Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, what discussions he or his Office have had with representatives of companies with powers under the Electronic Communications Code since March 2021.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 14 July 2022 to Question 33662 on Employment, what assessment he has made of the likelihood that people reading the record of his statements on the level of UK employment will become aware of his Answer of 23 June 2022 to Question 18053 or his letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

As I have previously noted, my answer of 23 June 2022 to PQ 18053, and my letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee (a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House), clarified my previous answers. Corrections and clarifications can be made in a number of ways.

I note the Procedure Committee is looking into these processes in more depth, and the Government looks forward to engaging with its inquiry.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his Answer of 14 July 2022 to Question 33662 on Employment, for what reason he has not corrected the record with a Ministerial Correction in the Official Report in respect of oral contributions on the level of employment in the UK.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

As I have previously noted, my answer of 23 June 2022 to PQ 18053, and my letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee (a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House), clarified my previous answers. Corrections and clarifications can be made in a number of ways.

I note the Procedure Committee is looking into these processes in more depth, and the Government looks forward to engaging with its inquiry.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, what assessment he has made of the circumstances in which making a Ministerial Correction in Hansard is appropriate.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

As I have previously noted, my answer of 23 June 2022 to PQ 18053, and my letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee (a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House), clarified my previous answers. Corrections and clarifications can be made in a number of ways.

I note the Procedure Committee is looking into these processes in more depth, and the Government looks forward to engaging with its inquiry.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion at Prime Minister's Questions on 22 June 2022, Official Report, column 840, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of (a) 22 June, (b) 5 July and (c) 11 July 2022 from the hon. Member for Brighton Pavilion.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

A reply will be sent by the relevant Minister in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2022 to Question 18053 on total UK employment levels, what plans he has to correct the record, with a Ministerial Correction in the Official Report, in respect of oral contributions of (a) 24 November 2021, Official Report, column 344, (b) 5 January 2022, Official Report, column 11, (c) 5 January 2022, Official Report, column 14, (d) 5 January 2022, Official Report, column 15, (e) 12 January 2022, Official Report, columns 567-8, (f) 19 January 2022, Official Report, column 323, (g) 2 February 2022, Official Report, columns 268-9, (h) 23 February 2022, Official Report, column 314 and (i) 20 April 2022, Official Report, column 155.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

My answer of 23 June 2022 to PQ 18053, and my letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee (a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House), clarified my previous answers about employment levels in the UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his evidence to the Liaison Committee on 6 July 2022 that he probably did meet The Lord Lebedev in Italy on 28 April 2018 without officials from his Department, whether he informed his personal protection team that he was attending that meeting; whether any security services attended that meeting; and whether he received any documents at that meeting.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I have committed to write to the Liaison Committee with further details. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, if he plans to hold a gathering at Chequers to mark his 2021 wedding.

Answered by Michael Ellis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Attends Cabinet)

I have been asked to reply.

As I outlined in my answer of 18 October 2021 to PQ 54006, Chequers is not a government building; it is run and managed by an independent trust. As has been the practice under successive Premiers, the incumbent Prime Minister uses Chequers consistent with the wishes of the donor, the late Sir Arthur Lee, who gave it to the nation for the use of the serving Prime Minister, for both official and private use. This is set out in the Chequers Estates Act 1917.

Notwithstanding the above, it is in the public domain that the Prime Minister does not intend to make use of Chequers in such a way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion at Prime Minister's Questions on 27 April 2022, Official Report, column 759 and the letter to him from Lord McDonald of Salford, former Permanent Under Secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, dated 5 July 2022, on complaints about the behaviour of the Right hon. Member for Tamworth, for what reasons the principle set out in that Answer were not applied following the in person briefing he received on the complaint about that Member being upheld.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the right Hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras during Prime Minister’s Questions on 6 July 2022.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, when he was first made aware of a formal complaint of inappropriate behaviour by the Right hon. Member for Tamworth while serving as a Foreign Office Minister between 2019 and 2020.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to the right Hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras during Prime Minister’s Questions on 6 July 2022.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 15 June 2022, Official Report, col 281, that in the first five months of this year this country has attracted £16 billion of investment in its tech sector, helped by the 130 per cent super deduction for business investment from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) the evidential basis is for his remarks, (b) the sources are for the figures cited and (c) proportion of the £16 billion was eligible for the super deduction.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the Hon. Member to the Official Report, 6 July 2022, col. 11MC.

The source was the Dealroom Tech Health Check which is available at https://dealroom.co/blog/uk-tech-health-check-london-tech-week-2022.

