Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 8 February 2024.

Cabinet Office Minister, Baroness Neville-Rolfe shares her experiences of working with apprentices at the Public Sector Fraud Authority.

National Apprenticeship Week 2024 is a fantastic opportunity to shine a spotlight on the vital contributions apprentices now make in the public sector.

Apprenticeships, funded by this government, are supporting businesses to invest in high quality training and develop the skilled workforce we need for a more productive future. We  foster apprenticeships across a wide range of industries, creating exciting new opportunities. They provide flexible ways to learn that meet the needs of the apprentices, both young and mature, and our employers who are crying out for specialist skills.

This year I am particularly excited to be able to celebrate the achievements of  those undertaking the Counter Fraud Investigators Apprenticeship (CFIA), a trailblazing programme, developed by the Government Counter Fraud Profession in collaboration with HMRC.

During my meeting with a group of CFIA participants earlier this week, I heard about a  number of groundbreaking investigations led by Brent Council, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and The Education and Skills Funding Agency (EFSA).

The breadth of work undertaken by this group of apprentices is astounding. For example  DWP combats DNA fraud in Child Maintenance cases where fraudsters have been known to use other people’s DNA, or test children who are not their own, to avoid maintenance payments.

Brent Council is tackling tenancy fraud through the National Fraud Initiative (NFI). Housed within the Public Sector Fraud Authority, it specialises in data matching to help detect and prevent fraud, for example where tenants have another property or generous balances in their private bank accounts but claiming to be destitute. It was excellent to hear how Dhruvisha, a counter fraud investigator at Brent Council, has been working with the NFI on this and has been nominated as Apprentice of the year at the upcoming Public Sector Counter Fraud Awards 2024.

The CFIA includes participants from across sectors and regions,bringing a diversity of perspective to  the challenges we  encounter in public sector fraud. Training is conducted  by both public and private sector providers, ensuring that apprentices are imbued with  cutting edge knowledge and digital skills.

I was struck by how the group had gained knowledge, skills and confidence to thrive as counter fraud professionals. The CFIA is not easy and it takes at least 2 years demanding rigorous competency and dedication. It is however a testament to the transformative power of some of our apprenticeship programmes.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 February 2024.

In a speech today, the Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, has called on governments and businesses to address the proliferation of commercial cyber intrusion tools and services by developing better safeguards and oversight.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 February 2024.

The government will retain data sharing powers introduced in the Digital Economy Act (2017) after a statutory review published today finds they have saved taxpayers at least £137 million since coming into force.

• The government will today announce that it is retaining the Digital Economy Act (2017) following a statutory review of the legislation.
• The statutory review finds the Act has enabled more than 100 data sharing pilots across 70 local authorities and 17 government departments or agencies.
• Baroness Neville-Rolfe hailed the decision as “a vital step that will help to keep public money safe for years to come.”

The government will retain data sharing powers introduced in the Digital Economy Act (2017) after a statutory review published today finds they have saved taxpayers at least £137 million since coming into force.

The Act was introduced to provide a permissive legal gateway for data sharing between public bodies in order to combat fraud against the public sector and reduce debt owed to the public sector.

The statutory review shows the powers have enabled more than 100 data sharing pilots across 70 local authorities and 17 government departments or agencies since 2018. These pilots typically involve public bodies pooling and comparing datasets to identify anomalies that indicate suspicious activity.

Savings of £137 million were identified through a number of pilots enabled by the Digital Economy Act, including:

• £99.5 million of fraud was identified in Covid-19 loan schemes through an ongoing pilot run by the Cabinet Office on behalf of HM Treasury, the Department for Business and Trade, and the British Business Bank – the Covid-19 Loan Schemes Fraud Analytics Programme – using HM Revenue and Customs data to identify companies who have misrepresented their trading status, such as annual turnover, to fraudulently receive loans;
• £14.9 million of fraud was identified in council tax and housing benefit systems by the National Fraud Initiative, who compared 20 million local authority records with data from HM Revenue and Customs;
• £5.1 million of fraud was identified in shadow company accounts by using data from HM Revenue and Customs to identify companies fraudulently misstating their accounting and corporate practices to avoid paying tax; and
• £5 million of overdue council tax was recovered by 29 local authorities using data from HM Revenue and Customs to identify debt owed by those in employment.

