PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
ACCESS TO ELECTED OFFICE FUND (27 June 2017)

That this House welcomes the election of five disabled hon. Members on 8 June 2017, an increase of three on the 2015-2017 Parliament; notes that disabled people are still under-represented in the House, and in politics more widely; further notes that a strong democracy is an inclusive one, and that, as elected representatives, disabled people can directly contribute valuable lived experience to the development of inclusive policy; is concerned that we need to do much more to encourage a diverse mix of local, regional and national election candidates that better reflects the society we live in; deeply regrets the time taken to date to evaluate the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund since its closure in May 2015; notes the Equality and Human Rights Commission's September 2015 recommendation that the Government reopen the Fund in England and work with the Scottish and Welsh Governments to explore options for making the scheme, or similar funds, available across Great Britain; further welcomes the success of the pilot Access to Elected Office Fund (Scotland), administered by Inclusion Scotland and funded by the Scottish Government, which provided support to 39 candidates in the 2017 Scottish local authority elections, 15 of whom were elected; and calls on the Government to act on the recommendation of the Equality and Human Rights Commission without further delay.

Sponsored by:
Caroline Lucas (Green Party)