same-sex marriages in England and Wales from 29 March 2014. ix) Obstacles still exist preventing equal marriage in England and Wales, including the spousal veto which allows the married spouse of a trans person to veto their spouse's full legal gender recognition and hands a person's ability to self-identify to their partner, who may not have their best intentions at heart. Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to: a) Remove the spousal veto and abolish remaining marriage inequalities in areas such as pensions, hospital visitation rights, and custody of children in the event of bereavement. b) Strengthen legal rights and obligations for cohabiting couples across the UK. Conference calls for: 1. The UK government to address the existing human rights violation and introduce equal marriage legislation to Northern Ireland as an immediate priority. 2. The UK government to extend existing legislation in England and Wales to include equal marriage, removing the discriminatory spousal veto. 3. The UK government to use our place within the EU to champion equal marriage across all Member States. 4. The UK government to use the UK's influence to help ensure legal recognition of equal marriage across British Oversees Territories and Crown Dependencies. Applicability: Federal; except 2. (lines 52-54) which is England and Wales. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion - see page 6 - and for requests for separate votes - see page 3 - is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. 12.50 Lunch 13.00-14.30 Consultative session The Nature of Public Debate Policy Working Group Highcliff Marriott, Bryanston Suite Chair: Daisy Cooper. Rapporteur: Dr Jonathan Everett. Consultative sessions provide a less formal mechanism than the full-scale conference debates for conference representatives and other Party members to participate in the Party's policy- and decision-making process. Each session examines a particular topic and hears contributions from Party members and in some cases outside speakers. The session will be organised by the relevant Working Group. The conclusions of the session will be taken into account by the group when drawing up their final recommendations. 14.40 Policy motion Chair: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). Aide: Cara Jenkinson. Hall Aide: Mary Reid. F10 A Fairer Share for All Federal Policy Committee Mover: Christine Jardine MP (Spokesperson for Work and Pensions). Summation: Paul Noblet (Chair of the Policy Working Group). Conference is appalled at the level of poverty in the UK today: over a million people can't afford food and other basic essentials. Conference deplores the facts that the Conservatives have overseen a huge rise in child poverty and the shambolic roll-out of the under-funded Universal Credit system, and that the current government has cut public spending in a way that disproportionately hits the most vulnerable in society. Conference believes that urgent action is needed to redress this situation and ensure that nobody is enslaved by poverty. Conference notes with particular concern that: I. Around 30 per cent of children are living in poverty, an estimated four million people have been driven to use foodbanks and holiday hunger is a growing problem for people dependent on free school meals to feed children. II. The Conservative government shows no understanding of what life is like for people on low incomes and who rely on the benefits system, and little desire to correct their many mistakes. III. Access to modern economic infrastructure is not available to all: too many people can't access decent broadband and public transport is far more expensive than it is in many other western European countries. IV. Regional inequalities are stark: the average income in the West Midlands is 20 per cent lower than it is in the South East, while child poverty is heavily concentrated in the poorest local authorities. V. The growth of the gig economy means that nearly five million people are working in jobs with no security and irregular hours. Conference believes that: A. Everybody should have sufficient income and access to services to ensure they can support themselves and their children or others that they care for. B. Long-term unemployment and economic hardship are unacceptable in a modern and developed economy and come at an often-huge human cost including poor mental and physical health. C. Paid work - at a fair rate - should not only help people to be financially self-sufficient, but should also offer dignity, build self-esteem and improve health. D. Everyone in the UK should have access to the fundamental building blocks that they need to access opportunities and fulfil their potential. E. Access to our digital society and economy should be available to all. F. The key to growing economies across every region, both in urban and rural areas, is to rebalance capital funding from central government and to invest in opportunities throughout the UK. Conference endorses policy paper 136, A Fairer Share for All, as a statement of Liberal Democrat policy to meet these challenges and as an ambitious plan for a society in which everybody has the opportunity to flourish. Conference calls for the following measures as priorities to tackle poverty and inequality: i) Invest £5 billion per year to make the benefits system work for people who need it and reduce the wait for the first benefits payment from five weeks to five days. ii) Introduce universal access to basic services as a guiding principle to ensure that people have somewhere warm and safe to live, a healthy diet and access to the digital and transport infrastructure needed for 21st century life. iii) A £50 billion capital Rebalancing Fund to address the historic investment disparities between our nations and regions. Conference also calls for measures: 1. To ensure that everyone has a sufficient income to allow them to live with dignity: a) Tackle child poverty by removing the two-child limit, scrapping the benefits cap and seeking to increase the child element of the benefits system. b) Make work pay by increasing work allowances, reviewing the taper rate and introducing a second earner work allowance at 50 per cent of the main earner. c) Introduce a system of incentives, rather than ineffective sanctions, to encourage people into work, and pilot a secure income guarantee to test the impact of introducing an unconditional element to the benefits system. d) Separate employment support from benefits administration - making Jobcentres places of training and support into work. e) Reassess PIP descriptors in line with decisions made by tribunal judges and bring work capability assessments in-house, ensuring that they are conducted fairly and in a sensitive manner. f) Set a 20 per cent higher minimum wage for people on zero-hour contracts at times of normal demand to compensate them for the uncertainty of fluctuating hours of work. g) Equalise the level of the job-seeking element of the benefits system so that those aged 18-24 can claim the same rate as over 25s. 2. To guarantee universal access to basic services: a) Ensure access to homes by increasing the rate of housebuilding to 300,000 a year, 100,000 of which will be homes for social rent, and helping people into homes by introducing a new Rent to Own model. b) Establish a legal right to food to enshrine in law the government's responsibility to ensure that existing and new public policy is audited to ensure that it will not leave people hungry. c) End holiday hunger by empowering local authorities and schools to build social partnerships to continue provision of meals in school holidays. d) Commit to ending rough sleeping within five years, publish a plan within the next twelve months to end all forms of homelessness, and provide councils with the resources to deliver the Homelessness Reduction Act. 3. To empower people to access work and opportunity in every part of the UK: a) Improve access to childcare for working parents by increasing the number of weeks for which free childcare is available and ensuring that at least 15 hours per week is delivered by nurseries so that children benefit from a good pre-school education. b) Open more public internet access points, and permit people using the benefits system to request access to a basic smartphone for a year to aid with their benefit claim and job searching. c) Invest in transport infrastructure throughout the UK, focusing on improving bus services. d) Invest in a national 'business standard' digital infrastructure that enables businesses of all sizes to grow to stimulate local economies throughout the UK. Applicability: Federal; except 3. a) (lines 107-111) which is England and Wales; and 2. a) (lines 90-93) and 2. c) - d) (lines 98-104) which are England only. Mover and summation of motion: 16 minutes combined; movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion - see page 6 - and for requests for separate votes - see page 3 - is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. In addition to speeches from the platform, voting members will be able to make concise (maximum one minute) interventions from the floor during the debate on the motion. See pages 3 and 4 for further information. 16.10 Speech Chair: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. Aide: Cllr Paul Tilsley. Hall Aide: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). F11 Baroness Brinton, President of the Liberal Democrats @salbrinton, #LDconf 16.30 Policy motion Chair: Jennie Rigg. Aide: Mary Reid. Hall Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). F12 Rehabilitation of Offenders 10 members Mover: Lord German (Spokesperson for Rehabilitation and Probation). Summation: Lord Marks QC (Lords Spokesperson for Justice). Conference believes that: A. The primary purpose of the penal system is to build communities that are free from crime, by rehabilitating ex-offenders and cutting reoffending. B. The current disjointed and failing system must be replaced by a co-ordinated approach in which all agencies work together to achieve that objective. Conference notes that: i) The UK imprisons more people than any other country in Western Europe, in insanitary and degrading conditions in overcrowded and understaffed prisons where deaths, assaults, self-harm and drug use are far too common. ii) Community supervision and 'Through the Gate' resettlement services have been failing because of government mismanagement, and the morale of the probation service is very low. iii) Suitable housing, stable employment and strong family relationships all help to reduce the risk of reoffending, while drug and alcohol misuse, mental health issues, financial problems and homelessness all increase it; the provision of services to help individuals address these issues - in prison and the community - is inadequate. iv) Spending to reduce re-offending would mean fewer victims of crime and yield major benefits for society and the public finances. Conference therefore supports the following policies on rehabilitation, taken from the spokesperson's paper Turning Lives Around: 1. A holistic approach to rehabilitation, in which: a) New, local co-ordinating bodies commission services to support individuals from sentencing to the end of supervision. b) These bodies are responsible for arranging for prison, supervision, healthcare and addiction treatment, education and training, housing and employment services, all as appropriate for the individuals concerned. 2. The number of people unnecessarily in prison to be reduced, by: a) Legislating for a presumption against prison sentences shorter than 12 months. b) Ending prison sentences for the possession of drugs for personal use. c) Giving victims the right to request restorative justice. d) Raising the age of criminal responsibility to 14 and diverting more children away from the criminal justice system (CJS). e) Reducing the overrepresentation of people from BAME backgrounds in the CJS. f) Ending mandatory sentences for possession of knives and corrosive substances. g) Releasing prisoners on indeterminate sentences who have served their minimum term unless there is evidence that they remain a danger to the public. h) Conducting a sentencing review with a view to reducing long sentences. i) Reducing the number of people in prison on remand or recall. 3. Prisons to be transformed into places of rehabilitation and recovery, by: a) Ending overcrowding. b) Recruiting more prison officers. c) Legislating for statutory minimum standards for prisons. d) Improving the provision of healthcare, education, training, work opportunities and access to sport, art and music. e) Ensuring that prisoners have access to IT, subject to content controls. f) Limiting the use of solitary confinement, including by reducing the maximum period of segregation without external review to 72 hours. g) Imposing additional days of imprisonment only as a punishment of last resort. h) Housing prisoners in prisons as near to their homes as possible. i) Building rehabilitation and recovery into prison design. 4. Effective supervision and rehabilitation in the community, by: a) Unifying probation by bringing all supervision under the National Probation Service. b) Improving the quality of supervision, with more and better contact between ex-offenders and their probation officers. c) Increasing involvement of specialist voluntary sector organisations in providing supervision and mentoring services. d) Tailoring the length of supervision to the needs of individual prison-leavers in place of the mandatory 12-month supervision period. 5. Education to be put at the core of the youth justice system, by: a) Replacing Young Offender Institutions with Secure Schools and Secure Children's Homes, small enough to assure individual care. b) Requiring each co-ordinating body to have at least one youth specialist responsible for commissioning services for children. 