Florence Eshalomi

Fast Stream has been active in addressing diversity in respect to school representation. This relates to attraction and recruitment interventions including improved marketing, expanded internships and a revised selection methodology.

Of applicants recommended for appointment for the Civil Service Fast Stream in 2022 (a) 54.7% were from a non-selective state-run or state-funded school and (b) 13.8% were from an independent or fee-paying school who did not receive a bursary.

Other categories showed that appointment rates for selective state schools were at 26.5% and independent or fee-paying schools with a bursary were at 5.0%.

Of applicants to the Civil Service Fast Stream in 2022 who were recommended for employment, (a) 21.3% were eligible for free school meals and (b) 78.7% were not eligible for free school meals.

Representation of those eligible for free school meals has increased in recent years. Successful Fast Stream applicants who were eligible for free school meals were 16.1% in 2021, 15.3% in 2020 and 13.1% in 2019.

The Civil Service Fast Stream is the flagship graduate entry programme for the civil service, typically recruiting ~1,000 entrants each year across a range of professions to deliver a pipeline of talented future senior leaders for the Civil Service. It has been recognised as the number one graduate programme in the UK in the ‘Times Top 100 Graduate Employers’ list since 2019.

The proportion of applicants with their home location in each NUTS 1 statistical region, that were recommended for employment for the Civil Service Fast Stream 2022, is shown here:

* Combined due to small numbers

Fast Stream has been active in developing a more regional focus in terms of the home locations of successful applicants, in particular through the use of a more diverse attraction strategy. Regional success rates have risen between 2021 and 2022.

The government is committed to shifting the balance of SCS employment away from London through our successful Places for Growth strategy.

Overall ethnic minority representation rose to the highest level on record, to 26.5% in 2022.

Of applicants to the Civil Service Fast Stream in 2022 who were recommended for appointment (a) 66.4% were white British and (b) 2.7% were Black British - African.

The data will be published later this year.

The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. To obtain the information a manual search through individual records would be required as this is not recorded centrally on departmental systems.

The grounds for the exclusion of bidders from public procurement procedures are set out in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. These rules set out the circumstances in which bidders must, or may, be excluded from a public procurement process.

The Procurement Bill brought forward by this Conservative Government, currently being considered by Parliament, expands the scope of misconduct which can lead to exclusion. We are also increasing the time period within which misconduct can lead to exclusion from 3 years to 5; bringing subsidiary companies into scope of exclusion; and making the rules clearer so that contracting authorities can undertake exclusions with more confidence

Cabinet Office publishes expenditure, including on the GREAT campaign, on a rolling monthly basis on gov.uk as part of routine government transparency arrangements. This can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.

I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer to question 95851 of 29 November 2022.

The number of officials assigned to the investigation at any one time will vary. The investigation will be provided with the necessary resources to be carried out in line with the Terms of Reference. The Government does not comment on the specifics or resourcing of an ongoing process.

The contract in question is not a Cabinet Office contract. The contracting authority is YPO (formerly Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation), which is a publicly owned organisation formed by Local Authorities to aggregate procurement spend. The Cabinet Office has no visibility or control over the YPO.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for the GREAT campaign with support provided by other Cabinet Office Ministers as required.

The Minister of State for the Cabinet Office Baroness Neville Rolfe is responsible for the Geospatial Commission.

The Cabinet Office is currently running a targeted voluntary exit scheme. There are no confirmed plans to run further voluntary exit schemes in the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Office currently has one launched voluntary exit scheme aimed at reducing workforce numbers in the UK security and vetting department. Voluntary exit schemes are a commonly used workforce management process available to departments based on their specific workforce needs.

A revised List of Ministerial Responsibilities reflecting current Ministerial appointments will be published in due course. In the meantime, departments are updating their ministers' pages on GOV.UK which also include portfolio information.

This information is not held centrally.

The latest procurement figures for 2020/21 show that across central government, £19.3 billion, representing 26.9% of spending, was paid to small and medium sized businesses to help deliver public services. This figure is an increase of £3.7 billion on the previous year, and the highest since records began in 2013.

In the 2021 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £7.587 million on external recruitment services (consultancy). Included within this total figure is expenditure totalling £7.254m, attributed to the Government Recruitment Service for external recruitment services (consultancy) which was incurred by the Cabinet Office and recharged to other Government Departments.

