The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-23.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many complaints his Department has received on the sale of electoral roll data by credit reference firms.
John Penrose
Available records show that in the last calendar year the Cabinet Office received one letter of complaint about access to the electoral register by credit reference agencies, and nine letters of complaint about the sale of the edited electoral register.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-02-24.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will investigate whether the reported comments of 22 February 2016 by Peter Wilkinson, director of Rail Passenger Services at the Department for Transport, are in breach of the Civil Service code.
Matthew Hancock
This has been dealt with by the Department for Transport who have issued a statement in respect of this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of his Department’s (a) Senior Civil Servants and (b) core policy civil servants are based in London.
Mr Edward Vaizey
On 1st March 2016, 97.8% of senior civil servants and 98.7% of core policy civil servants employed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were based in London.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-16.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of civil service apprentices who have been appointed to date is (a) over the age of 25 and (b) paid at the rate of the national living wage.
Matthew Hancock
Information requested is not held centrally. Pay below the Senior Civil Service is delegated to Departments and agencies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-03-21.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress his Department has made on allowing interns who successfully complete the Summer Diversity Internship Programme to pass straight to the Fast Stream assessment centre on the basis of having successfully completed that internship.
Matthew Hancock
We have been working closely with the Civil Service Commission to provide a mechanism for fast tracking those who have been on the internship to the Fast Stream assessment centre, based on positive appraisal of the intern’s placement performance and completion of the initial internship selection testing.
This initiative is therefore for interns who are successful during the internship programme and we are currently working through the implementation plan.
In the last 5 years 778 have undertaken the programme (2011 – 73; 2012 – 115; 2013 – 161; 2014 – 173; 2015 – 256), with a further 300 anticipated this year. The estimated conversion rate into Fast Stream is 10-15%. Accurate tracking of success into Fast Stream will be achievable for 2016, using an updated applicant tracking approach.
A number of criteria are used to measure socio-economic status, however the metric that is now used to designate lower socio-economic background is parental occupation (aligning with Office of National Statistics methodology). This approach is currently under review following a recent social mobility research study by the Bridge Group.
This internship allowance is taxable and the amount of tax paid will depend on which tax code the intern is put on before they start.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have had with Hanover Communications International Ltd in the last year on behalf of which clients.
Joseph Johnson
Departments publish details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries’ meetings with external organisations, and Special Advisors’ meetings with senior media figures. BIS transparency data is published online at www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-quarterly-publications-april-to-june-2012 and https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-special-advisers.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-20.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effect of the introduction of the new national living wage on (a) carers and (b) the eligibility of carers who work 16 hours per week for carer’s allowance.
Justin Tomlinson
The primary purpose of Carer’s Allowance is to provide a measure of financial support and recognition for people who give up the opportunity of full-time employment in order to provide regular and substantial care for a severely disabled person. It is not, and was never intended to be, a carer’s wage or a payment for the services of caring, nor is it intended to replace lost or forgone earnings in their entirety.
The earnings limit for Carer’s Allowance is a net figure which is the figure left once income tax, National Insurance contributions and half of any contributions to an occupational or personal pension are deducted from earnings. There are also a number of other deductions which can be made that mean that people can earn significantly more than £110 per week and still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance.
The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is not linked to the number of hours worked. Instead, it is set at a level that aims to encourage those who give up full time work in order to undertake caring responsibilities to maintain a link with the labour market through part time work.
Whilst the Government does not link the earnings limit to any other particular factor (including the National Living Wage), we do keep it under regular review and increase it when it is warranted and affordable, and this will continue to be our approach. Most recently in April 2015 the earnings limit was increased by 8% to £110, far outstripping the general increase in earnings.
For those carers working around 16 hours a week on a low income and receiving Working Tax Credit, Carer’s Allowance is taken fully into account as income. That means that any loss in Carer’s Allowance is likely to be offset by an increase in Working Tax Credit, and this is one of the changes of circumstances that results in an immediate change to Tax Credits. Going forward the earnings taper in Universal Credit will help ensure that people are always better off in work.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-04-27.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will update guidance on the use of personal electronic communications to conduct official Government business to include the use of WhatsApp and other instant messaging services.
Matthew Hancock
All Government business must be conducted in line with the Ministerial Code, Civil Service Code, Special Adviser Code and HMG Security Policy Framework. Local records management and information security policies are in place across Departments.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many civil servants in his Department are paid through limited companies.
Mr Mark Francois
No civil servants in my Department are paid through limited companies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Haigh on 2016-06-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much was spent on non-payroll staff in her Department in 2015-16.
George Eustice
Core Defra publishes Workforce Management Information on a monthly basis. This sets out the number of staff who are a) on payroll and b) off payroll and the published data covers financial years 2010-11 to 2015-16. It can be found at the following link: https://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-defra.
No civil servants within Core Defra are paid through limited companies.
The figure for spend on non-payroll staff in 2015-16 will be published in the 2015-16 Annual Report and Accounts.
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