6. The specific needs of women who have committed offences to be addressed by: a) Establishing a Women's Justice Board. b) Ending the use of prison for women, except for the most serious and violent crimes. c) Requiring the interests of dependent children to be considered at sentencing. d) Remanding women in custody only if a prison sentence is likely. e) Replacing existing women's prisons with small custodial centres dispersed around the country. f) Establishing a national network of women's centres: one-stop-shops providing services and support for women in or at risk of entering the CJS. g) Providing supported accommodation for women who need it on release from prison. h) Requiring each local co-ordinating body to appoint a 'Women's Champion', to raise awareness of women's specific needs and ensure they are met. i) Providing specialist training for all staff in contact with women in the CJS. 7. Ex-offenders to be helped to build a life free from crime, by: a) Ensuring that all prison-leavers have suitable accommodation, a bank account and employment or training, and are registered with a local GP. b) Ending the release of prisoners on Fridays. c) Enabling prisoners to apply for Universal Credit in prison, so they receive their full entitlement immediately on release. d) Expanding the use of release on temporary licence. e) Offering reduced National Insurance Contributions to employers of prison-leavers. f) Reforming criminal record disclosure rules so that people do not have to declare irrelevant old or minor convictions. g) Removing questions about criminal convictions from application forms for all public-sector jobs and requiring employers to do the same to receive government contracts. h) Ensuring continuity of mental and physical health care and addiction treatment in prison and the community. i) Increasing wages for prisoners to a level that enables them to make savings into a bank account for release and contributions to Victims Support. j) Increasing the discharge grant to ensure that no one leaves prison destitute. 8. Prisons, probation and rehabilitative services to be properly funded, and: a) Developing a comprehensive cross-departmental measure of the fiscal, economic and social costs of reoffending. b) Spending to save: treating expenditure across the CJS as investment in cutting crime. Applicability: England and Wales; except 7. e) (lines 120-121) which is Federal. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion - see page 6 - and for requests for separate votes - see page 3 - is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Those selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. 17.15 Party business Chair: Andrew Wiseman. Aide: Sally Burnell. Hall Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). F13 Reports of the Parliamentary Parties Movers: Rt Hon Alistair Carmichael MP (Commons); Lord Newby (Lords); Catherine Bearder MEP (Europe). The deadline for questions to these reports is 13.00, Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 16.15 Saturday 14 September. See page 5 for further information. 18.00 Close of session Sunday 15 September 09.00 Policy motion Chair: Sarah Brown. Aide: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Cllr Paul Tilsley. F14 Young Carers Young Liberals Mover: Tara Copeland. Summation: Katharine Macy. Conference notes that young carers struggle disproportionately with both their education and employment and in particular that: i) Around 6.5 million people in the UK are carers, with over 700,000 of those being classified as young carers, and by 2030 it is estimated the number of carers will increase by around 6 per cent. ii) Carers between the age of 16 and 18 are twice as likely to be not in education, employment, or training (NEET) as young people without caring responsibilities, even though most carers need to work to support themselves. iii) 73 per cent of young carers report having to take time off school to cope with caring responsibilities, and are at risk of missing out on key topics like sex and relationships education, and home economics. iv) Young adult carers appear to be four times more likely to have to drop out of their college or university course than other students: 56 per cent of young adult carers in college or university were struggling because of their caring role, 17 per cent said they may have to drop out for reasons associated with their caring role and 13 per cent said that they may have to drop out for financial reasons. v) 45 per cent of young adult carers report mental health problems, and young carers in rural areas are more likely to feel lonely and isolated. vi) Young carers save the government billions of pounds as they are effectively unpaid workers. vii) Carers are not eligible for Carer's Allowance if they are in education for more than 21 hours a week. viii) Currently, carers can travel for free or at a reduced price with the person they care for. Conference commends and acknowledges the Liberal Democrat commitments made in policy paper 122, Age Ready Britain (2014), to introduce a Carer's Bonus, support for re-entering the jobs market, and more recognition and rights in the NHS. Conferences believes that: a) Being a carer should be given the same support and care as other diversity groups. b) Young carers need support and specialised education to allow them an equal chance at life, to compensate for missing schooling and to meet the special challenges of their caring roles; this should include cooking classes, finance education, sex education and wellbeing classes. c) Being in education is not a way to support yourself so you should be eligible for Carers' Allowance. d) Awareness of carers should be increased to help hidden carers who do not know they are carers and to help employers and educational institutes understand carers. e) Educational institutions should be providing more support to student carers through measures such as increasing mental health funding, creating support systems such as mentors for carers in education and providing bursaries to cover the extra cost of caring. Conference resolves that: 1. Young carers and young adult carers should be provided with a bus pass that allows them to travel for free without the person they care for. 2. Exam re-takes in all levels of education should be made more readily available for student carers. 3. Learning institutes and employers should treat being a carer as a diversity issue and provide support accordingly. 4. Learning institutes should work with charities to provide all young carers and young adult carers with a support worker. 5. Carers who undertake more than 21 hours a week of education should be able to qualify for Carer's Allowance if they meet the other criteria. 6. In addition to our 'curriculum for life' that should be available to all students, local authorities should ensure that young carers have educational opportunities on finance, sex and relationships and mental health. 7. Awareness about carers should be raised through government campaigns and working with charities. Applicability: England only; except 5. (lines 63-65) and 7. (lines 70-71) which are Federal. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00, Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. 09.45 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Aide: Alisdair Calder McGregor. Hall Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). F15 Stop Brexit to Save the NHS and Social Care Federal Policy Committee Mover: Baroness Jolly (Spokesperson for Health). Summation: Tamora Langley (Chair of the Policy Working Group). Conference believes that leaving the European Union poses serious threats to the sustainability of the NHS and Social Care systems and the health and wellbeing of all UK citizens, in particular through: I. Severely threatening the ability of staff from elsewhere in Europe to work here. II. Potential delays to medicines, cancer tests, and treatments using radioisotopes. III. Increased access to services currently provided by the NHS and the UK drugs market by US healthcare corporations, as a result of a wide-ranging trade deal with the USA. IV. UK patients missing out on the benefits of medical research funding and trials. V. UK nationals living in the EU losing their right to free healthcare under the S1 scheme at a potential cost for the NHS of up to half-a-billion pounds. VI. Loss of free healthcare for British tourists when travelling in the EU. VII. Reduced ability to respond to pandemics. VIII. Long-term loss of financial resources as a result of reduced UK economic growth; and that only by remaining in the EU can the UK effectively avoid these problems. Conference further believes that: A. NHS and Social Care services are vital public services that Liberal Democrats value and are absolutely committed to supporting. B. Deeply damaging Conservative cuts to local authority budgets for social care, early help and public health, are short-termist and must be reversed. C. Previous Liberal Democrat initiatives to improve social care and achieve parity of esteem for mental health have stalled under the Conservatives and need to be fully implemented. D. Insufficient attention or priority has been given to tackling persistent staff shortages in nursing, mental health and across the wider care system. Conference resolves that our overall priorities should be: i) Starting well and staying well: improving access to proven public health interventions, and intervening early to give every child a healthy start in life. ii) Continuing the work that we began in government to put mental health on an equal footing with physical health. iii) Delivering better, joined-up services for intensive users of services, and strengthening local accountability. iv) Recognising the contribution of NHS and care staff by improving access to flexible working and training, and respecting their professionalism. Conference therefore endorses policy paper 137, Save the NHS and Social Care by Stopping Brexit, as a statement of Liberal Democrat policies on health and social care, and in particular welcomes its proposals to: 1. Stop Brexit to guarantee continued access to medicines and treatments, reverse the loss of key staff and create the economic conditions in which Health and Social Care services can be properly funded. 2. Invest in Health and Social Care sustainably, restoring the cuts to key services through: a) In the near-term, raising a further 1p on the £ from income tax (around £6 billion a year) in addition to matching last year's increase to NHS budgets; we will use this additional £6 billion to meet immediate priorities in social care, reverse cuts to public health and invest in mental health. b) In the medium-term, establishing a cross-party commission to set a realistic long-term funding settlement for the NHS and Social Care, and introduce a dedicated Health and Social Care tax to fund it. 3. Give every child a healthy start in life, supporting young people and their families to eat healthily, be more active and develop their skills and resilience by: a) Introducing a new statutory requirement for public health interventions evaluated as cost effective by NICE to be available to qualifying people, within three months of publication of guidance. b) Ensuring that every child who is eligible for free school meals has access to a 'Wellbeing Hour', at least an hour a day of free activities to improve their health and wellbeing, such as sports clubs, cooking lessons and mindfulness classes. c) Giving councils greater powers to prevent new fast food outlets or High Fat Salt and Sugar content advertising within 500m of a school, and new traffic management powers to tackle air pollution, support the 'daily mile' and encourage safer outdoor play. d) Aiming to make England the safest country to have a baby in, granting every family a single maternity health professional by 2025 for continuity of care. e) Restoring funding of early help services for children in need, and establishing ACE ('Adverse Childhood Experience') Hubs. f) Investing in a more coherent and evidence-based strategy to reduce harm from alcohol addiction by expanding public health services for addicts, including introducing minimum unit pricing in England. 4. Help people to access reliable health advice swiftly, and make more informed decisions about their own health by: a) Guaranteeing a same day phone or video appointment with a healthcare professional at a local GP practice, to deter people from presenting at A&E with minor complaints because they can't get a GP appointment for two weeks. b) Developing a 'health programme' of appointments every five to ten years with health advisers - to improve uptake of screening. 5. Deliver our goal of parity between mental and physical health care, by: a) Making prescriptions for people with chronic mental health conditions available for free on the NHS, as they are for other long-term conditions. b) Investing in mental health facilities so that no-one is forced to travel unreasonable distances away from home. c) Supporting college and university students to stay mentally healthy, requiring universities to make quality mental health services accessible to their students. d) Implementing the recommendations of the Wessely review of the Mental Health Act, applying the principle of 'care not containment', while ensuring an emergency mental health bed is always available if needed. 6. Create a joined-up system of care which meets the needs of long-term or intensive users of services, by: a) Ensuring there is always local accountability for commissioning decisions by applying the principle of local government leading on the commissioning of both health and care services, where these are currently commissioned by CCGs. b) Introducing a statutory guarantee of regular respite breaks and a package of carer benefits including free leisure centre access and self-referral to socially prescribed activities and courses. c) Creating a national target that the gap in life expectancy for people with learning disabilities should be reduced by one per year, each year. 7. Create a joined-up system of care that meets the needs of long-term or intensive users of services, by: a) Targetting extra help for nursing students, starting with bursaries for specialities where shortages are most acute such as mental health, linked to clinical placements in geographies that are under-staffed. b) Funding an EU recruitment campaign and ending the Government's inflexible £30,000 earnings threshold for overseas workers, which rules out many care workers. c) Recognising the equally important contribution of social care staff through a new professional body for care workers and improved training and career development. d) Supporting the mental wellbeing of NHS and Social Care staff through mental health first aid training in all health and care settings, and a dedicated mental health support service giving confidential advice and support 24 hours a day. Applicability: England only; except 1. (lines 51-54) and 7. b) (lines 136-138) which are Federal. Mover and summation of motion: 16 minutes combined; movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. In addition to speeches from the platform, voting members will be able to make concise (maximum one minute) interventions from the floor during the debate on the motion. See pages 3 and 4 for further information. 