CD Friday plaintext This plain text version of Conference Daily contains the text of the published Conference Daily. Page numbers refer to the printed Conference Daily, motion line numbers have been omitted, some elements may appear in a different place in the document and graphics and complex page layouts have been omitted. Conference Daily Friday 25 September 2020 Autumn Conference Online Information from the Federal Conference Committee for Friday 25 September. Please read in conjunction with the Agenda and Conference Extra. Timetable and contents Information update 14.15-14.55 F1 Opening of Conference F2 Business motion: Standing Orders for a Conference Held Remotely F3 Report: Federal Conference Committee 3 15.00-16.10 F4 Consultative session: Party Strategy 16.15-17.00 F5 Policy motion: Improve Mental Health Support for Health and Care Staff 3 17.00-18.15 Auditorium break and fringe 18.15-18.35 F6 Interview: Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats 18.40-19.45 F7 Policy motion: Nature of Public Debate During COVID-19 3 19.50-21.00 F8 Policy motion: Universal Basic Income 4 Advance notice for Saturday 26 September 5 Advance notice for Sunday 27 September 6 If no page number is indicated next to a session or item of business, there are no changes or additional information to that in the Agenda or Conference Extra. Fringe sessions will also take place outside the times listed above; please see the Directory for details. Please note that timings are approximate only. Some items of business may occur earlier than indicated. Members wishing to speak should submit a speaker's card as soon as possible, and at the latest by 16.00 on the day before the relevant debate. Conference Daily and other conference publications, in PDF and plain text formats, are available online at www.libdems.org.uk/conference_papers Information update Consultative sessions The consultative session on party governance will take place on Saturday at 13.00-13.50 in the fringe: Federal Party Governance consultation session - with Elaine Bagshaw (Vice Chair, Federal Board) and Jack Coulson (Company Secretary) The Federal Party is looking to improve its governance in order to improve its effectiveness. Help us determine what comes next so we can win more elections. Emergency motions ballot The ballot for emergency motions is taking place on the Mi-Voice website. Emails to members explaining the voting were issued on Friday morning. If you have not received your ballot, please email help@libdems.org.uk. The ballot closes at 19.00 and the results will be announced in Saturday's Conference Daily. Speaking in a debate at conference If you want to speak in a debate at the online conference you will need to submit a speaker's card earlier than usual. That is because of the technical work required when planning debates. The deadline for speaker's cards is 16.00 on the day before the relevant debate. Cards submitted later may be considered but there is no guarantee that they will be. You should submit a speaker's card even if you are proposing or summating on a motion or amendment. Speaker's cards should be submitted online at www.libdems.org.uk/speakers-card. Exhibition update The following is an addition to the directory of exhibitors; Exhibition stands are accessed via the exhibition area on Hopin - see the Directory for details. National Liberal Club Since 1882 the National Liberal Club has been the London home of liberalism. With a magnificent clubhouse by the Thames and 230 reciprocals, it is an oasis of calm in Whitehall. www.facebook.com/nlclondon Spring conference timetable 19-21 March 2021, York Drafting advice deadline (motions): 13.00, Wednesday 23 December 2020. Motions deadline: 13.00, Wednesday 6 January 2021. Drafting advice deadline (amendments, emergency motions): 13.00, Monday 22 February 2021. Deadline for amendments to motions, emergency motions etc: 13.00, Monday 8 March 2021. Monday 28 at 11.00 in the auditorium Interview with the Irish Taoiseach, Micha‚l Martin TD, conducted by Hugo Gye at TheI Micha‚l Martin has been Taoiseach since June 2020 and leader of Fianna F il since January 2011, a sister party of the Liberal Democrats and member of Liberal International, ALDE and Renew Europe. Micha‚l Martin has previously been leader of the opposition from 2011 to 2020, and prior to that the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Minister for Health and Children, Minister for Education and Science and Lord Mayor of Cork. Micha‚l Martin formed a coalition government with the Green Party and Fianna F el's historic rivals, Fine Gael in June 2020. Friday 25 September F3 Federal Conference Committee Report Q1. Submitted by Hywel Morgan The agenda states 'The chair will select which questions will be asked'. Will questions which are not asked 'live' be answered in writing and those responses published in the post-conference report? Q2. Submitted by Hywel Morgan Why is there no report from the Federal Appeals Panel? What steps does FCC have in place to ensure reports are submitted on time? F5 Improve Mental Health Support for Health and Care Staff The FCC has agreed to make the following drafting amendments to the motion: In 1. (line 40), delete 'The COVID-19 support phone hotline' and insert 'A mental health support phone hotline'. In 2. (line 43), after 'them' insert ', along with a promotional programme to encourage them to use it'. Background Briefing This motion develops new policy on mental health support for NHS and care workers, building on the mental health policies set out in policy paper 137, Save the NHS and Social Care by Stopping Brexit (2019). F7 Nature