First elected: 7th May 2015
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Angela Rayner, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Angela Rayner has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Angela Rayner has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Victims of Crime and Anti-social Behaviour, Etc (Rights, Entitlements and Related Matters) Bill 2019-21
Sponsor - Peter Kyle (Lab)
Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act 2019
Sponsor - Geoffrey Robinson (Lab)
There were around 230 officials working in the COP26 unit in October 2021. The team worked closely with other government departments and the global diplomatic network to support the incoming COP presidency, plan and deliver the UK’s negotiations strategy and deliver the operational requirements of the Glasgow summit including extensive COVID safety measures.
There are around 120 civil servants currently working in the COP26 unit in the Cabinet Office. They are continuing to support the UK's COP Presidency, which runs until November 2022, and secure the legacy of the Glasgow Climate Pact.
I refer the Right Honourable Member to the official record here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-02-20/debates/9DF0D70A-7E95-4FEB-9C02-DF57D3EA4E94/CabinetOffice#2MC
The Government is assessing a number of recommendations from both the Committee on Standards in Public Life and Nigel Boardman regarding Ministers' quarterly transparency returns, which cover gifts; hospitality, meetings and overseas travel.
Exclusion decisions are for individual departments. In the most serious of cases, the Cabinet Office may undertake a review of a supplier and issue guidance to departments but the decision on exclusion remains with the contracting authority.
The Procurement Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, further strengthens the rules on supplier exclusion for fraud and corruption. It will also create a new 'debarment register', accessible to all public sector organisations, which will list companies who should be excluded from contracts.
Information about exclusions relating to legal action being initiated by the Government relating to contracts to supply personal protective equipment is not held centrally.
Exclusion decisions are for individual departments. In the most serious of cases, the Cabinet Office may undertake a review of a supplier and issue guidance to departments but the decision on exclusion remains with the contracting authority.
The Procurement Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, further strengthens the rules on supplier exclusion for fraud and corruption. It will also create a new 'debarment register', accessible to all public sector organisations, which will list companies who should be excluded from contracts.
Information about exclusions relating to legal action being initiated by the Government relating to contracts to supply personal protective equipment is not held centrally.
Cabinet Office predominantly receives legal advice in-house from Government Legal Department, and the information requested, in respect of external advice, in the question is not centrally held.
The Government Consulting Hub (GCH) was established to ensure the government built more in-house capability.
We have made significant progress in this area on a number of fronts. A key focus of the GCH was to develop capability and ownership of this work across government to ensure this is embedded in the long-term.
The triage service, developed by GCH, has been transferred to the Crown Commercial Service, building on the work done by GCH with each department - this transition is a recognition of the maturity level of the service, which means it can now integrate with CCS work with consultancy procurement strategies across government. The very well received Consultancy Playbook, setting a new bar of how we get best value from external firms, operates alongside the suite of playbooks, owned and led by the Commercial Function.
The GCH capability programme, supporting civil servants to adopt consultancy type skills where appropriate, is now fully onboarded to Civil Service Learning, and will continue to be available to all civil servants. By improving these skills in the public sector, we can continue to ensure the government is only using consultants when absolutely necessary.
The illegal invasion of Ukraine by Russia has been met with unprecedented global condemnation. The UK is proudly standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and has introduced tough financial and investment sanctions, to push Russia to cease its illegal and destabilising actions.
In March 2022, Cabinet Office published PPN 01/22 which set out the government's commercial policy and guidance, recommending that public bodies immediately seek to identify any contracts with Russian and Belarusian companies and, to switch suppliers with minimal disruption, pursue legal routes of cancelling them. In all cases, contracting authorities must be proportionate and take a risk-based approach. The final decision to terminate a contract rests with the contracting authority with responsibility for the contract.
In the case of the Cabinet Office’s own commercial activities, since the publication of PPN 01/22, there have been no instances where a Russian/Belarusian supplier has bid, and therefore been excluded from a procurement. Other departments will hold their own records on such matters.
The Government at the time determined it was in the public interest for Lord Pannick’s legal opinion to be published given the exceptional circumstances. It remains the case that the Government does not comment on legal advice that may or may not have been sought or received. This is in line with the long-standing policy under successive administrations.
