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 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, 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 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 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 Richard Burden on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letter of 24 March 2016 on ethical procurement from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield.
Matthew Hancock
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Anderson on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2016 to Question 34542, whether his Department has made an assessment of risks from lasers; and how he plans to use the General Product Safety Regulations to ensure the safe use of lasers in driverless cars.
Anna Soubry
The Government, via Public Health England, has made an assessment of the health risks posed by different classes of lasers, and as a result my Department has advised Trading Standards to use their powers under the General Product Safety Regulations to remove laser pointers higher than Class 2 from sale.
However, we are also aware that there is a second risk from the intentional directing of a laser at aviation (and other modes of transport) so as to dazzle or distract the pilot (or driver).
This is a cross-Whitehall issue and we are working with other departments to address it, including looking at legislative options. However, the practical implementation of the General Product Safety Regulations is a matter for Local Authority Trading Standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make an assessment of the potential effect of the cessation of downstream steel operations at Llanwern on further redundancies in that region.
Anna Soubry
The Government recognises the considerable impact that a closure of Tata Steel UK’s facilities at Llanwern would have on its employees, their families and the communities in which they live. That is why we are working closely with Tata to find a credible buyer for their entire UK operation. Our interests are to support Tata Steel and the wider industry, secure as many jobs as we can and deliver a sustainable future.
On 21 April, my Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills announced that a package of support worth hundreds of millions of pounds would be made available to potential buyers on commercial terms to support the ongoing operation and deliver long term investment in the future of the business. We will also consider support in other areas such as plant, pensions and power supply, and any other areas that potential buyers believe the Government can provide support.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Carolyn Harris on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how much has been spent by his Department on the services of consultancy firms relating to proposals to privatise the Land Registry.
Anna Soubry
We will publish details of the expenditure on advisers once a transaction is completed. Given that the privatisation of the Land Registry would be a significant commercial transaction for Government, it is expected that the National Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee will scrutinise fees incurred as part of any review into the conduct of the transaction. This is the normal process of scrutiny for major Government asset sales.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Michael Dugher on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make an assessment of the effect of the budget reduction for community pharmacy in 2016-17 on high street vacancy rates.
Alistair Burt
Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review, the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.
The Government’s vision is for a more efficient, modern system that will free up pharmacists to spend more time delivering clinical and public health services to the benefit of patients and the public. Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. A consequence may be the closure of some pharmacies but that is not our aim. We are not able to assess which pharmacies may close or what the effect on high street vacancy rates might be because we do not know the financial viability of individual businesses or the extent to which they derive income from services commissioned locally by the NHS or local authorities or have non-NHS related income.
We are consulting the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and others, including patient and public representatives, on our proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond. We announced on 16 March 2016 that the consultation period was to be extended to allow more time to develop the proposed changes with the PSNC and others. It will now close on 24 May 2016.