In the 2021 calendar year, Cabinet Office spent £7.587 million on external recruitment services (consultancy). Included within this total figure is expenditure totalling £7.254m, attributed to the Government Recruitment Service for external recruitment services (consultancy) which was incurred by the Cabinet Office and recharged to other Government Departments.

As at June 2022, the percentage of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) based outside London is 35.7% on headcount basis and 36.0% on a full-time equivalent basis (FTE). SCS working overseas and in the devolved administrations have been included in this calculation. This data is provisional and subject to routine revisions over time.

The mean annual salary for civil servants at grade 7 and above as of March 2022 was £64,730 in London and £60,000 outside London (including overseas).

As of March 2022, 2.5% of civil servants (with a reported ethnicity) at grade 7 and above reported their ethnicity as black.

The mean annual salary for civil servants who reported their ethnicity as black was £33,380, with the median at £31,060, as of March 2022.

The mean annual salary for senior civil servants working in London as of April 2021 was £88,420, with the median at £80,400. For those outside London (including overseas) the mean was £87,630 and the median was £81,450.

The mean annual salary for civil servants at grade 7 and above as of March 2022 was £64,730 in London and £60,000 outside London (including overseas).

As of March 2022, 2.5% of civil servants (with a reported ethnicity) at grade 7 and above reported their ethnicity as black.

The mean annual salary for civil servants who reported their ethnicity as black was £33,380, with the median at £31,060, as of March 2022.

The mean annual salary for senior civil servants working in London as of April 2021 was £88,420, with the median at £80,400. For those outside London (including overseas) the mean was £87,630 and the median was £81,450.

The mean annual salary for civil servants at grade 7 and above as of March 2022 was £64,730 in London and £60,000 outside London (including overseas).

As of March 2022, 2.5% of civil servants (with a reported ethnicity) at grade 7 and above reported their ethnicity as black.

The mean annual salary for civil servants who reported their ethnicity as black was £33,380, with the median at £31,060, as of March 2022.

The mean annual salary for senior civil servants working in London as of April 2021 was £88,420, with the median at £80,400. For those outside London (including overseas) the mean was £87,630 and the median was £81,450.

The mean annual salary for civil servants at grade 7 and above as of March 2022 was £64,730 in London and £60,000 outside London (including overseas).

As of March 2022, 2.5% of civil servants (with a reported ethnicity) at grade 7 and above reported their ethnicity as black.

The mean annual salary for civil servants who reported their ethnicity as black was £33,380, with the median at £31,060, as of March 2022.

The mean annual salary for senior civil servants working in London as of April 2021 was £88,420, with the median at £80,400. For those outside London (including overseas) the mean was £87,630 and the median was £81,450.

In 2021, a total amount of £68,187.46 was paid to Civil Servants for relocation costs where they moved from London office locations to identified growth locations. These costs covered: Estate agent fees, Solicitor fees, Removal fees, Rental fees, Travel costs and Broadband set up fees. This information was gathered from the Cabinet Office iExpenses payroll system.

The Government takes matters of security very seriously. Government Departments routinely provide advice and guidance, including to ministers, on the appropriate handling of Government information.

The Government takes matters of security very seriously. Government Departments routinely provide advice and guidance, including to ministers, on the appropriate handling of Government information.

The Emergency Alerts capability is expected to be trialed nationally later this year with a focus over the winter on extreme weather related events. Subject to the outcome of an evaluation in the spring, its scope will likely be widened to other use cases. There will always be a very high threshold for issuing an alert based on strict criteria centered on an immediate threat to life and the applicability of the capability to the event in hand, rather than a scenario driven approach.

The launch will be preceded by a public information campaign culminating in a national welcome message - a simultaneous test message sent to all compatible mobile phones across the United Kingdom. This approach has been found elsewhere to maximise awareness and understanding on how recipients should react on receiving alerts.

Prior to launch, the Cabinet Office will also brief Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) on the system and its purpose. Guidance and other information will be published on Resilience Direct - an online platform for emergency responders managed by the Cabinet Office which LRFs can access.

The Emergency Alerts capability will complement rather than supersede other tools available to responders to communicate with the public in emergency situations. Those unable to be notified by this new capability will therefore be alerted by other existing mechanisms, for example, by text or phone messages, social and broadcast media.