11.30 Speech Chair: James Gurling. Aide: Cllr Simon McGrath. Hall Aide: Cara Jenkinson. F16 Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable MP @vincecable, #LDconf 11.50 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). Aide: Sally Burnell. Hall Aide: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). F17 Europe To ensure a timely and relevant debate on Europe, the Federal Conference Committee have decided to reserve this space on the agenda and to invite members to submit motions on Europe up to the Emergency Motion deadline. The deadline for submission of motions on Europe is 17.00 Thursday 5 September. The selected motion(s) and agenda items will be available online by 17.00 Monday 9 September and in Conference Extra. The deadline for amendments to the motion is 13.00 Thursday 12 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. 12.50 Lunch 14.10 Question and answer session Chair: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Jennie Rigg. F18 Question and answer session with Jo Swinson MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats Members may put questions on any topic to the Leader of the Liberal Democrats. Concise questions (maximum 25 words) may be submitted via the website until 13.00 Monday 2 September or to the Speaker's Table by 12.50 Sunday 15 September. See page 5. 15.10 Policy motion Chair: Jeremy Hargreaves. Aide: Liz Lynne. Hall Aide: Chris Maines. F19 Education is for Everyone: Investing in Further Education and Learning Throughout Life 13 members Mover: Layla Moran MP (Spokesperson for Education). Summation: Rt Hon Sir Vince Cable MP. Conference notes that: 1. Annual funding for a student in 16-19 education in England has fallen by 18 per cent in real terms since 2010 and two in five further education colleges are in deficit. 2. The Adult Education Budget has been cut in real terms since 2015 and less than two per cent of the Government's education spending is for adult learners. 3. The UK faces a serious skills deficit, with many business leaders expressing concern that too few workers have the necessary skills to meet their future job needs. 4. Almost half of all current workers will retrain completely during their career and this proportion will increase as economic and technological change accelerates, and people work for longer. 5. Many adult learners struggle with the cost of education and are reluctant to take out loans because they have work, mortgage and/or family responsibilities. Conference believes that: I. The right to an education, to learn new skills, to nurture creativity and to develop one's talents is for everyone of every age. II. Successive governments have grossly underfunded further and adult education in comparison to schools and universities, even though half of school leavers do not go on to university. III. Too many people feel disempowered because they lack the skills and/or qualifications to advance their careers in a changing economy. IV. Adult education is vital for people who struggled with formal education and provides learners with substantial cultural, economic, health and social benefits. Conference calls on the Government to reprioritise further education by: A. Significantly increasing 16-19 education funding at the next spending review, setting out a timetable to raise by 2022 the core funding rate for full-time students aged 16-19 to match that of secondary school pupils. B. Extending the pupil premium to students aged 16-19, with a proportion of the funding to be paid directly to students to support them with travel and other education-related costs. C. Reimbursing all sixth form and further education colleges for the VAT they pay whilst providing publicly funded courses, irrespective of whether they have converted into an academy. D. Revising the 'condition of funding' so that students who do not have a grade 4 in GCSE English and Maths are not required to resit the GCSE but instead can take a free course of English or Maths study suited to their needs alongside their main course. E. Extending the Teachers' Pay Grant to further education colleges and sixth form colleges to enable them to fund a pay rise for teaching staff. Conference welcomes the first report of the Independent Commission on Lifelong Learning, convened by Sir Vince Cable MP, and calls on the Government to: i) Introduce a universal Personal Education and Skills Account (PESA) for adults in England. ii) Make three payments into an individual's PESA when the account holder turns 25, 40 and 55. iii) Make additional payments in response to certain life events (e.g. redundancy), to combat socio-economic inequality, and to encourage workers to retrain into shortage occupations. iv) Offer tax relief or match funding to incentivise account holders and their employers to pay into their PESA. v) Encourage local authorities and city regions to make discretionary payments into PESAs to incentivise education and training in their areas. vi) Enable account holders aged 25 or over to use the money saved in their PESAs to pay for any accredited education or training course. vii) Provide free careers guidance to anyone wishing to use the money in their PESA to support them to choose a course that will help them achieve their personal or career development aims. Conference further recognises that the creation of a culture of all-age education requires more than additional funding and calls on the Government to: a) Address supply-side problems in adult education so that everyone can access education and training near where they live. b) Create a right to request time off or flexible working in order to undertake approved education or training. Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitments to support people who do not attend university by: 1. Boosting the quality and quantity of apprenticeships, as set out in Policy Paper 133, Good Jobs, Better Businesses, Stronger Communities: Proposals for a New Economy that Really Works for Everyone, including by transforming the broken Apprenticeship Levy into a Skills and Training Levy. 2. Reducing the cost of travel to school, college or work for young people, such as by introducing a bus discount card for people aged 16-21. Applicability: England only; except b) (lines 76-77) and 1. (lines 80-84) which are Federal. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. 16.00 Speech Chair: Cllr Simon McGrath. Aide: Alisdair Calder McGregor. Hall Aide: Duncan Brack (Vice Chair, FPC). F20 Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats @DoddsJane, #LDconf 16.20 Party business Chair: Mary Reid. Aide: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. Hall Aide: Sarah Brown. F21 Federal Board Report Mover: Baroness Brinton (President of the Liberal Democrats). The deadline for questions to this report is 13.00 Monday 2 September. Questions selected will be detailed in Conference Extra. Questions on events occurring after the deadline may be submitted up until 15.20 Sunday 15 September. See page 5 for further information. 16.50 Business motion Chair: Cllr Jon Ball. Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Jenni Lang. F22 Membership Subscriptions and Federal Levy Federal Board Mover: Anthony Harris (Chair, Federal Finance and Resources Committee). Summation: Mark Pack. Conference agrees to the following for 2020: 1. To encourage further membership growth by freezing the current membership rates of £72 (recommended), £12 (standard minimum), £6 (minimum for those in receipt of or entitled to state benefits), £6 (minimum for members paying via Liberal Youth), and £1 (minimum for members paying via Liberal Youth in their first two years). 2. That nothing in this motion shall prevent a State Party from setting via their internal procedures higher recommended or minimum subscription rates or from introducing additional concessionary rates. 3. That the Federal Levy remain at 55 per cent for 2020. Applicability: Federal. Mover: 5 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. 17.00 Party Business Chair: Cllr Jon Ball. Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Jenni Lang. F23 Constitutional Amendments Federal Board Mover: Duncan Brack Summation: Jeremy Hargreaves (Vice Chair, Federal Policy Committee). Part 1: Committee membership In clause 7.3, after 'Any member of a Committee' insert 'other than those individually specified in the Constitution', and delete 'without a good reason'. Part 2: Special conferences In clause 8.12, delete '200 members, in not fewer than 20 local parties' and insert '2% of members, in not less than 10% of local parties'. Part 3: FIRC membership In clause 14.2 (ii) (d), delete 'one representative of the Brussels and Europe local party' and insert 'one representative of Liberal Democrats Abroad'. Part 4: Vice Presidents of the Party Insert new clause 19.2: 19.2 The Vice Presidents of the Party shall be: a) the Chair of the English Liberal Democrats b) the Convenor of the Scottish Liberal Democrats c) the Chair of the NEC of the Welsh Liberal Democrats d) a Vice President responsible for working with BaME communities, elected by the Federal Board. Part 5: Minor corrections to the Constitution In clause 2.4, delete '(the Act)'. In clause 2.7, delete 'The provisions of this clause' and insert 'The provisions of this article'. In clause 2.7, delete 'the Act' and insert 'the Equality Act 2010'. In clause 3.1, (b) delete 'As a Member of the Liberal Democrats you must' and insert 'Members of the Liberal Democrats must'. In clause 3.1, (c) delete 'As a member of the Liberal Democrats you must' and insert 'Members of the Liberal Democrats must'. In clause 3.6, delete apostrophe before 'any person' and insert full stop after 'Article 22'. In clause 3.7, delete apostrophe before 'any person' and insert full stop after 'Article 22'. In clause 4.3, delete '(a)', and replace '(i)' with '(a)' and '(ii)' with '(b)'. In clause 5.3, after 'Federal People Development Committee' insert ', Federal International Relations Committee'. In clause 6.2, (i) (b) delete 'or, if the Leader so decides or the post of Leader is vacant, the Deputy Leader'. In clause 6.2, (c) delete 'a Chair' and insert 'the Chair'. In clause 7.1, delete 'Each Committee may appoint one or more Vice Chairs to stand in for the Chair and to undertake such other tasks as the Committee may from time to time provide.' and insert this text as a new clause 7.2. Renumber clauses accordingly. In clause 7.7(e) (ii), delete ', Deputy Leader'. Rename clauses 8.1 - 8.9 as 'the Policy-making Process'. Separate clauses 8.10 - 8.16 into a separate article, called 'Conference'. In clause 8.11, after 'sessions', delete 'of the Conference at which any member of the Party may speak, but such provisions shall not prejudice the right of the chair of a session to select speakers'. In clause 10.2 (i) (a), delete 'or Deputy Leader'. Insert new clause 13.3 '(b) the Vice President responsible for working with BaME communities'. Insert new clause 13.3 '(f) the Chair of the Racial Diversity Campaign'. Switch the order of clauses 16.4 and 16.5. In clause 18.4 (g), delete 'Equalities' and insert 'Equality'. In clause 18.8 (g), delete 'Equalities' and insert 'Equality'. In clause 20.1 (b), after 'objectives;' insert 'and'. Re-order articles to be in the following order: Conference The Policy-Making Process Committees of the Federal Party The Federal Board The Federal Policy Committee The Federal Conference Committee Re-number all articles and sub-clauses, and all references to articles and sub-clauses, accordingly. The current Federal Party constitution is available at www.libdems.org.uk/constitution The existing text of the relevant parts of the articles amended by Parts 1 to 4 above are as follows: ARTICLE 7: Committees of the Federal Party ... 7.3 Any member of a Committee who does not attend a meeting for 6 months without good reason shall be deemed to have resigned from that Committee. ARTICLE 8: The Policy-Making Process and Conference ... 8.12 The Conference shall normally meet twice a year, for a week in the early autumn and a weekend in the early spring; additional meetings may be summoned upon the requisition of the Federal Board or the Federal Policy Committee or the Conference itself or 200 members, in not fewer than 20 local parties. A meeting may be cancelled by the Federal Board in exceptional circumstances. ARTICLE 14: The Federal International Relations Committee ... 14.2 The Committee Shall consist of: ... (ii) non-voting members: ... one representative of the Brussels and Europe local party; and Applicability: Federal. F23 and F24 will be debated together but voted on separately. See notes after F24. F24 Standing Order Amendments Federal Board Mover: Duncan Brack. Summation: Jeremy Hargreaves. In Conference Standing Orders, glossary, under 'special conference', delete '200 members, in not fewer than 20 local parties' and insert '2% of party members, in not fewer than 10% of local parties'. Re-number all references to articles and sub-clauses according to the changes made to the Constitution in F23. The existing text of Conference Standing Orders is printed in this Agenda at pages 70-80. Applicability: Federal. F23 and F24 will be debated together but voted on separately. Both the constitutional amendment and the standing orders amendment require a two-thirds majority to pass. Separate votes will be held on Parts 1 to 5 of the Constitutional Amendment. A vote on F24 will only be taken if Part 3 of the Constitutional Amendment passes. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to these motions is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Sunday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Saturday 15 September; see page 3. 18.00 Close of session Monday 16 September 09.00 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Paul Tilsley. Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Cllr Simon McGrath. F25 Music Venues 14 members Mover: Beatrice Bass. Summation: Benjamin Thomas. Conference notes that: i) Britain has a vibrant music culture and can be proud of its musical heritage with diverse styles and a broad range of internationally successful artists, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Blur, Adele, Coldplay, Muse and Dizzee Rascal to name a few. ii) The music industry makes a huge contribution to the UK economy - music tourism generated £4 billion with over 30 million people attending live events in 2016 according to UK Music's Wish You Were Here report in 2017. iii) Music venues play a vital role in nurturing the music industry and giving a platform for new up and coming bands and artists; most successful artists, including those named above, started out performing in grassroot music venues. iv) Music artists increasingly depend on live concerts and touring to generate sufficient income, but according to a report by the Commons Digital, Media, Culture and Sports Select Committee, 35 per cent of grassroot music venues have closed in the last decade; one of the biggest problems is developers moving next to music venues and imposing venue closures due to noise/nuisance complaints. v) The Liberal Democrats have a history of supporting the creative industries. vi) Thanks to the 'Agent of Change' campaign of UK Music and the Music Venue Trust, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was amended to protect existing music venues; Section 182 provides that landlords or developers have to provide soundproofing to keep new developments next to long-standing venues noise free, but while cities like Bristol and London have adopted this new planning policy, not all local planning authorities have done so. vii) Current private and statutory nuisance law in England allows for new property owners to move next to an established music venue and claim for nuisance to stop the music; it is anticipated that the new NPPF will lead to new judicial rulings, but there is no precedent or legislation to this effect yet. Conference calls for: 1. Promotion and advocacy of the creative industry with progressive policies that support musicians and the prolific music culture in the UK. 2. Liberal Democrat Parliamentarians and campaigners to work with existing organisations such as UK Music, the Music Venue Trust and the Arts Council to protect music venues. 