Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to include economic impact in the next cross-departmental exercise on disaster management; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
As has been the case for some time, exercises are part of the UK approach to developing and validating resilience capabilities against a range of risks and impacts. It is a principle of the exercise programme that it achieves over time a balanced coverage of different risks and resilience capabilities, exercises the different phases of crisis and emergency management and recovery, and also reflects on lessons identified from previous crises to ensure they are learned for the future. Recovery management and associated considerations of economic impact will be included in the future exercising programme, and HM Treasury has been part of previous exercises.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice his Department provides to other Departments on the threshold required to be met before a public inquiry can be convened; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Section 1 of the Inquiries Act 2005 sets out the extent of ministers’ powers to establish an inquiry under that Act. Inquiries may also be established on a non-statutory basis, for which no legislative threshold applies.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 15 July 2020, Official Report, col. 1514, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for the independent inquiry on the Government's response to the covid-19 outbreak before the House rises for Summer Adjournment.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. For now the Government is focused entirely on responding to the pandemic and saving lives. Further details will be set out in due course and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime MInister's oral contribution of 15 July 2020, Official Report, col. 1514, when he plans to announce who the chair will be of the independent inquiry on the Government's response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. For now the Government is focused entirely on responding to the pandemic and saving lives. Further details will be set out in due course and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 15 July 2020, Official Report, col. 1514, whether people who have lost friends and family as a result of the covid-19 outbreak will be able to participate in the independent inquiry on the Government's response to the disease.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. For now the Government is focused entirely on responding to the pandemic and saving lives. Further details will be set out in due course and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 15 July 2020, Official Report, col. 1514, whether the independent inquiry on the Government's response to the covid-19 outbreak will be held under the powers of the Inquiries Act 2005.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. For now the Government is focused entirely on responding to the pandemic and saving lives. Further details will be set out in due course and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with his Cabinet colleagues on holding s public inquiry on the UK's response to the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Government has always been clear that there will be opportunities to look back, analyse and reflect on all aspects of COVID-19. As the Prime Minister has said, this will include an independent inquiry at the appropriate time. For now the Government is focused entirely on responding to the pandemic and saving lives. Further details will be set out in due course and announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place a copy in the Library of his Department's guidance on the benefits available to staff in his Department who are carers.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Support for those staff who are carers is managed through the Carers Passport. I will place a copy in the Library to assist the Rt. Hon. Member, and more information can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of his Department's redundant buildings have been converted into housing in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those conversions were made into affordable housing.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No energy from renewable sources has been produced from these buildings, but the Cabinet Office electricity provider is one of the UK’s leading renewable energy companies, owning 35 wind farms – including two offshore wind farms – and one of the largest operational battery storage units in Europe.
All Department’s buildings have a DEC Certificate - ranging from G to C ratings.
Energy for these buildings has not been purchased through a renewable energy tariff although there will be a significant proportion of renewable energy in the supply. All departments are mandated to purchase their energy via the CCS framework.
Information on carbon produced by all Government Departments is included in the Greening Government Commitment Annual Reports.
A number of projects carried out at each site have included energy efficiency elements such as the installation of new or upgraded boilers, BMS and lighting but these typically form part of wider lifecycle upgrade or refurbishment projects. Costs specifically related to the energy efficiency element are not recorded separately or held centrally in the form requested.
The Display Energy Certificate rating has improved in each of the last 5 years for 2 out of 5 buildings.
No buildings that we manage have been converted to housing.
Asked by: Ed Davey (Liberal Democrat - Kingston and Surbiton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of his Department's buildings have had their Display Energy Certificate rating improve in each of the last five years.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No energy from renewable sources has been produced from these buildings, but the Cabinet Office electricity provider is one of the UK’s leading renewable energy companies, owning 35 wind farms – including two offshore wind farms – and one of the largest operational battery storage units in Europe.
All Department’s buildings have a DEC Certificate - ranging from G to C ratings.
Energy for these buildings has not been purchased through a renewable energy tariff although there will be a significant proportion of renewable energy in the supply. All departments are mandated to purchase their energy via the CCS framework.
Information on carbon produced by all Government Departments is included in the Greening Government Commitment Annual Reports.
A number of projects carried out at each site have included energy efficiency elements such as the installation of new or upgraded boilers, BMS and lighting but these typically form part of wider lifecycle upgrade or refurbishment projects. Costs specifically related to the energy efficiency element are not recorded separately or held centrally in the form requested.
The Display Energy Certificate rating has improved in each of the last 5 years for 2 out of 5 buildings.
No buildings that we manage have been converted to housing.