Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what sanctions apply to civil servants on the offence of misconduct in public office.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Misconduct in public office is an indictable offence under common law, and anyone considered to be a public officer (including civil servants) accused of such an offence could be tried before a jury in a Crown Court.
Any sanction imposed by the courts would be determined by the nature and severity of the case and subject to any minimum or maximum penalty thresholds relating to the specific offence being tried.
All civil servants are also subject to departmental conduct policies and the Civil Service Code which requires them to act with integrity, impartiality, honesty and objectivity. Breaches of the Civil Service Code will be the subject of internal disciplinary action.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, which (a) people and (b) businesses applying for Government funding he has provided advice to in each of the last five years; and what advice he has provided.
Answered by Boris Johnson
Decisions on funding to individual schemes are a matter for the relevant Government Department. The Cabinet Office has published grant standards to ensure best practice in the awarding of grants by departments.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/grants-standards
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice is provided to senior civil servants on the proper disciplinary approach to take towards civil servants who have been found not to have declared personal interests with an applicant for discretionary public funds where they are involved in the decision-making process.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The Civil Service Management Code sets out regulations and instructions related to civil servants’ terms and conditions of service, including the declaration of private interests. All civil servants must comply with instructions from their department or agency regarding the retention, disposal or management of such interests. If required, disciplinary proceedings are a matter for the department or agency concerned in the light of the circumstances of each case. HR in each Department will provide advice about the appropriate procedures to follow.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans further cyber security training for the Secretary of State for Defence; and whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Defence on cyber security.
Answered by David Lidington
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers access to cyber security advice and support in order to help protect information and prevent cyber attacks.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what cyber security training has been undertaken by the Secretary of State for Defence.
Answered by David Lidington
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers access to cyber security advice and support in order to help protect information and prevent cyber attacks.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Cyber Security Centre has made an assessment of the potential risk to the security of (a) Ministers and (b) senior civil servants of having voice recognition software enabled on mobile phones; what guidance his Department has issued on the use of voice recognition software; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on cyber security; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by David Lidington
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers access to the best cyber security advice and support to help protect information and prevent cyber attacks from all possible threats.
The NCSC issues a range of freely available guidance on its website available at: at https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/guidance/eud-security-guidance-ios-10