Cabinet Office

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 and £25,000 in the wider public sector are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.

Through the Port Infrastructure Fund, the Government has provided £200 million in grants to ports to build the infrastructure needed for both customs and biosecurity checks in 2022. We are confident that these projects are sufficiently advanced and operational to ensure the continued flow of trade in the run up to Christmas and beyond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The government is continuing to monitor global supply chain issues. The most recent ONS monthly UK trade in goods statistics can be found here. The ONS is clear that there are a number of factors beyond EU exit that are influencing global trading patterns, including the COVID-19 pandemic and global supply chain disruption. It remains too early to disaggregate the effects that EU exit has had on trade from these other factors.

There is currently no legislative requirement or set methodology for the collection and reporting of ethnicity pay data for employers. Therefore no ethnicity pay gap figures are currently available centrally.

The Commission for Race and Ethnic Disparities recommended that employers report on ethnicity pay on a voluntary basis and publish a diagnosis and action plan to address any disparities.

The government is carefully considering the findings of the Commission’s report and will publish its response in due course, alongside the response to the 2018/19 consultation on ethnicity pay reporting.

Civil servants will make a judgment on what formal, structured meetings should be minuted, and what meetings should be recorded as having taken place, in light of the Civil Service Code, more specific best practice such as ‘Guidance on the management of Private Office Papers’, and the Cabinet Office guidance on Ministerial quarterly returns.

I note that there has been Parliamentary scrutiny of this issue in relation to the debate in this House on ‘Randox Covid Contracts’ of 17 November 2021. Following that debate, the Government has committed to publishing before Parliament a range of background papers relating to the Randox procurement.

Civil servants will make a judgment on what formal, structured meetings should be minuted, and what meetings should be recorded as having taken place, in light of the Civil Service Code, more specific best practice such as ‘Guidance on the management of Private Office Papers’, and the Cabinet Office guidance on Ministerial quarterly returns.

I note that there has been Parliamentary scrutiny of this issue in relation to the debate in this House on ‘Randox Covid Contracts’ of 17 November 2021. Following that debate, the Government has committed to publishing before Parliament a range of background papers relating to the Randox procurement.

Ministers took the train to COP26 in Glasgow, unless there were exceptional circumstances that meant travelling by train was not an option.

Travel disruption due to adverse weather on 31 October resulted in train cancellations, meaning some Ministers had to pursue alternative means of transport.

Any unavoidable carbon emissions from COP26 will be offset, including those associated with travel.

Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. That is why we are making sure the power of Government spending supports this vital sector, both as part of our economic recovery from COVID-19 and our levelling up agenda. We are increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a variety of ways - from transparently publishing contract pipelines to simplifying bidding processes.

Business support organisations play an important role in supporting SMEs in industry and can offer advice on business growth including ways of accessing government procurements and signposting opportunities. We have strong links with industry associations and they are supportive of the government's aims to continue engagement with SMEs.

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. That is why we are making sure the power of Government spending supports this vital sector, both as part of our economic recovery from COVID-19 and our levelling up agenda. We are increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a variety of ways - from transparently publishing contract pipelines to simplifying bidding processes.

Business support organisations play an important role in supporting SMEs in industry and can offer advice on business growth including ways of accessing government procurements and signposting opportunities. We have strong links with industry associations and they are supportive of the government's aims to continue engagement with SMEs.

Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. That is why we are making sure the power of Government spending supports this vital sector, both as part of our economic recovery from COVID-19 and our levelling up agenda. We are increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a variety of ways - from transparently publishing contract pipelines to simplifying bidding processes.

Business support organisations play an important role in supporting SMEs in industry and can offer advice on business growth including ways of accessing government procurements and signposting opportunities. We have strong links with industry associations and they are supportive of the government's aims to continue engagement with SMEs.

Whilst the Government supports the approach of encouraging further retirements, it remains the case that some new members are essential to keep the expertise and outlook of the Lords fresh. This will ensure the Lords continues to fulfil its role in scrutinising and revising legislation, whilst respecting the primacy of the Commons and the associated conventions between the two Houses.

The Government’s 2019 manifesto committed to looking at the role of the Lords, but any reform needs to be considered carefully and any changes should not be brought forward piecemeal.

Ministers holding meetings with external organisations on government business are routinely accompanied by a Private Secretary or other official. Where a Minister finds themselves discussing official business without an official present, any significant content is passed back to the department as soon as possible, in line with the expectations of paragraph 8.14 of the Ministerial Code.

