Tag: Louise Haigh

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many consultants employed by Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP provided consultancy support for independent shared service centres; for how long those consultants were so engaged; what remit those consultants were given; and what the findings of those consultants’ work were.

Matthew Hancock

No consultants from Pricewaterhouse Coopers LLP (PwC) have been employed during this parliament by the Cabinet Office to support independent shared services centres.

Cabinet Office employed a small team of consultants from PwC to provide commercial support to the ISSC2 programme during financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15. On average numbers ranged between 2 and 7 consultants.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-03.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, where the 152 staff who have been issued with compulsory redundancy notices by HM Revenue and Customs staff are based.

Mr David Gauke

Approval to proceed to compulsory redundancy for 152 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff was received from Civil Service Resourcing and the Cabinet Office following consultation with the departmental trade unions and a period of reflection. It was endorsed by HMRC’s Executive Committee and the final decision was taken by the Chief Executive on 28 January 2016.

The 152 people affected are based in around 50 locations across the UK. HMRC is continuing to seek redeployment solutions for all those who wish it to do so.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the correction of 9 February 2016 to Question 13206, (a) for what reasons the data initially published was incorrect, and (b) what steps her Department has taken to ensure accurate collection and publication of such information in future.

James Brokenshire

The mistake given in the original response to Question 13206 resulted from two errors in the query for extracting information from the relevant database. One error involved the use of an incorrect definition which excluded former unaccompanied asylum seeking children who now had linked dependants. The other was an error in the computer code which extracted the data. In this instance, the code for the query was mistyped and so the data returned was incorrect. These errors have now been resolved and a correction issued. Such mistakes are rare and when they occur they are taken very seriously.

It is regrettable that human error caused the original response to this Parliamentary Question to be incorrect and improvements have been put in place. The appropriate definition has been reviewed and confirmed. This definition, and the correct approach on careful coding, have been made clear to the officials involved. We are reviewing other Parliamentary Answers about unaccompanied asylum seeking children to see if these were affected by similar issues. While these respond to different specific questions, we wish to review the methodology used thoroughly. We are also reviewing whether additional processes are needed for Parliamentary Questions that require complex data queries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-23.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides to senior civil servants on speaking at public events.

Matthew Hancock

All civil servants are subject to the requirements of the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code. Further guidance on attendance at external events including those organised by political parties can be found in the Directory of Civil Service Guidance (vol 2).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of whether Maximus met the appropriate standards under EU procurement guidelines in tendering for the Work Capability Assessment contract.

Priti Patel

The contract for the delivery Work Capability Assessments was awarded in line with the Government’s EU procurement guidelines. The tender submitted by Maximus Health and Human Services Ltd met the appropriate standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many removals of former, unaccompanied asylum-seeking children to Vietnam in the last three years were for offences relating to (a) drugs, (b) prostitution and (c) people trafficking.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office does not disclose country specific information regarding deportation of foreign national offenders as its disclosure could prejudice relations between the UK and foreign governments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-17.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of diversity of membership of the Civil Service Board; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock

The Civil Service Board is the highest level of governance and the most senior collective leadership body. It is Chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and comprises the Chief Executive and senior Permanent Secretaries. Its current membership is:

Sir Jeremy Heywood

Melanie Dawes

Sir Robert Devereux

Dame Lin Homer

Sir Derek Jones

Mark Lowcock

John Manzoni

Sir Nick Macpherson

Sir Simon McDonald

Dame Una O’Brien

Mark Sedwill

Jon Thompson

Chris Wormold

Appointments to the Civil Service Board are made by the Chair and are selected from the pool of Permanent Secretaries who are heads of department. Board membership is reviewed on an ongoing basis and diversity is always a key consideration when making new appointments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what consideration his Department is giving to the fast tracking for treatment for vocational drivers with obstructive sleep apnoea as part of NICE’s approach to clinical guidelines and quality standards.

George Freeman

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has been asked to develop a clinical guideline and quality standard on sleep disordered breathing (including obstructive sleep apnoea). NICE will develop the scope of the clinical guideline, including the key questions that will be addressed by the guidance, in consultation with stakeholders.

NICE has advised that there is currently no timetable for developing this guidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of travel overseas by the Government’s Anti-Corruption Champion during the course of his duties.

Matthew Hancock

Overseas travel costs for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next Cabinet Office annual report and accounts, which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

There were no costs incurred by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion in the latest annual report and accounts published. Any costs covered by the Cabinet Office for the Anti-Corruption Champion will be included in the next report which will be published on GOV.UK in due course.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to allow NHS bodies to designate people other than midwives as the lead clinical practitioner for women in pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal period.

Ben Gummer

There are no such plans. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has recently written to its external partners to provide reassurances about the proposed changes to midwifery supervision regulation and confirmed that there will be:

― No change to the protected title of ‘midwife’. Also the protected function of ‘attendance on a woman in childbirth’ will remain. Other than in an emergency or as part of training, only a midwife or medical practitioner can deliver a baby.

― No change to the scope of midwifery practice, which is much wider than the narrow protected function and is reflected in the standards of competence for registered midwives and their Code.

On 21 April, the Department launched a consultation on the proposed changes to the NMC’s governing legislation to remove midwifery supervision from statute. The proposals do not suggest that midwifery supervision and the education and training to support this role will cease to exist, but that the additional tier of regulation for midwives will be removed resulting in a clear separation of the role and purpose of the supervision and regulation of midwives. The consultation closes on 17 June 2016.