The statutory review is based on a formal consultation into the effectiveness of the legislation and evidence from completed data sharing pilots. It was commissioned to fulfil a requirement to review sections of the Act to ensure it works effectively. The review had been due to take place in 2021 but was delayed by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Based on the conclusions of the review, Baroness Neville-Rolfe has decided to retain the fraud and debt powers in the Digital Economy Act, rather than amend or repeal them. The government will today simultaneously lay a report summarising the conclusions of the statutory review in the UK Parliament, Scottish Parliament, Welsh Assembly, and Northern Ireland Assembly.

An overwhelming majority (95%) of consultation respondents who have used powers said they were useful to combat fraud. Already, four of the pilots have been converted to standard practice, with plans for further pilots to be converted, including onboarding over 300 local authorities to a scheme identifying overdue council tax.

The consultation found respondents had no privacy concerns about the new powers. This finding backs up a recent report published by the Information Commissioner’s Office which concluded the Digital Economy Act has mechanisms in place to ensure robust scrutiny is applied to all data sharing agreements.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State, Cabinet Office, said:

Retaining the Digital Economy Act – rather than allowing it to sunset – is a vital step that will help to keep public money safe for years to come. The review we have conducted shows that data sharing between public bodies saves taxpayers millions, which is why increasing the integration of data across the public sector is a priority for this government.

Through the Public Sector Fraud Authority we are already stepping up our fight on fraudsters using these powers – and there is still more work to do as we take the long-term decisions to build a brighter future for Britain.

The statutory review into the Digital Economy Act was overseen by the Public Sector Fraud Authority, which was set up by Rishi Sunak in 2022 as part of a step change in the way the government fights fraud against the public sector. In its first year of operation, the Authority far surpassed its initial savings target of £180 million, delivering total savings of £311 million for taxpayers, according to figures released in its 2022-23 Annual Report.

Mark Cheeseman, Chief Executive, Public Sector Fraud Authority, said:

To fight fraud, we need to continually challenge ourselves to use data and technology to its fullest extent in an ethical manner. These powers, and their use, have delivered significant savings for the taxpayer by supporting public bodies to prevent, detect and recover money stolen by fraudsters.

The Public Sector Fraud Authority will continue to challenge itself, and the public sector to use the latest data and analytics tools to find and prevent fraud against the public sector.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 February 2024.

Seven people have been appointed to the Committee responsible for recommending proposals for a permanent memorial and legacy programme to remember Queen Elizabeth II.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 5 February 2024.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 31 January 2024.

Introduction of new border controls will help guard against incoming diseases and pests while minimising burdens and costs for traders and consumers.

• New border controls introduced today will help prevent the import of diseases and pests from animal and plant products
• Series of new controls will minimise burdens and costs for traders and consumers
• This is the first major step towards making the UK the most advanced border in the world

Today (31st January 2024), the UK takes a major step in improving its biosecurity and keeping the country safe from diseases.

New border controls will come into effect for animals, plants and plant products imported to Great Britain from the EU. Products which present a ‘medium risk’ to biosecurity and health will now require export health certificates and phytosanitary certificates, where currently they enter the UK without them.

As a global trading nation, diseases carried from imported animals, animal products, plants and plant products pose a serious risk to the UK’s biosecurity. Risk-based border controls are essential to manage this and ensure that we only import safe, high-quality products.

Risk-based controls also mean that imports from all countries will be assessed the same way, where ‘high-risk’ products undergo necessary checks, and ‘low-risk’ products are imported more freely when it is safe to do so.

The controls coming into effect today are part of the Border Target Operating Model, which has been designed with traders and consumers at the forefront.

The model will minimise burdens for traders by making smart use of data and technology. Health certificates are being digitised and simplified, where currently they are paper-based and complex. The Single Trade Window will remove the need for traders to provide the same data multiple times, and Trusted Trader schemes will significantly reduce controls for our most credible traders.

Controls are being applied on goods from Ireland for the first time. However, thanks to the Windsor Framework, Northern Ireland (NI) goods will benefit from full and unconditional unfettered access, regardless of whether they move indirectly via Ireland. This will further bolster Northern Ireland’s place within the UK’s economic union and more squarely focus the benefits of unfettered access on NI traders.

The introduction of the Border Target Operating Model also sharpens the competitive advantage of Northern Ireland businesses, who now have unique unfettered access to both their primary market in GB as well as and the EU single market.

Government has worked extensively with traders both in the UK and in the EU to ensure the new controls and requirements are clear and that they have ample time to prepare.

