Tag: Greg Mulholland

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the average hourly earnings were of her Department’s (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The tables below are the average hourly rates for all employees (Senior Civil Service and below within DFID). The not declared BAME figure includes: those declared as white; those who selected “prefer not to say”; and those who have not declared. However, I would note to the Hon. Member that such simple averages do not paint an accurate figure of our workforce and recruitment practices.

DFID HCS Staff	March 2015 Average Hourly Earnings	March 2016 Average Hourly Earnings
Declared BAME	£25.05	£25.23
Not Declared BAME	£25.99	£26.01

The Civil Service is changing, and our recruitment seeks to reflect the make-up and composition of our nation as a whole. Historically, BME staff were under-represented: both in terms of previous recruitment patterns and the number and proportion in higher grades, both of these factors have contributed to the differences in average salaries.

We are making progress the proportion of BME staff in the Civil Service has risen from 9.2% in 2010 to 10.6% in 2015, but we recognise that there is still more to do.

In March, the Government published its 2016 Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service. It provides a progress update on initiatives to increase diversity in the Civil Service, including cross-Government talent programmes aimed at under-represented groups.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/talent-action-plan-2016-removing-the-barriers-to-success

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-05-25.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average hourly earnings were of 10 Downing Street’s (a) BME and (b) non-BME employees in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016.

Matthew Hancock

The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Cabinet Office staff are paid an annual salary, not on the basis of an hourly rate.

The Department uses a grading structure to determine annual salary rates. This is underpinned by Job Evaluation and Grading Support (JEGS), an analytical job evaluation tool which meets all requirements of legislation and EHRC statutory codes of practice on Equal Pay. The use of JEGS and its application in determining the appropriate grade for a role enables us to determine where employees are doing equal work based on “work rated as equivalent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-07-21.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2016 to Question 41528, what discussions the Civil Service Chief People Officer, Rupert McNeil, has had with permanent secretaries of other government departments on meeting external organisations to discuss meeting temporary or permanent skills and staff needs.

Ben Gummer

The Civil Service constantly reviews its capabilities in order to deliver the Government’s agenda. Civil Servants regularly meet with external organisations and stakeholders to discuss how best to deliver that agenda, including seeking advice and assistance where appropriate. Following the decision to exit the European Union, Rupert McNeil, the Chief People Officer, is working closely with departments and functions across government to understand the capabilities required, including considering what new skills the Civil Service may require. To do that, he is in the process of meeting all Departmental Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Function.

Work is on-going to establish the new Department for Exiting the European Union and the new Department for International Trade and all departments are currently reviewing their own structures and resources to ensure we get the best deal for the whole of Britain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 25 July 2016 to Questions 43380 and 43381, for what reasons his Department does not hold information on the number of public sector contracts won by small businesses or on the number of companies bidding; and if he will take steps to collate that information.

Ben Gummer

The Government has a target of awarding one third of direct and indirect central government spend to SMEs by the end of this Parliament. Consequently, we track the value of spend with SMEs through information supplied by departments, but not the number of contracts or the number of bids they have made.

We have no plans to collect information on the number of public sector contracts won by small businesses or on the number of companies bidding, as the cost of collecting such information would be disproportionate.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Attorney General, how many complaints were upheld (a) in full and (b) partially by the Independent Assessor for the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three years.

Robert Buckland

The following table shows the number of complaints upheld or part upheld by the Independent Assessor of Complaints (IAC) in the past three years:

Year	IAC Complaints – Upheld	IAC Complaints – Partly Upheld
2013/14*	10	6
2014/15	35	23
2015/16	36	23

* Part year – IAC role was introduced in May/June 2013

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-10-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to secure licences for existing off-patent drugs.

George Freeman

The Government does not normally apply for medicines licenses, which is rightly an obligation of the company who has developed the drug. The Secretary of State is the United Kingdom licensing authority for medicines and cannot become a routine applicant to himself nor can he become a routine participant in pharmaceutical markets which holders of licenses are obliged to do. The Government has not secured any licenses for off-patent drugs in the past five years.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-11-19.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many jobs will be lost at each of the 137 HM Revenue and Customs local offices to be closed by 2027.

Mr David Gauke

HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) announcements about the move to regional centres focus on where it will deliver its business from in the future. HMRC expects that most of its current staff will be able to travel to one of the new sites. HMRC has quoted the expected sizes of its regional centres. The smallest will hold 1,200 to 1,300 full-time equivalent (FTE) members of staff and the largest will hold more than 6,000. More details will be available when final staffing levels are agreed.

The plans are part of HMRC’s long-term transformation into a smaller, more highly-skilled operation offering modern, digital services.

The number of people relocating from individual offices will be known when lines of business have finalised their plans and individuals have had the opportunity to discuss their personal circumstances in one-to-one meetings with their manager.

Overall, HMRC has planned on the basis that it is likely to have about 50,000 FTE posts by 2021.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms his Department has for quality assurance of the work of Solutions for Public Health.

George Freeman

It is the responsibility of NHS England to quality assure the work of Solutions for Public Health (SPM).

NHS England has a service level agreement in place with SPM and this sets out the terms under which stand-alone clinical evidence reviews are conducted and completed. The agreed methodology is based on best practice within the health sector and the collective experience of experts in public health and clinical effectiveness.

As additional assurance, draft evidence reviews are tested prior to their completion with members of NHS England’s clinical reference groups, which include clinical and patient experts relevant to the service or speciality concerned from across England. Evidence reviews are also now shared as part of both informal stakeholder testing and formal public consultation alongside the draft clinical commissioning policies that they have informed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has received from the government of Saudi Arabia that no British-made equipment was used in recent executions in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK operates one of the most rigorous and transparent arms export control regimes in the world. Each application for an export licence is subject to a rigorous case-by-case assessment against these high criteria. The British Government is satisfied that the current licences for Saudi Arabia are compliant with the UK’s export licensing criteria and that we are not in breach of our international obligations. No licence is issued if it does not meet these requirements. This includes the export of arms to Saudi Arabia.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what information his Department holds on the number of south Asian curry houses in each (a) region and (b) parliamentary constituency.

Anna Soubry

The Government does not hold information on the value of the curry industry, the number of curry houses, trends in the number of curry houses or the number of curry chefs.

Official statistics carry figures on the value and number of restaurants, takeaways and other food service businesses in general, but do not detail specific types of food being served. Similarly while the number of chefs and catering staff will be estimated there is no consideration of their specialisation in terms of cuisine.