The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many additional staff have been employed to work on EU-related matters in which Government Departments (a) over the last 12 months and (b) since January 2016.
John Penrose
I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the hon. Member for Harwich and North Essex on 11 February to UIN: 26361, and to the hon. Member for Clacton on 18 April to UIN: 33727.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by William Wragg on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from the higher education and further education sector on the EU referendum.
John Penrose
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations are routinely published in transparency returns available on the Gov.uk website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the death in service benefits are for civil servants.
Matthew Hancock
Civil servants are eligible to be a member of either the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) or the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pension Scheme (CSOPS) subject to when they joined the Civil Service. Depending on which scheme they are in, a lump sum death benefit of either two or three times the civil servant’s final pay is payable on their death in service, plus a pension to a surviving spouse or civil partner and any eligible children. Details of the benefits payable are in the rules of the schemes which are available at http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/about-us/scheme-rules
The lump sum payable on death in service is payable to whoever the scheme member has nominated to receive it (this can be an individual or a corporate body such as a charity). The number of death benefit lump sums paid in each of the last 6 years is as follows:
Scheme Year Number of death in service cases
2010/2011 1195
2011/2012 1119
2012/2013 1007
2013/2014 904
2014/2015 664
2015/2016 447
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many families of deceased civil servants received death in service benefits in each of the last six years.
Matthew Hancock
Civil servants are eligible to be a member of either the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS) or the Public Service (Civil Servants and Others) Pension Scheme (CSOPS) subject to when they joined the Civil Service. Depending on which scheme they are in, a lump sum death benefit of either two or three times the civil servant’s final pay is payable on their death in service, plus a pension to a surviving spouse or civil partner and any eligible children. Details of the benefits payable are in the rules of the schemes which are available at http://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/about-us/scheme-rules
The lump sum payable on death in service is payable to whoever the scheme member has nominated to receive it (this can be an individual or a corporate body such as a charity). The number of death benefit lump sums paid in each of the last 6 years is as follows:
Scheme Year Number of death in service cases
2010/2011 1195
2011/2012 1119
2012/2013 1007
2013/2014 904
2014/2015 664
2015/2016 447
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants died in service in each of the last six years.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what representations he has made to the Electoral Commission on resolving recent problems with registration on aboutmyvote.co.uk related to the EU referendum.
John Penrose
Cabinet Office officials have worked closely with colleagues at the Electoral Commission to ensure the messaging on aboutmyvote.co.uk informs electors that they do not need to re-register for the EU referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Royston Smith on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had the Electoral Commission on ensuring that people are able to check whether they are registered on aboutmyvote.co.uk related to the EU referendum.
John Penrose
A registration look up tool that allowed electors to check their registration status would reduce duplicate applications. Technical and practical barriers prevent its implementation before the EU referendum.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will update guidance on the use of personal electronic communications to conduct official Government business to include the use of WhatsApp and other instant messaging services.
Matthew Hancock
All Government business must be conducted in line with the Ministerial Code, Civil Service Code, Special Adviser Code and HMG Security Policy Framework. Local records management and information security policies are in place across Departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Hanson on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the size of the House of Lords.
John Penrose
Given the very large and urgent list of other constitutional reforms currently underway, it’s hard to justify giving Lords reform a higher priority than other manifesto promises. We will continue to consider steps that are able to command support from all sides of the House. The Leader of the House of Lords has convened cross-party talks to discuss these issues, and those talks continue.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Mackintosh on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effectiveness of auto-enrolment onto the electoral roll for all UK citizens eligible to vote.
John Penrose
I have considered a range of proposals from local authorities and civil society organisations that could change how registration is currently delivered.
We are keen to explore further possibilities in this area but are concerned there may be tension between some forms of automatic registration and the principles underpinning Individual Electoral Registration, namely individual responsibility and ownership over registering to vote.