Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ashley Fox this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–13 of 13 · Cabinet Office
What proportion of staff in his Department have flexible working arrangements; and how many of those work compressed hours.
As many flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours working, are agreed and recorded at a team level, the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
What proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.
Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments. In Cabinet Office, Line Managers are expected to be aware of, and ensure compliance with, the minimum 60% attendance expectation for their direct reports. Data on workforce attendance is not collated centrally by the department. Where employees fail to reach or maintain expected attendance levels, beyond what is agreed with their line manager as part of workplace adjustments or caring responsibilities, due consideration is given as to whether it is reasonable to take disciplinary action. The level of sanction will be dependent upon the individual circumstances of the case.
Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Cabinet Office staff are encouraged to book desks, but it is not mandatory. Similarly, of the Cabinet Office's arm's length bodies that directly employ their own staff, none mandate booking a desk in order to attend the office in person.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 12890 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers’ Private Offices, if she will published an itemised breakdown of that spending.
All furniture and AV equipment has been, and must be, sourced from the GPA's Approved Supplier's catalogue.An itemised breakdown of spending is as follows (all costs are excluding VAT unless otherwise specified):Furniture for existing Ministerial Offices:Chairs x 6 - £7,384Two of the chairs are in use within the Secretary of State's office and the other four are used in other areas of the office. Furniture for new Ministerial Offices:Height adjustable desk - £1,566Armchair - £1,033Meeting Chairs x 14 - £12,964Furniture to house AudioAV equipment - £4,158.42Delivery, installation and dismantling and re-positioning of existing furniture - £1602.07 (including VAT) The number of Ministers in DESNZ increased by one following the general election, the result of which was a higher than usual spend to facilitate the creation of an additional office. Cost of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves:Porterage for over 5 days and rental of crates for 90 days - £13,387.93Floor power alterations within the Ministerial Office, their Private Office and Waiting Room - £2,241.24 Porterage was carried out between 5-15 July. All other work was commissioned on, or after, 15 July and completed by, or before, 19 October. The Floor Power Alterations were to install additional power boxes within the floor due to the increased space utilisation. Please note this item was not correctly identified and included in the response to PQ UIN 12890.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 12890 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers’ Private Offices, what items were purchased to equip the office of the additional Minister.
All furniture and AV equipment has been, and must be, sourced from the GPA's Approved Supplier's catalogue.An itemised breakdown of spending is as follows (all costs are excluding VAT unless otherwise specified):Furniture for existing Ministerial Offices:Chairs x 6 - £7,384Two of the chairs are in use within the Secretary of State's office and the other four are used in other areas of the office. Furniture for new Ministerial Offices:Height adjustable desk - £1,566Armchair - £1,033Meeting Chairs x 14 - £12,964Furniture to house AudioAV equipment - £4,158.42Delivery, installation and dismantling and re-positioning of existing furniture - £1602.07 (including VAT) The number of Ministers in DESNZ increased by one following the general election, the result of which was a higher than usual spend to facilitate the creation of an additional office. Cost of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves:Porterage for over 5 days and rental of crates for 90 days - £13,387.93Floor power alterations within the Ministerial Office, their Private Office and Waiting Room - £2,241.24 Porterage was carried out between 5-15 July. All other work was commissioned on, or after, 15 July and completed by, or before, 19 October. The Floor Power Alterations were to install additional power boxes within the floor due to the increased space utilisation. Please note this item was not correctly identified and included in the response to PQ UIN 12890.
Pursuant to the Answer of 25 October 2024 to Question 9615 on Department for Energy Security and Net Zero: Ministers' Private Offices, how much the Government Property Agency spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items.
The Government Property Agency has confirmed £42,095.42 excluding VAT was spent on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) in relation to private offices for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero ministers. This is broken down as follows; New Furniture and Fittings - £28,707.49Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £13,387.93 It should be noted that the number of Ministers in DESNZ increased by one following the general election, the result of which was a higher than usual spend to facilitate an additional office.
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9827 on Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Ministers' Private Offices, how much the Government Property Agency spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items.
The Government Property Agency has confirmed £18074.22 excluding VAT was spent since the dissolution of parliament on 30th May on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) in relation to private offices for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This is broken down as follows; New Furniture and Fittings - £9985.38Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £8088.84, of which £4,821.76 was incurred between 30th May and July 4th.
How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of (a) his Department’s and (b) Government Equalities Office offices in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available; and how many staff attended each office in person in the same period.
Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
How many civil servants are assigned to work in each office of the Office for National Statistics; and how many desks are available in each office.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Question of 17 October is attached.
How many civil servants are assigned to work in each of (a) his Department's and (b) Government Equalities Office offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
Owing to security considerations, I am unable to provide information specifically relating to the number of desks in each office for which you have requested information. However, the total full-time equivalent headcount of Civil Servants is provided in the table below: Cabinet Office6,331Government Equalities Office136Sub Total6,467ALB’s1,114Total7,581 The Government publishes the monthly average number of staff working in Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) buildings, published on a quarterly basis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each Office for National Statistics office in the most recent four weeks for which figures are available; and how many staff attended each office in person in the same period.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Question of 17 October is attached.
How much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.
The total cost (excl. VAT) spent on refurbishments to ministerial private offices since the dissolution of the last Parliament is £2,954.67, of which £1,911.93 was for painting. The remainder was spent on television installations, three sets of coasters, and five standing mirrors. The majority of refurbishment costs were incurred before rooms were assigned to or occupied by current ministers.
How much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in 10 Downing Street since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.
For management and staffing purposes the Prime Minister’s Office is a business unit of the Cabinet Office. No expenditure has been made since the dissolution of Parliament.