This Government has been creating the right tax environment to promote investment and innovation. That is why we introduced the 130% super-deduction for capital investment and increased the Annual Investment Allowance from £200,000 to £1 million. We also have specific tax reliefs aimed at encouraging Venture Capital and early-stage investment, such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to his oral contribution of 22 June 2022, Official Report, col 840, that there is record venture capital investment in this country, which has now overtaken China as a venue for venture capital investment, what (a) data and (b) sources he is citing.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the Hon. Member to the Official Report, 6 July 2022, col. 11MC.

The source was the Dealroom Tech Health Check which is available at https://dealroom.co/blog/uk-tech-health-check-london-tech-week-2022.

This Government has been creating the right tax environment to promote investment and innovation. That is why we introduced the 130% super-deduction for capital investment and increased the Annual Investment Allowance from £200,000 to £1 million. We also have specific tax reliefs aimed at encouraging Venture Capital and early-stage investment, such as the Enterprise Investment Scheme and the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2022 to Question 23263 on Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, how many times he sought advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests on matters relating to the national interest since 23 July 2019.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

As I noted in my previous answer to the hon. Member (PQ 23263), the Terms of Reference state that the provision of such advice is confidential.

The Independent Adviser publishes an annual report which summarises their work over the year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, whether he had further meetings with international bankers to discuss raising the cap on bankers’ bonuses following his meeting on 7 June 2022 entitled Financial Services Roundtable to discuss global competitiveness, levelling up and net zero.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer to PQ 23307.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, what the outcome was of his meeting on 7 June 2022 entitled Financial Services Roundtable to discuss global competitiveness, levelling up and net zero.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I refer the right hon. Member to the answer to PQ 23307.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, if he will publish the minutes of the meeting detailed in his transparency publication on 7 June 2022 entitled Financial Services Roundtable to discuss global competitiveness, levelling up and net zero.

Answered by Steve Barclay - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

I have been asked to reply, further to the comments made by the Leader of the Opposition at Prime Minister’s Questions on 22 June.

A read-out of the meeting was published at the time and is available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-financial-services-leaders-7-june-2021

Contrary to the incorrect claims made by the Leader of the Opposition, I would note that there are no plans to remove the bankers’ bonus cap. This remains in place and is the responsibility of the Prudential Regulation Authority.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2022 to Question 19605 on Lord Geidt, what criteria he uses for deciding when to request the advice of the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests on matters relating to the national interest.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

From time to time, issues may arise relating to the national interest, and in these cases it is helpful to obtain advice on how those issues may be best addressed to avoid or mitigate potential conflicts under the Ministerial Code.

I also refer the Hon. Member to the Terms of Reference on the Independent Adviser (as of May 2022), which sets out the Adviser’s role in providing confidential advice to the Prime Minister. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terms-of-reference-for-the-independent-adviser-on-ministers-interests--2/terms-of-reference-independent-adviser-on-ministers-interests

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, for what reasons he sought the advice of Lord Geidt in his former role as Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests on the matter relating to the Trade Remedies Authority referred to by the Prime Minister in his letter of 16 June 2022 in response to Lord Geidt's resignation letter of 15 June 2022.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

As I set out in my letter of 16 June, this request for advice related to a matter in the national interest on protecting a crucial industry that would otherwise suffer material harm.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of employment in (a) the West Midlands and (b) the UK since 19 December 2019.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

The latest official statistics show the current (February-April 2022) employment level for West Midlands at 2.9 million – compared to 2.8 million in October-December 2019.

I trust that the following provides a comprehensive assessment and clarifies my previous answers about employment levels in the UK.

Further to my letter of 26 April 2022 to the Liaison Committee (a copy of which was placed in the Libraries of the House) and the Committee’s letter of 20 May 2022 (a copy of which is available on its website) concerning my previous answers to the House on this issue (Official Report contributions referenced in the letter of 20 May 2022; and also Official Report 1 December, column 911; 15 December, column 1052; and, 20 April, column 155).

The latest labour market statistics show that the total UK employment level is currently at 32.7 million, compared to 32.9 million in October-December 2019.

They also show that payroll employment, as a measure of people in work, is again at a record high. It is now around 627,000 higher than before the pandemic. At the same time we have seen significant improvements in national unemployment rates, which are currently at 3.8% and lower than pre-pandemic levels. It is important that everyone has the opportunity and support to find a good job to help them get on in life. That is why we are delivering on our Plan for Jobs – increasing the number of work coaches, seeing over 162,600 Kickstart jobs started by young people, and offering free skills bootcamps. And we have launched Way to Work - a campaign that will focus on getting job-ready claimants into work and support employers to fill vacancies. Together we will boost this country’s jobs-led recovery.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, when he last had a telephone call with the President of Egypt.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I spoke to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on 28 March 2022. A readout is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-call-with-president-al-sisi-of-egypt-28-march-2022.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Prime Minister, when he last had discussions with the Prime Minister of India.