3. Support for legislative changes that protect music venues including: a) Local authorities to implement and enforce Section 182 of the NPPF. c) Introduction of further legislation to amend some of the legal principles of private and statutory nuisance to enable exceptions for long-established music venues. d) Support for music venues being listed as Assets of Community Value. 4. Allocation of more government funding for grassroot music venues via the Arts Council. Applicability: England only. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Monday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Sunday 15 September; see page 3. 09.35 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Jon Ball. Aide: Jennie Rigg. Hall Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). F26 United Against Crime Federal Policy Committee Mover: Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP (Spokesperson for Home Affairs). Summation: Vicki Cardwell (Chair of the Policy Working Group). Conference believes that a fair society must tackle crime effectively - preventing crime and ensuring people feel safe are crucial to achieving social justice, as it is the poorest and most vulnerable who suffer most from crime and benefit most from good policing. Conference notes with concern that: I. Violent crime, organised crime, burglaries and robberies are all currently rising. II. The Conservative Government has cut £1 billion from police budgets since 2015, stretching forces to the point that they can no longer provide an effective service. III. Conservative cuts to local government have forced councils to cut spending on youth services by an average of 40% since 2015. Conference believes that: A. The police need to be given enough resources to restore effective community policing, tackle increases in violent and gang-related crime, and respond to burglaries and robberies. B. To prevent crime, we must understand what drives people to commit crime and intervene at the earliest possible opportunity. C. Civil liberties must be protected; especially as new technology becomes available to the police. D. Police forces should not be required to pick up the pieces of other struggling services. E. The overwhelming majority of honest, hardworking police officers and staff should be supported and that their commitment should be recognised, while their leaders should be held accountable for effective service delivery. F. Our goal should be not only to make people actually safer, but also to make people feel safer so they can live, work and rest free from fear. Conference endorses policy paper 138, United Against Crime, and particularly calls for: i) A major investment in community policing, providing funding for two new police officers for every ward in the country. ii) Investment in mental health services, to ensure that people get the help they need and to ease the pressure that mental health crises places on the police. iii) Additional resources to end youth violence, including promoting diversionary schemes and building genuinely innovative and engaging youth services. iv) Substantial extra funding for the National Crime Agency to combat serious organised crime. v) The creation of the new Online Crime Agency to effectively tackle online crimes such as personal fraud and threats and incitement to violence on social media. Conference also calls for: 1. The building of a police service that is fit for 21st century challenges, by: a) Recognising that violent crime is a public health emergency that requires more than just a police response: it needs the police to work in partnership with youth, educational and health services to tackle the problem. b) Ensuring that British police retain access to the European Arrest Warrant and data-sharing systems, and continue the UK's leadership role in Europol, by stopping Brexit through a People's Vote. c) Immediately halting the use of facial recognition surveillance by the police and regulate any use of data and artificial intelligence by the police through primary legislation that ensures it is unbiased, transparent and accurate, and that it respects the privacy of innocent people. 2. The freeing up of the police to focus on cutting crime, by: a) Investing in mental health services so that they can properly support people and introducing a target of one hour for people to be transferred from the police into the care of a mental health service. b) Supporting all police forces to reach minimum levels of training in mental health response and ensuring that all polices forces have mental health practitioners in the control room 24/7. c) Reviewing the impact of police officers that are dedicated to working with missing persons with a view to recruiting more officers for this role. d) When a child is reported missing from care, having a funded requirement for Children's Services to assess the reasons behind this and put a plan in place to prevent it happening again. 3. Government to show it values the police, by: a) Implementing in full the recommendations of the independent police pay review, funded by central government, and introducing a presumption that future recommendations will be funded by the government. b) Encouraging all police services to introduce the Blue Light Framework for wellbeing and providing all officers with proactive mental health assessments every six months. c) Working with the police to improve training of staff so that they are better placed to adapt to the changing demands of 21st century policing. d) Introducing a police apprenticeship scheme. 4. The introduction of effective measures to cut crime and ensure people feel safe, by: a) Making youth diversion a statutory duty so that every part of the country has a pre-charge diversion scheme for young people up to the age of 25. b) Embedding teams of trauma-informed youth intervention specialists in A&E departments to prevent young people being caught in the cycle of serious violence. c) Training youth workers, teachers and police officers to understand the significance of adverse childhood experiences and how to respond to young people who have experienced them. d) Establishing a Breaking the Cycle Fund to test innovative approaches to prevent the most vulnerable becoming victims of crime. e) Extending Community Safety Funds to invest in communities and ensure that people feel safer and can lead their own lives free from fear. f) Ending the disproportionate use of Stop and Search. Applicability: England and Wales; except 2. a) (lines 64-67) and 2. d) (lines 75-78) which are England only. Mover and summation of motion: 16 minutes combined; movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Monday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Sunday 15 September; see page 3. In addition to speeches from the platform, voting members will be able to make concise (maximum one minute) interventions from the floor during the debate on the motion. See pages 3 and 4 for further information. 11.00 Speech Chair: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Aide: Chris Maines. Hall Aide: James Gurling. F27 Chuka Umunna MP, Spokesperson for the Treasury and Business @ChukaUmunna, #LDconf 11.20 Lunch 14.10 Speech Chair: Chris Maines. Aide: James Gurling. Hall Aide: Cllr Paul Tilsley. F28 Siobhan Benita, Liberal Democrat Candidate for London Mayor @SiobahnBenita, #LDconf 14.30 Policy motion Chair: Liz Lynne. Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. F29 Tackling the Climate Emergency Federal Policy Committee Mover: Wera Hobhouse MP (Spokesperson for the Environment and Climate Change). Summation: Duncan Brack (Chair of the Policy Working Group). Conference recognises that the world is facing a climate emergency; unless urgent action is taken to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, the worst impacts of climate breakdown will follow, including severe damage to economies, societies and nature, the possible collapse of poor countries with weak governance most exposed to the impacts and a huge and permanent growth in the numbers of refugees fleeing their homes. Conference further recognises that in the UK and elsewhere the worst impacts will be felt by the poorest people and the poorest communities. Conference therefore resolves that the UK must reduce its emissions of greenhouse gases to net zero as fast as possible, and endorses the aim of net zero greenhouse gas emissions from the UK by 2045 at the latest, with interim targets of a 75 per cent reduction from 1990 by 2030 and 93 per cent by 2040 (subject to revision should faster progress prove possible), in compliance with the international targets to limit climate change set by the Paris Agreement of 2015. Conference recognises that setting a target date for net zero emissions is essential but by itself is not enough; early credible action is more critical, and the precise target date for achieving net zero is less important than urgent action to set the economy on the path towards it. Conference accordingly endorses the proposal for an emergency ten-year programme of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and power generation - the most cost-effective options - to near-zero, helping to reduce UK greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030. Conference condemns the Conservative government for failing to take action even to meet the UK's previous less ambitious target, and for pursuing measures, such as fracking and airport expansion, which will increase emissions. Conference therefore endorses policy paper 139, Tackling the Climate Emergency, as a statement of Liberal Democrat policies on climate change and in particular its key priorities: i) Ensuring that the net zero objective is built into decision-making by national and local government, businesses, investors, communities and households, rewarding rapid progress towards net zero and encouraging behavioural change in patterns of living, working, travelling and eating. ii) Creating a Just Transition Commission to advise on how to deliver a net-zero economy that works for everyone, and Just Transition Funds to support development in those regions and communities most affected by the transition. iii) Stopping Brexit and working closely with the UK's European and global partners to raise global ambition, develop zero-carbon technologies and increase aid funding to help developing countries reach net zero. iv) Cutting UK greenhouse gas emissions and reducing energy costs by reducing the demand for energy through measures such as home insulation and greater energy efficiency. v) Ending the use of fossil fuels in the UK economy, including banning fracking and the opening of new coal mines and pits, and replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy. vi) Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including a massive programme of tree planting and the deployment of technological solutions. Conference further welcomes the detailed proposals to: 1. Unleash democracy by: a) Legislating to create a statutory duty for each principal local authority to set a Zero-Carbon Strategy, including local and community power generation, home energy retrofits and local transport and land use plans, with an accompanying major decentralisation of powers and resources. b) Ensuring climate objectives are a top priority for central government, including appointing a cabinet-level Chief Secretary for Sustainability in the Treasury, creating a new Department for Climate and Natural Resources and introducing a requirement on all public bodies to report on the extent to which climate risks pose a threat to their ability to fulfil their responsibilities. c) Establishing a national Citizen's Climate Assembly to improve public engagement, tasked with debating every aspect of climate policy and delivering recommendations to government and stimulating public debate. 2. Decarbonise finance and investment, and make the UK the green finance capital of the world by: a) Investing in zero-carbon infrastructure for power, heat, transport, industrial carbon capture and storage (CCS) and afforestation. b) Establishing a new Green Investment Bank to steer private investment into these sectors. c) Regulating financial services to encourage green investments, including requiring all companies registered in the UK and listed on UK stock exchanges to disclose their level of climate risk and make provisions for the costs associated with meeting targets compliant with the Paris Agreement. d) Greening the taxation system to make the polluters pay and to reward progress towards net zero. 3. Use innovation, skills and education strategies to support the net zero target, including: a) Fostering the development of regional industrial innovation clusters, increasing support for Innovate UK and the Catapult Centres, and funding large-scale technology innovation missions. b) Developing a zero-carbon skills strategy to tackle any skills gaps that could hinder progress. c) Implementing zero-carbon education and public engagement strategies to ensure everyone understands the urgency of the climate crisis and is able to participate in decision-making over the options to tackle it. 4. Place climate action at the heart of foreign policy by: a) Stopping Brexit and working within the EU for greater climate ambition. b) Incorporating climate objectives into the heart of UK diplomacy. c) Tripling support through the UK's International Climate Fund for for climate-related development spending and ending support from UK Export Finance for fossil fuel-related activities. 