Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will extend the offer of a free portrait of King Charles to churches.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government does not currently have any plans to extend the offer of a free portrait of The King to churches or other places of worship.
The UK Government launched an Official Portrait scheme in November 2023 to enable certain Public Authorities across the UK to apply for a free, framed official portrait of His Majesty The King for display in their buildings.
The scheme is ongoing and is due for completion by mid year 2024. His Majesty’s accession has marked the beginning of a new reign and the UK Government considers it is right that public authorities, as part of the fabric of our nation, have the opportunity to commemorate this moment, strengthen civil pride and reflect the new era in our history.
A portrait will be available for purchase in due course for those not eligible for this scheme and details will be communicated at the time.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to tackle pension irregularities in the Defence Fire Rescue Project.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office, acting as the Civil Service Pension Scheme Manager, has met on a number of occasions with representatives of Unite the Union (Unite), Capita Land Services and MyCSP to discuss issues surrounding Pensionable Pay for members of the Defence Fire and Rescue Services that were transferred to Capita Fire and Rescue. The work is expected to be completed no later than July 2024.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister plans to call the next general election.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022, the precise timing of the next general election is a matter for the Prime Minister. A general election must take place by January 2025.
As the hon. Member will be aware, the Prime Minister has indicated recently that his working assumption is that a general election will take place in the second half of this year. Although, of course, this remains a matter for the Prime Minister's discretion.
In the meantime, the Government is working to deliver a brighter future for Britain, with long-term economic security and opportunity: where hard work is always rewarded; where ambition and aspiration are celebrated; where young people get the skills they need to succeed in life; where families are supported, where those who have worked hard all their lives have the dignity they deserve in retirement; and, with security at home and abroad.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to ensure that civil servants who have retired since 1 April 2022 are able to receive the £1500 cost of living award.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Honourable Member for Warrington North to the answer given on 25th October 2023 in response to PQ 203635.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what social value criteria the Government considers when awarding public contracts.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Social Value Model launched in January 2021 (PPN 06/20) by this Conservative Government, standardises the assessment of bidder’s proposals for delivering social value outcomes, including tackling economic inequality, creating new businesses, jobs and skills, as well as increasing supply chain resilience and fighting climate change. The Model takes into account factors such as the number of local jobs or apprenticeships a contractor will provide, or the number of SMEs involved in their wider supply chain.
At the same time, the Procurement Bill we are introducing also confirms that while value for money remains paramount during contracting, buyers should take into account other relevant wider social and environmental considerations the supplier may bring.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to prevent public contracts being awarded to companies that blacklist workers.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Employment Relations Act 1999 (Blacklists) Regulations 2010 prohibit the compilation, usage, sale or supply of blacklists. The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 contain exclusion grounds which allow contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from procurements where their tender does not comply with labour law or where the supplier is guilty of grave professional misconduct. A breach of the Blacklists Regulations on a particular tender would render the supplier liable to exclusion and a breach more widely may amount to grave professional misconduct.
In all cases, individual departments and other public sector bodies are responsible for their own decisions on these matters
The Procurement Bill introduced by the Government, currently in the final stages of debate in Parliament, builds on and clarifies the exclusions measures in the existing regime. This includes specific measures enabling the exclusion of suppliers for labour market misconduct and professional misconduct.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps the Government has taken to engage with the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is fully committed to constructive engagement with the Covid-19 Inquiry and has been since its establishment.
Government officials and lawyers meet with the Inquiry on a regular basis, both as part of a regular series of meetings and on an ad hoc basis to discuss specific issues. We have disclosed over 55,000 documents to the Inquiry to date.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure veterans can access well-paid employment.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Veterans employment in this country is strong, with 87% securing employment in 6 months after service, helping to deliver on the Government’s priority to grow the economy.
DWP’s 50 Armed Forces Champions across the JobCentre Plus network, a 12-month National Insurance Relief for employers recruiting veterans into their first civilian role, and recruitment pathways for veterans into Civil Service careers, such as Going Forward into Employment and a Great Place to Work, are all making a difference to veterans across the country.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of legal fees for judicial review of the notice from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry to his Department under section 21 of the Inquiries Act 2005.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The government’s work on the Inquiry requires legal support which departments will procure at their own discretion from approved internal and external sources. The Judicial Review is ongoing, and as such the Cabinet Office does not yet have an estimate of the cost of the judicial review in this case.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to require ministers to resign if they are found to have made an minor breach of the ministerial code.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Ministerial Code is clear that graduated sanctions are in place for breaches of the Code; this is set out in paragraph 1.7. This has formally been part of the Code since May 2022 when the Code was amended, but this approach has just reflected actual practice from previous Administrations under successive Prime Ministers.
That formal amendment to the Code followed recommendations from the Committee on Standards in Public Life in 2021. The Chair of the Committee noted: “The current expectation that any breach of the Ministerial Code should lead to resignation is disproportionate. We recommend that there should be a proportionate range of sanctions” (Lord Evans correspondence to the Prime Minister, 15 April 2021).
The (then) Prime Minister agreed with this recommendation in his reply of 28 April 2021, explaining: “I agree with your recommendation... this has always been the case, but over time, an expectation has arisen that any breach should lead automatically to resignation, which I agree is disproportionate.”
The (then) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, Lord Geidt, also concurred in his Annual Report of May 2021, noting: "I believe its [the Code’s] status is likely to be enhanced by a more proportionate approach to sanctions”.
The Committee repeated this recommendation in their ‘Standards Matter 2’ final report published in September 2021.
I would also observe that both Houses of Parliament takes a similar approach to breaches of the Code of Conduct by Parliamentarians, as do employers in their HR processes across the public and private sector.