Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure transparency regarding any conflicts of interest in matters relating to public procurement.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Regulation 24 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 requires contracting authorities to take appropriate measures on conflicts of interest arising in the conduct of procurement procedures. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what cross-Departmental discussions they have had about ensuring the transparency of their contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Regulation 24 of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 requires contracting authorities to take appropriate measures on conflicts of interest arising in the conduct of procurement procedures. In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the size of the civil service workforce on their ability to implement policies; and what plans are in place to mitigate any potential reduction of that workforce.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
This Government was elected with an ambitious agenda. The Government keeps resourcing for the Civil Service continually under review, to ensure it has the resources to deliver Government priorities as we recover from COVID-19.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the new National Security Adviser being a political appointee on his ability to carry out the full functions of that role.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
As with previous National Security Advisers, David Frost will be the principal adviser to the Prime Minister and Cabinet on national security strategy, policy, capability and civil contingencies. I refer the noble Lady to the statement I made on 30 June 2020.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to veterans of the armed forces during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Government continues to provide a full range of support services for veterans during the COVID-19 pandemic, with appropriate adjustments to those services to take into account the requirement for social distancing and to keep people safe.
This support has included NHS mental and physical health support, access to Veterans UK services including its welfare and transition services and a helpline telephone call back service and support for those veterans within the criminal justice system. In addition to this, the Government has continued to take further steps to support the Armed Forces community, including improved access to social housing and a £6m COVID-19 fund which has provided grants to 100 Service sector charities, including veterans’ care and residential settings.
Government continues to work to ensure any new or changed support needs as a result of COVID-19 are identified and can be met. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has funded a new study with the King’s Centre for Military Health Research, part of King’s College London, exploring the impact of COVID-19 on veterans. This study will provide evidence about the impact of the pandemic on the veterans community and ensure any specific needs or impacts can be addressed.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) when the next meeting of the British-Irish Council will take place; and (2) what will be the subjects for discussion.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The 34th British-Irish Council Heads of Administration Summit was due to take place in June 2020 hosted by the Scottish Government. In light of the unprecedented circumstances created by the Covid-19 situation, which has affected all eight of the Council’s Member Administrations, the Summit was postponed.
It is anticipated that the next summit will take place in late 2020, in keeping with the usual pattern. Discussions between the member administrations on the agenda, theme and form are ongoing. Arrangements will be informed by the latest public health advice at the time.
UK Government officials continue to remain active in progressing the work of the Council through remote working and virtual meetings across the 11 work sectors.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the steps the Race Disparity Unit is taking to help tackle racial injustices in society.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
In line with the practice of successive administrations, details of internal discussions are not normally disclosed. Ministerial meetings with external individuals and organisations are published and available on GOV.UK.
The Race Disparity Unit (RDU) continues to collect and publish data and analysis about variances in treatment or outcome affecting people of different ethnicities.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that civil servants in public-facing roles are able to work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
For civil servants whose roles require them to be in the workplace, advice has been provided to support them in line with the government guidance on safer working during covid-19.
Departments are working closely with individual employees to take into account their personal circumstances.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to BAME (1) civil servants, and (2) contracted workers in Government departments, of (a) contracting, and (b) spreading, COVID-19.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
Government advice remains that people should work from home where possible.
For civil servants whose roles require them to be in the workplace, advice has also been provided to support them in line with the government guidance on safer working during covid-19. In addition, a Workplace Incident Framework, developed with trade unions, sets out the activity that must take place when an individual develops Covid-19 specific to their employees, including for public-facing roles, in line with BEIS guidance and through close working with NHS England and Public Health England.
Departments are working closely with individuals to ensure their personal circumstances are fully factored into decisions about their working arrangements. This includes supporting ethnic minority individuals based on their particular circumstances and ensuring they have the right to challenge a proposed return to the workplace if they have concerns, to have those concerns properly considered and addressed and to not return where they feel this has not been done.
Measures to reduce the risk of contracting and spreading covid-19 for temporary agency workers have been put in place, including a payment scheme to support the pay of temporary agency workers who cannot work for reasons associated with covid-19 (up to the value of 80% of their salary to a cap of £2,500 per month) and the use of virtual pre-employment screening checks and interviews.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the annual canvass produces an (1) comprehensive, and (2) accurate, record of the electorate in England.
Answered by Lord True - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The Representation of the People (Annual Canvass) (Amendment) Regulations 2019, made in October 2019, introduced comprehensive reform to the annual canvass. Canvass Reform has provided Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) with greater flexibility to target their resources in a way which best suits their local area, while at the same time reducing their overall administrative burden. The reforms also make the canvass more effective for citizens, as the initial data matching step means that many will no longer have to respond to the canvass each year.
Ensuring that the electoral register is both accurate and complete is the legislative responsibility of EROs and the Government is supporting EROs to be able to meet this requirement. Preparations to undertake the 2020 Annual Canvass under the reformed system are well underway and Cabinet Office officials have ensured a comprehensive package of training has been provided and direct support is in place.
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to provide additional flexibility to EROs, the Government is also introducing legislation this summer to extend the publication date of the annual register from December 2020 to February 2021. This will provide EROs with greater flexibility and further time to produce a comprehensive and accurate record of the electorate.