Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's speech, Together, let’s make a difference, delivered on 18 October 2018, what progress the Government has made on improving representation of people from BAME backgrounds in the civil service.
Answered by David Lidington
The Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy published in October 2017 included a
commitment to increase the representation of ethnic minority staff in the Civil Service
workforce. In June 2017 we published a Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion data
dashboard [add link https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-diversity-
inclusion-dashboard]
Latest figures (March 2018) show ethnic minority representation in the Civil Service has
risen to 12.0% which is broadly representative of the UK working population (12.8%).
Ethnic minority representation in the Senior Civil Service (SCS) also reached its highest
level to date at 5.2%. We are committed to improving this and have published targets to
increase the progression of ethnic minority staff into the SCS.
To drive delivery of the targets we have established an Ethnic Diversity Programme to
build a sustainable talent pipeline to the SCS. The Programme also supports the new
Diverse Leadership Taskforce to increase diversity amongst our most senior leaders.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has given to other government departments on answering Written Parliamentary Questions using a reference to the gov.uk website without referring hon. Members to a specific page where the information sought can be found.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Ministers are responsible for the answers they give to Parliamentary questions. As explained within the Guidance on Drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions, it is the Minister’s right and responsibility to decide on how to fulfil their obligations as set out within the Ministerial Code. Each Department is responsible for issuing their own guidance to employees on the Departmental requirements for answers to Parliamentary Questions.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effect of individual electoral registration on jury selection and composition.
Answered by John Penrose
The rules governing jury selection and composition are unaffected by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER). Potential jurors’ names are still selected at random from the electoral register.
IER means that we can prove electors are genuine for the first time and is crucial in ensuring the registers used for jury selection are as accurate as possible.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to respond to the Electoral Commission's report, Electoral Fraud in the UK, published in January 2014.
Answered by John Penrose
The Government is currently conducting its own review of electoral fraud, led by Sir Eric Pickles MP, which is considering arguments for and against different measures to improve electoral integrity, including those suggested by the Electoral Commission. Recommendations emerging from the review will be put to the Prime Minister in due course.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is the Government's policy to increase the membership of the House of Lords by over 100 members during the course of this Parliament.
Answered by John Penrose
The Government does not have a policy of the kind described in this question. Our policy on the House of Lords is described in the Conservative Party election manifesto 2015.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 July 2015 by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Cabinet Office, HCWS 127, on individual electoral registration, how much of the funding referred to in that statement has been allocated to each electoral registration office in England.
Answered by John Penrose
In total 103 Local Authorities in England are receiving additional funding to help target their remaining carry forward entries. Almost £570,000 of funding was allocated directly to 53 English authorities where carry forward entries accounted for over 5%, as a proportion of their registers, in May 2015. 59 Local Authorities in England, including 9 which had already received a direct allocation, successfully submitted bids for additional funding, sharing just over £450,000.
The attached table sets out all 103 English authoritieswhich are receiving additional funding directly and those whhich submitted successful bids along with the total amount they are receiving.