Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the commitment in the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 to review how the Joint Intelligence Committee supports the National Security Council and the Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms during crises, whether they intend to publish that review, particularly in relation to the provision of strategic intelligence assessments; and if not, whether they will place a summary of that review in the Library of the House.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
The Review of National Security Assessment was completed in February 2017. The Joint Intelligence Organisation (JIO) is leading the implementation of the Review’s recommendations. We are not intending to publish the Review or a summary. However, the full Review will be passed to the Intelligence and Security Committee once it has been formed, in line with their role of Parliamentary oversight for the JIO. The ISC will be given regular updates by the JIO on the progress to implement the Review’s recommendations.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards creating the virtual National Security Academy announced in the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review.
Answered by Lord Young of Cookham
Work on a virtual National Security Academy has begun, with departments agreeing to take a shared approach and cross-community training being developed in specific areas. It has held its first course on Full Spectrum Effects. Open to staff across government, the FCO Diplomatic Academy has launched a Security, Defence and Intelligence faculty, which will further develop knowledge and skills on international security.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the date most recently set for the declassification and release to the National Archives of the papers relating to Lord Denning's Report on the Profumo affair, published in 1963 (Cmnd 2152).
Answered by Baroness Chisholm of Owlpen
The Cabinet Office has transferred the papers of Lord Denning’s Report into the Profumo Affair to the National Archives. I refer the noble Lord to their publicly-available catalogue, which states that that they will remain closed until 1 January 2048. This follows a decision by the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives.
This date reflects the fact that individuals mentioned in the Denning files are still alive, and Lord Denning gave assurances to those from whom he took evidence that the papers would never be published.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 100-year embargo on declassification of the papers of the 1963 Denning inquiry into the Profumo affair has been reduced to a shorter retention period.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer given by my predecessor to his previous question on 13 December 2013. The Government is working with the National Archives to transfer the Denning papers to Kew. We will make a further announcement in due course.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many extended ministerial offices have been established, and in which departments; which staff have been recruited to them; and which of those were drawn from outside the civil service.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
Extended Ministerial Offices have been established (or are being established) in the Cabinet Office, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Education, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Scotland Office.
The government regularly publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants along with the numbers of staff they manage and the budgets they are responsible for. A similar approach will apply to staff in extended ministerial offices.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which members of the Cabinet have established an extended ministerial office; and what are the names, skills and backgrounds of the staff recruited to serve in each.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
No Extended Ministerial Offices have been established, but a number are being considered.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current equivalent of the Cabinet Office’s Central Government War Book of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, if any.
Answered by Lord Bridges of Headley
With the end of the cold war, separate arrangements for civil defence and emergency planning were combined and underpinned by the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA). The traditional Government War Books were archived.
Details of specific plans and arrangements are not held together in one compendium. The National Security Secretariat retains an overview to ensure that relevant material can be accessed quickly if needed.
The Strategic Defence and Security Review will, among other things, consider the changing risk picture and whether changes are needed to our current posture and arrangements.
Asked by: Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to restore and update the Cabinet Office Precedent Book.
Answered by Lord Wallace of Saltaire - Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office Precedent Book has been largely superseded by the Cabinet Manual, the Ministerial Code, including Travel by Ministers and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, which are public documents.