The Emergency Alerts capability is expected to be trialed nationally later this year with a focus over the winter on extreme weather related events. Subject to the outcome of an evaluation in the spring, its scope will likely be widened to other use cases. There will always be a very high threshold for issuing an alert based on strict criteria centered on an immediate threat to life and the applicability of the capability to the event in hand, rather than a scenario driven approach.

The launch will be preceded by a public information campaign culminating in a national welcome message - a simultaneous test message sent to all compatible mobile phones across the United Kingdom. This approach has been found elsewhere to maximise awareness and understanding on how recipients should react on receiving alerts.

Prior to launch, the Cabinet Office will also brief Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) on the system and its purpose. Guidance and other information will be published on Resilience Direct - an online platform for emergency responders managed by the Cabinet Office which LRFs can access.

The Emergency Alerts capability will complement rather than supersede other tools available to responders to communicate with the public in emergency situations. Those unable to be notified by this new capability will therefore be alerted by other existing mechanisms, for example, by text or phone messages, social and broadcast media.

The Emergency Alerts capability is expected to be trialed nationally later this year with a focus over the winter on extreme weather related events. Subject to the outcome of an evaluation in the spring, its scope will likely be widened to other use cases. There will always be a very high threshold for issuing an alert based on strict criteria centered on an immediate threat to life and the applicability of the capability to the event in hand, rather than a scenario driven approach.

The launch will be preceded by a public information campaign culminating in a national welcome message - a simultaneous test message sent to all compatible mobile phones across the United Kingdom. This approach has been found elsewhere to maximise awareness and understanding on how recipients should react on receiving alerts.

Prior to launch, the Cabinet Office will also brief Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) on the system and its purpose. Guidance and other information will be published on Resilience Direct - an online platform for emergency responders managed by the Cabinet Office which LRFs can access.

The Emergency Alerts capability will complement rather than supersede other tools available to responders to communicate with the public in emergency situations. Those unable to be notified by this new capability will therefore be alerted by other existing mechanisms, for example, by text or phone messages, social and broadcast media.

The UK has a secure and diverse energy system. The Government is confident in its plans to protect households and businesses this winter in light of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. However as a responsible Government, it is right that we plan for all scenarios, however unlikely. That is why the Cabinet Office, working closely with the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, is engaging with colleagues across government and industry on how departments should prepare for the upcoming winter, as is customary every year.

On 16 August 2022, the former Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Ellis, wrote to Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry confirming that the Government has accepted his recommendation in full and that we will be making an interim payment of £100,000, by the end of October, to all infected beneficiaries and bereaved partners registered with the four national infected blood support schemes.

Officials are continuing to work hard to meet this commitment.

On 16 August 2022, the former Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Ellis, wrote to Sir Brian Langstaff, Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry confirming that the Government has accepted his recommendation in full and that we will be making an interim payment of £100,000, by the end of October, to all infected beneficiaries and bereaved partners registered with the four national infected blood support schemes.

Officials are continuing to work hard to meet this commitment.

It is a long-standing convention that outgoing Prime Ministers can draw up a ‘Dissolution’ or ‘Resignation’ List. This has been the case under past governments from across the political spectrum. Any announcement in relation to recommendations from the Rt Hon Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip would be made in the usual way.

There was no cost to the public purse. As with previous administrations, the removal of personal property from a Ministerial residence is funded by the departing Minister.

I refer the Honourable Member to the Written Ministerial Statement Government Transparency and Accountability, put before the House by the former Minister for the Cabinet Office on 15 July 2022. The statement sets out action already taken in relation to reports by the Committee on Standards in Public Life and Nigel Boardman and that further work continues.

I refer the Honourable Member to comments made by the Prime Minister's Official Spokesman on 7 September.

The Prime Minister wishes to consider the best way to achieve the functions of that role and to ensure the Government is held to the highest standards as the public expect.

The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Ministers who qualify will be entitled to a severance payment three weeks after they leave office, provided they are not re-appointed to government during that period.

The cost of severance payments to Ministers will be published in each department’s annual report and accounts in due course.

On 12 May 2022, the former Prime Minister, the Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, asked Matt Warman MP to lead a review into how the government can best support a thriving future UK labour market. Matt Warman MP’s response was published on GOV.UK on 1 September 2022. This response is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/future-of-work-review-matt-warman-mp-response

These will be published in due course; copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

These will be published in due course; copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

These will be published in due course; copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

These will be published in due course; copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

These will be published in due course; copies will be placed in the Library of the House.