Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil service roles in the Commercial and Procurement Profession are vacant as of 28 March 2024.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

The Government Commercial Organisation, is the employer of senior commercial professionals (at Grade 7 and above) within the Government Commercial Function. There are currently 101 vacancies within the Government Commercial Organisation against a budgeted headcount of 1649. This vacancy rate of 6.1% is similar to the 2023 Civil Service vacancy rate of 6.2%.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the policy paper entitled Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data, updated on 29 February 2024, when her Department first assessed each of the red-rated legacy IT systems in her Department and in the Student Loans Company to be red-rated.

Answered by Damian Hinds

The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), in the Cabinet Office, has established a programme to support departments managing legacy IT. CDDO has agreed a framework to identify ‘red-rated’ systems, indicating high levels of risk surrounding certain assets within the IT estate. Departments have committed to have remediation plans in place for these systems by next year (2025).

It is not appropriate to release sensitive information held about specific red-rated systems or more detailed plans for remediation within the department’s IT estate, as this information could indicate which systems are at risk, and may highlight potential security vulnerabilities.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of fraud in his Department in the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer

The Government is determined to uncover fraud in the public sector and is proud of its record. As part of this, the Government established the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In 22/23 the PSFA set a target of delivering £180m of savings to the taxpayer. In fact, the PSFA far surpassed this within the first 12 months by preventing and recovering £311 million.

As it enters its second year, the PSFA has a target of achieving £185 million of savings for the taxpayer. The Government has also announced an additional £34 million to deploy cutting edge tools and Artificial Intelligence tools to help combat fraud across the public sector, saving £100 million for the public purse. This is in addition to existing partnerships between PSFA and the tech sector.

Defra's headline response to countering fraud is set out in the Governance Statement of the Annual Report and Accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts for Defra for the past three years may be accessed here:

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce the costs of error in the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer

Figures used in the cross-Government Fraud Landscape Report show the level of detected error across the group including arm’s length bodies. The figures for 2021-22 and 2022-23 may be found in the following reports: Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 and Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23.

Steps we have taken are detailed in the annual report and accounts. These include creation of a dedicated grants hub with counter fraud expertise, fraud risk assessments, prepayment checks allowing correction of errors prior to payment, audits of both the control environment and delivery bodies’ counter fraud capability, external assurance, as well as governance forums which routinely consider the risk of fraud and error at both design and delivery stages.

The Government reports a combined fraud and error rate as it is difficult to disaggregate between the two, is cost intensive and may not be the most effective use of limited department resources. The choice is therefore left to the discretion of individual departments.

When found, error would be defined as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors.

Found: . ● Jonathan Ashworth was filmed and taunted by an activist.3 He said he had been screamed at for 45

Found: possibly illegal activity in Leicester, against the previous incumbent and Labour candidate, Jonathan Ashworth

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times Jonathan Ashworth has visited the London office of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport since July 2024.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Jonathan Ashworth has visited our London office in a personal capacity on two occasions since July 2024.

Obesity APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Dr Yitka Graham, University of Sunderland 13:00 – 13:20 Key note speaker: Jonathan Ashworth MP, Shadow

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: APPG on PDRH member Jonathan Ashworth alluded to the Government’s overnight change of position and asked

Found: Jonathan Ashworth MP, Shadow Health and Social Care Secretary of State ‘WAVE’s visionary 70/30 strategy