5. Decarbonise buildings by: a) Carrying out an emergency ten-year programme to reduce energy consumption from all the UK's buildings, cutting emissions and fuel bills and helping to end fuel poverty, including providing free retrofits for low-income homes and piloting a new subsidised Energy-Saving Homes scheme. b) Introducing a zero-carbon standard for all new buildings by 2021, rising to Passivhaus standard by 2025. c) Adopting a zero-carbon heat strategy, including reforming the Renewable Heat Incentive, requiring the phased installation of heat pumps in homes and businesses off the gas grid and taking a decision on the appropriate mix of zero-carbon technologies - electric heat pumps, hydrogen and hybrid solutions - within the next three years. 6. Decarbonise power by: a) Accelerating the deployment of renewable power generation, aiming initially to reach a generation capacity of at least 80 per cent renewables by 2030 (including any increase in electricity demand for transport, heat and industry). b) Developing smart grids, storage solutions and interconnectors to other countries' electricity grids to guarantee security of supply and to improve the management and balancing of the system. c) Promote decentralised and community energy, including setting a target of more than half of households and businesses sharing in the renewable energy revolution by 2030, including requiring all new homes to be fitted with solar panels. 7. Decarbonise transport by: a) Encouraging the rapid take-up of electric vehicles by ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and small vans, including hybrids, by 2030, banning their use on public roads by 2045, and accelerating the installation of charging points. b) Converting the rail network to ultra-low-emission technology (electric or hydrogen) by 2035. c) Reducing the need for car travel by investing in public transport and amending the National Planning Policy Framework to promote sustainable transport and land use. d) Reforming the taxation of international flights to target the most frequent flyers, placing a moratorium on the development of new runways (net) in the UK and introducing a zero-carbon fuels blending requirement for domestic flights. 8. Decarbonise industry by: a) Working with industry to introduce resource productivity and circular-economy models. b) Banning non-recyclable single-use plastics within three years and initiating negotiations on an international agreement to reduce the production and consumption of plastics. c) Providing infrastructure funding to accelerate the introduction of industrial carbon capture and storage. 9. Decarbonise agriculture and food by: a) Prioritising climate change mitigation in agricultural support systems, including measures to increase soil carbon, tree planting and woodland creation. b) Developing a National Food Strategy to promote the production and consumption of healthy, sustainable and affordable food. 10. Remove carbon from the atmosphere by: a) Increasing UK forest cover by planting an additional 60 million trees a year, and by restoring peatlands. b) Supporting research and innovation for negative emissions technologies, particularly Direct Air Capture and Carbon Storage (DACCS), and introducing a funding system to reward delivery. Applicability: Federal; except 1. a) (lines 59-63) and 7. c) (lines 148-150) and aspects of 3. (lines 90-101), 5. (lines 111-124), and 8., 9. and 10. (lines 156-178) which are England only. Mover and summation of motion: 16 minutes combined; movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Monday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Sunday 15 September; see page 3. In addition to speeches from the platform, voting members will be able to make concise (maximum one minute) interventions from the floor during the debate on the motion. See pages 3 and 4 for further information. 16.10 Speech Chair: Cllr Paul Tilsley. Aide: Cllr Joe Otten. Hall Aide: Alisdair Calder McGregor. F30 Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP, Spokesperson for Home Affairs @EdwardJDavey, #LDconf 16.30 Policy motion Chair: Chris Maines. Aide: Sarah Brown. Hall Aide: Cllr Joe Otten. F31 Open Britain: Policies to Support Tourism 12 members Mover: Baroness Doocey (Spokesperson for Tourism). Summation: Lord McNally. Conference believes that tourism is the lifeblood of the UK economy, with a rich tapestry of destinations beyond the capital cities - London, Edinburgh and Cardiff - ranging from traditional 'bucket and spade' resorts like Blackpool to creative hotspots like Brighton, rural retreats like the Lake District and modern city attractions like those in Bradford, Hull, Liverpool and Gateshead. Conference notes that: i) Tourism comprises over 250,000 businesses, 95 per cent of which are micro businesses and SMEs. ii) They provide jobs for 3.1m people - approximately 10 per cent of the UK work force, contributing £127 billion to the economy each year - 9 per cent of GDP. iii) Jobs in the industry are well distributed around the country, boosting rural, urban and seaside communities alike. iv) The industry is responsible for 29 per cent of the UK's global service exports. v) International visitors spend £24.5 billion annually and generate £7 billion in tax. Conference regrets that the government has neglected to make tourism a part of its industrial strategy and recognises three major challenges for UK tourism: A. How to support the industry to grow and develop through turbulent political and economic times, enabling these thousands of businesses to recruit and retain staff, and to continue growing and creating jobs. B. How to ensure the industry protects and enhances the natural environment on which much of it relies. C. How the sector can be fairly and effectively regulated to take account of technological change, particularly in the accommodation market. Conference therefore supports the following policies to support tourism, taken from the spokesperson's paper Open Britain: 1. Provide a framework of increased support for the tourism industry that will allow it to flourish by: a) Creating a new Secretary of State for Tourism, Culture, Communications and Sport to replace the existing DCMS Secretary. b) Upgrading the status of VisitEngland so it becomes a national tourist board in its own right, directly accountable to the Secretary of State. c) Making National tourist boards more accountable, with ambitious targets. 2. Help less well-off communities in Britain gain opportunities through the tourism industry, helping to rebalance the economy away from an over-reliance on London and boosting opportunities for young people to get skills and develop a career by: a) Redistributing visitors from the capital to the regions and nations of the UK. b) Creating new links between attractions in rural areas nearby to each other. c) Keeping tourists connected to fast mobile data and broadband throughout their stay. d) Promoting exchange schemes so that those in low-skilled work can earn placements abroad, to broaden their experience and learn new languages. e) Marketing modular tourism and hospitality apprenticeships through better links between industry and schools. f) Providing dedicated training for young people designed to improve skills development in digital and new technology. g) Reforming the visa system for migrant workers in line with the policies set out in policy paper 131, A Fair Deal for Everyone. 3. Promote growth to enable the industry to be internationally competitive and sustainable, so helping to achieve our national objectives on climate change by: a) Improving public transport links and taking measures to reduce 'over-tourism'. b) Putting Environmental issues at the heart of strategic planning for the industry. c) Establishing an expanded green accreditation scheme for attractions and accommodation. d) Focusing on access to rural attractions without using a car. e) Make the display of food hygiene ratings mandatory for businesses in England, including on online takeaway websites. 4. Promote the benefits of technological innovation while putting in place a level playing field for the accommodation sector, from Airbnb rooms right through to traditional hotels by: a) Establishing a statutory registration scheme for the accommodation sector, bringing enhanced safety standards across the board and especially in the 'sharing economy'. b) Granting new powers for local authorities to limit the number of homes registered as short lets. c) Removing 'rent a room' tax relief on rooms designated as short-lets. 5. Reduce taxation on tourism by central government, to boost the sector, while empowering local authorities to raise revenue and invest in their local tourist economies, aiming for an overall revenue-neutral impact by: a) Reducing VAT on visitor accommodation and attractions. b) Requiring accommodation and attractions benefiting from the reduced rate to advertise their prices exclusive of VAT. c) Enabling local authorities to bring in tourist levies to fund local infrastructure through councils and destination management organisations. Applicability: Federal; except 2. b) - f) (lines 50-60), 3. (lines 64-76), 4. a) and b) (lines 80-84), and 5. c) (lines 94-96) which are England only. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00 Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Monday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Sunday 15 September; see page 3. 17.15 Emergency motion or topical issue discussion Chair: Jenni Lang. Aide: Duncan Brack (Vice Chair, FPC). Hall Aide: Jennie Rigg. F32 Emergency Motion or Topical Issue Discussion This slot has been reserved for the debate of an emergency motion and / or discussion of a topical issue. The deadline for emergency motions and for suggestions for topical issues is 13.00 Monday 2 September. The motion selected for debate or the motions proposed for the ballot will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. See pages 5 and 6. 18.00 Close of session Tuesday 17 September 09.00 Emergency motion or topical issue discussion Chair: Cllr Sarah Boad. Aide: Liz Lynne. Hall Aide: Jenni Lang. F33 Emergency Motion or Topical Issue Discussion This slot has been reserved for the debate of an emergency motion and / or discussion of a topical issue. The deadline for emergency motions and for suggestions for topical issues is 13.00 Monday 2 September. The motion selected for debate or the motions proposed for the ballot will be printed in Conference Extra and Saturday's Conference Daily. See pages 5 and 6. 09.45 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Joe Otten. Aide: Cara Jenkinson. Hall Aide: Duncan Brack (Vice Chair, FPC). F34 Deprivation of Citizenship 18 members Mover: Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP (Spokesperson for Home Affairs). Summation: Nasser Butt. Conference notes that: A. Under the British Nationality Act 1981, the Home Secretary has the power to deprive a British citizen of their citizenship if either: i) Their citizenship has been obtained through fraud, false representation or concealment of material fact. ii) The Home Secretary "is satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good". B. The deprivation power in A. ii) has been expanded in 2002, 2006 and 2014, so that it now covers British-born citizens and so that naturalised British citizens can now be made stateless for acts that are "seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the UK". C. No-one was deprived of their British citizenship between 1973 and 2002, but recent Conservative Home Secretaries have dramatically increased the use of the power in A. ii) - from four cases in 2014 and five in 2015 to 14 in 2016 and 104 in 2017. D. There have been recent cases where the Home Secretary unlawfully made British-born people stateless by depriving them of their citizenship. E. The UK has ratified the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness but not the 1997 European Convention on Nationality, which prevents states from making people stateless unless their citizenship was obtained through fraud, false information or concealment of fact. Conference believes that: I. People born British should not be deprived of their British citizenship under any circumstances - those who commit crimes should face justice in the UK. II. The requirement that the Home Secretary "is satisfied that deprivation is conducive to the public good" is too low a bar for deprivation of citizenship. III. No one should be made stateless by the UK Government, unless they obtained their British citizenship through misrepresentation or fraud. IV. The decision to strip someone of their citizenship must never be a political one, and the power should not rest with the Home Secretary alone. V. Anyone deprived of their citizenship must have a genuine ability to appeal the decision. VI. The power to deprive someone of the citizenship is a draconian one, and its exercise must be subject to close scrutiny. Conference calls for: 1. The power to deprive someone of their British citizenship to be restricted to naturalised citizens, in cases where either: a) Citizenship has been obtained through fraud, false representation or concealment of material fact. b) The person has done something seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom, and deprivation of citizenship is a proportionate response to such conduct and necessary for the national security of the United Kingdom. 2. The power in 1. b) to be further restricted so that it cannot be used if it would make someone stateless. 3. The best interests of any child affected by the use of this power always to be taken into account. 4. The process to be reformed, so that the Home Secretary must apply to a court for permission to deprive someone of citizenship and demonstrate that the requirements in 1., 2. and 3. have been met. 5. The right to appeal deprivation of citizenship to be strengthened, by requiring the Home Secretary to disclose to the individual concerned sufficient information to enable them to effectively instruct their special advocate. 6. The Government to publish annual reports on its use of this power, and the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation to review its use at least once every three years. 7. The UK to ratify the 1997 European Convention on Nationality. Applicability: Federal. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00, Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Tuesday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Monday 16 September; see page 3. 