The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with representatives of Uber in the last 12 months.
Matthew Hancock
Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including senior media figures, are published routinely and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications on Gov.uk.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-03.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials work in his private office.
Matthew Hancock
The government publishes information on the job titles and pay grades of senior civil servants along with the numbers of staff they manage on a twice yearly basis. Information for all my office will be published in the next set of data.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-03-15.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on hosting ministerial receptions in each of the last five years.
Matthew Hancock
Information relating to official and charity receptions held at Downing Street are published on a quarterly basis and are available on the gov.uk website.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-06-07.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate the Government has made of the cost to the public purse to date of the adaptation of the Voyager aircraft for the transport of senior ministers.
Mr Philip Dunne
To date the Departmental spend to convert one Voyager aircraft’s cabin into an enhanced configuration is £8.9 million out of a total estimated cost of £9.6 million.
The aircraft’s primary role will continue to be aircraft refuelling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-12.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of how effective his Department has been in promoting the advancement of disabled members of staff.
Ben Gummer
Diversity and inclusion is a key priority for the Civil Service and for the Cabinet Office. The Executive Committee of the Cabinet Office recently commissioned work on a departmental diversity and inclusion strategy, which will be published this month. This strategy promotes a more inclusive culture in the department through key strands of work on leadership, declaration data, supporting those from under-represented groups and promoting the work of the employee diversity networks. A key aim of the strategy is to promote the advancement of those from all under-represented groups, including disabled members of staff.
The Cabinet Office promotes a number of cross Government talent schemes to disabled staff, to accelerate their promotion to Senior Civil Service roles. This includes Civil Service wide talent schemes such the Future Leaders Scheme (aimed at G6&7 staff) and the Senior Leaders Scheme (aimed at SCS Pay Band 1). Additionally, it promotes development schemes aimed specifically at BAME and disabled staff including the Accelerate talent programme (for SCS) and the Positive Action Pathway (for staff below SCS).
The Cabinet Office has a well established Disability Network staffed by volunteers, which promotes and supports the work of employees with disabilities. In addition, the Cabinet Office recently created the The Disability Action Group, which is a sub-committee of the Cabinet Office Executive Committee and reports to the Permanent Secretary and the Director General Disability Champion on disability confidence and inclusion in the Cabinet Office. The group ensures civil service wide initiatives are acted upon and that our people with a disability are considered in any building, technology or change projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-19.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the running costs of Chevening House were in the last 12 months.
Ben Gummer
Chevening House is not part of the government’s estate. The running costs are a matter for the Trustees
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-21.
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether he plans to employ any national security experts in his Department.
Mr Robin Walker
The overall size and scope of the new department, including staffing and budget, are now under consideration but we will have the right resources in place, including national security experts if appropriate.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-02.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what budget has been allocated under the Public Duty Cost Allowance for payments to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam.
Ben Gummer
The purpose of the Public Duties Cost Allowance is to assist former Prime Ministers with the costs of continuing to fulfil duties associated with their previous position in public life. Exceptionally, the then Prime Minister agreed that the former Deputy Prime Minister , the Rt Hon Member for Sheffield Hallam, should be able to have access to the allowance to recognise the special position he held in the Coalition Government. Other former Deputy Prime Ministers are not eligible for the allowance. The allowance is set at a maximum limit of £115,000 per annum. The amounts paid are a reimbursement of expenses, accounted for in the published Cabinet Office Annual Reports and Accounts. The former Deputy Prime Minister is eligible for the allowance from the date of leaving ministerial office for the duration of this Parliament.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has appointed a new head of unit to oversee the audit to tackle racial disparities in public service outcomes.
Ben Gummer
Senior appointments to the new unit are currently being made from within the Civil Service. The size of the team will be determined over the coming weeks as the details of the work to undertake the Audit are completed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-13.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the current work priorities are of the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
Ben Gummer
The IPA was formed on 01 January 2016, merging the existing Cabinet Office Major Projects Authority and HM Treasury’s Infrastructure UK. The IPA reports jointly to HMT and the Cabinet Office – and brings together the strengths of both departments – increasing co-operation and alignment in the centre of government on infrastructure and major projects.
The Authority’s 6 key priorities are;