In the design phase of the Border Target Operating Model, Government consulted thousands of stakeholders through events, focus groups and through written correspondence. Since the model was published, there has been ongoing communication with industry.

DEFRA has also conducted a Trader Readiness Survey which captures views from industry, which the department continuously monitors and uses to address concerns.

The controls coming into place today are the first major step the Government is taking to improve the UK’s border. Two further sets of controls will be introduced this year.

From 30 April 2024, Government will introduce documentary, physical and identity checks at the border for medium risk animal products, plants and plant products imported to Great Britain from the EU except goods that enter Great Britain via West Coast ports.

31 October 2024, Government will further simplify traders’ management of Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements. Safety and Security declarations will also be required for all goods moving from the EU to Great Britain. These controls were announced in the Border Target Operating Model in August 2023, which sets out a risk-based approach to importing that will be introduced progressively.

These controls were announced in the Border Target Operating Model in August 2023, which sets out a risk-based approach to importing that will be introduced progressively.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, said:

Our aim is to have border controls which maximise the protection of the UK population from harms such as drugs and animal and human diseases while minimising the disruption to legitimate trade. The new UK system being introduced over the course of this year makes a huge stride towards meeting this objective. We have worked with traders and businesses  extensively to design the controls and will continue to listen to their feedback.

Biosecurity Minister Lord Douglas-Miller said:

Border controls on imported goods are vitally important to safeguard our high biosecurity standards, protecting the UK from potentially harmful pests and diseases, and maintaining trust in our exports.

These checks must also be proportionate and pragmatic – which is why we’ve taken a phased approach to implementing the new system and are working closely with industry to help them prepare.

The controls introduced today strike the right balance between trade and biosecurity.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 24 January 2024.

Joint statement by the UK government and European Commission:

The Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework met today in Brussels, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government.

The Committee co-chairs took stock of the work undertaken by both sides on the implementation of the Windsor Framework since the last meeting on 20 September 2023. In particular, they discussed the implementation of the Windsor Framework in the areas of agri-food and customs in light of the provisions which took effect in autumn 2023 and the implementation milestones ahead. They agreed to continue meeting on a regular basis to monitor and ensure the full implementation of all the elements of the Framework in a faithful way.

The Committee co-chairs also took stock of the work of the Joint Consultative Working Group and its structured sub-groups. They reiterated the importance of continued joint engagement with Northern Ireland stakeholders.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 January 2024.

In his keynote address at the Institute for Government’s annual conference, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen, will outline his long-term priorities to modernise the Civil Service into a more productive institution so it can deliver stronger public services.

• Minister to outline value of Civil Service, with new measures to strengthen public sector delivery
• Reform will focus on investing in technology, reducing unnecessary process and supporting talent attraction, retention and reducing staff churn
• New line management standards across the Civil Service, underpinned by  reviewing staff performance management approach, to support career development and help tackle rare instances of unchecked poor performance or serious issues with agreed office attendance
• New guidance on staff networks will safeguard civil service impartiality, alongside review of network spending

In his keynote address at the Institute for Government’s annual conference this morning (Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024), the Minister for the Cabinet Office, John Glen, will outline his long-term priorities to modernise the Civil Service into a more productive institution so it can deliver stronger public services through three key priorities:

First, unlocking the transformative potential of new technologies such as A.I. by increasing our ambition on the pace and scale of digital transformation in government. Second, unlocking new ways of working by streamlining and simplifying how government operates. Third, leveraging workforce potential by addressing problems of talent attraction, retention and churn through a smaller, skilled workforce that is better rewarded, with stronger performance management.

The Minister will highlight new line management standards, underpinned by reviewing staff performance management across Government, building on the good practice in place across most of the Civil Service. Line managers will be supported to work with their teams to develop civil servants’ expertise and skills with a more consistent approach across departments, while also addressing rare instances of unchecked poor performance.

He will also make clear that he believes face-to-face working and making full use of Government offices are the right way to deliver for the taxpayer and develop new talent. Data from surveying 30,700 civil servants shows that ‘learning from others’ and staff interaction has consistently been found to be better supported in the office compared to at home.

Ministers will look at performance management guidance for senior civil servants to ensure that making full use of offices is factored into their yearly reviews.

Setting out the vital role the Civil Service plays up and down the country and emphasising the importance of ensuring it works as effectively and efficiently as possible, he will tell the audience that the Civil Service has to learn to do more with less.