Answered by Boris Johnson - Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

I met Prime Minister Modi on 22 April 2022 during my visit to India. My statement from the joint press conference is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-at-press-conference-with-prime-minister-modi-22-april-2022

Found: This is reflected in the Cabinet Office™s Guidance for government departments on setting up Ombudsman

Found: 4397/shedding-light-the Department-part-2-long-days-journey-towards-transparency.21.We note that the Cabinet

Found: We had some support from the Cabinet Office to help us to do that and we conducted those during the summer

Found: The Strategy should be owned by Cabinet Office or an independent commission.

Found: This is in line with the Cabinet Office™s own guidance on ‚should cost™ modelling. 27.All bidders for

Found: projects delta roles i.e. demand minus supply, rather than many different initiatives in DfE, BEIS, Cabinet

Found: channels of communication.5.7This communication is maintained via a regular contact group meetings with Cabinet

Found: heart of EU policy coordination in Whitehall, alongside the (variously named) Europe Unit within the Cabinet

Found: Brussels.The UK™s internal coordination machinery - in particular between the European Secretariat in the Cabinet

Found: Whilst Ministerial engagement with Lord Frost in his role as Minister of State at the Cabinet Office

Found: radical, in some ways countercultural, recommendations and proposals that Francis Maude expressed in the Cabinet

Found: UCL Constitution Unit websiteIn 2011 the Code was revised and relaunched by Francis Maude, the new Cabinet

Found: Cabinet Office, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department for Business, Energy and

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure the UK was adequately prepared for the level 4 alert issued for 18 and 19 July 2022 under the Heatwave Plan for England.

Answered by Steve Double - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Water companies have a statutory duty to provide a continuous supply of wholesome water. They are legally required to have robust plans in place to maintain the supply of water in a range of hazards, including heatwaves. Water companies use a range of measures to manage higher water demand expected during heatwaves and respond to any disruption. These measures include ensuring their networks are prepared, customer communications to help manage demand, re-routing of water via their networks, and the provision of alternative water supplies, for example via tanker deliveries. In the event of disruptions, water companies also maintain priority access registers, which vulnerable customers can register with for provision of bottled water.

We issued reminders to animal owners that it is their responsibility to have plans in place to ensure their animals' welfare in extreme weather. This included publishing content on protecting companion animals in hot weather, and direct messaging from the Chief Veterinary Officer and the Animal and Plant Health Agency focused on transporting livestock and horses. Comprehensive guidance is available online at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/keeping-farm-animals-and-horses-in-extreme-weather on protecting animals in hot weather, including advice on checking on animals more regularly, ensuring all animals have easy access to water on a daily basis, and not transporting animals in temperatures over 30 degrees.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes ensuring that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. Defra has well-established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. We continue to keep the extreme weather situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which Defra and the Devolved Administrations set up to monitor the UK market situation across all key agricultural commodities. We have also increased engagement with the industry to supplement Government analysis with real-time intelligence. This provides the Government with the best possible intelligence on how the sector is performing.

Given the health threat and the impacts observed in summer 2021, additional work has been taken forward by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Department of Health and Social Care to raise awareness of the health consequences of hot weather and enable professionals, organisations and individuals to plan, mitigate and respond to hot weather episodes effectively. These include:

• Updating the materials related to hot weather risks on the Heatwave Plan for England collection page. These provide sector specific guidance on actions to take during a heatwave to safeguard patients and service users.
• Publishing the 2022 Heatwave communications toolkit and social media assets which have been shared with UKHSA regional communications, cross-government partners and local government to support consistent and clear messaging on heat-health.
• Holding a Heatwave and Summer Preparedness Stakeholder event in April 2022 to around 1000 participants across the health and social care sector and other Government departments to allow them to take early mitigating action.
• The Extreme Heat National Severe Weather Warning Service (NSWWS) warnings, operated by the Met Office, are intended to warn the public and emergency responders and include the impacts of severe heat outside of the health sector. An Extreme Heat NSWWS will only be issued should a severe or prolonged hot weather episode be forecast.
• Ensuring all Local Resilience Forums have the guidance, sector specific action sheets and related resources from the Heatwave Plan for England before summer to allow time for incorporation into their wider planning for summer 2022.
• UKHSA weekly situational awareness meetings with the Met Office feeding into the cross-government Summer Resilience Network, chaired by the Cabinet Office to ensure awareness and a wider system response across the Government.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the potential number of wildfires in 2022; and what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of summer heatwaves on that estimate.

