Tag: Tom Watson

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 July 2016 to Question 42548, what the cost to the public purse is of employing the 37 people referred to in that Answer.

Ben Gummer

Having re-reviewed the numbers and status of the FTA I can confirm that 28 people in IPA are employed through Fixed Term Appointments (we have now removed people who have since moved on either due to their appointment coming to an end or moving to other roles either within Cabinet Office or across wider government).

These members of staff cost £1,937,818 annually out of an overall IPA budget of £14,463,994.

To put this in context IPA oversees projects with whole life costs of well over £500bn.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, from which date the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam began claiming expenses under the Public Duty Cost Allowance.

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 2016-09-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on ministerial red boxes in the last 12 months.

Ben Gummer

The Cabinet Office has not spent any money on ministerial red boxes in the last 12 months.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2016-09-08.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed for the purposes of working in the Office of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Ben Gummer

Further to the question asked by the Hon Member of 7 September 2016, Official Report, Column 321, I would add that my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for Derbyshire Dales, is a Minister of the Crown and a member of the Cabinet. He will attend a number of Cabinet Committees, which will be published in due course, and has duties directly related to the Duchy of Lancaster. The List of Ministerial Responsibilities will also be published in due course. He does not receive a Ministerial salary from public funds. Details of Private Office staff will be accounted for as part of the regular transparency data on gov.uk. The Government publishes on a quarterly basis details of Ministerial visits overseas. All Ministers have access to the Government Car Service for official travel.

My Rt Hon Friend also serves as the Party Chairman of the Conservative Party. Such arrangements are no different from the likes of Charles Clarke, Ian McCartney and Hazel Blears, all of whom held the posts of Minister Without Portfolio and Labour Party Chair under the last Labour Government.

I would also observe that under the Thatcher and Major Governments, senior figures such as Norman Tebbit, Kenneth Baker and Chris Patten served as both Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-06-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 19 October 2013, Official Report, column 235W, on billing, what the value was of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department’s audit; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered.

Elizabeth Truss

The Department’s spend recovery audit contractor has identified a small number of duplicate payments (excluding Executive Agencies). In 2012/13 there were 12 duplicate payments and in 2013/14 there was one. Any duplicate payments that have been identified and already recovered in previous years would not have been picked up in this audit.

The value of these duplicate payments is £110,527 over the five years audited. The audit was completed in April 2014 and we have recovered £40,256 (36%) of the total amount, with the remainder being subject to an ongoing recovery process by the contractor. We expect the contractor to pursue the remaining recovery action quickly.

In addition to the recovery work currently being undertaken, the Department has brought in other measures to minimise the risk of duplicate payments. From August 2013, arrangements for grants payments are dealt with by a central grants payment team. More recently, we have implemented the use of a unique reference number (URN) to reduce the risk of inaccurate grant payments and improve management information. The Department also ensures that finance guidance is updated as appropriate to ensure risks are minimised and we have regular discussions with our shared service provider about continuous improvements, which includes measures such as routine supplier data cleansing and clear protocols.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2015-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether lethal targeting by UK armed forces in Iraq is limited to ISIL combatants.

Mr Mark Francois

It is Ministry of Defence policy not to comment on specific targets for reasons of operational security. As stated by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (Michael Fallon) on 13 October 2014 (Official Report, column 9WS), military action in Iraq is part of the Government’s comprehensive strategy, working in consultation with our allies in the wider coalition, to tackle ISIL.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years.

Claire Perry

In 2011, £28,861 of duplicate supplier payments were identified by the Department and its agencies, and were all recovered. No duplicate payments have been identified in subsequent years.

In accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines, the Department commissioned a spend recovery audit in 2010. This reported that:

The quantity of payment errors identified during our review (0.0002%) highlighted that the internal controls used by DfT have been effective in limiting supplier overpayments. Overall the accounts payable function is well managed and controlled.

In view of this advice, the DfT decided that formal appraisal of potential duplicate payments, either internal or external, did not represent a good use of public money for the years after 2011.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2015-01-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 January 2015 to Question 219724, whether those Reapers have been relocated to the UK for maintenance, strategic or other reasons.

Mr Mark Francois

Reaper relocated to the UK have been placed in storage for routine fleet management purposes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years.

Jo Swinson

The Department does not maintain a central register but an analysis of the Departmental financial system and records identified that since 2010, the following duplicate payments were made and recoveries undertaken:

10/11 nil

11/12 nil

12/13 £726 of which all was recovered

13/14 £1835.40 of which all was recovered

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tom Watson on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the value is of duplicate supplier payments identified by his Department since 2010; and what proportion of such payments have since been recovered in each of the last two financial years.

Stephen Crabb

The Wales Office has identified no duplicate payments since 2010.