Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 in November 2022, if he will provide the location of the St Regis hotel at which £4,846.01 was spent on accommodation on 29 November 2022; for how many (a) nights and (b) individuals that accommodation was purchased; and for what purpose that accommodation was required.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The spends made between 5 October 2022 and 19 December 2022 were related to COP26 events. The team that incurred these costs has now been disbanded. To provide this information would exceed the threshold and incur a disproportionate cost to the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500, for how many (a) nights and (b) individuals were payments totalling £1,340.37 made for accommodation to The Capitol Hotel, Tokyo on (i) 14 November 2022 and (ii) 14 December 2022; and for what purpose that accommodation was required.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Regarding the payment of £804.22 listed on 14 November 2022, that is, in fact, the date the final transaction was settled by the Cabinet Office. The payment was made in September 2022 and refers to accommodation purchased at the Capitol Hotel in Tokyo for one official for 3 nights. The purpose was to attend UK-Japan bilateral discussions.
The spend of £536.15 made on the 14th December was cancelled and the department was not charged.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s publication of government procurement card spending over £500 for April 2023, what training and development services were provided by Happy or Not Ltd for £1,794; and for what purpose will they be used by his Department.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Happy or Not Ltd provides digital evaluation services, and were part of a pilot to evaluate Leadership College for Government events in a new way. The pilot was unsuccessful and the Cabinet Office will receive a full refund.
The Leadership College for Government, which sits within the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit, equips public and Civil Service leaders with the skills, knowledge, and networks to solve today's most complex problems. This includes designing, convening learning and networking opportunities. A key method of tracking how successful we are in reaching these aims is through robust and innovative evaluation.
Asked by: Cat Smith (Labour - Lancaster and Wyre)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to announce the (a) membership and (b) terms of reference of the commission on covid-19 commemoration.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Government fully recognises the need to remember those who have died during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 12 May, the Prime Minister announced the establishment of a UK Commission on Covid Commemoration to consider the most appropriate way to remember those who have lost their lives and to recognise those involved in the unprecedented response. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.