Answered by Sarah Dines - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

38594: The Home Office has been working closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to provide monitoring and reporting of wildfires during this unprecedented heat.

38595: A coordinated multi-agency approach is essential in the prevention and tackling of wildfires. This includes government departments such as Defra, Cabinet Office, Met Office and DLUHC.

As of 0700 21^st July, according to NFCC data, Fire and Rescue Services have responded to 462 wildfire incidents in England and Wales in 2022. These were incidents that met the national thresholds for reporting.

We anticipate further wildfire incidents to occur this year as the warm dry weather continues.

At a local level – each Fire and Rescue Authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents and Fire and Rescue Services will have regard in their planning to other key local responders including landowners and other emergency services.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans the Government has for (a) preventing and (b) tackling wildfires during heatwaves.

Answered by Sarah Dines - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)

38594: The Home Office has been working closely with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) to provide monitoring and reporting of wildfires during this unprecedented heat.

38595: A coordinated multi-agency approach is essential in the prevention and tackling of wildfires. This includes government departments such as Defra, Cabinet Office, Met Office and DLUHC.

As of 0700 21^st July, according to NFCC data, Fire and Rescue Services have responded to 462 wildfire incidents in England and Wales in 2022. These were incidents that met the national thresholds for reporting.

We anticipate further wildfire incidents to occur this year as the warm dry weather continues.

At a local level – each Fire and Rescue Authority is required to plan for the foreseeable risks in their area (including wildfires) through their Integrated Risk Management Plan. This will include plans to prevent and respond to incidents and Fire and Rescue Services will have regard in their planning to other key local responders including landowners and other emergency services.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of corporate fraud in each of the last three years; and in what sectors that fraud has been identified.

Answered by Richard Fuller - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The outcomes of investigations into fraud, scams and economic crime are not centrally collated and we do not assess trends in corporate fraud.

Investigations into suspected fraud against the public sector are conducted by the appropriate Department with responsibility for policy delivery. Investigations and enforcement activities are also undertaken by regulatory or enforcement agencies, such as the Financial Conduct Authority and National Crime Agency.

Departments publish an Annual Report and Accounts including estimates of COVID-19 fraud and these are now being published for the 2021-22 financial year. The Counter Fraud Function in Cabinet Office publishes an annual estimate of the level of fraud and error in the public sector. Action Fraud records reported financial losses experienced by businesses, this can be found at https://colp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/0334150e430449cf8ac917e347897d46.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to reform the defence procurement system.

Answered by Jeremy Quin - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Department is committed to continuous reform of its procurement process to make it more agile and to ensure it delivers the best possible value for money. Our continuing improvement agenda across Defence acquisition covers five themes:

*Improving cost estimating and cost control

*Improving relationships with industry

*Delivering strategic intent and Defence priorities through our requirements

*Empowering and enabling programme leadership

*Streamlining acquisition and approvals processes and addressing project resourcing challenges.

Steps the Department is currently taking include:

*Enhancing the capability and capacity of Senior Responsible Owners

*Improving commercial and project delivery skills

*Streamlining investment decision-making processes to reduce duplication and drive pace

*Supporting the Cabinet Office-led reforms to the UK's public procurement regime, leading on sector specific rules for Defence and Security.

This is consistent with our commitment in the Defence and Security Industrial Strategy, published in March 2021, to increasing the pace and agility of our acquisition processes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will create a single phone number by which members of the public can report safeguarding concerns.

Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government wants to strengthen the public and parents’ understanding of the ‘signs of abuse’ and knowledge of how to report these suspicions. Since March 2015 the department has been working with the Local Government Association, local councils, police forces, and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to run a communication campaign called ‘Together we can tackle child abuse’ which helped people spot the signs of abuse and neglect.

The department has also worked closely with the Cabinet Office and Home Office to support the ‘Stop Abuse Together’ and ‘ParentWise’ campaigns.

In addition to directing people to report concerns to their local authority, or to the police if the child is immediate danger, we direct people to the NSPCC Helpline. In recognition of the importance of this national helpline, the government is continuing to provide £1.6 million to help support the operational cost. The Adult Helpline number is 0808 800 5000.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department takes to publicise to the public information on how to report abuse against children.

