Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which team in his Department has responsibility for handling formal complaints against Ministers.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government takes any allegations of misconduct extremely seriously, and has established processes for the handling of complaints.
The Prime Minister's constitutional position as head of Government gives him sole responsibility for the overall organisation of the Executive. The ultimate responsibility for decisions on matters of Ministerial conduct is therefore, quite properly, that of the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister’s expectations of Ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code, which makes clear that Ministers are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour and to behave in a way that upholds the highest standards of propriety.
Where there is a complaint or allegation about a breach of the Code, the Prime Minister may ask the Cabinet Office to investigate the facts of the case and/or refer the matter to the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.
The Prime Minister has committed to appointing an Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests, and the appointment process is in train.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of expected annual spend on the following projects in the major projects portfolio (a) Future Service Programme, (b) One Public Estate, (c) Digital Identity, (d) Whitehall Campus, (e) Civil Service Pensions 2015 Remedy, (f) Government Hubs Programme, (g) Commercial Capability Expansion Programme, (h) National Underground Asset Register, (i) Vetting Transformation Programme, (j) Transforming CCS, (k) GOV UK Verify and (l) Workplace Services Transformation Programme, for each of the financial years from 2022 until the end year of each project, and split into current and capital spending.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) data is published annually in the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) annual report. The current report is available here: Infrastructure and Projects Authority annual report 2022 - GOV.UK with further detail in the "Transparency and freedom of information releases" section of GOV.UK. This data includes whole life costs and financial information for the preceding year for each GMPP project. This ensures the Government provides a consistent picture on time cost and quality at the right point in time in the project lifecycle.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list all civil service units in his department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office has 32 Business Units, 3 Independent Inquiries and 5 ALB’s (Arms Length Bodies) as of 1 November 2022. As below:
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1 | Prime Minister's Office |
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2 | Cabinet Secretary Group |
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3 | Government in Parliament |
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4 | Intelligence and Security Committee |
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5 | Union and Constitution Group (operating across Cabinet Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities). |
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6 | COP Presidency |
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7 | Inquiries Sponsorship Team |
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8 | Economic and Domestic Secretariat |
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9 | National Security Secretariat |
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10 | Joint Intelligence Organisation |
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11 | Geospatial Commission |
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12 | Equality Hub |
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13 | Government Digital Service |
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14 | Central Digital and Data Office |
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15 | Government Communication Service |
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16 | Government Security Function |
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17 | Government Commercial Function |
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18 | Civil Service Human Resources |
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19 | Public Sector Fraud Authority and Debt |
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20 | Infrastructure and Projects Authority |
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21 | Office of Government Property |
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22 | Government Business Services |
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23 | Commercial Models |
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24 | Borders and Brexit Opportunities |
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25 | Chief Operating Officer Office |
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26 | Cabinet Office People and Places |
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27 | Cabinet Office Assurance, Finance & Controls |
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28 | Chief Digital and Information Office |
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29 | Public Bodies |
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30 | Public Inquiry Response Unit |
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31 | Civil Service Modernisation & Reform Unit |
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32 | Office for Veterans’ Affairs |
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Independent Inquiries |
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33 | Grenfell Inquiry |
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34 | Infected Blood Inquiry |
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35 | C-19 Inquiry |
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ALB's |
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ALB 1 | Civil Service Commission |
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ALB 2 | Equality and Human Rights Commission |
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ALB 3 | Government Property Agency |
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ALB 4 | Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists |
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ALB 5 | Crown Commercial Service |
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Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November to Question 74702, when he plans to appoint a new Independent Adviser on Ministers' interests.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The appointment of a new Independent Adviser is a matter for the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister has confirmed that he intends to appoint an Independent Adviser and that further details will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Statement by the Prime Minister on Machinery of Government of 11 October 2022, HCWS311, what civil service functions are being transferred to his Department from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on (a) devolution, (b) constitutional policy and (c) elections; and what responsibilities have been retained by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on these policies.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Following the formation of the new Government, the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities holds day to day responsibility for Union and Devolution in his capacity as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.
The responsibilities which the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities holds for elections policy continue to be held by the Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Constitution Policy is the responsibility of the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, with support from other Cabinet Office Ministers.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November to Question 73011 on Cabinet Office: Constitutions and Elections, whether his policy remit under the constitution includes (a) the House of Lords and (b) electoral systems.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster's constitutional portfolio encompasses issues relating to the House of Lords and the constitutional implications of changes to the electoral system. Ministers in the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities hold responsibility for elections.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister is responsible for (a) the UK Governance Group and (b) the Union and Constitution Group.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The UK Governance Group is an umbrella group that covers a collection of policy portfolios across Departments and Ministerial responsibilities; no single Minister is responsible for the UK Governance Group. The Union and Constitution Group forms part of the UK Governance Group and operates across Cabinet Office and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
Constitution Policy is the responsibility of the Chancellor for the Duchy of Lancaster, with support from other Cabinet Office Ministers.
Union and Devolution Policy sits under the Prime Minister as Minister for the Union, but day to day responsibility falls to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities in his capacity as Minister for Intergovernmental Relations.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for the Public Sector Fraud Authority; and whether that authority has replaced the Fraud, Error and Debt (FED) Directorate of his Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Minister with responsibility for the Public Sector Fraud Authority is the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, the Rt Hon Jeremy Quin MP.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority has the Counter Fraud Function within its role. The Fraud, Error and Debt Directorate still exists at present, and it has the Public Sector Fraud Authority and the Debt Function within its purview.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for the Office for Investment.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for International Trade, has lead responsibility on this matter.
A List of Ministerial Responsibilities setting out Ministerial allocations within departments will be published in due course, in the usual way.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has issued to Ministers in his Department on the use of private email addresses for government business.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Ministers are not prohibited from using private email, but are reminded of their obligations to national security, and to the management of official information and records, through the department’s policies, the Cabinet Manual, and the Ministerial Code.
In particular the Guidance on the Use of Private Email, published by the Cabinet Office in 2013 states that should a minister receive information in their private email account, they should consider whether the information contained in it relates to substantive discussions or decisions generated in the course of conducting Government business and, if so, take steps to ensure the relevant information is accessible, for example, by copying it to a government email address.
Consequently, and in line with the 2013 Guidance, The Cabinet Office recognises that a blanket prohibition on use of private email by ministers for government business would be impractical, because, for example, it would not prevent a third party emailing a minister’s personal email address directly.