10.30 Speech Chair: Sarah Brown. Aide: Cllr Simon McGrath. Hall Aide: Cllr Joe Otten. F35 Willie Rennie, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats @willie_rennie, #LDconf 10.50 Party business Chair: Baroness Barker. Aide: Chris Maines. Hall Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). F36 Tribute to Paddy Ashdown Join us as we pay tribute to our inspirational friend and colleague Paddy, and say thank you to Jane. 11.10 Policy motion Chair: Cllr Victor Chamberlain. Aide: Jenni Lang. Hall Aide: Sally Burnell. F37 Reforming Housing Legislation: Scrapping Section 21 'No Fault Evictions' 13 members Mover: Mark Platt. Summation: Luisa Porrit MEP. Conference notes with concern: i) The growing numbers of people across the UK reliant upon the private rented sector for their homes, including families on low incomes or receiving benefits, single parents, people living with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, older people, and people who are from two or more of these categories. ii) The use of Section 21 of the Housing Act to evict private rental tenants, via a no-fault eviction, where a landlord needs to provide no reason, and needs to provide only two months' notice, leaving the tenant to cover moving and relocation costs, irrespective of their circumstances. iii) The impacts that no fault evictions have on those evicted, who may not have sufficient funds to find new accommodation in the time available, including forcing children to move schools, tearing people away from their friends and communities, and leaving tenants financially compromised and requiring support from the state. iv) The impact that the threat of a no-fault eviction has on tenants who cannot plan their lives when they have no confidence where home will be in 12 months' time or are intimidated into not complaining about disrepair or mistreatment. v) The impact that no fault evictions have on local authorities, increasing the numbers of people they must support as a consequence of being forced into homelessness following a S21 eviction. Conference reaffirms the Liberal Democrat commitment to: a) Reform the private rental market to make it fairer for private renters. b) Provide support for private renters to enable them to safely report health and safety issues in rented properties. c) Support renters by enabling local authorities to create and maintain registers of landlords providing private rental properties for lease. Conference calls for: 1. The abolition of S21 by reform of the Housing Act 1988. 2. The reform of court process (as has happened in Scotland) to enable landlords to have easier access to justice in the event that tenants are found to be in breach of their tenancy agreements. 3. Further work to be undertaken with tenant and landlord organisations and groups to explore the opportunities for further reform and improvement of the private rental sector, such as revising the current assured short-hold tenancy legislation to encourage the use of long-term tenancies as a standard. Applicability: England only. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00, Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Tuesday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Monday 16 September; see page 3. 11.50 Policy motion Chair: Baroness Doocey. Aide: Cllr Jon Ball. Hall Aide: Jennie Rigg. F38 Building Railways Fit for the 21st Century 10 members Mover: Baroness Randerson (Spokesperson for Transport). Summation: Caroline Pidgeon AM (Spokesperson for London). Conference notes that: A. Passenger use of rail has been increasing, but passenger satisfaction is at its lowest level in ten years. B. Train punctuality is the worst it has been since 2006 and yet fares have risen by nearly 57 per cent since then. C. To combat climate change the UK must achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045 and the railways will play a vital role in reducing emissions from transport. Conference believes that: i) The railways are already, to a large degree nationalised and further nationalisation will solve nothing: renationalisation is expensive and will not make the railways cheaper, more punctual or less micro-managed and would be a costly distraction. ii) For the UK's cities to be successful and environmentally sustainable, they must be served by a growing and modern rail network that people can reliably use to commute. iii) The rail ticketing system is outdated and does not reflect the needs of passengers in the 21st century. iv) The Department for Transport (DfT) excessively micromanages parts of the rail network - running railways is an expert job and should be left to industry experts working to strategic priorities set by local and central government. v) The railways should be a green and environmentally friendly option for passengers and freight. Conference therefore supports the following policies on rail, taken from the spokesperson's paper Building Railways Fit for the 21st Century: 1. A new approach to commuting that will allow people throughout the UK to use the railways to travel to and from work, through: a) Large-scale investment in existing commuter lines as well as investment in new and reopened lines, especially existing commuter lines. b) Investment in light rail and trams where this is more appropriate than heavy rail. c) Transforming stations into transport hubs and encouraging people to move away from using the car - meaning better integration with bus services and improved cycling infrastructure. 2. An overhaul of the broken fares and ticketing system, by: a) Using technology to simplify fares, ensuring that travelcards and contactless cards automatically charge passengers the cheapest fares available, and apply discounts equivalent to those with season tickets for people commuting regularly making the same or similar journeys. b) Adapting season tickets for part-time commuters so that people who commute to work regularly but on a part-time basis, also receive discounted fares. c) Introducing 'early bird' fares to spread out the morning peak and ease congestion on services immediately after peak times. d) Rolling out 'delay repay' to all rail operators, encouraging operators to automatically pay compensation to passengers using contactless cards including exploring a system that works better for shorter journeys. e) Expanding the BritRail scheme that is currently available to foreign tourists so that it is available to UK citizens for up to one month per year. 3. The creation of a new Railway Agency, removing the DfT from day-to-day decision making and incorporating the rail elements of Office of Road and Rail that will: a) Oversee the day-to-day operations of the railway. b) Be responsible for planning new investments, making the case for investment to DfT and for revising the fare structure - as well as the existing responsibilities of the bodies that are rolled into the new agency. c) Be transparent and accountable: it would hold regular public meetings and would be open to Freedom of Information requests. d) Include representatives from Network Rail, the Rail Delivery Group, the Local Government Association and passenger groups, to ensure that all concerns are understood. 4. Creating a greener railway, so rail remains a clean option compared to cars and buses, by: a) Expanding rail electrification and moving away from the heavy and expensive hybrid electro-diesel trains. b) Supporting the development of new technologies such as batteries and hydrogen as alternatives to diesel and ensuring that all new trains are designed with efficiency in mind. c) Fitting stations and idle space alongside the rails with renewable power generation, such as solar panels or wind turbines. 5. Investment to improve railways and make them safer and more accessible to all, by: a) Supporting big infrastructure projects like Crossrail 1 and 2, HS2 and HS3, but with greater public scrutiny of expenditure. b) Rolling-out digital signaling to increase capacity across the rail network. c) Ensuring that all major stations with step-free access are staffed from first to last train. 6. Reforming franchising to open-up the bidding process to public sector companies, local or combined authorities, not-for-profits and mutuals, making greater use of the concession model which has worked effectively in London and exploring outcomes-based contracts for those areas abandoned by current franchises. 7. Delivering improvements to the railways and wider transport system by devolving power to local and combined authorities, while ensuring proper accountability including by: a) Ensuring that passengers who use a service but do not live within the authority that commissions the service have a means to hold the authority to account. b) Enabling local and combined authorities to set outcomes for the integration of services and to develop concession models for specific areas where appropriate. 8. Keep passenger and freight services apart by investing to increase new passenger services and improving existing freight services. Applicability: England only; except 2. e) (lines 56-58) which is Federal; and 6. (lines 93-98) which is England and Wales. Mover: 7 minutes; summation of motion and movers and summation of any amendments: 4 minutes; all other speakers: 3 minutes. For eligibility and procedure for speaking in this debate, see page 4. The deadline for amendments to this motion is 13.00, Monday 2 September; see page 6. Amendments selected for debate will be printed in Conference Extra and Tuesday's Conference Daily. The deadline for requests for separate votes is 09.00 Monday 16 September; see page 3. 12.50 Lunch 14.10 Speech Chair: Geoff Payne (Chair, FCC). Aide: Cllr Zoe O'Connell (Vice Chair, FCC). Hall Aide: Cllr Nick Da Costa (Vice Chair, FCC). F39 Jo Swinson MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats @joswinson, #LDconf 15.30 Close of conference Standing orders Standing orders - glossary of terms Business motion A proposal to conduct the affairs of the Party in a particular way or to express an opinion on the way affairs have been conducted. Business amendment A proposal to change a business motion. Any such proposal should be significant, should be within the scope of the original motion and must not be a direct negative. Committee Throughout these standing orders, Committee means the Federal Conference Committee unless otherwise qualified. Constitutional amendment A proposal to change the constitution of the Party. Secondary constitutional amendment An amendment to a constitutional amendment. This must not introduce new material. Consultative session A meeting where selected areas of policy or strategy are considered in greater depth than is possible in full debates. Day visitor Someone who has paid the appropriate day visitor fee. Day visitors are not entitled to speak or vote in full sessions of conference. Emergency motion A proposal which relates to a specific recent development which occurred after the deadline for submission of motions. Emergency motions must be brief. Emergency amendment An amendment to a motion which relates to a specific event which occurred after the deadline for the submission of amendments. It must be brief and uncontentious. Full session Any part of the conference agenda during which debates, topical issue discussions or discussion of business, including formal reports, takes place. This specifically excludes formal speeches such as those by the Leader or Party Officers. Point of order A suggestion to the chair of a debate that the conduct of the debate, as laid down in the standing orders, has not been followed correctly. Policy motion A proposal to adopt a new policy or reaffirm an existing one. This includes motions accompanying policy papers. Policy amendment A proposal to change a policy motion. Any proposal should be of significant importance, should be within the scope of the original motion and must not be a direct negative. Policy paper A paper prepared by the Federal Policy Committee and submitted to conference for debate under the terms of Article 8.4 of the Federal Party constitution. Procedural motion A proposal that the conduct of a debate should be changed in a specific way. Procedural motions are: Move to next business A proposal that the conference should cease to consider an item of business and immediately move to the next item on the agenda. Reference back A proposal to refer a motion or amendment to a named body of the Party for further consideration. Request for a count A request to the chair that a specific vote be counted and recorded rather than decided on the chair's assessment of a show of voting cards. Separate vote A request to the chair of a debate that a part or parts of a motion or amendment should be voted on separately. Suspension of standing orders A proposal to relax specific standing orders for a stated purpose. Special conference An additional meeting of the conference requisitioned by the Federal Board, Federal Policy Committee, conference itself or 200 members in not fewer than 20 local parties, under the provisions of Article 8.15 of the Federal constitution. Standing order amendment A proposal to change these standing orders. Secondary standing order amendment An amendment to a standing order amendment. This must not introduce new material. Topical issue discussion A discussion on a policy issue of significant and topical relevance, conducted without a vote. Voting member A member attending conference who has satisfied the requirements for attendance and has paid the registration fee presently in force for party members as agreed by FCC, and who is not a day visitor [or observer]. Standing orders 1. The conference agenda 1.1 What is on the agenda The agenda for each meeting of conference, other than a special conference, shall include time for: a) One or more consultative each sessions; save that the Committee may decide not to hold any consultative sessions at a spring conference. b) A business session or sessions for the consideration of reports from the Parliamentary Parties as listed in Article 9 of the Federal Party's Constitution, the Federal Board, the Federal Policy Committee and the Federal Conference Committee together with, when appropriate, reports from any other body the Committee considers appropriate, accounts, the annual report, a motion accompanying the proposed strategy of the party, business motions, constitutional amendments and standing order amendments. c) Policy motions (including motions accompanying policy papers). d) Emergency motions. e) Topical issue discussions. f) Any other business which the Committee thinks appropriate. The time to be allocated to each type of business and the order of that business shall be decided by the Committee provided that conference may decide not to take any particular item on the agenda. 1.2 Conference or council of state parties In addition, time before or after any meeting may be agreed with the relevant state party for a meeting of the conference or council of that party. 