To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Cabinet Office: Procurement
Monday 22nd July 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of goods procured by the Government were manufactured in the UK in the last 12 months for which information is available.

Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The Cabinet Office does not hold this information centrally.


Written Question
Unemployment
Tuesday 2nd July 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will ask the Office for National Statistics to publish tabular information on the number of people that have been unemployed (a) for up to 6 months, (b) between 6 and 12 months, and (c) longer than 12 months in each parliamentary constituency.

Answered by Kevin Foster

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.


Written Question
Parliamentary Questions: Government Responses
Monday 17th June 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Government Departments to (a) provide similar information and (b) undertake a sample collection of data over a given period in the event that a Department does not hold the information requested by hon. Members in Parliamentary Questions.

Answered by David Lidington

Where departments do not hold the information requested, they are advised to state the reason in their response.

Departments will consider any additional questions about similar information or the collection of new information, bearing in mind the availability of that information and/or the proportionality and cost of collecting it.

There are no plans to change the way Departments respond to Parliamentary Questions.


Written Question
Government: Loans
Wednesday 15th May 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that all loans under UK law given to governments or with government guarantees are disclosed publicly at the time they are made and comply with the law of the country concerned.

Answered by David Lidington

Given the complex international nature of sovereign debt, we continue to believe that internationally-agreed approaches are the most effective way to improve sovereign debt transparency and sustainability. Sovereign governments are ultimately responsible for their own borrowing, and the UK supports the IMF and World Bank’s efforts to improve the capacity and capabilities of sovereign borrowers to fulfil this responsibility. The UK also recognizes that official and private creditors have an important role to play in securing debt transparency and sustainability. The G20 agreed Operational Guidelines for Sustainable Financing for official creditors in 2017. The UK is now working through the G20 to monitor an industry-led initiative by the Institute of International Finance (IIF) to improve the transparency of lending of private creditors.

UK-based lenders are also already subject to extensive prudential disclosure requirements under UK law. The Capital Requirements Regulation requires firms to disclose the geographic distribution of their credit exposures, including those to central banks and governments, if the loans are material.


Written Question
Sir Philip Green
Tuesday 19th March 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the Honours Forfeiture Committee will respond to the letter from the rt hon. Member for Birkenhead of 14 February 2019 on Sir Philip Green's knighthood.

Answered by Chloe Smith

The Forfeiture Committee has now had sight of the letter dated 14th February. We will not make any comment or statement in relation to the details of individual cases.


Written Question
Baroness Brady
Thursday 14th February 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what official Government posts Baroness Brady holds.

Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Baroness Brady does not hold any offical government posts.


Written Question
Interserve: Living Wage
Monday 4th February 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2019 to Question 211108, whether Interserve FM ltd are contractually required to pay their employees the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Interserve FM ltd are not contractually required to pay their employees a Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.


Written Question
Cabinet Office: Cleaning Services
Wednesday 30th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which service providers are contracted to carry out third party cleaning contracts for his (a) Department and (b) executive agencies; if he will list all of the services delivered by third party contractors to his (i) Department and (ii) executive agencies; and how many people working for those third party contractors are paid less than the Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The Cabinet Office contracts its third party cleaning to Interserve FM ltd

Under a Total Facilities Management Contract (TFM) the service provider Interserve FM ltd are required to deliver Hard (mechanical & electrical, building fabric) and Soft (cleaning, catering, security, postroom, pest control) services to the Cabinet Office.

Interserve FM ltd are contractually required to pay their employees a Living Wage. The Living Wage as defined by the Living Wage Foundation suggests a higher minimum wage - 89 people employed by Interserve FM ltd on this contract are paid less than this.


Written Question
Civil Servants
Monday 28th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants by (a) government department, (b) executive agency and (c) non-departmental public body are located (i) in London and (ii) outside London.

Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

In March 2018, 83,530 Civil Servants were reported as employed in London and 343,680 in locations outside London on a headcount basis.

Civil Service employment by Government department and region is available in Table 12 ‘Civil Service employment; regional distribution by government department’ as part of the annual National Statistics publication, Civil Service Statistics at the following link: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics.

A table presenting the number of civil servants employed by government department, executive agency and Crown Non Departmental Public Body located in London and outside London has been placed in the library.

Information on the regional employment of Non-Departmental Government Bodies is not collected centrally.


Written Question
Lutfur Rahman
Thursday 10th January 2019

Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Government Minister authorised the press statement issued by the Cabinet Office Press Department on 15 July 2018 on the legal costs associated with the Tower Hamlets Election Court case against Lutfur Rahman.

Answered by Chloe Smith

In order to satisfy the high volume and varied nature of media queries in a prompt manner, not all responses issued by departmental spokespeople to journalists are required to be individually approved by ministers. Information is routinely provided by government media officers to help journalists understand the policies and the background of the department’s policy