Barometer | 11 February 2016

Matters of life and death

Lord Lucan is now officially presumed dead. How do you have someone declared dead? In England and Wales, under the Presumption of Death Act 2013…
— Anyone can apply to have anyone else declared dead, but if the applicant is not a spouse, civil partner, parent, child or sibling of the presumed deceased they must show they have a significant interest.
— The person should have been missing for at least seven years, but it is possible to have someone declared dead earlier if the court is convinced they have died.
— It costs £480.
— An order can be revoked if the person later turns up alive, but that will not reinstate a marriage or civil partnership.
— The act cannot be used in the instance of a missing monarch.

Electoral returns

The Conservatives were accused of breaking the Electoral Commission’s spending limit in three by-elections. How is money spent on electioneering?

	Spending by parties in 2015 general election
Unsolicited mail to electors	£15m
Market research/canvassing	£7.6m
Advertising	£6.8m
Rallies and events	£2.4m
General administration	£2m
Transport	£1.6m
Broadcasts	£866,000
Media	£329,000
Manifestos	£318,000

Cultural capital

Chorus singers at the English National Opera threatened to strike over proposed salary cuts due to a lower Arts Council grant. How is arts funding distributed?

London	£556m
West Midlands	£49m
North West	£47m
Yorkshire and Humberside	£34m
South West	£23m
South East	£19m
North East	£18m
East	£15m

Source: GPS Culture, figures for England 2015/6

Dangerous games

A seventh celebrity was injured during filming of a Channel 4 show, The Jump. Snow sports injuries per 100 per professional contestants over two years: