Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the average duration that civil service employees remain under performance management before a resolution is reached.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Performance management is managed by individual departments, meaning this information is not held centrally. In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2025 to Question 40570 on Ministers: Aviation and to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36276 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, which (a) Ministers and (b) Departments are eligible to procure official helicopter travel under the provisions of the Central Cabinet Office Corporate Travel Agency Contract other than the Ministry of Defence.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Central Cabinet Office Corporate Travel Agency Contract contains provisions for the booking of aviation assets for any government department or minister, in accordance with the Ministerial Code. This contract has not been utilised for helicopter travel by this government.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many public contracts awarded by his Department have been subject to investigations for (a) fraud and (b) corruption since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government takes any allegations of fraud and corruption very seriously. 5 contracts have been referred to the Cabinet Office Assurance, Compliance and Counter Fraud Team for consideration of allegations of fraud or corruption.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of civil service employees under performance management procedures.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Performance management is managed by individual departments, meaning this information is not held centrally.
In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how frequently performance management statistics are (a) reviewed and (b) reported in the civil service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Departments are responsible for collating, and monitoring their performance management. For Senior Civil Service, this is normally collated annually. For grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS), each department has delegated responsibility for monitoring and reporting via their internal governance arrangements.
The Civil Service People Survey, which is reported annually, captures data on civil servants’ views on the performance management systems in their department.
In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department collects on the outcomes of performance management procedures.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office staff, except those on career breaks or new joiners, are allocated a performance marking at mid-year and end of the year. All line managers are instructed to upload these performance markings onto our HR system, which is called SOP.
In March, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also announced that the Government will be strengthening performance processes for the SCS.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to (a) the Answer of 6 March 2025 to Question 34453 on Prime Minister: Aviation and (b) his letter to the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East of 13 March 2025 on helicopter travel, if he will publish an aggregate figure for the total cost of the Prime Minister’s domestic air travel since 4 July 2024 that does not reveal granular movements.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 6 March 2025, Official Report, PQ 34453.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to introduce a feedback mechanism for small-to-medium sized businesses to report issues relating to the (a) National Procurement Policy Statement procurement criteria and (b) obligations for employers in the Employment Rights Bill.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Procurement Policy Statement supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSEs), giving them greater opportunities to win public contracts by instructing contracting authorities to maximise their spend with these organisations.
We are clear that we want public contracts to deliver value for money in procurement through stronger expectations around commercial capability and contract management. The NPPS asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money. To support this, a new online register of commercial agreements will increase visibility of frameworks and fees, curbing excessive profits.
The Cabinet Office undertook a programme of stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the NPPS. This included an online survey which received over 436 responses and a series of roundtables with key stakeholders from contracting authorities, businesses and civil society. I have met with the Federation of Small Businesses, Enterprise Nation and a large number of SMEs across various sectors to discuss how the government can continue to break down barriers to procurement opportunities through the new procurement regime, supporting jobs and growth across the country.
To support implementation of the Procurement Act, the Government has provided a programme of free training to procurement teams on its provisions and flexibilities. Additionally, the Government hosted a series of supplier webinars and published instructional videos and user-manuals, aimed specifically for suppliers, to help them understand the key changes including how to use the new central digital platform - working with trade associations and other business representative organisations to help distribute the materials.
The Department for Business and Trade leads on the Employment Rights Bill. Impact assessments undertaken for the Employment Rights Bill can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the (a) updated National Procurement Policy Statement and (b) Employment Rights Bill on the capacity of small and medium enterprises to (i) bid for and (ii) undertake public contracts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Procurement Policy Statement supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSEs), giving them greater opportunities to win public contracts by instructing contracting authorities to maximise their spend with these organisations.
We are clear that we want public contracts to deliver value for money in procurement through stronger expectations around commercial capability and contract management. The NPPS asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money. To support this, a new online register of commercial agreements will increase visibility of frameworks and fees, curbing excessive profits.
The Cabinet Office undertook a programme of stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the NPPS. This included an online survey which received over 436 responses and a series of roundtables with key stakeholders from contracting authorities, businesses and civil society. I have met with the Federation of Small Businesses, Enterprise Nation and a large number of SMEs across various sectors to discuss how the government can continue to break down barriers to procurement opportunities through the new procurement regime, supporting jobs and growth across the country.
To support implementation of the Procurement Act, the Government has provided a programme of free training to procurement teams on its provisions and flexibilities. Additionally, the Government hosted a series of supplier webinars and published instructional videos and user-manuals, aimed specifically for suppliers, to help them understand the key changes including how to use the new central digital platform - working with trade associations and other business representative organisations to help distribute the materials.
The Department for Business and Trade leads on the Employment Rights Bill. Impact assessments undertaken for the Employment Rights Bill can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Procurement Policy Statement on 13 February 2025, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of small-to-medium sized enterprises on the potential impact of the (a) National Procurement Policy Statement and (b) Employment Rights Bill on the administration of businesses.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Procurement Policy Statement supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSEs), giving them greater opportunities to win public contracts by instructing contracting authorities to maximise their spend with these organisations.
We are clear that we want public contracts to deliver value for money in procurement through stronger expectations around commercial capability and contract management. The NPPS asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money. To support this, a new online register of commercial agreements will increase visibility of frameworks and fees, curbing excessive profits.
The Cabinet Office undertook a programme of stakeholder engagement to inform the development of the NPPS. This included an online survey which received over 436 responses and a series of roundtables with key stakeholders from contracting authorities, businesses and civil society. I have met with the Federation of Small Businesses, Enterprise Nation and a large number of SMEs across various sectors to discuss how the government can continue to break down barriers to procurement opportunities through the new procurement regime, supporting jobs and growth across the country.
To support implementation of the Procurement Act, the Government has provided a programme of free training to procurement teams on its provisions and flexibilities. Additionally, the Government hosted a series of supplier webinars and published instructional videos and user-manuals, aimed specifically for suppliers, to help them understand the key changes including how to use the new central digital platform - working with trade associations and other business representative organisations to help distribute the materials.
The Department for Business and Trade leads on the Employment Rights Bill. Impact assessments undertaken for the Employment Rights Bill can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.