Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to require for MPs and Peers to declare (a) membership of the boards of energy and utility companies and (b) dividends received from energy and utility companies.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Existing disclosure rules pertain but this is a matter determined by each House of Parliament, not Government.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities are fully represented in the Government's UK covid-19 public inquiry.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Inquiry is specifically required to consider any disparities evident in the impact of the pandemic on different categories of people. This includes, but is not limited to, those relating to protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and equality categories under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Under the Inquiries Act 2005, decisions regarding the conduct of the Inquiry are for the Independent Chair.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Office for National Statistics will release (a) provisional figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales for 2022 to 2022 and (b) final figures for excess winter mortality in England and Wales for 2020 to 2021.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question of 7 December is attached.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any cross-departmental (a) meetings and (b) other discussions on the UK's preparedness for cold weather during winter 2022-23 have taken place in the last six months.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
As the coordinating department for severe weather events, the Cabinet Office undertakes a well-established programme of seasonal weather preparedness with departments and relevant agencies.
Preparation for Winter 2022-23 began in August with the revision of the relevant centrally-held cross-government severe weather response protocol, iterated in light of lessons learned from previous events (e.g. Storm Eunice) and other relevant developments (e.g. the formation of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)). The classified central protocol is co-owned by the Cabinet Office, the Met Office and UKHSA and aligns with the publicly available Cold Weather Plan for England (2022-23), published annually since 2011.
The relevant protocols are exercised every year and disseminated within the response community to ensure coordinated preparedness for winter weather risks and a coherent response should severe weather materialise.
The Cabinet Office remains in regular contact with UKHSA and the Met Office on possible deteriorating weather forecasts and to understand concurrent risks that may require adjustment of thresholds for a centrally-led government response.
UKHSA Cold Health Alerts and the Met Office National Severe Weather Warnings are issued for low temperatures and wintry hazards (respectively) - as is currently the case - sitting alongside targeted public communications outlined in the central protocol.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a family comprised of one adult and one child.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 31 March is attached.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a two-person household or family.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 31 March is attached.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the basic annual cost of living for a single person household.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 31 March is attached.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
If he will take steps to consult bereaved families on the public inquiry into the Government's response to the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Michael Ellis
Every death from this virus is a tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with everyone who has lost loved ones. The Government remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that these families secure the opportunity to scrutinise the Government’s response to managing the pandemic that they deserve.
The Prime Minister made clear in his statement to this House on 12 May that bereaved families and others will be consulted on the inquiry’s terms of reference before they are finalised.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his Department's Facilities Management Framework of the merger of Mitie and Interserve, and if he will publish that assessment; and if he will take steps to introduce a social value framework in relation to the public contracts for facilities management operated by Mitie following their merger with Interserve.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Crown Commercial Service engaged with both suppliers prior to the merger to ensure that no unfair competitive advantage over other suppliers can be achieved under the Facilities Management (RM3830) framework agreement. . The Cabinet Office has recently issued guidance that sets out how Central government organisations should use a new Social Value model to take account of the additional social benefits that can be achieved in the delivery of its contracts. The guidance applies to in-scope procurements advertised after 1 January 2021.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on central government facilities management contracts of the proposed merger between Mitie and Interserve.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Interserve and Mitie have announced a proposed merger of Interserve's Support Services division with Mitie. Interserve and Mitie are both strategic suppliers to the Government, and as such are monitored by the Cabinet Office. It would be inappropriate to comment further while the Competition and Markets Authority investigation of the proposed merger is ongoing.