The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were invited to interviews for the post of Pubs Code Adjudicator; and how many people attended such interviews.
Anna Soubry
I refer the hon Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow East on 10 March, Official Report, Vol 607, Col 428.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-03-21.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 1.205 of the Budget 2016, if he will publish the calculations referred to in footnote 143 on the potential costs to consumers of the rise in the standard rate of insurance premium tax.
Harriett Baldwin
We do not usually publish such calculations.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the progress of the taskforce on reducing violence against women and girls on university campuses.
Joseph Johnson
The Government asked Universities UK to establish a taskforce to explore what more can be done by the higher education sector to prevent, and respond effectively, to incidents of violence and sexual harassment against women, hate crimes and other forms of harassment. The taskforce is expected to report its findings in the autumn.
To date Universities UK have received 59 written representations from universities, plus additional evidence from a wide range of agencies and organisations.
Universities UK has published an update of the recent taskforce meeting, which addressed the Zellick guidelines. The Government looks forward to receiving the taskforce’s final report in due course.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Greg Mulholland on 2016-04-25.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Northern Powerhouse strategy will include his pledge in paragraph 2.256 of Budget 2016 to support the UK’s bid for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup; and if he will make a statement.
Greg Hands
As stated in Spending Review 15 the government supports the ambition to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup in the Northern Powerhouse.
Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel“
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
“
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 2015-10-19.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Wilson Doctrine has been consistently applied to the communications of the hon. Member for Leeds North West; and whether that hon. Member or his staff have been subject to surveillance.
Mr John Hayes
The Government’s position on the Wilson Doctrine was set out by the Prime Minister in a written ministerial statement made on 4 November 2015.
As the Prime Minister made clear, the Wilson Doctrine has never been an absolute bar to the targeted interception of the communications of Members of Parliament or an exemption from the legal regime governing interception. The Doctrine recognised that there could be instances where interception might be necessary.
The Prime Minister announced that as matter of policy the PM will be consulted should there ever be a proposal to target any UK Parliamentarian’s communications under a warrant issued by a Secretary of State. This applies to Members of Parliament, members of the House of Lords, the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the Welsh Assembly and UK members of the European Parliament. It applies to all activity authorised by a warrant issued by a Secretary of State: any instance of targeted interception and, electronic surveillance and equipment interference, when undertaken by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. This is in addition to the rigorous safeguards already in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) and the Code of Practice issued under it which set out a series of robust safeguards for any instance of interception.
It is long standing policy of successive Governments neither to confirm nor deny any specific activity by the Security and Intelligence Agencies. Under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 it is an offence for anyone to identify an individual interception warrant or an individual interception that takes place.