Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the G7 Japan 2023 Foreign Ministers’ Communiqué, published on 18 April 2023, whether the Government plans to take steps to align the UK's investment screening regime with that of the US as set out in the Presidential Executive Order of 15 September 2022 on Ensuring Robust Consideration of Evolving National Security Risks by the Committee on Foreign Investment.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)
The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK’s National Security and Investment (NSI) regime stays up to date with the evolving global security context. We have recently launched a Call for Evidence, seeking views on how the NSI system can be even more business friendly while maintaining and refining essential national security protections.
The UK works closely with a range of international partners in this area, including members of the G7. However, decisions made under the NSI Act are based on UK national security considerations, and the scope of the Act itself is carefully tailored to the needs of the UK.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will (a) list the spending programmes his Department devolves for administration to local government in England and other local spending bodies and (b) specify the value for each programme for every year for which budgets are agreed.
Answered by Michael Ellis
The Cabinet Office did not devolve any spending programmes for administration to local government in England and other local spending bodies in financial year 2021/22.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, which Minister leads on the Government's anti-corruption strategy.
Answered by Boris Johnson
I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the written statement issued today by my Rt Hon Friend, The Minister of State for Security and Borders.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, what his priorities are for the 2021 G7 summit in Cornwall.
Answered by Boris Johnson
As the most prominent grouping of democratic countries, the G7 has long been the catalyst for decisive international action to tackle the greatest challenges we face.
June's G7 Summit in Cornwall will mark the first face to face meeting of world leaders in almost two years and offers us a unique opportunity to agree concrete action to improve global health, tackle climate change and make the world fairer and more prosperous.
I look forward to meeting with my fellow leaders to discuss these issues as we all act to fight and defeat Covid and revive the global economy from its devastating impact.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the public statement of 25 May 2020 by Dominic Cummings, whether funding from the public purse was expended on drafting that statement.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQs 52214 and 52215 on 4 June 2020.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings Ministers of his Department have had with representatives of the Legatum Institute in the last 12 months.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Details of meetings that Cabinet Office Ministers have had with external organisations are published on a quarterly basis on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government's joint venture with Equifax remains operational.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Government entered into a contract with a subsidiary of Equifax Ltd called TDX Group Ltd, to form the joint
venture, Integrated Debt Services Ltd. This is the “Debt Market Integrator” (DMI) contract. This joint venture
remains operational.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2016 to Question 23331, what the average cost for each participant of the National Citizen Service has been in each year of its operation.
Answered by Rob Wilson
National Citizen Service (NCS) delivers value for money and the most recent independent evaluation demonstrated that for every £1 spent on NCS it generates up £3.98 of social benefits. The table below shows the average cost per NCS participant calculated as part of the published independent evaluation for each year of operation:
Year | Average cost per participant |
2011 | £1,553 |
2012 | £1,700 |
2013 | £1,570 |
2014 | £1,538 |
2015 | Figures will be made available in the NCS 2015 evaluation report, which will be published in due course. |
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his plans for the future of the National Citizen Service.
Answered by Rob Wilson
The 2015 Autumn Statement announced over a billion pounds for NCS over the next parliament and the Government is committed to expanding the programme to 360,000 places by 2020. In 2013, the NCS Trust, an independent social enterprise, was established to manage NCS and deliver the programme. Cabinet Office is supporting the NCS Trust to develop their plans to meet this ambitious target and further details will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many young people participated in the National Citizen Service in 2015.
Answered by Rob Wilson
Over 200,000 young people have benefitted from the National Citizen Service (NCS) since 2011. In 2014 57,789 young people took part. The figure for 2015 will be made available after an independent evaluation later this year.
The Prime Minister has announced the ambition to expand the programme to 60% of all 16 year olds by 2021 and this is the target we aim to deliver.
The funding for NCS was announced in the autumn statement and spending review. More than £1billion has been committed to the expansion of NCS in this parliament.