Answered by Brendan Clarke-Smith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The government wants to strengthen the public and parents’ understanding of the ‘signs of abuse’ and knowledge of how to report these suspicions. Since March 2015 the department has been working with the Local Government Association, local councils, police forces, and the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) to run a communication campaign called ‘Together we can tackle child abuse’ which helped people spot the signs of abuse and neglect.

The department has also worked closely with the Cabinet Office and Home Office to support the ‘Stop Abuse Together’ and ‘ParentWise’ campaigns.

In addition to directing people to report concerns to their local authority, or to the police if the child is immediate danger, we direct people to the NSPCC Helpline. In recognition of the importance of this national helpline, the government is continuing to provide £1.6 million to help support the operational cost. The Adult Helpline number is 0808 800 5000.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with the Office for Students (OfS) on the steps needed to mitigate the risks identified in the OfS Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns - Assistant Whip

The department holds regular meetings with the Office for Students (OfS) where risks and mitigations, including financial risks, are discussed in depth.

In addition to these meetings, a director from the department attends each OfS board meeting, where the current and emerging risks affecting the OfS, and the mitigations for those, are also discussed.

It should also be noted that the department, as sponsor department of the OfS, takes the roles and duties set out in Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Sponsorship very seriously, including in relation to oversight of OfS resourcing, risk and performance.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, in the context of the risks identified in the Office for Students (OfS) Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22, what assessment he has made of the ability of the OfS to perform its legislative functions.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns - Assistant Whip

The department regularly holds meetings with the Office for Students (OfS), to discuss its resourcing, priorities and performance of its legislative functions. The OfS also reports on its progress against its Key Performance Measures publicly and to the departmental board.

It should also be noted that we, as sponsor department of the OfS, comply at all times with the roles and duties set out in Cabinet Office guidelines for sponsor departments.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the social value formulas used by his Department to assess procurement bids.

Answered by Jeremy Quin - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence assesses social value in procurement bids via criteria set out in Procurement Policy Note 06/20, published by the Cabinet Office. This defines these criteria and provides information on how social value is scored in relevant Government procurements. Tender documentation for each procurement will set out for participating tenderers the specific weighting and scoring to be applied to the chosen social value criteria, along with other requirements.

The model and associated guidance note have been published on the gov.uk website:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940826/Social-Value-Model-Edn-1.1-3-Dec-20.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/940827/Guide-to-using-the-Social-Value-Model-Edn-1.1-3-Dec-20.pdf

Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of officials in her Department involved in recording retained EU legislation for the purposes of the Retained EU Law Dashboard in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the cost to the public purse of recording that information.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Minister of State (Department for International Trade)

Around 15 Department for International Trade officials were involved in recording retained EU legislation for the purposes of the Retained EU Law (REUL) Dashboard. This is an estimate as work was carried out within teams who lead on relevant policy areas rather than in a dedicated REUL team, and others might have been involved in a more limited capacity. The work was not undertaken on a full-time basis, and the work was completed within a defined window of time.

There has been no additional non-pay cost to the public purse by creating the dashboard. The process was led by the Cabinet Office, who commissioned Government Departments to find REUL within their legislation and compile an authoritative account of where REUL sits on the UK statute book.

The dashboard itself is made by the Government Strategic Management Office and is hosted on Tableau Public, which is a free platform. It will continue to be updated at no additional cost.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2022 to Question 17865 on Home Office: Redundancy, what the proposed number of job cuts was submitted by her Department to the Cabinet Office by the 30 June 2022 deadline.

Answered by Stephen McPartland - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

All Departments, including the Home Office have been asked to develop plans to deliver against the target to return the Civil Service workforce to the level it was at in 2016.

The Home Office have completed the initial phase of its Workforce Review to respond to this ask, in line with the direction set by the Civil Service 2025 commission.

Options for headcount reductions arising from our review have been submitted to the Cabinet Office and Treasury and ministers and officials will be working over the summer to look in more detail at the deliverability and impact of those options. I will not be commenting on specific numbers while those discussions take place.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the extent to which large employers refer to socioeconomic background data of applicants to inform their recruitment and progression policies.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government believes the circumstances of one's birth should not determine life outcomes. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC), an independent body sponsored by the Equality Hub in the Cabinet Office, works to achieve this aim.

The SMC published research in June 2020 that examined how people from disadvantaged backgrounds have fared within the apprenticeship system. In keeping with the findings from this research, the SMC's employer engagement team produced a practical toolkit for employers, training providers and apprenticeship practitioners to increase the socio-economic diversity of apprenticeship starts.

