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  • Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Chris Stephens – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Stephens on 2015-12-09.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to procure the replacement for the HM Revenue and Customs IT Aspire contract; what consultation there will be with HM Revenue and Customs staff and their representatives; and if he will make a statement.

    Mr David Gauke

    HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is making significant progress in preparing for the end of the Aspire IT contract in 2017. In August, HMRC announced that the changes it has planned will ultimately enable the Department to make savings of up to 24 per cent on its £800m annual IT budget by 2020-21, while maintaining consistent delivery of services to customers.

    Through its Building Our Future programme, HMRC is continuing to engage with its people and trade unions about the way in which it is transforming, including the way in which it is equipping operations with the modern IT services and platforms they need to run effectively. Currently, there are no plans to hold a formal consultation on the end of the Aspire contract.

  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment has been made of people’s attitudes towards public bodies using and sharing their data with other parts of the public sector as part of digitally transformed public services; and what plans the Government has to build trust and assurance among people on the Government’s use of their data as part of those public services.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government is committed to improving the way in which data is used and shared between public bodies for the benefit of the citizen, including the use of digital technology to transform public services in a way that is efficient, cost-effective and safe. The Government Digital Service will continue to support public bodies in making the most appropriate use of data and in ensuring that robust safeguards are in place to protect the privacy of individuals. We will continue to encourage public bodies to make non-sensitive administrative and aggregate data available as Open Data, as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency. We have also developed a draft ethical framework(which can be accessed at: https://data.blog.gov.uk/2015/12/08/data-science-ethics/) for how the Government uses data and we are embarking on a public dialogue which will understand and explore public opinion on the opportunities presented by data science

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  • Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Louise Haigh – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to raise the level of skills and technical capability in the civil service to support the Government’s digital transformation programme.

    Matthew Hancock

    The Government Digital Servicehavesupported departments to recruit nearly 200 senior digital and technology experts. Through those appointments, we have helped to establish senior leadership across government that is able to deliver digital and technology transformation.

    They have established strong knowledge and expertise within government to support us to make better technology choices, supported by networks of digital and technology leaders. More broadly, improving the digital skills of the Civil Service is an important and ongoing task.

  • Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Rebecca Long Bailey – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Rebecca Long Bailey on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost to the public purse was of ministerial special advisors in the last financial year; and how much is projected to be so spent in the next financial year.

    Matthew Hancock

    Information about the number, pay bands, and cost of special advisers will be published shortly in the normal way.

  • Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Chris Bryant – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris Bryant on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is, or has been within the last 10 years, a requirement on (a) applicants to the civil service and (b) civil servants upon entry to the civil service to disclose party political membership.

    Matthew Hancock

    The restrictions on civil servants’ involvement in political activities are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/418696/CSMC-_April_2015.pdf

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  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps the Government is taking to maintain current spending levels on the core elements of the science budget in real terms over the course of the Parliament.

    Joseph Johnson

    The Government made clear in the Spending Review its commitment to science and research. We will protect science resource funding in real terms from its current level of £4.7 billion per annum for the rest of the Parliament. Growth in the ring fence will be used to invest in a new £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund for UK science to pioneer new ways of tackling global problems. As well as increasing resource spending for science, we are investing in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale, delivering on the £6.9 billion science capital commitment in our manifesto to provide the infrastructure and funding to keep the UK globally competitive.

    The allocation of budgets to individual funding bodies, programmes and facilities has yet to be determined. As per previous spending rounds this allocation process will take place over the coming months.

  • Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Paul Flynn – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Paul Flynn on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the implications for implementing his Department’s policies for combatting climate change and decarbonising electricity generation of the Trade in Services Agreement.

    Anna Soubry

    The Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA) negotiation is ongoing. A full sustainable impact assessment is being conducted on the TISA. The terms of reference of the report include analysis of the impact of the TISA on climate change. The final inception report can be found on the EU’s website.

    The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has not carried out any additional assessments in relation to the impact of the agreement on wider climate change policies, but works closely with the Department of Energy and Climate Change on the content of the Agreement to ensure it aligns with the UK’s wider policy objectives.

  • Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Peter Bone – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Bone on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will estimate the UK’s current trade deficit with the EU.

    Anna Soubry

    This data is publicly available and can be found on the ONS website in the ‘Balance of Payments, Quarter 2 (April to June) 2015’.

  • Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Natalie McGarry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Natalie McGarry on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect of poverty and inequalities on entrepreneurialism and economic growth.

    Anna Soubry

    Economic growth is the best way to reduce poverty. We are providing opportunity and training for all, so that everyone can secure their own economic future. That might be through setting up their own business and Government has so far backed over 33,500 Start-Up Loans, worth over £180m. There are a record 5.3 million small businesses in the UK.The Mone Review, led by entrepreneur Michelle Mone, is bringing forward recommendations for how best to support entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities.

  • Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Kevin Brennan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kevin Brennan on 2015-12-09.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the distribution and use of funds raised by the proposed Apprenticeship Levy.

    Nick Boles

    Skills policy is a devolved area so the devolved administrations will continue to have control over how to support businesses through training and apprenticeships.

    We are working closely with the Welsh Government and other devolved administrations to ensure they get their fair share of the levy and can work out how best to use it to complement their own apprenticeships and skills policies.

    We will engage with skills ministers in the devolved administrations, including Julie James AC/AM, to do all we can to make the levy work for employers and would-be apprentices across the UK.