To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Cabinet Office: Credit Unions
Monday 9th September 2019

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2019 to Question 279360 on Cabinet Office: Credit Unions, what further steps he has taken to offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Kevin Foster

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given to PQ 279360 on 23 July.

The Cabinet Office is currently investigating various financial wellbeing options and will
determine our approach next year, once this work has been completed.

Written Question
Cabinet Office: Credit Unions
Tuesday 23rd July 2019

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2019 to Question 271324, for what reasons his Department does not offer a payroll deduction service to enable employees to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Kevin Foster

Cabinet Office does not offer a general payroll deduction facility. The Cabinet Office is currently investigating various financial wellbeing options which may benefit our employees. This includes providers who offer a payroll deduction service. We are planning to introduce financial wellbeing as part of our wider benefits package to employees later this year.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"I support the thrust of what the Bill is designed to achieve. However, many of my constituents are concerned that the Bill does not seek to achieve more wide-ranging change by allowing both Jains and Zoroastrians—both internationally recognised religions—to be properly recognised in the forthcoming census, which would end the …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"My hon. Friend is making an extremely good speech, which I strongly support. Will he join me in encouraging the ONS to look again at the representation of Jainism and Zoroastrianism in the religion section of the 2021 census? Notwithstanding the slight movement in progress alluded to by the Minister …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"Back Benchers should stick together and, therefore, I strongly support the hon. Gentleman’s desire to amend the Bill to enable a longer debate about Cornish identity being included in the 2021 census. If I am sympathetic to him, will he be sympathetic to me and help me to find a …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"I have been inspired to speak in the debate by the contribution of the hon. Member for St Austell and Newquay (Steve Double). I agree with him about two things. The first is his strong support for the Bill; as I indicated in my two interventions on the Front-Bench spokesmen, …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"For the record, Madam Deputy Speaker, I was not querying the number of interventions that you were gently chastising me for, but merely the accusation that they were long. I thought that they were entirely appropriate points to make.

Finally, I hope to follow the inspiration of the hon. Member …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 17 Jul 2019
Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]

"Will the Minister ensure that the orders to which he has just referred, which would allow the inclusion of questions about national identity and about Jainism and Zoroastrianism, are debated on the Floor of the House? If they are debated upstairs in Committee, the vast majority of Members are likely …..."
Gareth Thomas - View Speech

View all Gareth Thomas (LAB - Harrow West) contributions to the debate on: Census (Return Particulars and Removal of Penalties) Bill [Lords]
Written Question
Cabinet Office: Credit Unions
Monday 8th July 2019

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department offers employees a payroll deduction service to enable them to join a credit union; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Oliver Dowden

The Cabinet Office does not currently offer its employees a payroll deduction service to join the Credit Union.

Written Question
Cabinet Office: Empty Property
Wednesday 19th June 2019

Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the name and location of the land and buildings owned by his Department that is (a) sitting empty and (b) in the process of being sold or disposed of; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Oliver Dowden

In 2017 the Office of Government Property published the Guide for the Disposal of Surplus Land, providing detailed guidance on how to plan for and execute land disposals.

This guide mandates that departmental land holdings must be registered on the e-PIMs central record system. Land holdings deemed surplus are recorded on the Register of Surplus Land for at least 40 days for other government departments to express an interest.

Homes England and Department for Education/LocatEd are given a higher allowance of 50 days to express an interest if the site could be developed for housing or a free school.

After the 50-day period surplus land holdings are recorded on the publicly accessible Government Property Finder on Gov.uk.

The Cabinet Office are currently in the process of sale/disposal of:

Sunningdale Park, Ascot - under conditional contract for sale, with imminent completion expected. Once finalised, the department will have no ongoing liabilities for the site.