This includes guidance on how employers can collect the socio-economic background data of their applicants in order to understand where barriers may exist, which interventions can support socio-economic inclusion and how to monitor progress.

The SMC's employer engagement team works with employers of varying size across multiple sectors to create more inclusive and diverse socio-economic workforces, drawing on research and engagement with employers and industry trade bodies to develop practical guidance for employers.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether her Department has commissioned research on the socioeconomic background data for (a) work experience schemes, (b) apprenticeships and (c) entry-level applicants held by large employers.

Answered by Amanda Solloway - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government believes the circumstances of one's birth should not determine life outcomes. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC), an independent body sponsored by the Equality Hub in the Cabinet Office, works to achieve this aim.

The SMC published research in June 2020 that examined how people from disadvantaged backgrounds have fared within the apprenticeship system. In keeping with the findings from this research, the SMC's employer engagement team produced a practical toolkit for employers, training providers and apprenticeship practitioners to increase the socio-economic diversity of apprenticeship starts.

This includes guidance on how employers can collect the socio-economic background data of their applicants in order to understand where barriers may exist, which interventions can support socio-economic inclusion and how to monitor progress.

The SMC's employer engagement team works with employers of varying size across multiple sectors to create more inclusive and diverse socio-economic workforces, drawing on research and engagement with employers and industry trade bodies to develop practical guidance for employers.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of officials in his Department involved in recording retained EU legislation for the purposes of the Retained EU Law Dashboard in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the cost to the public purse of recording that information.

Answered by Will Quince - Minister of State (Education)

The department’s staff resource for the dashboard was less than one full time equivalent alongside their normal duties this financial year.

There has been no additional non-pay cost to the public purse by creating the dashboard. The process was led by the Cabinet Office, who commissioned government departments to find retained EU law (REUL) within their legislation and compile an authoritative account of where REUL sits on the UK statute book.

The dashboard itself is made by the Government Strategic Management Office and is hosted on Tableau Public, which is a free platform for hosting public dashboards. The dashboard will continue to be updated at no additional cost.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide additional resources to support the Office for Students (OfS) in mitigating the risks identified in the OfS Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns - Assistant Whip

The department, together with the Office for Students (OfS), regularly reviews its resourcing and funding position, discussing new work and changing priorities.

It should also be noted that we, as sponsor department of the OfS, take the roles and duties set out in Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Sponsorship very seriously, including in relation to oversight of OfS resourcing, risk and performance.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on producing an estimate for the total financial cost of fraud in the UK against (a) individuals, (b) businesses and (c) the Government in (i) financial year 2020-21, (ii) calendar year 2021 and (iii) financial year 2021-22.

Answered by Simon Clarke - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Treasury ministers and officials regularly engage with the Home Office to discuss shared policy interests, such as the response to fraud. The Treasury takes fraud extremely seriously and has been consistently clear that fraud is never acceptable and that those who have defrauded the government will be subject to both criminal and commercial recovery efforts. Since 2021, over £750m has been announced to combat fraud. This includes £25m for the creation of a new Public Sector Fraud Authority.

We do not hold estimates for the total financial cost of fraud in the UK to individuals and businesses for the financial years 2020-21, 2021-22 or the calendar year 2021. However, the Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates the volume of fraud experienced by individuals and their average losses. This can be found at:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables

Action Fraud is a Home Office central reporting service and records reported financial losses experienced by businesses and individuals. This can be found at:

https://colp.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/0334150e430449cf8ac917e347897d46

The Counter Fraud Function in Cabinet Office undertakes activity to estimate the level of fraud and error in the public sector. Pre COVID-19 this was estimated to be a minimum of £29 billion per year.

Departments publish an Annual Report and Accounts for each financial year, as part of this they are now required to include estimates of COVID-19 fraud. These have now been published for the financial year 2020-21 and are due to be published for 2021-2022 shortly. These reports are available on GOV.UK departmentally, but not as a collective, cross-government estimate.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, whether Mr David Scullion was employed by her Department on a full-time special adviser contract as of 13 June 2022.

Answered by Edward Timpson - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Cabinet Office routinely publishes an annual report on the numbers and costs of special advisers, which is available on GOV.UK. As of 13 June 2022, David Scullion was employed part-time by the Attorney General’s Office.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how much his Department has spent on consultancy fees in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the name is of each consultancy contracted.

