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  • Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Rachael Maskell – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rachael Maskell on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the staff who manage the gardens within the Downing Street estate are employed as civil servants; whether such staff are enrolled under the civil service pension scheme; and under what terms and conditions such staff are employed with what pension entitlement.

    Matthew Hancock

    The staff who manage the gardens within the Downing Street estate are not civil servants. The Royal Parks agency are contracted to manage and maintain the gardens in Downing Street.

  • David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    David Mackintosh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) recent steps he has taken and (b) mechanisms he has introduced to increase the efficiency of work between government departments.

    Matthew Hancock

    Improving efficiency, both across Government and between government departments, is central to the work of the Cabinet Office. By 2014/15 the Government had saved £18.6 billion through efficiency and reform, and tackling fraud, error and uncollected debt (against a 2009/10 baseline). This includes saving:

    • £6.1bn by improving how government buys goods, and services.

    • Generating £1.8bn net capital receipts and saving £750 million from reducing the annual running cost of the estate.

    • £4.6bn by addressing waste and inefficiency in construction and reducing costs in major projects.

    • £700m through reducing losses from fraud and error.

    In autumn 2015 the Spending Review announced a range of additional measures to further improve effect and joint working between departments. These include co-locating Civil Servants though the Government Hubs programme, and introducing shared ICT though Common Technology Services and the Common Platforms Programme.

  • Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Tom Watson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on hosting ministerial receptions in each of the last five years.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information relating to official and charity receptions held at Downing Street are published on a quarterly basis and are available on the gov.uk website.

    “

  • Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Geoffrey Cox – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Geoffrey Cox on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to launch a second phase of the local sustainability fund.

    Mr Rob Wilson

    The Local Sustainability Fund will support 265 small-to-medium sized organisations, providing vital services to vulnerable and disadvantage people, helping them to secure and enhance those services.

    Government is now planning and delivering further initiatives that will help small-to-medium sized voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations to achieve their full potential. These include offering training to improving fundraising practice, growing the social investment market and ensuring strong leadership and governance.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what work the Anti-Corruption Champion has undertaken for his Department.

    Matthew Hancock

    Any costs incurred by the Anti-Corruption Champion in his role in overseeing the government’s work to address corruption in the UK and internationally, will be disclosed in the normal way. These are met by the Cabinet Office. In addition, staff support is provided from within the existing civil service workforce.

    The Anti-Corruption Champion is overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Plan. This includes meeting with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas, to champion UK anti-corruption policy.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what costs the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion has incurred to date.

    Matthew Hancock

    Any costs incurred by the Anti-Corruption Champion in his role in overseeing the government’s work to address corruption in the UK and internationally, will be disclosed in the normal way. These are met by the Cabinet Office. In addition, staff support is provided from within the existing civil service workforce.

    The Anti-Corruption Champion is overseeing the implementation of the Anti-Corruption Plan. This includes meeting with Ministers and officials from other government departments, as well as representatives from civil society and business, both in the United Kingdom (UK) and overseas, to champion UK anti-corruption policy.

  • Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-15.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects the report on electoral fraud by the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion to be published.

    John Penrose

    Sir Eric Pickles will make his recommendations as soon as he is able. 66 written submissions are under consideration, as well as evidence provided in meetings with specific people and at a seminar of academics, stakeholder organisations and political parties.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make representations to the National Infrastructure Commission on assessing the potential merits of building ultra-super critical coal-fired power stations in the UK.

    Greg Hands

    The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC) will have a mandate to examine all sectors of economic infrastructure, including energy. The NIC will shortly undertake work on a National Infrastructure Assessment, which will set out the UK’s infrastructure needs for the next 10-30 years.

    Coal fired power stations without abatement are not consistent with meeting our decarbonisation objectives. This is why the Government has committed to consulting on phasing out unabated coal by 2025 and to restricting the amount of coal generation in 2023.

  • Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Margaret Hodge – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Hodge on 2016-03-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-taxpaying individuals have been required by HM Revenue and Customs to repay tax paid to charities under Gift Aid in the last (a) 12 months and (b) five years; and what the total value was of the required repayments in those periods.

    Mr David Gauke

    During the period between February 2015 to January 2016, HM Revenue and Customs recovered some £858,261.00. In 2014/15 it was £700,000, in 2013/14 £844,646.00 and in 2012/13 £398,020. All of these figures reflect amounts recovered from both non-taxpaying individuals and tax payers. We do not hold figures for periods before 2012/13.

  • Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Philip Davies – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Philip Davies on 2016-03-15.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy that three per cent of GDP annually be invested in infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.

    Greg Hands

    The government prioritises long-term investment over day-to-day expenditure, and is on course to exceed its commitment to invest £100 billion in infrastructure by 2020-21. This includes the largest programme of rail investment since Victorian times, the biggest investment in roads since the 1970s, and doubling the affordable housing budget. The Spending Review 2015 set out the government’s decision to invest £12 billion more through departmental capital budgets than was planned at Summer Budget 2015.