Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Civil Service cost of living payments to civil servants that retired in the financial year 2022-2023.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Honourable Member for Salford and Eccles to the answer I gave on 25th October in response to PQ203635.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the December 2020 report of the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee to the Committee on the Grant of Honours Decorations and Medals advised that a retrospective medallic award to nuclear test veterans should not be made; and if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of reviewing medallic recognition for Nuclear Testing Veterans.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) operates independently of the Government but I understand that the case for medallic recognition was considered at length by the Sub-Committee.
The AMSC concluded that, although the efforts of those involved in the campaign could not be discounted, the case did not meet the level of risk and rigour which is generally required for the award of a campaign medal or clasp.
The AMSC is an advisory body which has made recommendations based on the available evidence, including that provided by campaign groups. Its advice was provided in line with its terms of reference and will only be looked at again if significant new evidence becomes available. I understand that any new submissions which might have been provided have been passed to the Sub-Committee.
This decision in no way diminishes that commitment or the nations’ recognition of the contribution of veterans who served during these periods and contributed to the security of the United Kingdom and its Allies.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
What steps his Department is taking to improve transparency in procurement in its response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Shadow Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government recognises the importance of maintaining public confidence in how we manage taxpayers’ money and I have set out before the challenges we faced in our response to the covid 19 outbreak. We are taking steps to improve the processes already in place and ensure public spending is fair and transparent.
Proposals in the Green Paper aim to improve transparency in procurement across the public sector and include specific measures to strengthen transparency through the commercial lifecycle from planning through to procurement, contract award, performance and completion.
We are also taking forward all 28 recommendations from the independent Boardman report to set out areas for improvement within the Cabinet Office’s own internal contracting procedures.
We have also made KPI data on 379 contracts available to the public, as a further step towards greater transparency.
Asked by: Rebecca Long Bailey (Labour - Salford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many businesses have annual employment costs of (a) £3 million to £20 million, (b) £20 million to £40 million and (c) more than £40 million; and what the total employment costs are for businesses in each of those categories.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.