1.3 Right to submit agenda items a) Reports to conference may be submitted only by the bodies listed in paragraph 1.1(b). b) Business motions (including amendments and emergency business motions and amendments), constitutional amendments and secondary constitutional amendments, standing order amendments and secondary standing order amendments may be submitted by the Federal Board, Federal Policy Committee, state parties, regional parties in England, local parties, Specified Associated Organisations and 10 party members. Business motions, standing order amendments and secondary standing order amendments may also be submitted by the Federal Conference Committee. c) Motions accompanying policy papers may only be submitted by the Federal Policy Committee. d) Policy motions (including amendments, emergency policy motions and amendments) may be submitted by the Federal Policy Committee, state parties, regional parties in England, local parties, Specified Associated Organisations and 10 party members. e) Proposals for topical issue discussions may be submitted by any party member. 1.4 How motions and amendments are submitted All motions and amendments must be submitted to the Committee. They must must identify a person authorised to agree to their being composited or redrafted. The detail of methods of submission will be notified for each conference via the party website. 1.5 The deadlines by which motions, amendments, reports and questions to reports must be submitted The Committee shall specify: a) The closing date for the receipt of policy motions (including motions accompanying policy papers), business motions, constitutional amendments and amendments to standing orders, which shall be at least eight weeks before the start of conference. b) The closing date for the receipt of amendments to motions published in the agenda and emergency motions, which shall be at least two days before the start of conference. c) The closing date for the submission of written reports from the bodies listed in paragraph 1.1(b), which will be set so as to enable their distribution with the agenda. Any supplementary report submitted later than this deadline may only be tabled at conference with the permission of the Committee. d) The closing date for the submission of questions to any of the reports listed in the agenda, which shall be at least two days before the start of conference, except for questions to the reports of the Parliamentary Parties in the House of Commons, House of Lords and European Parliament, where the closing date shall be at least one hour before the start of the business session at which the report is due to be considered. e) Notwithstanding 1.5(d), questions may always be submitted to any of the reports listed in the agenda arising from events occurring after the deadline specified in 1.5(d). The deadline for these questions shall be one hour before the start of the business session at which the report is due to be considered. f) The closing date for proposals for topical issue discussions, which shall be at least two days before the start of conference 1.6 Notification of deadlines All dates specified under Standing Order 1.5 shall be pulicised to party members and bodies entitled to submit motions. Publication in the party newspaper/magazine and website may be treated as notice for this purpose. 1.7 Later deadlines in special circumstances In special circumstances the Committee may specify later dates than those indicated above. In particular, where developments which, in the opinion of the Committee, are of great importance have taken place after the closing date for emergency motions and questions to reports, the Committee may make time available for an additional emergency motion or for a statement to be made on behalf of the Party or for additional questions to be submitted to reports. 2. Consultative sessions 2.1 The subjects for consultative sessions The subjects for debate at consultative sessions shall be chosen by the Committee on the advice of the Federal Policy Committee and, where appropriate, the Federal Board, and published in the agenda. Two or more such sessions may be held simultaneously. 2.2 Speaking at consultative sessions Any member of the Party may be called to speak at a consultative session and, with the approval of the chair, non-members with relevant expertise may also be called. 2.3 Voting at consultative sessions At the discretion of the chair a vote by show of hands may be taken to indicate the weight of opinion among members present on any issue that has been debated. 3. The agenda 3.1 The shortlisting of motions The Committee shall draw up the agenda and shall decide which of the motions duly submitted shall be included in it. The Committee may allocate time for one or more policy or business motions to be selected by ballot. Copies of motions not selected shall be available for inspection and will be supplied to any party member on payment of a copying charge and postage. 3.2 Motions for the amendment of the constitution or standing orders Save as detailed below in Standing Order 4.3, all proposed amendments to the constitution or standing orders must be selected for debate. 3.3 Balance between State and Federal policy debates The Committee shall, in drawing up the agenda, have due regard to the balance of State and Federal policy debates and in particular shall as far as possible organise the agenda so that all matters which relate solely to one or more state parties but not all State Parties or the Federal Party shall be considered at either the beginning or the end of the conference. 4. Selection of motions and amendments 4.1 Compositing or otherwise altering motions In drawing up the agenda the Committee shall seek to reflect the range of views in the Party as indicated by the motions and amendments submitted. The Committee may: a) Treat any severable part of a motion or amendment as a separate motion or amendment. b) Redraft a motion or amendment so as to improve expression, remove inaccuracy or superfluity or take account of new developments. c) Composite similar motions or amendments. 4.2 Selection of amendments The Committee shall decide which of the amendments duly submitted to each motion shall be selected. No amendment shall be selected if, in the opinion of the Committee it is insubstantial, outside the scope of the motion, or tantamount to a direct negative of the motion. 4.3 Motions for the amendment of the constitution or standing orders The Committee may refuse to select a motion for amendment of the constitution or standing orders if, in their opinion, it is: a) Similar in effect to another motion which has been selected for debate or ballot at the same meeting of conference. b) Similar in effect to a motion that has been rejected at either of the last two meetings of conference. c) In the case of amendments to the constitution, incomplete in that it leaves unamended some other part of the constitution which contradicts the meaning of the amendment. d) In the case of amendments to standing orders, incomplete in that it leaves unamended some other part of standing orders which contradicts the meaning of the amendment. e) Ambiguous. 4.4 Emergency motions The Committee may reject an emergency motion if: a) It is similar in effect to another motion that has been selected for debate or ballot. b) It is similar in effect to a subject chosen for a topical issue discussion. c) It is unclear as to its meaning or intent or is, in the opinion of the Committee, too poorly drafted to provide a sensible basis for debate. d) It falls outside the definition of emergency motions. No amendment shall be taken to any motion selected under this Standing Order. 4.5 Ballots for emergency motions All emergency motions, except those rejected under Standing Order 4.4, must be placed either on the agenda for debate or in a ballot for selection by Conference. The Committee may hold separate ballots to select which of a range of emergency policy motions and which of a range of emergency business motions to debate. If one or more ballots is held the Committee shall circulate the text of all balloted motions to the voting members as soon as practicable and shall specify a closing time for the ballot. Following the counting of any ballots the Committee shall organise the debates on the motions in the order chosen by conference in the ballots. 4.6 Emergency amendments The Committee shall have complete discretion whether to select emergency amendments for debate. 4.7 Topical issue discussions The choice of subjects for topical issue discussions shall be made by the Officers of the Committee in consultation with the Officers of the Federal Policy Committee. In choosing the subjects, the Officers shall have regard to the significance and topicality of the subjects proposed and whether they are likely to provoke a lively discussion. 5. Special meetings 5.1 Timetabling of special meetings The Committee shall, as soon as practicable after the requisitioning of a special meeting of the conference, fix a date for the meeting, draw up the agenda and, if appropriate, specify a date for the submission of amendments. The meeting shall deal only with the business stated in the notice of requisition save that the Committee may allow time for emergency motions and for business which is formal or, in its opinion, uncontentious. 5.2 Preferred timescales for special meetings In setting dates for the submission of motions and amendments and giving notice thereof and of the conference itself the Committee shall endeavour to follow the timescales laid down elsewhere in these standing orders but, where this is not practicable, the Committee shall set such dates as it sees fit. 6. Appeals 6.1 Appeals against rejection of motions The Committee shall provide written reasoning to the nominee of the proposers for the rejection of any motion or amendment. The proposers may appeal, in writing, to the next meeting of the Committee. Any such appeal shall provide reasons why, in the opinion of the proposers, the expressed reasons for rejection are not valid. If the appeal is allowed, the motion or amendment shall be treated as an emergency motion or amendment according to the stage of the agenda-setting process at which the appeal has been allowed. 6.2 Appeals against exclusion from conference Any person excluded from conference by a decision of the Chief Steward shall have the right of appeal to the Committee at the next of its regular meetings. The exclusion shall remain in force pending the appeal. 7. The chair 7.1 Who chairs conference The President, if present, shall normally take the chair at the formal opening and closing of conference and when the Party Leader is making a formal speech from the platform. At all other sessions the chair shall be appointed by the Committee. Normally no person shall chair more than one session at any meeting. 7.2 The chair's aide The Committee may appoint an aide or aides to assist the chair of each session. 8. Conduct of debate 8.1 Variation in the order of business The Committee may propose to the conference a variation in the order of business as set out in the agenda. Such variation shall be put to the vote and shall take effect if approved by a majority of those voting. 8.2 Withdrawal of motions and amendments Once the Committee has included a motion or amendment, or part of a motion or amendment, in the agenda, may not be withdrawn except by leave of conference. 8.3 The order of debate The Committee shall direct the order of debate. Generally, however, a motion will be moved and immediately thereafter the amendments and options will be moved in the order directed by the Committee. There will then be a general debate. The movers of amendments and options (or their nominees) shall have the right of reply in the same order (except that where an amendment or option has not been opposed during the debate, the chair of the session shall have the right to direct that its movers shall not exercise their right of reply), after which the mover of the motion (or the mover's nominee) shall have the right of reply. Votes shall then be taken on the amendments and options in the order in which they have been moved and, finally, on the substantive motion. The Committee may direct that part of any motion or amendment or groups or amendments may be the subject of a separate debate. 8.4 Topical issue discussions The Committee shall direct the order of the discussion. Normally the proposer of the subject shall speak first, and a representative of the Federal Policy Committee shall speak last. 8.5 Who may speak All voting members may speak at a full session of conference. Additionally, the Committee may invite any person to address the conference as a guest. Neither such provision shall prejudice the right of the chair of a session to select speakers. 8.6 The special rights of the Federal Committees Provided that the Federal Policy Committee is not proposing the motion or any of the amendments to be taken in a debate on a policy motion or on motions relating to the policy-making processes of the Party it shall have the right to nominate a person to report its views on the subject before the conference. The Federal Board shall have similar rights on business motions or motions to amend the constitution, as shall the Federal Conference Committee on motions relating to the proceeding and procedures of the conference and to amend standing orders. Such a person shall be called to speak for the same length of time as the person replying on behalf of the mover of the motion. 8.7 The selection of speakers Voting members wishing to speak in any debate shall submit a speaker's card, prior to the commencement of the debate in which they wish to speak, stating whether they wish to speak for or against an amendment, the motion or part of the motion. The chair shall be responsible for the choice of the speakers and shall attempt to provide a balanced debate between the different viewpoints in the conference, but may announce a departure from this rule if there is an overwhelming preponderance of members wishing to speak on the same side. The chair shall have the discretion to accept speakers' cards after the start of the debate. Save as provided for in these standing orders, no person may speak more than once in any debate. 8.8 The length of speeches The Committee shall set out in the agenda time limits for speeches. 9. Voting at conference 9.1 The method of voting Voting cards shall be issued at each meeting to voting members. The Committee may direct that voting on any issue be by ballot. Subject thereto all votes at full sessions shall be taken by show of voting cards. 9.2 Counting of votes A vote by show of voting cards shall be counted: a) If the Committee has so directed. b) If the chair so directs. c) As the result of a procedural motion under Standing Order 11.5 below. A recount will only be held if the chair is not satisfied that the first count was accurate. 