I refer the Rt Honourable Lady to my answer of 10 February, PQ 138358, in which, inter alia, I set out that the Government Consulting Hub was closed in January 2023.
Cabinet Office predominantly receives legal advice in-house from the Government Legal Department, which charges for its work on various bases, including fixed fee arrangements and hourly charging. However, there are special cases where we need to seek advice from external legal firms and counsel; in these circumstances, the Cabinet Office ensures the costs are competitive and value for money is achieved by using competed frameworks for external firms and the Attorney General’s panel of counsel.
Since much of the advice is not charged for on an hourly basis, the department cannot calculate the average hourly cost of legal advice.
The Cabinet Office's Public Sector Fraud Authority is on track to deliver in excess of £180m of identified fraud benefits in its first year. The final figure will be audited by GIAA in the Summer and announced shortly after.
Lecterns are regularly used at government press conferences, receptions and speeches.
These lecterns were purchased by the Government under a previous administration.
As previously stated, lecterns are used and repurposed across the Cabinet Office estate and other government buildings.
Lecterns are regularly used at government press conferences, receptions and speeches.
These lecterns were purchased by the Government under a previous administration.
As previously stated, lecterns are used and repurposed across the Cabinet Office estate and other government buildings.
Details of all suppliers excluded from the procurement process are included in the Contract Award Report, which is approved and signed off by Cabinet Office Commercial. No central record of these exclusions is held by the Cabinet Office, and in order to confirm the details of suppliers excluded from any procurement would mean checking each Contract Award Report approved and signed off between 1 January 2021 and 31 January 2023.
The UK imposes a range of sanctions against individuals or organisations that pose a threat to our country or its interests. Alongside procurement exclusions, these include asset freezes, travel bans, trade sanctions and transport sanctions.
I refer the honourable member to my earlier answer of 19 December. [UIN 110723]
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given in PQ24573 on 24 June 2022
The Government has been clear on its opposition to this practice being used as a negotiating tactic and is now making it clear how it expects employers to behave.
Departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award and management of contracts.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded centrally on departmental systems.
The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process.
The Procurement Bill brought forward by this Conservative Government, currently being considered by Parliament, expands the scope of misconduct which can lead to exclusion. We are also increasing the time period within which misconduct can lead to exclusion from 3 years to 5; bringing subsidiary companies into scope of exclusion; and making the rules clearer so that contracting authorities can undertake exclusions with more confidence
The Government is committed to tackling fraud and corruption in public procurement. All contracting authorities must act, and be seen to act, with integrity.
Information on how many suppliers the Government excluded from procurement on the grounds of fraud under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 is not held centrally. Departments will hold their own exclusions data.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority was established in August 2022 to work with departments and public bodies to understand the causes of fraud and reduce its impact, throughout the commercial lifecycle.
The Procurement Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, further strengthens the rules on supplier exclusion for fraud and corruption.
HR processes are confidential and therefore we do not comment on complaints, including whether they are received or not received.
My right honourable friend, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, responded to a question from the honourable member for Rhondda during Cabinet Office Oral Questions on 2 February 2023 regarding transparency in ministerial interests. A correction to this was identified and a formal request has been sent to the Hansard Editors. I would therefore refer the Rt Hon Lady to the Official Record in due course for the updated wording.
The Government Consulting Hub (GCH) opened in May 2021, and operated on a cost neutral basis for the Cabinet Office, charging government departments for consultancy work undertaken and collecting a subscription fee for training and other services. It was tasked with helping to develop capability and ownership of consulting work within each department, triaging consulting requirements and establishing a “Consultancy Playbook” to establish best practice. A key focus of GCH was to develop capability and ownership of consultancy work within each department.
GCH enhanced the skills of a total of 526 civil servants across a variety of programmes. In FY 2020-21, the capability offer was stood-up. 189 received training in FY 2021-22 and 337 in FY 2022-23. In total, 414 civil servants received training via the main offer “Core Consulting Skills for Government”; this included 96 Fast Streamers and 14 Director Generals via a Senior Leaders workshop.
These skills continue to be deployed through the Civil Service.
The estimated fee differential associated with Government Departments using GCH for consultancy rather than external suppliers was £4.3 million.