As a matter of policy, the Government does not comment on COBR meetings.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

19 November 2021

Dear Lord McCrea,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question regarding the number of suicides that have been recorded in each region in England and Wales in the last 12 months (HL4142).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales as part of our annual statistical release for the UK (1,2). The latest available figures were published by the ONS in September 2021 and covered calendar years up to 2020. The ONS also publish quarterly provisional statistics on suicide death registrations in England (3). The ONS hold death registrations for England and Wales; separate figures for Northern Ireland and Scotland are available from the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (4) and the National Records of Scotland (5), respectively.

Table 1 shows the number of suicides and age standardised suicide rates for regions in England, and Wales, based on deaths registered in 2020 and July 2020 to June 2021. The figures that are compiled for July 2020 to June 2021 are provisional and subject to small changes. The risk of suicide cannot be ascertained based on number of deaths due to varying populations for each region. Therefore, we have provided age-standardised suicide rates in table 1 to allow for valid comparisons across regions.

ONS mortality statistics for England and Wales are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Deaths caused by suicide are investigated by coroners, causing a delay of around five to six months between the date of death and the date of death registration. As such, with the deaths provided in Table 1, many of these will have occurred several months or even years previously. Data for deaths caused by suicide that occurred in 2020 will be available in 2022, when we have more complete death registrations data.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Number (6) of suicides (7) and age standardised suicide rates by English regions and Wales, deaths registered in 2020 and July 2020 to June 2021 (8)

Source: Office for National Statistics

Box 1: International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define suicide

(1) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/latest

(2) Due to operational difficulties, suicides registered in 2020 in Northern Ireland and Scotland were unavailable at the time of analysis, and so this year’s annual release is for England and Wales only. ONS will update the UK figures at a later stage.

(3) https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/latest

(4) https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

(5) https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/statistics-and-data/statistics/statistics-by-theme/vital-events/deaths/suicides

(6) Figures are for persons aged 10 years and over.

(7) The National Statistics definition of suicide is given in Box 1.

(8) Figure for July 2020 to June 2021 are provisional and subject to small changes.

(9) The area is based on the persons usual residence as provided by the informant upon registration in England and Wales. Figures for English regions and Wales exclude death of non-residents and are based on the latest available postcode boundaries.

(10) Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to complete a coroner’s inquest, it can take months or even years for a suicide to be registered. More details can be found in the ‘Suicide Registrations In The UK’ statistical bulletin.

(11) Age-standardised suicide rates per 100,000 population, standardised to the 2013 European Standard Population. Age-standardised rates are used to allow comparison between populations which may contain different proportions of people of different ages.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

Baroness Cox

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

23 November 2021

Dear Baroness Cox,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what steps have been taken to ascertain the number of British citizens currently united in religious-only marriages (HL4074).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing marriage statistics for England and Wales. The most recent year for which marriage statistics are available is 2018¹. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for publishing marriage statistics for marriages registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

An annual breakdown of the number of religious marriages which took place in England and Wales is available. A religious marriage is defined as a marriage solemnised in certified places of worship that are registered for marriage, and is carried out in accordance with the rites and ceremonies of a religious denomination.

To provide the number of British citizens currently united in religious-only marriages would potentially require changes to the civil registration process, as information about the nationality of individuals marrying is not provided to the ONS by the General Register Office, and this information is not collected during the marriage registration process.

Table 1 provides the number of religious marriages registered in England and Wales for each year for the period 2008 to 2018. It is important to note that these counts may be an underestimate as some marriages (such as Muslim and Sikh) undertaken in accordance with the rites and ceremonies of a religious denomination, may take place at unregistered premises. Such marriages do not meet the legal requirements needed in England and Wales for a religious marriage and are recorded as civil marriages.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Number of religious marriages² registered³ in England and Wales⁴, 2008 to 2018⁵

Source: Office for National Statistics

1 https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/marriagecohabitationandcivilpartnerships/datasets/marriagesinenglandandwales2013

2 Marriage statistics are derived from information recorded when marriages are registered as part of civil registration, a legal requirement.

3 Figures include opposite-sex and same-sex marriages registered in England and Wales.

4 Figures exclude marriages to residents of England and Wales that took place abroad.

5 The latest marriage statistics available for are for 2018. It is currently only possible to publish final annual marriage statistics around 26 months after the end of the reference year due to delays in the submission of marriage entries by the clergy and registrars.

The UK Government has always been clear that we would prefer to settle these issues consensually and reach a positive outcome with the EU through negotiations.

However, if a negotiated outcome cannot be found, Article 16 remains a legitimate provision within the Protocol to safeguard peace and prosperity in Northern Ireland and to support the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement.