He will also welcome recent successes like the £7.8 billion in efficiencies secured between 2020 and 2022 through central functional teams, like commercial, finance and project delivery – focusing on how to replicate these across the civil service.

Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Rt Hon John Glen MP said:

The Civil Service and the work it does impacts all of our lives in so many ways, we must therefore ensure it is fit for purpose for the long term, and delivers efficiently and effectively.

It is clear we have to do more with less. To do this, we must embrace new technology, empower those around us by working collaboratively in offices, and ensure performance management standards enable line managers to provide the best possible feedback and tackle consistent poor performance.

The Civil Service must adapt today to prepare for the urgent challenges of tomorrow. Our citizens deserve nothing less, and I know our committed civil servants are up for the challenge.

The Minister will also reaffirm the government’s long-term commitment to implementing cutting-edge new AI technologies across the organisation. He will endorse the development of bespoke AI products designed to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy, improve the speed of public service delivery, and enhance how the government communicates with the public.

New guidance on civil service staff networks will also be issued shortly as part of wider plans to improve productivity and provide clearer advice on acting with impartiality in relation to diversity and inclusion.

The guidance will ensure civil servants have a better understanding of how best to balance staff network activity with their primary responsibilities and impartiality commitments under the civil service code.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 22 January 2024.

Government launches new Whatsapp Channel to provide helpful opt-in information to the public.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 18 January 2024.

The UK benefited from £830 million in the 2022-23 financial year delivering programmes and peacekeeping in more than 90 countries to bolster global security.

The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund’s (CSSF) investment delivers projects in Ukraine, Africa, the Indo-Pacific and the Overseas Territories among other places. Last year it more than doubled spending on cyber security programmes, with £25.5 million spent on the Global Cyber Programme, the Africa Joint Operations Against Cyber Crime and bolstering the cyber defences Georgia, Iraq and elsewhere.

The Cabinet Office-led CSSF tackles the greatest threats to UK national security emanating from overseas, especially conflict, transnational threats and hostile state activity. The 2022 to 2023 CSSF Annual Report reveals how and where it spent money to tackle these global security challenges, such as assistance to Ukraine following the illegal invasion by Russia and countering Russian disinformation on the invasion.

The CSSF also plays a key role in strengthening UK and international partners’ cyber security by strengthening their cyber defences and supporting their fight against cyber-crime. For example the CSSF has also funded programmes in the Indo-Pacific region, delivering cyber exercises in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Japan to help test their response to a major national cyber attack.

Through the CSSF, the UK established a Ukraine Cyber Programme, providing £7.3 million from the beginning of the invasion to March 2022. Following the IRR, funding for this programme will be increased by up to £25 million, including £16 million from UK funding, and potential for a further £9 million contribution from international allies.

Ukraine was the biggest single-state recipient of CSSF-funded Official Development Assistance, receiving £41 million, an increase from £23.5 million in the 2021 to 2022 financial year.

Cabinet Office Minister for the CSSF Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

From the Balkans to Latin America, the Indo-Pacific and beyond, the UK’s Conflict, Stability and Security Fund plays a vital role in keeping people safe both at home and abroad.

Improving the cyber security of our international partners is vital to the preservation of the rules-based international system and so detecting, disrupting and deterring cyber threats across the globe has been central to the CSSF’s work.

Other significant areas of spending included projects in Eastern Europe and Central Asia which accounted for around 14% of CSSF funding (£119.28 million) and projects in Sub-Saharan Africa which accounted for almost 12% of CSSF funding (£98.57 million). In Sub-Saharan Africa the CSSF’s investment has tackled the threat of violent extremists by working with counter terror organisations.

The CSSF also manages the UK government’s funding of peacekeeping operations and deployments and manages the Rapid Response Mechanism with peacekeeping efforts accounting for more than a third (36%) of its spending (£301.8 million).

In March 2023, as part of the Integrated Review Refresh, the Prime Minister announced the CSSF would transform into a new fund: the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) from April 2024. The CSSF’s transition into the ISF will link up our domestic and overseas security to strengthen our ability to export world-leading expertise to international partners so we can tackle global challenges such as smuggling, illicit finances and large-scale migration.

The Cabinet Office-led CSSF brings together several government departments, including the FCDO, Home Office and Ministry of Defence. The FCDO was the single biggest spender of CSSF funding the 2022 to 2023 financial year; it accounted for 81.7% of total spend (£678.27 million).