of Public Debate during COVID-19 Amendment One 16 members Mover: James Baillie. Summation: Ryan Mercer. After f) (line 106), insert: g) Effectively seeking input from and engaging the public means recognising that not all residents of the UK have equal and fair access to communicating with legislators or accessing public engagement events, and that we must work to ensure that vulnerable and marginalised voices are heard in shaping our response. Delete 5. (lines 125-128) and insert: 5. The Government and parliamentarians to use a range of methods to engage the public with our response and build consensus and trust, including but not limited to residents' surveys and town hall events for legislators, with particular efforts to ensure that marginalised voices are heard in this process. Amendment Two The FCC has accepted the following amendment after an appeal: 10 members Mover: Lord Clement Jones. Summation: Lord McNally. After 9. (line 143), add: 10. Government to introduce stricter regulations for social media companies, to ensure they challenge harmful misinformation and reduce its spread across their platforms, including by: (i) Issuing fact-checked corrections to scientifically inaccurate posts and ensuring these are seen by all those who shared and were likely to have seen the original inaccurate posts. (ii) Amending their algorithms to de-promote misinformation and 'fake news'. Background Briefing This motion develops new policy. F8 Universal Basic Income Background Briefing This motion develops new policy on a Universal Basic Income. Existing policy on benefits and specifically a secure income guarantee is set out in policy paper 136, A Fairer Share for All (2019). Advance notice for Saturday 26 September F12 The Government's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic The original motion is printed in Conference Extra. Amendment One 12 members Mover: George Potter. Summation: Charley Hasted. In line 4, after 'deprived communities,' insert 'Disabled people,'. After line 7 insert: Conference regrets the disproportionate impact that the COVID-19 crisis has had on Disabled people; with unlawful blanket 'Do Not Resuscitate' orders forced on Disabled people, including in some cases with no communication or explanation to patients or their loved ones despite this being a legal requirement; and people with at least one pre-existing condition representing 91% of deaths involving COVID-19. After G. (line 25), insert: H. The decision to include, within the Coronavirus Acts, easements to weaken local authority duties in relation to social care and education, fundamentally undermined the rights of Disabled people, leaving them even more vulnerable in the face of the pandemic and potentially contributing to Disabled people making up two-thirds of the COVID-19 death toll. After 4. (line 49), insert: 5. Restore the rights of Disabled people by scrapping the easements within the Coronavirus Act and provide increased support for Disabled people within the education, social care and mental health systems for the duration of the pandemic. Amendment Two 10 members Mover: Oliver Jones-Lyons. Summation: Oliver Jones-Lyons. After line 29, insert: Conference notes that the requirement for public contracts to be subjected to competitive tender was suspended by the government in March leading to billions of pounds of contracts being sometimes given to companies that could not fulfil the contract and in some cases to companies with personal links to government officials, something we have seen before during no deal Brexit preparations; this has also been worsened by a suspension of parliamentary scrutiny at a time when it is needed most. Conference further believes the leaked details of 'Operation Moonshot' seem to show all of the problems of these contracts on a much bigger scale than at any other point throughout this pandemic, and show the importance of the open, competitive tender process.. After 12. d) (line 100) add: 13. Launch an inquiry, at the soonest possible date, into the way in which public contracts have been granted without tender during the pandemic, in order to learn any lessons from the wasting of taxpayer money and hampering of our crisis response, as well as the amendment of regulation 32(2)(c) of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 to ensure that safeguards are in place to prevent any potential misconduct in public procurement during any future crisis. 14. Restore and maintain the processes of parliamentary scrutiny, and where feasible, competitive tender with public contracts at this critical stage in the pandemic, where significant funds will be paid from the public purse for projects such as mass testing.. Advance notice for Sunday 27 September F23 The UK and Europe The original motion is printed in Conference Extra. Amendment One 16 members Mover: Fraser Graham. Summation: George Potter. After ii) (line 23), insert: iii) The UK's national interest is still best served by EU membership. iv) Any mandate arising from the Brexit referendum is now discharged, with the UK having left the EU. Delete lines 47 to 50, and insert: Conference resolves that Liberal Democrats should continue to make the case for UK membership of the EU, and calls on the party to campaign to rejoin the EU after the post-Brexit transition period ends. Amendment Two 26 Members Mover: Baroness Ludford. Summation: Duncan Brack. In line 47, delete 'In the longer term, conference resolves to keep all options open for the UK's future relationship with the EU, including membership' and insert 'Conference resolves to support a longer term objective of UK membership of the EU'.