In such circumstances, we will, of course, set out our justification for using Article 16 and its legal basis at an appropriate time. The Government remains committed to keeping Parliament updated on the UK-EU relationship and to providing legal certainty and clarity for Northern Ireland.

The Government provides a BSL Interpreter for COVID press conferences and COVID data briefings on its social media channels to make essential public health information widely accessible. The Cabinet Office is also examining how we could extend similar provision for all public broadcasts (including non-COVID broadcasts) from No9 Downing Street.

It remains the UK’s preference to find a negotiated outcome to problems caused by the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Government will use Article 16 as a safeguard measure if a negotiated outcome cannot be found, in order to protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and address difficulties caused by the Protocol.

A response on this issue is in the process of being finalised. I hope to respond to Noble Lords before the House rises for the Christmas recess.

The Prime Minister last spoke to President Putin of Russia on Monday 25 October.

Details of their call were published on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-president-putin-of-russia-25-october-2021) and stated that:

“The Prime Minister spoke to Russian President Putin this afternoon ahead of the COP26 Summit.

He welcomed the steps Russia has taken in recent days to commit net zero by 2060. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that Russia will raise that target to achieving net zero by 2050 as well as making further progress on ending deforestation and an ambitious Nationally Determined Contribution.

President Putin expressed his regret that he would not be able to attend the COP26 Summit in person in the light of the coronavirus situation in Russia.

The Prime Minister was clear that the UK’s current relationship with Russia is not the one we want. He said significant bilateral difficulties remain, including the poisonings in Salisbury in 2018. The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of Ukrainian sovereignty.

The Prime Minister said that as fellow permanent members of the UN Security Council and major world economies with a long, shared history, the UK and Russia have a responsibility to work together to tackle shared challenges like climate change and safeguard international agreements like the Iran Nuclear Deal.

The leaders also discussed the current situation in Afghanistan. The Prime Minister stressed the importance of any recognition of the Taliban being conditional on their behaviour, including respect for human rights.”

The Government has invested substantial funding to implement the Northern Ireland Protocol in line with our current obligations and to support businesses adjusting to this change, including through the Trader Support Service and the Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS). We have already spent over £150m on these services. The forecast spend for the Trader Support Service is for £360m over the full two years to the end of 2022 and the forecast for MAS is that total spend could run to up to £150m.

The Northern Ireland Protocol is not part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). Nevertheless, there have been suggestions that the EU would take retaliatory actions under the TCA should the UK invoke the Article 16 safeguards. This would aggravate the problems in Northern Ireland rather than reduce them. Article 16 is a legitimate safeguard within the Protocol and we would urge the European Commission to consider the impact of such disproportionate actions.

On 16 September, Lord Frost announced how the government intends to implement recommendations of the Taskforce. This includes: concluding the consultation on developing a new regulatory framework, setting out bold strategies and proposals in the areas of data reform, gene editing, medical devices and Artificial Intelligence.

Across Government, departments are continuing to implement the recommendations, including bringing forward legislation when parliamentary time allows. The Brexit Opportunities Unit in the Cabinet Office is driving this work forward across government.

I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to PQ13960 on 10 June 2021 and PQ24328 on 29 June 2021.

Our estimate of £500,000 - £600,000 for defending the case to June 2021 remains accurate.

The case is being appealed and further costs have not yet been determined.

Following the Cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021 and subsequent updates to the Cabinet Committee structure, the government’s cyber priorities are now overseen by the relevant Cabinet Committees. The Prime Minister has asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to be lead minister for cyber. In line with previous answers, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed. To do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Following the Cabinet reshuffle on 15 September 2021 and subsequent updates to the Cabinet Committee structure, the government’s cyber priorities are now overseen by the relevant Cabinet Committees. The Prime Minister has asked the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to be lead minister for cyber. In line with previous answers, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees, including when and how often they meet, is generally not disclosed. To do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

The Government Commercial Function (GCF) was formed in 2015 and incorporates civil servants working in commercial roles for Government Departments, colleagues in the NHS and the wider public sector. Further information is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-commercial-function/about.

I refer the Honourable member to PQ58953.

The Government notes the work of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs and Treasury Committees, as well as the Standards Matter 2 report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life. Once all these reports have been published, we will consider their work alongside Mr Boardman’s recommendations and set out a substantive Government policy statement to Parliament in due course.

