Tag: Chris White

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2016-01-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to (a) encourage greater use of email and (b) implement other measures to reduce costs in communication by government departments.

Matthew Hancock

The Government Digital Service (GDS) continues to support departments as they digitally transform their business operations, making government services easier and more efficient to use. There is a ‘digital first’ strategy across Government to save on time as well as paper and postage costs, including the use of email to achieve this aim.

The Government Communication Service (GCS) saved nearly £330m for taxpayers in 2014/15 compared to 2009/10 by making its campaigns more cost effective. The communications profession is also more streamlined, with headcount across Government reduced by a third since 2009/10. These reforms helped the Government reduce communications spending by a total of £1bn over the last Parliament. GCS continues to investigate new ways of reducing costs in Government communications.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate he has made of the number of adults that will be participating in non-apprenticeship vocational training by 2020 in (a) the UK, (b) England and (c) Warwick and Leamington constituency.

Nick Boles

The Department does not produce forecasts for participation in further education.

The funding available for adult skills up to 2015/16 is outlined in the Skills Funding Letter. The letter sets out the Government’s priorities for the budget and it is for providers to decide how they use their adult skills funding to reflect those priorities and meet the needs of learners and employers in their local area.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-funding-letter-april-2015-to-march-2016

Information on historic participation in government funded further education by geography is published online at the FE Data Library:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-further-education-and-skills

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Chris White on 2015-10-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local government representatives on ensuring social value is taken into account in proposals for greater devolution; and what his policy is on the recommendation of the Local Government Association’s National Procurement Strategy for Local Government on the wider adoption of Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012.

Mr Marcus Jones

The Government is looking at the full costs and benefits of devolution proposals in line with Government guidance. This is supported by detailed conversations with areas to help them refine their work such as guidance about onward devolution to neighbourhoods.

The Government fully supports local authorities applying the concept of social value more widely than required by the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 and this is reflected in the Revised Best Value Statutory Guidance which was published in March of this year and can be viewed at the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-best-value-statutory-guidance