The triage service has (since GCH was wound down on 31st January 2023) transferred to the Crown Commercial Service, building on the work done by GCH with each department. This transition is a recognition of the maturity level of the service, which means it can now integrate with CCS work on consultancy procurement strategies across Whitehall.
The GCH capability programme, supporting civil servants to adopt consultancy type skills where appropriate, has now onboarded to Civil Service Learning, and will continue to be available to all civil servants. By improving these skills in the public sector, we can continue to ensure the Government is only using consultants when absolutely necessary.
The Consultancy Playbook was well-received and set a new bar for how we get best value from external firms. It will now be integrated into the suite of playbooks owned by the Commercial Function.
The Government Consulting Hub (GCH) opened in May 2021, and operated on a cost neutral basis for the Cabinet Office, charging government departments for consultancy work undertaken and collecting a subscription fee for training and other services. It was tasked with helping to develop capability and ownership of consulting work within each department, triaging consulting requirements and establishing a “Consultancy Playbook” to establish best practice. A key focus of GCH was to develop capability and ownership of consultancy work within each department.
GCH enhanced the skills of a total of 526 civil servants across a variety of programmes. In FY 2020-21, the capability offer was stood-up. 189 received training in FY 2021-22 and 337 in FY 2022-23. In total, 414 civil servants received training via the main offer “Core Consulting Skills for Government”; this included 96 Fast Streamers and 14 Director Generals via a Senior Leaders workshop.
These skills continue to be deployed through the Civil Service.
The estimated fee differential associated with Government Departments using GCH for consultancy rather than external suppliers was £4.3 million.
The triage service has (since GCH was wound down on 31st January 2023) transferred to the Crown Commercial Service, building on the work done by GCH with each department. This transition is a recognition of the maturity level of the service, which means it can now integrate with CCS work on consultancy procurement strategies across Whitehall.
The GCH capability programme, supporting civil servants to adopt consultancy type skills where appropriate, has now onboarded to Civil Service Learning, and will continue to be available to all civil servants. By improving these skills in the public sector, we can continue to ensure the Government is only using consultants when absolutely necessary.
The Consultancy Playbook was well-received and set a new bar for how we get best value from external firms. It will now be integrated into the suite of playbooks owned by the Commercial Function.
The Government Consulting Hub (GCH) opened in May 2021, and operated on a cost neutral basis for the Cabinet Office, charging government departments for consultancy work undertaken and collecting a subscription fee for training and other services. It was tasked with helping to develop capability and ownership of consulting work within each department, triaging consulting requirements and establishing a “Consultancy Playbook” to establish best practice. A key focus of GCH was to develop capability and ownership of consultancy work within each department.
GCH enhanced the skills of a total of 526 civil servants across a variety of programmes. In FY 2020-21, the capability offer was stood-up. 189 received training in FY 2021-22 and 337 in FY 2022-23. In total, 414 civil servants received training via the main offer “Core Consulting Skills for Government”; this included 96 Fast Streamers and 14 Director Generals via a Senior Leaders workshop.
These skills continue to be deployed through the Civil Service.
The estimated fee differential associated with Government Departments using GCH for consultancy rather than external suppliers was £4.3 million.
The triage service has (since GCH was wound down on 31st January 2023) transferred to the Crown Commercial Service, building on the work done by GCH with each department. This transition is a recognition of the maturity level of the service, which means it can now integrate with CCS work on consultancy procurement strategies across Whitehall.
The GCH capability programme, supporting civil servants to adopt consultancy type skills where appropriate, has now onboarded to Civil Service Learning, and will continue to be available to all civil servants. By improving these skills in the public sector, we can continue to ensure the Government is only using consultants when absolutely necessary.
The Consultancy Playbook was well-received and set a new bar for how we get best value from external firms. It will now be integrated into the suite of playbooks owned by the Commercial Function.
The Government Consulting Hub (GCH) opened in May 2021, and operated on a cost neutral basis for the Cabinet Office, charging government departments for consultancy work undertaken and collecting a subscription fee for training and other services. It was tasked with helping to develop capability and ownership of consulting work within each department, triaging consulting requirements and establishing a “Consultancy Playbook” to establish best practice. A key focus of GCH was to develop capability and ownership of consultancy work within each department.
