Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will publish a list of meetings he held with Dominic Cummings in (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Since May 2010, the Government has published on gov.uk details of official government meetings with external organisations.
In 2011, this was extended to include details of meetings with senior media executives, covering official government, social and political meetings.
But otherwise, the Government does not record political meetings.
I would observe that since 2016, the Labour Party has stopped publishing its own meeting data on shadow frontbench meetings with senior media executives, breaking a commitment made by the then Labour Party leader (the Rt Hon Member for Doncaster North) during the Leveson Inquiry. The Hon. Member may recall how previous data illustrated his engagement with Evgeny Lebedev (now Lord Lebedev). As a shadow DCMS spokesman, the Hon. Member may wish to raise this subsequent shyness with his Opposition colleagues.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) parliamentary private secretary and (b) hon. Members have travelled on overseas visits organised by Government Departments since December 2019.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Ministerial Code, official overseas travel by a Parliamentary Private Secretary would be exceptional. There have been no approvals by 10 Downing Street for such Parliamentary Private Secretary travel under this Administration.
Official overseas travel is permitted for trade envoys in line with their responsibilities. In that respect, I refer the hon. Member to the answer to him of 29 June 2023, PQ 190260.
This answer also serves as a reply to the hon. Member to his recent question to the Prime Minister at the Liaison Committee.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rhondda dated 18 April 2023.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
I refer the hon. Member to the letter from the Immigration Minister (my right hon. Friend, the Member for Newark) of 25 April, which serves as a substantive reply to the points the hon. Member raised in his letters of 18 April.
Regretfully, due to an administrative error, the reply was not clearer that the letter was being sent in response to both his letters.
A copy of that reply is in the Library (Deposited paper DEP2023-0421).
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rhondda dated 10 August 2022 on the (a) accuracy of and (b) delay in publication of transparency data on ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and external meetings.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Cabinet Office replied to the hon. member’s letter of 10 August 2022 regarding transparency data on 27 September 2022.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what definition of a meeting is used for transparency reports on Ministerial meetings published by Government departments.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Section 8.14 of the Ministerial Code clarifies the scope of ministerial meetings for quarterly transparency returns. Detailed guidance provided to government departments is also available online.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on whether the Deputy Chief of Staff at Downing Street is a designated member of Francis Maude Associates; and what shareholding she retains in that partnership.
Answered by Michael Ellis
All special advisers make a declaration of interests to their employing department. Steps are then taken to ensure no conflict of interest or mitigate any potential conflict to the satisfaction of the relevant Permanent Secretary, and relevant interests are published on GOV.UK. This process has been followed and overseen by the Cabinet Office.
Baroness Finn's relevant interests were duly and transparently declared in this register, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/cabinet-office-publication-of-special-adviser-interests
As noted in this register: “Baroness Finn has undertaken not to have any involvement in, or association with, the activities of Francis Maude Associates LLP or FMAP Ltd”.
Francis Maude Associates LLP is dormant and does not trade. There has been no activity other than filing (limited) accounts for the dormant company as required by company law.
This is separate from the advisory company (FMAP Ltd) that still trades. Baroness Finn resigned as a Director in February 2021 - this was made clear in Baroness Finn's Lords register of interests, and on the Companies House record.
This approach was agreed with the Cabinet Office. It is in line with the Special Adviser Code, the House of Lords Code of Conduct, and the Principles on Standards in Public Life.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans for the list of ministers' interests, last updated in July 2020, to be updated.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Since the first List of Ministers’ Interests was published in 2009, the timing of publication has varied. The next list of Ministers’ interests will be published in due course, following the appointment of a new Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on acquired brain injury.
Answered by Michael Gove - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
I can assure the Hon Member that all colleagues across government recognise the importance of coordinating support for people with acquired brain injury, as I highlighted to him in our meeting of 1 July. The Hon Member is a powerful champion of this significant cause on which government is determined to make progress.
In line with the practice of successive governments, I am not able to disclose details of internal discussions, but I will update the Hon Member on the government’s work on this issue in due course.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, how many parliamentary private secretaries have undertaken travel (a) within the UK and (b) overseas with or on behalf of ministers since she became Prime Minister.
Answered by Theresa May
There is no requirement for domestic visits to be authorised and the information is not held centrally. I have not authorised overseas travel by any Parliamentary Private Secretary in an official capacity since I took Office.
Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, what the total cost of redundancy payments made to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers has been since she became Prime Minister.
Answered by Theresa May
The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 sets out severance entitlements for Ministers. Severance payments made to Ministers are published in departmental annual reports.
Severance entitlements for special advisers are set out in the model contract for special advisers. The cost of severance paid to special advisers is published annually on gov.uk. The last publication was December 2016 and is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579892/List_of_special_advisers_in_post_as_at_21_December_2016.pdf.
An updated version will be published in due course.