Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps he has taken to help tackle bullying and harassment in his Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office does not tolerate bullying, harassment or discrimination in any form. There are robust policies and processes in place to create a safe working environment and the Department actively encourages staff to report any inappropriate behaviour including bullying, harassment and discrimination.
In October 2021, the Cabinet Office launched an independent Review into Respect & Inclusion to consider policies, practices and workplace culture in regard to fairness and inclusion in the Cabinet Office. The Department has accepted the independent report's recommendations and are implementing them in full, prioritising actions that will have the greatest immediate impact.
Cabinet Office also have a Fair Treatment Confidants Network where staff are trained to support and signpost their colleagues if they have experienced, witnessed or been accused of bullying, harassment or discrimination.
Additionally, Speak Up Week this November is a twice-yearly campaign consisting of a variety of upskilling events, blogs and resources focusing on encouraging staff to speak up against unfair behaviour in the workplace.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Hugh Powell was appointed to help conduct the Heywood Review in 2014; what role Mr Powell had in the conduct of that Review; and what steps were taken to ensure that no conflict of interest affected, or might be seen to affect, the conduct or findings of that review.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
His Majesty’s Government acknowledges the strength of feeling regarding the events of 1984.
In 2014, the then Cabinet Secretary, the late Lord Heywood of Whitehall, commissioned Hugh Powell as Deputy National Security Adviser to coordinate a team of Whitehall officials to establish the extent of British involvement in the Indian Army’s operation at Sri Harmandir Sahib, Amritsar in 1984. Mr Powell coordinated the review but the evidence was gathered and analysed by officials from the Cabinet Office, the FCDO, the MoD and other government agencies. Had officials discovered evidence of a conflict of interest in the course of the investigation, Mr Powell would have been invited to recuse himself from the review. No such action was required.
The civil servants who worked on the Review were bound by the same standards of integrity, honesty, impartiality and objectivity, set out in the Civil Service Code that apply to all civil servants.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 26 October 2022 in response to the Right hon Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Official Report, column 297, what the factual basis is for his statement that a record number of new homes were built in the last year.
Answered by Rishi Sunak - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union
I am very proud of this government’s record on housebuilding, with over 2 million additional homes delivered since 2010. I am happy to clarify that it was this Conservative Government which oversaw the highest level of new homes delivered in over 30 years before the disruption of the pandemic, with 242,000 homes (a net increase in housing supply) delivered between April 2019 and March 2020. Furthermore, under this Government the number of new homes started in England is at a near 15-year high, and has risen by 10% above pre-pandemic levels.
This Government knows that people are happier, more secure and more rooted in their communities when they own their own homes. That is why we are continuing to build on our record of delivering new homes, with housebuilding starts increasing by 140% between 2009 and 2022.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has conducted an investigation into how The Guardian newspaper obtained documents classified as Official-Sensitive relating to emergency plans to cope with energy blackouts.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on leak investigations.