GCH enhanced the skills of a total of 526 civil servants across a variety of programmes. In FY 2020-21, the capability offer was stood-up. 189 received training in FY 2021-22 and 337 in FY 2022-23. In total, 414 civil servants received training via the main offer “Core Consulting Skills for Government”; this included 96 Fast Streamers and 14 Director Generals via a Senior Leaders workshop.
These skills continue to be deployed through the Civil Service.
The estimated fee differential associated with Government Departments using GCH for consultancy rather than external suppliers was £4.3 million.
The triage service has (since GCH was wound down on 31st January 2023) transferred to the Crown Commercial Service, building on the work done by GCH with each department. This transition is a recognition of the maturity level of the service, which means it can now integrate with CCS work on consultancy procurement strategies across Whitehall.
The GCH capability programme, supporting civil servants to adopt consultancy type skills where appropriate, has now onboarded to Civil Service Learning, and will continue to be available to all civil servants. By improving these skills in the public sector, we can continue to ensure the Government is only using consultants when absolutely necessary.
The Consultancy Playbook was well-received and set a new bar for how we get best value from external firms. It will now be integrated into the suite of playbooks owned by the Commercial Function.
Successive governments have preserved the ability for officials to provide advice to Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in confidence. In order to protect the ability to provide such advice effectively, it is not appropriate to comment on either specific information or advice provided in relation to ministerial appointments, or on the procedures used to provide that advice.
Successive governments have preserved the ability for officials to provide advice to Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in confidence. In order to protect the ability to provide such advice effectively, it is not appropriate to comment on either specific information or advice provided in relation to ministerial appointments, or on the procedures used to provide that advice.
Successive governments have preserved the ability for officials to provide advice to Ministers, including the Prime Minister, in confidence. In order to protect the ability to provide such advice effectively, it is not appropriate to comment on either specific information or advice provided in relation to ministerial appointments, or on the procedures used to provide that advice.
During this period, Cabinet Office ministers and officials were provided with legal support on their departmental responsibilities by lawyers from the Government Legal Department, supplemented by external legal firms and counsel where appropriate.
Since July 2011, on the initiative of the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, the Government has published in its Ministerial transparency data details of meetings with senior media executives, including not only official meetings, but social and political meetings.
As outlined in the transparency return for the Q2 2022 period, this was a social meeting. The Government does not hold details of such informal, non-governmental meetings.
I would observe that since 2016, it is the Labour Party which has stopped publishing transparency data on frontbench meetings with senior media executives, breaking a commitment made during the Leveson Inquiry.
I refer the Rt Hon lady to the Answers of 19 December 2022 to Questions 110722 and 110723. The investigation is being carried out in line with the Terms of Reference. Decisions on the conduct of that investigation will be for the investigator.
The government confirmed on 14 December that additional formal complaints had been passed to the investigator. These had been received by the Cabinet Office late in the previous week and were addressed promptly.
I refer the Rt Hon lady to the Answers of 19 December 2022 to Questions 110722 and 110723. The investigation is being carried out in line with the Terms of Reference. Decisions on the conduct of that investigation will be for the investigator.
The government confirmed on 14 December that additional formal complaints had been passed to the investigator. These had been received by the Cabinet Office late in the previous week and were addressed promptly.
Further to my answer of 29 November, the Government confirmed publicly on 14 December that the Prime Minister has asked the investigator to include five further formal complaints relating to conduct at the Ministry of Justice as part of the ongoing investigation, and in line with the existing Terms of Reference.
Further to my answer of 29 November, the Government confirmed publicly on 14 December that the Prime Minister has asked the investigator to include five further formal complaints relating to conduct at the Ministry of Justice as part of the ongoing investigation, and in line with the existing Terms of Reference.
The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project.
The Government expects businesses to take all necessary steps to enable themselves to comply with their tax obligations, to ensure a fair and level playing field.
HM Revenue & Customs require certain large multinational enterprises to report details of their economic activities in each country where they operate and the taxes paid in each country. There are penalties for those that file late or fail to do so.