A response on this issue is in the process of being finalised. I hope to respond to Noble Lords before the House rises for the Christmas recess.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Lord Mendelsohn

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

22 November 2021

Dear Lord Mendelsohn,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people who are immunocompromised or immunosuppressed have died due to COVID-19 in England since 2 September (HL4024).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Mortality statistics are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. National Records for Scotland (1) and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2) are responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in Scotland and Northern Ireland respectively.

The mortality statistics published by the ONS are based on the causes of death provided by the certifying doctor (or in some cases coroner). The death certificate lists only those health conditions or circumstances which led directly to the death or otherwise contributed to it but does not include any other health conditions the deceased suffered from if the certifier did not consider them relevant to the death. Immunosuppression can arise directly from a diagnosed health condition or from the side-effects of treatment, and there is no definitive list of causes of death linked to immunosuppression. Therefore, we are able to provide the number of deaths due to COVID-19 where certain health conditions commonly associated with immunosuppression were also mentioned on the death certificate, but this does not provide a comprehensive count of all deaths due to COVID-19 where immunosuppression might have been involved.

Table 1 shows the number of deaths registered due to COVID-19, where diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism were mentioned on the death certificate, in England and Wales between 2 September to 5 November 2021.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Table 1: Number (3) of deaths (4) registered (5) due to COVID-19 where diseases (6) of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism (7) were mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales, 2 September to 5 November 2021 (8).

Source: Office for National Statistics

(1) https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/

(2) https://www.nisra.gov.uk/

(3) Figures are provisional.

(4) Deaths for England and Wales exclude non-residents.

(5) Based on date a death was registered rather than occurred.

(6) The International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition (ICD-10) definitions are as follows: coronavirus (COVID-19) (U.071, U.072, U.099, U.109) and Diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism (D50 to D89).

(7) Deaths where diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism were mentioned includes deaths that have these causes mentioned on the death certificate but not as the underlying cause of death.

(8) These figures are calculated using the most up-to-date data we have available to get the most accurate estimates.

The table below provides headcount figures for the total number of Civil Servants, with detail of how many Senior Civil Servants, employed by the Cabinet Office in each of the 12 NUTS1 UK regions on the dates requested.

Notes:

- numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10.

- [c] = confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of between 1 and 4 in the cell.

The table below provides headcount figures for the total number of Civil Servants, with detail of how many Senior Civil Servants, employed by the Cabinet Office in each of the 12 NUTS1 UK regions on the dates requested.

Notes:

- numbers shown are rounded to the nearest 10.

- [c] = confidential and suppressed due to small numbers of between 1 and 4 in the cell.

A joint communication from the Chief People Officer, Director General of Public Spending (HMT) and Government Chief Commercial Officer was issued in December 2020. This communication related to early payroll schemes, advising departments to ensure they were making full use of all options already available, including salary advances and loan schemes before considering proposals from third party finance providers. It further reminded departments that if they did want to introduce a new type of finance arrangement, they were required to seek internal sign off from their departmental Accounting Officer before approaching HM Treasury for final approval.

Significant engagement between the UK Government and the devolved administrations takes place every day. Officials working for the governments of the UK and Scotland are part of the same Civil Service and share the same culture and values, as set out in the Civil Service Code.

The Government is working with the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) to improve the operation and efficacy of the Business Appointment Rules. ACOBA has introduced a framework for risk-based consideration of cases, greater transparency and improved reporting of breaches. The Government supports these changes. The Cabinet Office is also leading a programme of work which aims to improve: the scope and clarity of the Rules; the consistency and proportionality of their implementation across government; and enforcement of the Rules.

The recommendations from Nigel Boardman’s report into the development and use of supply chain finance in government, as well as the Standards Matter 2 report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life, will be considered as a part of this work.

There is significant ongoing Ministerial and official-level engagement by both the Northern Ireland Office and the Cabinet Office with all the devolved administrations on EU policy issues including the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and Withdrawal Agreement (WA). Lord Frost, as the Minister responsible for this area, regularly briefs with the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, as well as representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland.

There is significant ongoing Ministerial and official-level engagement by both the Northern Ireland Office and the Cabinet Office with all the devolved administrations on EU policy issues including the implementation of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) and Withdrawal Agreement (WA). Lord Frost, as the Minister responsible for this area, regularly briefs with the First Minister and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, as well as representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland.

Lord True responded to the letter from the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on 25 November, noting the Committee’s findings in respect of Lord Hammond. The Government has carefully considered this matter and the letter sets out in full its reasoning that, although we concur with the Committee’s conclusion, we do not believe further sanctions should be taken given the particular circumstances of this case.