Every parliamentary written question tabled by Ashley Fox this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 311 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for the publication of the UK Chemicals Strategy.
The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. This Government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver on our legally binding targets to save nature and this includes how best to manage chemicals. Further details will be provided in due course.
What steps his Department is taking to help improve public awareness of (a) the importance of early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease and (b) recognition of early symptoms.
NHS England is working to detect people at risk of kidney disease through the NHS Health Check Programme. The programme, which is available for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 years old, who is not already on a chronic disease register, assesses people’s health and risk of developing certain health problems. Using this information, patients are supported to make behavioural changes and access treatment which helps to prevent and detect kidney disease earlier.The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) reviewed chronic kidney disease (CKD) and glomerulonephritis in 2011, concluding that a population-wide screening programme would not be recommended. The UK NSC has not looked at the evidence for a targeted programme. The UK NSC can be alerted to any new published peer-reviewed evidence which may suggest the case for a new screening programme. More information is available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposalThe National Health Service provides access to tests and therapies to diagnose, code, and treat patients with early-stage CKD. NHS England, through the Renal Services Transformation Programme (RSTP) and regional renal networks, is implementing initiatives to provide better integrated care, reduce health inequalities, and focus on prevention and timely intervention for kidney disease. Regional renal clinical networks prioritise CKD diagnosis and prevention within their transformation ambitions, facilitating earlier treatment. This includes considerations to develop a unified approach to testing populations at risk of developing CKD, and includes raising awareness of diagnostic tools like urine albumin creatinine tests, enabling CKD diagnosis at stages 1 and 2. NHS England aims to improve awareness and access to these important urine and blood tests across primary and secondary care. In addition, RSTP launched a renal toolkit earlier last year, for use by systems, that outlines principles to support better management of patients identified with CKD throughout their patient journey.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance, Chronic kidney disease: Assessment and management [NG203], updated in November 2021, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis and management of CKD. The guidance covers the care and treatment of patients at risk of CKD. It includes recommendations on monitoring of patients at risk of CKD and aims to prevent or delay the progression of the disease. The guidance is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng203
How many prisoners released via the Early Release Scheme on 22 October 2024 are registered as residing in Bridgwater constituency.
Data on SDS40 releases forms a subset of data intended for future publication.
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 Scotland Office has not spent any money on new furniture and fittings and other refurbishments of Ministerial offices since the dissolution of the last Parliament.
How many civil servants are assigned to work in each of his Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
The Scotland Office currently has 39 civil servants assigned to its London Office and 46 assigned to its Edinburgh Office. There are 30 desks available in the London Office and 26 desks in the Edinburgh Office.
Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of his Department’s 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 moststaff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Officeoccupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with furtherpublications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of his Department’s 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.
For the 4-week period from 2 September 2024 to 27 September 2024, the Scotland Office’s London Office had an average of 17 staff attend per day and an average of 56% of desks occupied. Please note that part of this reporting period included recess when we are more likely to have leave, visits and stakeholder engagement. We are not required to collect this data for our Edinburgh Office.
How many civil servants are assigned to work in each of his Department's offices; and how many desks are available for staff to work in that individual office.
The total number of people by full-time equivalent hours (FTE) at 30 September 2024 is 159.96, which is 165 headcount; 86 members of staff are based in the Belfast office and 79 are based in the London office.There are 121 bookable desks available in total across both offices. There are 59 desks in the London open plan area and 62 desks in Belfast open plan area available for booking. This figure does not cover Ministerial Offices or other business areas not covered by the booking system.
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.
Since the dissolution of the last Parliament on 30 May 2024, one three-seater office sofa for the Ministerial Office was purchased at a cost of £811.14.
How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of his Department’s 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.
The Northern Ireland Office employs a desk booking system (Matrix) to monitor desk occupancy. Staff can book desks in advance of their intended attendance, or the same day. The following data was gathered from Monday 23 September until Friday 18 October 2024 and relates to the open plan areas in London and Belfast which use the desk booking system. There are 59 desks in the London open plan area and 62 desks in Belfast open plan area available for booking. The information below does not cover Ministerial Offices and other business areas not covered by the booking system. London Average Daily OccupancyLondon Average Daily Staff AttendanceBelfast Average Daily OccupancyBelfast Average Daily Staff Attendancew/c 23 September 202447%2864%40w/c 30 September 202452%3161%38w/c 7 October 202452%3160%38w/c 14 October 202454%3266%41
Innovation and Technology, 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 Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA) at all its office locations. The office where the Department’s ministers are located is a GPA building, where GPA is the landlord and building manager and the Department is a tenant. GPA is responsible for the fit out, furnishing and refurbishment of all office spaces, which includes ministerial offices.
Innovation and Technology, how many civil servants are assigned to work in each of his Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
The number of civil servants assigned to the Department’s office locations, and how many desks are available in each office location, are shown below:LocationHeadcount Desks10 Victoria Street, London183105100 Parliament Street, London56456622 Whitehall, London9722043 Glass Wharf, Bristol95Apex Court, Nottingham33Atlantic Quay, Glasgow42Citygate, Newcastle55Companies House, Cardiff7751Erskine House, Belfast128Feethams House, Darlington4343Foss House, York11Mann Island, Liverpool22Queen Elizabeth House, Edinburgh4586Rivergate House, Bristol1630St Pauls Place, Sheffield21Trinity Bridge House, Salford207233Ty William Morgan House, Cardiff45Victoria Square House, Birmingham8278Wellington Place, Leeds43
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 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 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 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 many civil servants are assigned to work in each of his Department's offices; and how many desks are available in each office.
The number of civil servants assigned to the Department’s office locations, and how many desks are available in each office location, are shown below:LocationHeadcountDesks Overall45691688Aberdeen, Crimon Place10162Belfast, Erskine House48Birmingham, Victoria Square House23978Bristol, Rivergate House635Cambridge, Eastbrook11Cardiff, Companies House22356Darlington, Feethams House12443Edinburgh, Queen Elizabeth House17686Leeds, Wellington Place23London, 22-26 Whitehall227439London, 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place2969571London, Caxton House4130London, Old Admiralty Building2835Newcastle, Citygate55Nottingham, Apex Court33Salford, Trinity Bridge House420233 Notes:In all locations except 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place, London and Old Admiralty Building, London, the Department’s staff are located in shared spaces with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The desk figures shown are for both Government departments.
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 Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA) at all its office locations. The office where the Department’s ministers are located is a GPA Hub building, where GPA is the landlord and building manager and the Department is a tenant. GPA is responsible for the fit out, furnishing and refurbishment of all office spaces, which includes ministerial offices.
How many and what proportion of desks were occupied in each of his Department’s 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.
There are 571 desks in 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place. The average daily building attendance between week commencing 16 September through to week commencing 7 October was 900. The average number of daily building attendees exceeds the number of desks due to usage of meeting rooms and other parts of the building. Figures are provided for the Department’s main London occupation at 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place only, which are two adjacent conjoined buildings, and the only office location where attendance figures enabling desk occupancy to be calculated are available, and which is occupied solely by the Department’s staff.