Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the membership of each public sector pay review body including whether they have (a) an employer background and (b) an employee background.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Membership criteria and its appointment process is set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Code states that the panel should include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive, non-chair members of a board, the panel should also include a representative from the public body concerned.
The job description and specific criteria for individual public appointment roles are provided as part of the application process and published on the public appointments website. Membership of public sector pay review bodies is published by sponsor departments on Gov.uk. The current membership of individual public sector review bodies are published by their sponsor departments on each of the review body’s Gov.uk websites.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the membership criteria for an Advisory Assessment Panel that considers an appointment to a public sector pay review body.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Membership criteria and its appointment process is set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Code states that the panel should include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive, non-chair members of a board, the panel should also include a representative from the public body concerned.
The job description and specific criteria for individual public appointment roles are provided as part of the application process and published on the public appointments website. Membership of public sector pay review bodies is published by sponsor departments on Gov.uk. The current membership of individual public sector review bodies are published by their sponsor departments on each of the review body’s Gov.uk websites.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the qualification criteria for appointment to a public sector pay review body.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Membership criteria and its appointment process is set out in the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The Code states that the panel should include a departmental official and an independent member. For competitions recruiting non-executive, non-chair members of a board, the panel should also include a representative from the public body concerned.
The job description and specific criteria for individual public appointment roles are provided as part of the application process and published on the public appointments website. Membership of public sector pay review bodies is published by sponsor departments on Gov.uk. The current membership of individual public sector review bodies are published by their sponsor departments on each of the review body’s Gov.uk websites.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a pay review body for the civil service.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Pay arrangements for civil servants below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to departments as separate employers. This has been the case since 1996. The delegated pay system allows departments to be able to put in place pay and reward arrangements tailored to their own business needs. Ultimately it is for departments to decide on their pay award and how it is structured in light of their own affordability and priorities, and to negotiate with their trade unions. There are no plans for an independent review body for Civil Service pay.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Commissioner for Public Appointments on reform of the public sector pay review bodies process.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The appointments process for all public appointments covered by the Public Appointments Order in Council was reviewed in 2016, and led to the publication of the current Governance Code on Public Appointments. The implementation of this process, in accordance with the principles set out in the Code, is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, who may also conduct thematic reviews on elements of the process to help inform best practice. I have not discussed with the Commissioner the reform of the public appointments process with regard to public sector review bodies.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the appointments process for public sector pay review bodies was last reviewed.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The appointments process for all public appointments covered by the Public Appointments Order in Council was reviewed in 2016, and led to the publication of the current Governance Code on Public Appointments. The implementation of this process, in accordance with the principles set out in the Code, is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, who may also conduct thematic reviews on elements of the process to help inform best practice. I have not discussed with the Commissioner the reform of the public appointments process with regard to public sector review bodies.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the interim report by Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 29 July 2022, and the endorsement in that report of the interim payment recommendations of Sir Robert Francis QC, when the funds will be made available to the eligible recipients identified in that interim report.
Answered by Edward Argar
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 42184 on 6 September 2022.
Asked by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have met with the (i) PCS, (ii) Prospect and (iii) First Division Association civil service trades unions to formally consult those trade unions on the proposal to reduce civil service jobs by 91,000 over three years.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
There have been numerous meetings between officials and national representatives of PCS, Prospect, FDA and other Trade Unions on a wide range of Civil Service wide workforce matters, including pay and the proposed reductions, since that date.
Specific dates where meetings have taken place are:
7th April
11th April
12th April
17th April
20th April
25th April
28th April
12th May
17th May
31st May
16th June
27th June
30th June
14th July