Answered by Conor Burns - Minister of State (Northern Ireland Office)

The Northern Ireland Office spent the following on consultancy fees:

(a) 2020: £745,278

(b) 2021: £787,452

(c) January-May 2022: £794,190

In relation to naming consultancies, in accordance with this Government’s transparency requirements, I have listed only those suppliers with payments of £25,000 or above, as to name others could potentially breach their data protection rights or have an adverse effect on their commercial activity:

Active Communities Network LTD

AV Browne Advertising LTD

Cabinet Office

Cinemagic LTD

Co-Operation Ireland

Department of Finance

Education Authority

Epam Systems LTD

Government Estates Management

Groundwork Northern Ireland

Holywell Trust

Ipsos Mori

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Justice

North West Cultural Partnership

Passionist Peace & Reconciliation Office

Playhouse the NW Play Resource Centre

Youth Action NI

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on consultancy fees in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and what the name is of each consultancy contracted.

Answered by Matt Warman - Minister of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)

The 21-22 Annual Report & Accounts figures are subject to audit and expected to be published in early November. We are unable to provide data on consultancy spend prior to the conclusion of the audit.

The 20-21 consultancy spend as per DCMS 20-21 published accounts (page 135) was £16.6m. The listing for the £16.6m is set out below and is net of a credit of £1.914m on reversed expenditure.

The 19-20 consultancy spend as per DCMS 19-20 published accounts (page 135) was £3.9m. The listing for the £3.9m is set out below including £0.164m relating to corrections to the data.

Details of all third-party government contracts, including the Supplier, are published on Contracts Finder above £10,000, for the core Department, and above £25,000, for the wider public sector.

20-21 Consultancy Supplier Listings

19-20 Consultancy Supplier Listings

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of her shortened trip to Indonesia in July 2022.

Answered by Amanda Milling - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office publishes the costs related to all overseas Ministerial travel as part of the regular Cabinet Office Transparency Return https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fcdo-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of officials in his Department involved in recording retained EU legislation for the purposes of the Retained EU Law Dashboard in the latest period for which figures are available and (b) the cost to the public purse of recording that information.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Between November 2021 and May 2022, 10 Departmental officials were involved in this activity.

There has been no additional non-pay cost to the public purse by creating the dashboard. The process was led by the Cabinet Office, which commissioned Government Departments to find Retained European Union Law (REUL) within its legislation and compile where REUL exists in the United Kingdom’s statutes.

The dashboard has been established by the Government Strategic Management Office and is hosted on Tableau Public, which is a free platform for hosting public dashboards. The dashboard will continue to be updated at no additional cost.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any special advisers have had their contracts with his Department terminated since 4 July 2022.

Answered by Alan Mak - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not employ any special advisers; all special advisers are employed by Cabinet Office.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to support security in the banking sector in the context of risk of Russian cyber attack; and if he will provide financial assistance to the banking sector to help maintain the integrity of its digital systems.

Answered by Richard Fuller - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Responsibility for information technology infrastructure in the UK financial sector is primarily for the firms themselves. Financial assistance is not provided to firms to do so. However, the Financial Authorities have a role to play in supervising, coordinating and driving change to improve the sector’s operational resilience.

HMT works together with the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority, the Financial Conduct Authority (as the UK Financial Authorities), Cabinet Office, the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency to improve cyber resilience across the finance sector.

The finance sector also benefits from having a dedicated team within the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). They work closely with the Financial Authorities and firms to help improve the sector’s resilience and provide support during incidents. This includes providing advice and consultancy to critical national infrastructure organisations to secure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the banking sector’s digital systems.

While the NCSC have stated they are not aware of any current specific threats to the UK, they have published guidance on actions organisations, including those in the finance sector, can take when the cyber threat is heightened. They have also warned that the threat may remain that way for some time and advised organisations on how to maintain a heightened security posture.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) Mr Adam Jones and (b) Ms Sophie Jarvis were employed by her Department on full-time special adviser contracts as of 13 June 2022.

Answered by Vicky Ford - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Cabinet Office routinely publishes an annual report on the numbers and costs of special advisers, which is available on GOV.UK. Adam Jones and Sophie Jarvis were employed by FCDO on 13 June 2022.

A Bill to make provision for an annual appraisal of the performance and competence of individual Ministers, conducted outside the Cabinet Office, to inform the Prime Minister in recommending ministerial appointments; and for connected purposes.

