Tag: Sharon Hodgson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Gregory Barker

The Department of Energy and Climate Change considers diversity during the procurement or grant allocation process by including diversity within evaluation criteria when appropriate. Diversity is included when it is particularly relevant to the business requirements and circumstances of an individual procurement or grant. In addition the Department’s standard terms and conditions of contract include specific clauses that cover equality and non-discrimination. The Department also promotes non-discrimination through open procurement procedures and we have removed barriers to supplier entry as part of our efforts to improve engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises. Our Contractors are required to abide by the DECC Equality Scheme, details of which can be found through the link below.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/47894/359-decc-equality-diversity-strategy-condoc.pdf

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what consideration her Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Karen Bradley

As part of procurement tender exercises for commercial contracts, the Home Department asks for evidence of bidders Equality and/or Equality and Diversity Statement or Policy. Statements or policies are evaluated to ensure that organisations have satisfactory procedures in place that comply and provide evidence of their commitment.

When considering a bid for a Grant, it is not currently part of the Home Department’s process to consider the diversity policies and records of businesses.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration No. 10 Downing Street gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Ministers Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

This Government procures on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-05-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of levels of satisfaction with Cafcass among younger children who do not complete formal feedback forms.

Simon Hughes

While complaints made to Cafcass by children and young people are monitored nationally, it collects, monitors and acts on feedback at a local level. Cafcass has commissioned the Family Justice Young People’s Board to review how children and young people provide feedback to Cafcass and advise on ways to encourage more feedback both via formal and informal routes. Cafcass now has various methods of obtaining feedback from the children and young people it works with which include more formal methods such as feedback forms and more informal and child-friendly methods such as ‘feedback trees’. Feedback trees encourage children to write out or draw their feelings on how Cafcass has worked with them, allowing Cafcass practitioners to build on this feedback. There is no central or national monitoring of this informal feedback.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office are integral parts of the Cabinet Office.

Declaration of ethnicity for staff is voluntary and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Ministry of Defence will consider the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations where they are relevant and proportionate to the subject matter of the contract, and seeking best value for money in procurement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what proportion of staff within his Department who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Gregory Barker

From November 2010 a single team was established to control the process for all formal disciplinary proceedings being undertaken against Civil Servants in the Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC). Therefore central records only exist from that date.

The proportion of Civil Servants in DECC, who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings since November 2010 to date and who are white British, is less than 1% of the total number of Civil Servants in each year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what targets her Department has for increasing diversity; and what progress has been made on meeting those targets in the last year.

Karen Bradley

Tables provided in Annex 1 for representation from March 2013 – March 2014

In conjunction with Cabinet Office, the Department has agreed specific targets
to improve representation rates. The position in the last year is as follows:

• Three female employees have been appointed at Director General level becoming
members of the Home Office Executive Management Board. The position generally
was that 34.39% of staff at Senior Civil Service (SCS) were female compared
with the target of 38%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 43.93% of staff
were female compared with the target of 45%.

• 6.21% of staff with a disability were at SCS level compared to a target
of 3% and at Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 5.99 % staff had a
disability compared with the target of 6%.

• 10.56% of staff at Grades 6 and 7 were from a minority ethnic background
compared to a target of 10%. 4.52% of staff at SCS level were from a minority
ethnic background compared with the target of 6%.

• 5.66% of staff at SCS were lesbian, gay or bisexual compared to the target of
5.0%. At Grades 6 and 7 the position was that 3.4% of staff were lesbian, gay
or bisexual compared with the target of 5.0%.

The position is encouraging but the Department is committed to finding further
progress in all aspects of diversity.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of staff within the Law Officers’ Departments who have been dismissed following formal disciplinary proceedings in each of the last five financial years classed themselves as white British.

Oliver Heald

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to her by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 16th June (Official Report, Col 433W).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Sharon Hodgson on 2014-06-10.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration his Department gives to the diversity policies and records of businesses or other organisations when considering their bid for commercial contracts or grants.

Mr Francis Maude

The Prime Minister’s Office and the Deputy Prime Ministers Office are an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

This Government procures on the basis of value for money. Departments and the Crown Commercial Service will ensure that social, economic and sustainability issues are considered in procurement projects and that specifications, terms and conditions and evaluation criteria are developed to ensure that the relevant issues are addressed as appropriate for the subject matter of the requirements.