Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to respond to the Infected Blood Inquiry's interim report on compensation, published on 5 April 2023.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government welcomes the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim report. Sir Brian Langstaff’s interim report will help the UK Government and Devolved Administrations to meet our shared objective to be able to respond quickly when the Inquiry’s final report is published in the autumn.
I refer the honourable member to the statement made on Wednesday 19 April 2023, in response to the publication of the Infected Blood Inquiry’s Second Interim Report.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of placing Local Resilience Forums on a statutory footing.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government considered the status of Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) as part of the Post Implementation Review of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) published in 2022.
Evidence collected through a public consultation, dedicated engagement with stakeholders and lessons from recent emergencies did not demonstrate a clear need for making LRFs a legal entity.
Legal status could conflict with the duties placed on Categorised responders (such as emergency services, local authorities and utilities) and undermine the existing arrangement set out in the Act.
The review recognised the need to strengthen Local Resilience Forums in England and committed in the UK Government Resilience Framework to working across three key pillars of reform - Leadership, Accountability, and Integration of resilience into the UK’s levelling up mission.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2023 to Question 136766 on Ministers: ICT, if he will publish the Security of Government Business Policy.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Security of Government Business provides summary direction and guidance to ministers on security matters. In line with practices across successive Administrations, the Government does not comment on internal security arrangements for ministers.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2023 to Question 136766 on Ministers: ICT, what assessment he has made of levels of compliance with this guidance across Government departments; and whether he has identified departments where compliance needs improvement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Security of Government Business provides summary direction and guidance to ministers on security matters. This is expanded upon by Government Departments as relevant to a minister's roles and responsibilities. Expectations around the Security of Government Business are set out in the Ministerial Code.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to reform the Register of Ministers' Interests to require Members to declare offshore holdings.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As set out in the published List of Ministers' Interests, Ministers are asked to declare their relevant interests in a number of categories. Of the areas Ministers are asked to give information about, this includes:
their financial interests, including both assets and liabilities
any blind trusts or blind management arrangements they have set up
directorships and shareholdings
investment properties
Such declarations are reviewed by the Permanent Secretary and the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests, and advice is provided accordingly. This advice includes whether an interest should be included in the public List of Ministerial Interests as part of the process of avoiding or mitigating any conflict of interest.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's timeframe is for the introduction of the Target Operating Model for import controls.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government intends to make an announcement on this soon.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has he made of the implications for his policies of the UK's most recent ranking in Transparency International’s global Corruption Perceptions Index.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The UK has robust safeguards to protect our institutions from corruption and we are determined to ensure transparency and accountability is embedded at all levels of government. The UK continues to be perceived as very low for corruption in comparison with the wider international community.
We have some of the strongest controls in the world to combat money laundering and illicit finance, and we continue to strengthen our approach through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill which will bear down on the use of UK companies as vehicles for facilitating corruption. The Procurement Bill will also add greater transparency in contracting, with more data making it easier for the public to scrutinise decisions and clearer requirements on managing potential conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reach a negotiated solution to the ongoing industrial dispute with members of the Public and Commercial Services Union.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The industrial dispute with the Public and Commercial Services Union concerns a number of issues including pay. While pay for grades below the Senior Civil Service is determined by individual Departments and employers, we continue to engage with all Civil Service Trade Unions regarding cross Civil Service issues which are within the responsibilities of the Cabinet Office in attempting to help achieve a resolution.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance with Security of Government Business Policy that Ministers must not use personal (a) devices, (b) emails or (c) communication apps for official business.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government takes matters of security very seriously. Existing policy and guidance does not rule out the use of different forms of electronic communications in all circumstances. Government Departments routinely provide Ministers with advice and guidance on matters of security, including the appropriate management of Government information.
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, when he plans to publish his tax return.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
I have committed to do so, and the information will be published in due course on gov.uk once the accompanying documentation has been compiled and completed.