The Procurement Bill introduces new mandatory grounds for the exclusion of bidders which are found guilty of tax evasion or involvement in abusive tax avoidance schemes, whether in the UK or overseas.
The Cabinet Office intends to issue guidance to departments on the use of non-corporate communications channels early in 2023. This will replace the guidance on the use of private email that was issued in 2013.
As set out in the published Terms of Reference, the investigation will be undertaken by Adam Tolley KC, with support from officials in the Cabinet Office.
Those officials will work under the direction of the investigator and in line with the Civil Service Code.
The number of officials assigned to the investigation at any one time will vary. The investigation will be provided with the necessary resources to be carried out in line with the Terms of Reference.
Assuming the Rt Hon Lady's question refers to the appointment of non-executive directors to Arms Length Bodies, the Cabinet Office does not hold specific information on the recruitment costs.
Between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2020 Cabinet Office spent £5.016 million on external recruitment services (consultancy). Included within this total figure is expenditure totalling £3.082 million, attributed to the Government Recruitment Service (GRS) for external recruitment services (consultancy) which was incurred by the Cabinet Office and recharged to other Government Departments.
The breakdown per calendar year is as follows.
In the 2020 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £2.507 million on recruitment services (consultancy), of which £2.036 million was attributed to GRS and recharged to other Government Departments.
In the 2019 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £1.556 million on recruitment services (consultancy), of which £1.042 million was attributed to GRS and recharged to other Government Departments.
In the 2018 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £0.953 million on recruitment services (consultancy), of which £0.004 million was attributed to GRS and recharged to other Government Departments.
The Enforcement Unit is currently being designed by experts within the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) and across government. The design phase will be completed by the end of April 2023 and it will be operational by the end of the 2023/24 financial year. It will have the ability to conduct investigations and enforcement recovery activity on a targeted basis across departments and public bodies to pursue those who seek to defraud vital public services.
No final estimate has yet been made of the FTE implications of the Autumn Statement.
The Cabinet Office will make efficiencies and reprioritise so that it can deliver its priorities within its available funding as confirmed by the Autumn Statement. This will include managing inflationary pressures. Our approach will be informed by plans for a smaller, more agile, and more efficient centre of government.
These plans will deliver significant financial savings and put the department in a strong position to manage within our budget. Our FTE will be published as usual in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts, available here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-annual-reports-and-accounts.
The National Statistics show that at 30 June 2018, there were 560 staff on a headcount basis and 550 staff on an FTE basis working at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU). There were approximately 110 staff in addition to this figure who remained on the payroll of their home department whilst on loan to DExEU.
This information was published by ONS as part of their Public Sector Employment Statistics release and is available at the following ONS web address:
The £180m target for the PSFA in 2022/23 includes recovered fraud and fraud prevented by early action. Therefore, all fraud benefits are required to go through a multi stage review process and also be independently audited. Until this audit process has been completed, we are unable to report progress against the target. However, early indications are that we are on track to meet the target.
The Prime Minister has appointed Adam Tolley KC to conduct an independent investigation into formal complaints which have been made about the conduct of the Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP, the Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice.
The Terms of Reference for the investigation have been published on gov.uk. [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terms-of-reference-investigation-into-formal-complaints/terms-of-reference-for-the-investigation-into-formal-complaints-about-the-conduct-of-the-deputy-prime-minister-html]
Following the establishment of the independent investigation, and the Cabinet Office receiving a further formal complaint relating to Mr Raab's conduct at the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Prime Minister has additionally asked the investigator to establish the specific facts surrounding this complaint, in line with the Terms of Reference for the existing investigation.
I had an introductory meeting with the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) on 31 October. We discussed how the PSFA is providing expert support to departments and public bodies about the fraud risks and threats they face, and its progress towards delivering £180m of identified fraud benefits within its first year.
Since 25th October 2022, one public appointment has been made by Cabinet Office as the sponsoring department:
Phillipa Herd was appointed an interim member of the Senior Salaries Review Body. The appointment was announced publicly on 10 November 2022.
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to my earlier response (PQ79302).
The Prime Minister has confirmed that he intends to appoint an Independent Adviser and that further details will be announced in due course.
The process to appoint an Independent Adviser is already taking place. It is an important role which needs to be considered carefully; this is happening at pace.