Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 June to Question 186863, whether the survey programme undertaken in 2020-21 included an examination of buildings in the Jobcentre estate opened between 1990 and 2000.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Yes, the Survey did include an examination of buildings in the Jobcentre estate opened between 1990 and 2000.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has commissioned a survey to identify buildings within the Jobcentre estate which may have been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP Estates can confirm that a survey programme was undertaken between 2020-21 to identify properties containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC).
The RAAC survey undertaken identified four sites within the DWP Estate containing RAAC planks.
Since the survey, one of the sites has been divested and the other three are being managed in accordance with available guidance on RAAC.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have (a) been reported missing or lost or (b) had their security features removed in order that they can be purchased for personal use by former ministers from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Departmental Security Unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries. It is a long standing convention under successive administrations that Ministers may pay to retain red boxes as a memento of their time in their role, as long as the security features are removed.
No ministerial boxes have been reported lost or missing to the Department’s Security Unit since 2018. One ministerial box has been purchased and the security feature was removed.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2023 to Question 166164 on Government Departments: Staff, how many and what proportion of respondents to the most recent Leesman office survey undertaken by his Department (a) agreed and (b) disagreed with the statements about their main workplace that (i) it enables me to work productively, (ii) it supports me sharing ideas and knowledge amongst colleagues, (iii) it creates an enjoyable environment to work in, (iv) it contributes to a sense of community at work, and (v) it's a place I'm proud to bring visitors to.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Question | No. Respondent Agree (figures are aggregate by response of Strongly Agree, Agree or Slightly Agree) | No. Respondent Disagree (figures are aggregate by response of Strongly Disagree, Disagree or Slightly Disagree) |
it enables me to work productively | 9 (40.91%) | 8 (36.36%) |
it supports me sharing ideas and knowledge amongst colleagues | 16 (72.73%) | 2 (9.09%) |
it creates an enjoyable environment to work in | 7 (31.82%) | 7 (31.82%) |
it contributes to a sense of community at work | 8 (36.36%) | 7 (31.82%) |
it's a place I'm proud to bring visitors to | 6 (27.27%) | 6 (27.27%) |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 17 January to Question 119039on Paralympic Games: Visits Abroad, whether the hospitality provided by the British Paralympic Association included the costs of the accommodation used by his predecessor and the individual accompanying her during their visit to Tokyo between 23-26 August 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
At the time of the event (24 August to 26 August 2021), accommodation for the Secretary of State and the official accompanying her was paid for by the British Paralympic Association. The Department was later invoiced (14 March 2022), and paid £1557.80 for two rooms.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2022 to Question 110642 on Department for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what accounts for the difference between the cost of the two British Airways business class flights paid for using a government procurement card on 6 August 2021; and which of those costs relates to the flight purchased for his predecessor.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
A Business Class flight for the then Secretary of State to attend the Paralympic Games 2021, as part of the official delegation, was purchased for £6,177.37.
We do not hold the specific information as to why the two tickets were different prices. Prices, even on the same flight, can vary according to the pricing policy of the airline and the time of booking.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s Greening Government Commitments for 2021-25, how many tonnes of food waste were produced from his Departmental estate in Financial Year (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23 up to 31 December 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in line with the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) has committed to measure and report on food waste, for estates with over 50 full time equivalent staff and or over 500m2 floor area offering a food service.
Annual reporting was delayed due to Covid-19. The requested information for 2021-2022 will be published in the GGCs Annual Report for 2021-2022, due later this year. The data for April 1st 2022 to December 31st 2022 will be published in the Annual Report covering 2022-2023.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department’s publication of ministerial transparency data for the period July to September 2021, what the cost to his Department was of the accommodation, meals and other expenses, excluding air travel, incurred by his predecessor when visiting Tokyo for the Paralympic Games from 23 to 26 August 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The former Secretary of State included in her published hospitality returns that the British Paralympic Association paid for her tickets and hospitality as part of the official delegation (24 August to 26 August 2021). The Department was invoiced several months later £778.90 for her accommodation, after the initial transparency report had been submitted. This has now been updated.
The other expenses incurred by the Department at the time of the event were £190.34 for airport transfers and £28.00 for Overseas Incidental Expenses.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 19 December 2022 to Question 107067 on Department for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, how many purchases with a value less than £500 were made against his Department’s budget through a Government procurement card in 2021.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
I refer the hon. Member to the amended answer given to PQ107067.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 19 December to Question 107067 and his Department's 2021 data entitled DWP and CMG: spending over £500, for what reasons her Departments spending on purchases made with a Government Procurement Card below the value of £500 exceeds the value of spending on purchases above £500 by £36,401,197.62.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
I refer the hon. Member to the amended answer given to PQ107067.