9.3 Separate votes A separate vote may be taken on a part of a motion or amendment: a) On the direction of the Committee. b) At the discretion of the chair. c) As a result of a procedural motion under Standing Order 11.4 below. 10 Points of order 10.1 Making a point of order Any voting member may rise on a point of order which shall be taken immediately except that, during a vote, no point of order shall be taken that does not refer to the conduct of the vote. The chair's decision on all points of order shall be final. 11 Procedural motions 11.1 Next business a) A voting member may, during any full conference session, submit, in writing, a request that conference move to next business, giving the reasons to do so. The submission shall not exceed 75 words. b) The chair may either take the request immediately upon receipt, or at the end of any speech currently being made. If more than one request is received the chair shall decide which to take. No more than one request may be taken in respect to any motion or report. c) When the request is to be taken, the chair shall read the statement of reasons and ask conference whether it wishes to consider the request to move to next business. If conference decides, by a simple majority of those voting, to do so, the person who made the request may speak. The chair may allow other speakers. All speeches under this standing order shall be limited to two minutes. If conference decides not to debate the proposal, it falls. d) The proposal shall require a two-thirds majority of those voting being to be passed. If it is carried the current agenda item shall be abandoned without any further debate or vote and, at the discretion of the chair, either the next agenda item shall be taken or there shall be an adjournment until the time at which the next agenda item was due to be taken. 11.2 Reference back (moved by a voting member) a) A voting member, who has not already spoken in the debate, may, at any time before the chair has asked the first speaker in reply to stand by, submit, in writing, a request to refer back the motion under debate. The submission shall state to whom the motion is to be referred and shall include a statement of the reasons, including reasons why voting against the motion would not achieve a similar result, not exceeding 75 words. b) The chair may take the request to refer back at whatever stage of the debate they consider appropriate. If more than one request is received, the chair shall decide which to take. No more than one request may be taken with respect to any motion. c) When the request is to be taken, the chair shall read the statement of reasons and ask conference whether it wishes to consider the request to refer. If conference decides, by a simple majority of those voting, to do so, the person who made the request may speak and the mover of the substantive motion, or their nominee, may reply. The chair may allow other speakers. All speeches under this standing order shall be limited to two minutes. If conference decides not to debate the reference back, it falls. d) The reference back shall require a simple majority of those voting to be passed. If it is carried the current agenda item shall be abandoned without any further debate or vote and, at the discretion of the chair, either the next agenda item shall be taken or there shall be an adjournment until the time at which the next agenda item was due to be taken. e) If the substantive motion is referred to the Federal Board, the Federal Policy Committee or the Federal Conference Committee that body shall, in its report to the next meeting of the conference, state what action it has taken on the reference. 11.3 Reference back (moved by the Federal Policy Committee) a) The Federal Policy Committee may, at any time before the beginning of the debate on a motion, submit, in writing, a request to refer that motion to the next meeting of the conference. The chair shall announce the existence of such a request at the start of the debate. b) The chair may take the request to refer back at whatever stage of the debate they consider appropriate. A nominee of the Federal Policy Committee will speak and the mover of the substantive motion, or their nominee, may reply. The chair shall have discretion whether to allow other speakers on the request. c) The reference back shall require a simple majority of those voting to be passed. If it is carried the current agenda item shall be abandoned without any further debate or vote and, at the discretion of the chair, either the next agenda item shall be taken or there shall be an adjournment until the time at which the next agenda item was due to be taken. d) If passed, the Federal Policy Committee shall, before the next meeting of the conference, circulate its reasons for acting under this section and its comments on the motion and any amendments thereto accepted for debate. 11.4 Separate vote A voting member of conference may request that the chair take a separate vote on a part of a motion or amendment provided that such a request is in writing and received by the commencement of the first conference session on the day before the debate is scheduled. If the debate is scheduled for the first day of conference, the request must be received in writing by the same deadline as that for emergency motions. The Committee shall have complete discretion whether to take a separate vote. In exceptional circumstances, the Chair of the debate shall have discretion to accept a request for a separate vote if it is received in writing after this deadline. 11.5 Counted vote Any voting member may ask for a counted vote, which shall be taken if the request is supported by 50 members rising in their places and showing their voting cards. 11.6 Suspension of standing orders a) A voting conference member may, during any full conference session, move a motion for the suspension of standing orders. The mover shall submit the motion together with a written statement of its purpose, not exceeding 75 words, to the chair, who shall read them to the meeting. The chair may either take the request immediately upon receipt, or at the end of the speech currently being made. b) No motion to suspend standing orders may suspend any requirement of the constitution, nor any part of these standing orders which govern: i) The rights of, or timetable for, submission of motions and amendments. ii) Consultative sessions. iii) Procedural motions for next business or suspension of standing orders. c) No motion to suspend standing orders to introduce a motion or amendment on to the agenda can be taken unless the motion or amendment has been submitted to the Committee in accordance with the published timetable and, where a right of appeal against non-selection exists, the right has been exercised. d) The chair shall read the statement of purpose and, if the suspension is allowable in the terms of this standing order, ask the conference whether it wishes to debate the request for suspension. If the conference decides not to debate the request, it falls. If the conference decides, by a majority of those present and voting, to hear the request the mover may speak and a representative of the Committee may reply. The chair shall have the discretion to allow other speakers. All speeches on the motion to suspend standing orders will be limited to two minutes. e) A motion to suspend standing orders shall only be carried if supported by at least two-thirds of the conference members voting. If the procedural motion is carried all standing orders shall remain in force except only for the purposes set out in the motion. 11.7 No procedural motions during votes No procedural motion can be moved during a vote. 12 Reports 12.1 Which reports are tabled The business session or sessions of the conference must include consideration of reports from the bodies listed in Standing Order 1.1(b). 12.2 Submission and selection of questions A voting member may submit questions to any report tabled for consideration, by the deadlines set under Standing Orders 1.5 (d) and (e). The Committee shall publish in advance of the report session all the questions submitted under Standing Order 1.5 (d) which are in order, compositing similar questions where appropriate.? 12.3 Whether questions are in order or not A question shall be ruled out of order if it asks the body submitting the report about issues which are outside its duties and responsibilities. If the question could be answered by another body reporting to the same conference, the Committee may transfer the question to that body. 12.4 How questions and supplementary questions are put and answered After the report is moved, the mover, or their nominee, shall answer the questions in turn. After each question has been answered, the voting member who submitted the question will be given the opportunity to put a supplementary question, speaking for a maximum of two minutes, and the mover, or their nominee, will be given an opportunity to respond. The chair shall determine the time given to the mover in moving the report and replying to questions. The chair shall also determine how many of the published questions, and how many of the questions submitted under Standing Order 1.5 (e), can be taken. After the conference the Committee shall publish the answers to all questions submitted under Standing Orders 1.5 (d) and (e) which are in order, and to all supplementary questions asked. 12.5 Approval or rejection of reports from Federal Party committees or sub-committees Any report tabled by a Federal Party committee or sub-committee must be submitted for approval by the conference and must be voted upon accordingly. A voting member may move the rejection of any part of the report or of the report as a whole. A voting member wishing to move a rejection shall submit a speaker's card prior to the commencement of the consideration of the report, stating the section(s) which they wish to have rejected. All moves to reject a report must be debated (except that the chair shall have discretion to choose between moves to reject the same part of the report), at the conclusion of the question session. The person who made the request shall speak and the mover of the report, or their nominee, shall reply. The chair may allow other speakers, and shall determine the time given to all speakers. 12.6 Receipt of reports from other bodies Any report tabled by a body other than a Federal Party committee or sub-committee must be submitted for receipt by the conference and must be voted upon accordingly. A voting member may move not to receive the report, by submitting a speaker's card prior to the commencement of the consideration of the report. A move not to receive a report must be debated (except that the chair shall have discretion to choose between more than one move not to receive the same report), at the conclusion of the question session. The person who made the request shall speak and the mover of the report, or their nominee, shall reply. The chair may allow other speakers, and shall determine the time given to all speakers. 13 Amendment of standing orders 13.1 Amendment of standing orders These standing orders may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members of conference voting on a motion duly submitted and selected in accordance with standing orders. Subject to any amendment they shall remain in force from meeting to meeting. 14 The Chair and Vice Chairs of the Committee 14.1 Chair and Vice Chairs At its first meeting after a new election the Committee shall elect a Chair, who must be a member of the Committee directly elected by party members, and at least one Vice Chair, who must be members of the Committee either directly elected by party members or elected by one of the State Parties. The Federal Party Officers of the Federal Party Leader Jo Swinson MP President Baroness Brinton Chair of FFRC Anthony Harris Treasurer Lord German Vice President (England) Liz Leffman Vice President (Scotland) Sheila Ritchie Vice President (Wales) Cadan ap Tomos Chief Executive Sir Nick Harvey Federal Conference Committee (FCC) The FCC is responsible for organising the two Federal conferences each year. This includes choosing the agenda from the policy and business motions submitted by conference representatives, local, regional and state parties, specified associated organisations and Federal committees, and taking decisions on venues, registration rates and other organisational matters. It works within a budget set by the FFRC. The FCC has 22 voting members: Party President; Chief Whip; three state party representatives; one representative from the FB, two from the FPC, one from the Federal Communications & Elections Committee (FCEC), one from the Federal People Development Committee (FPDC); and fifteen directly elected members. It elects its own chair, who must be one of the directly elected representatives Federal Policy Committee (FPC) The FPC is responsible for researching and developing policy and overseeing the Federal Party's policy-making process, including producing policy papers for debate at conference and drawing up (in consultation with the relevant parliamentary party) the Federal election manifestos for Westminster and European elections. The FPC has 29 voting members: Party Leader and six other Parliamentarians; Party President; two councillors; three state party representatives; one representative of the FCEC; and fifteen members directly elected by conference representatives. It must be chaired by the Leader. Federal Board (FB) The FB is responsible for directing, co-ordinating and overseeing the implementation of the Party's strategy and the work of the Federal Party. The FB also has responsibility, at least once per Parliament, for preparing a document outlining the Party's Strategy, for submission for debate and agreement by Conference. The FB has 35 voting members: Party President (who chairs it); Party Leader and three other Parliamentarians; the chairs of the three state parties; the chairs of each of the Federal Committees including a vice-chair of the FPC; a councillor; a Young Liberals representative; three state party representatives; and 15 directly elected members. Federal Finance and Resources Committee (FFRC) The FFRC is responsible for planning and administering the budget and finances of the Federal Party, overseeing its administration and ensuring its compliance with the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, as well as overseeing the Party's risk management operations and its Risk Register. The FFRC has 14 voting members: the Registered Treasurer and Chair; the Registered Treasurers of the three state parties; five other members (elected by the FB); Party Treasurer; Party President; one representative of the Parliamentary Office of the Liberal Democrats; Chief Executive; and one member of Federal staff.