Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 721–740 of 760 · Cabinet Office
With reference to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question HL1058 on Civil Service: Equality, whether Departments are required to report exemptions to his Department.
Yes. Departments are required to report exemptions under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance to the Cabinet Office.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 10699 on Procurement: National Security, what the topic was of the evaluation that met an exemption under the Act.
The topic of the evaluation which is currently exempt from publication is Defra’s Northern Ireland Programme.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 12416 on Government Departments: Disclosure of Information, whether it is his policy that Government transparency data should be (a) available and (b) searchable on a new transparency platform.
This Government is fully committed to transparency and to looking at how the range of information published can be improved and made as useful as possible.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5291 on Cabinet Office and Prime Minister: Travel, if he publish his Department's intranet guidance.
The Cabinet Office does not publish its intranet guidance for Travel policy in the public domain as it is intended for internal staff use only.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8125 on Government Departments: Staff, if he will publish an updated organogram for his Department on data.gov.uk.
We are committed to publishing an updated organogram on data.gov.uk. Work has already begun to do this.
Which public authorities hold information for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on (a) which (i) domestic and (ii) overseas flights for Prime Ministerial travel have been carbon offset and (b) whether Sustainable Aviation Fuel was used on those flights.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 21 October 2024, Official Report, 8434.
What progress he has made on implementing the recommendations on secondments in his Department’s report entitled A report by Nigel Boardman into the Development and Use of Supply Chain Finance (and associated schemes) related to Greensill Capital in Government: Recommendations and Suggestions, published on 21 July 2021.
The Civil Service is committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are an important route to bring in essential skills and experience, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government, and share critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.All departments, functions, and professions have been commissioned to embed secondments as a key part of their resourcing and skills strategies. Cabinet Office works closely with secondment leads across government, providing support and advice as required. A number of guidance products have been developed which provide practical advice to vacancy holders and secondees, enabling them to navigate the process and maximise the potential of secondments.
With reference to his Department's publication entitled Business Critical Models in the Cabinet Office, published on 31 October 2024, if he will publish his Department's Register of British Interests.
The Register of British Interests is a report that contains national security and commercial sensitivities. As a result, it is not released to the public, as has been longstanding practice including under the last administration.
With reference to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 188973 on Civil Servants: Secondment, whether he has taken steps to increase the data available.
Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are a key route to bring essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.In August 2023 the Government Chief People Office, Fiona Ryland, commissioned all departments, professions and functions to embed secondments as a key part of their resourcing and skills strategies. A quarterly secondments data commission was reintroduced in April 2023 to provide insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to increase the amount, detail and quality of the data available. Responses are now received from all ministerial departments.
With reference to his letter to the Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body, published on 30 September 2024, who the members of the Government Commercial Organisation Remuneration Committee are.
Members of the Remuneration Committee are: two Non-Executive members (including the Chair), the Government Chief Commercial Officer, and two independent members comprising a senior Cabinet Office HR representative and a HM Treasury representative.
Which competitions for appointments to Independent Honours Committees have been (a) terminated without appointment and (b) re-opened since 5 July 2024; and what the cost of those competitions was.
Since 5 July 2024, competitions for appointments to the (i) Community and Voluntary Service (ii), Parliamentary and Political Service, and (iii) Diversity and Outreach (formerly called Representation and Outreach) Honours Committees were closed and reopened to allow for the widest range of applications. We do not hold information about the costs of specific competitions.
Pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 11029 on Government Departments: Procurement, what the criteria will be for including a foreign company on the debarment list.
The Procurement Act 2023 does not differentiate between domestic and foreign suppliers . For any supplier to be added to the debarment list, a minister of the crown must be satisfied that the supplier is either an excluded or excludable supplier (as defined in s.57 of the Procurement Act 2023) and must consider that the supplier should be added to the debarment list.
What guidance his Department has issued to other departments on the circumstances in which consultant lobbying firms attending (a) meetings and (b) hospitality must be declared on ministerial transparency returns.
Guidance on ministers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdfDepartments are required to publish details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals, including meetings with lobbyists registered on the Register of Consultant Lobbyists. Departments are also required to publish details of hospitality above de minimis levels received by ministers in their ministerial capacity.
Whether his Department issues guidance to Department's on the publication of meetings attended by (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers.
Guidance on ministers’ and special advisers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK.Ministers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdfSpecial Advisers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66041202e8c4420011220347/2024_04_02-Special-Advisers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf
Whether former civil servants are required to make a business appointment rules application to undertake (a) temporary and (b) one-off items of work during the regulated period after their departure from Crown employment.
Civil servants at SCS payband 2 and below only have to make business appointment rules applications if their proposed role meets one of the seven triggers set out in the Rules. Civil servants at ACOBA level (SCS payband 3 and above) have to make an application for all roles that they wish to take up, including temporary roles.ACOBA does not regard ‘one-off’ activities such as speeches, broadcasts, or newspaper articles to be in scope of the Rules. These rules and processes are the same as under the previous administration.
Whether declarations of interest by (a) special advisers, (b) direct ministerial appointments, (c) non-executive directors and (d) other public appointments are published on a public Register of Interests.
With regards to publication of special adviser interests, I direct the Rt Hon member to PQ5030.For departmental non-executive directors, individual boards publish all relevant interests of individual board membersDeclarations of interest for public appointments and direct ministerial appointments are not routinely published.
Whether (a) direct ministerial appointments and (b) public appointments are required to declare interests.
Prospective appointees to both public appointment and direct ministerial appointment roles are required to make a declaration of any potential conflicts of interests with the role and activities they are being asked to undertake.
What the Government's policy is on paying for advertising on X.
The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework.
What the cost was of civil service pay (a) including and (b) excluding National Insurance employer contributions in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn payroll costs for all Civil Service departments and organisations. However, the estimated total snapshot paybill cost as at the 31st March 2024 is £28.1bn. This includes salary costs, in year and end of year non consolidated performance related payments (NCPRPs), and estimated employer national insurance and pensions payments using 2024/25 employer contribution rates. Excluding estimated NI employer contributions the estimated paybill is £26.0bn. Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), Cabinet Office. Analysis of the pay data collected through ACSES as at 31st March 2024.
If he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the Civil Service of proposed changes to (a) statutory rights for trade union equality representatives and (b) facility time and associated office facilities via the Employment Rights Bill.
The Employment Rights Bill is a significant step towards ensuring workplace rights are fit for a modern economy and aims to strengthen the work of unions and union representatives in the workplace and support growth. The Government published impact assessments alongside the Bill which covered the expected benefits and costs to employers of the new measures and has committed to carrying out a post implementation review in five years of the repeal of the 2016 Trade Union Act.