The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department work in the Propriety and Ethics team.
Ben Gummer
Transparency data on Cabinet Office staffing can be found online at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-staff-and-salary-data-as-at-31-march-2016
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials of his Department provide secretariat support to unpaid advisors.
Ben Gummer
There are no unpaid special advisers in the Cabinet Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many unpaid advisers work in his Department.
Ben Gummer
There are no unpaid special advisers in the Cabinet Office.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Charles Walker on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2016 to Question 43403, what the evidential basis is for his assertion that no hon. Members have handed in the text of their Bill; what discussions he and his officials have had with House authorities on the status of each of the Private Members’ Bills presented on 29 June 2016; and which Bills have been received by Parliamentary Counsel in draft as part of the process of discussion with Departments.
Mr David Lidington
Bills formally submitted to the Public Bill Office are available to all Members and are published online. Government Departments are holding discussions with several Members about their Bills.
The Government will set out its position on each Bill at the relevant Second Reading.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the pay grade is of each special adviser in his Department.
Ben Gummer
A list of special advisers and pay bands will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister oversees the Policy Innovation Lab.
Ben Gummer
I have responsibility for Policy Innovation Lab. The Policy Lab sits in the Cabinet Office but works for all departments and reports to the Policy Profession Board.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any ministerial extended offices have been set up since 13 July 2016.
Ben Gummer
No new Extended Ministerial Offices have been established since 13 July. We will report in due course in an appropriate Civil Service update on the experience of their operation to date.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers work for the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Ben Gummer
A list of special advisers and pay bands will be published in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Elmore on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42682, whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of spoilt ballots in elections.
Chris Skidmore
The Government has made improvements to ballot papers, forms and instructions used by voters at elections and referendums in order to make voting as accessible as possible. This involved public user-testing of the revised voting forms. The Government will consider reports from the Electoral Commission and other organisations on the polls held during 2016 and decide whether any further action is required.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has access to the Government Car Services.
Ben Gummer
Further to the question asked by the Hon Member of 7 September 2016, Official Report, Column 321, I would add that my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Derbyshire Dales, is a Minister of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. He will attend a number of Cabinet Committees, which will be published in due course, and has duties directly related to the Duchy of Lancaster. The List of Ministerial Responsibilities will also be published in due course. He does not receive a Ministerial salary from public funds. Details of Private Office staff will be accounted for as part of the regular transparency data on gov.uk. The Government publishes on a quarterly basis details of Ministerial visits overseas. All Ministers have access to the Government Car Service for official travel.
My Rt Hon Friend also serves as the Party Chairman of the Conservative Party. Such arrangements are no different from the likes of Charles Clarke, Ian McCartney and Hazel Blears, all of whom held the posts of Minister Without Portfolio and Labour Party Chair under the last Labour Government.
I would also observe that under the Thatcher and Major Governments, senior figures such as Norman Tebbit, Kenneth Baker and Chris Patten served as both Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.