Found: Media and Sport, the Home Office, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Cabinet

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Health and Social Care, the Home Office, Cabinet

Found: Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Home Office Department for International Trade Digital Cabinet

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Department for Health and Social Care, the Home Office, Cabinet

Found: Energy and Industrial Strategy Home Office Department for International Trade Digital Cabinet

So they don’t support freedom of speech? - New Cabinet Office rules ban speakers who have criticised govt policy. ‘Managers are being urged to carefully check the backgrounds, including by trawling through up to five years of posts’ https://t.co/dZxNCT8PDd

Found: Cabinet Office: Senior Delivery Analyst, Number 10 Delivery Unit.

Found: It has been administratively classified by the Cabinet Office as an Executive Non -Departmental Public

Found: The Museum is a non-departmental public body and follows policy issued by the Cabinet Office on employment

Found: name: Helen Lewis Year Role 2019 to 2021 Juba, Development Director South Sudan 2017 to 2019 Cabinet

Found: and quantitative assurance programme to provide assurance via SOCT Management to HMPPS, MO J and Cabinet

Found: ensure Business Continuity Management (BCM) is performed in accordance with ISO 22301 as required by Cabinet

Found: Where the Transferring Employee is a Public Sector Employee the Contractor must comply with the Cabinet

Found: Where the Transferring Employee is a Public Sector Employee the Contractor must comply with the Cabinet

Found: any of the purposes set out in paragraph 1 6 of the Version 4 ( July 2022 ) Page 66 Cabinet

Found: processing of the data set out in Schedule 5 : UK GDPR and Data Protection , the requirements of Cabinet

Found: the Transferring Employee is a Public Sector Employee the Contractor must comply with the Cabinet

Found: assess the economic, social and environmental value of investments in location data From: Cabinet

Found: ˛g Cabinet Office (2018).

Found: From: Government Commercial Function and Cabinet Office Published 27 July 2022 Get emails

Found: Permanent Secretary of the Department (who may also wish to co nsult the Propriety & Ethics team in the Cabinet

Found: Cabinet Office requirements 5.1 The Partie s agree that the Principles of Good Employment Practice

Found: Office requirements The Parties agree that the Principles of Good Employment Practice issued by the Cabinet

Found: government organisations whose accounts are laid in parlia ment; and Ł may also work through the Cabinet

Found: include: membership of organisations whose aims might be perceived to be in conflict with those of the Cabinet

Found: include:membership of organisations whose aims might be perceived to be in conflict with those of the Cabinet

Found: From: Cabinet Office, Ministry of Defence, and LGBT Veterans Independent Review Published 15 July 2022

Found: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Civil Nuclear Police Authority 2022-04-12 00:00:00 CABINET

Found: adopted the Guidance on Codes of Practice for Board Members of Public Bodies issued by the Cabinet

Found: BRE continue s to work closely with the Brexit Opportunities Unit in the Cabinet Office a

Found: We have published our spend in line with Cabinet Office guidelines which allow for data protection of

Found: The Judicial Appointments Commission Clive House: Commissioner Ł Public Service Honours Committee Cabinet

Found: The Judicial Appointments Commission Clive House: Commissioner Ł Public Service Honours Committee Cabinet

Found: You can find details in the resource accounts of the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation (www.civilservice-pensions.gov.uk

Found: May 2022 Read the minutes of the Board of Commissioners meeting on 24 May 2022 From: Cabinet

Found: (4) The Minister for the Cabinet Office may by regulations provide that, in such circumstances as

Found: The recruitment would be run by the Public Appointments Team in the Cabinet Office.

Found: You can find details in the resource acco unts of the Cabinet Office: Civil Superannuation

Found: Office in compliance with the Government Functional Standards GovS 013: Counter Fraud.

Found: In 2021Œ22 we undertook a self-assessment of our compliance against Cabinet Office Functional Standards

Found: In 2021Œ22 we undertook a self-assessment of our compliance against Cabinet Office Functional Standards

Found: We also supported the development of Cabinet Office™s Public Bodies Programme and the Treasury Officer

Found: T Office of Government Property from within the Cabinet Office .

Found: We have published our spend in line with Cabinet Office guidelines which allow for data protection of

Found: Discussions in relation to funding are continuing with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury. 2021-02-01

Found: Discussions in relation to funding are continuing with the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury.2021-02-012026

Found: recruitment of Parole Board members, ensuring campaigns are run, where appropriate, in accordance with the Cabinet

Found: 0031_2122-Q3 GSS HMRC Led Cluster Programme HMRC Government Transformation and Service Delivery The Cabinet

Found: 0031_2122-Q3 GSS HMRC Led Cluster Programme HMRC Government Transformation and Service Delivery The Cabinet

Found: deliverables.HMRC_0031_2122-Q3GSS HMRC Led Cluster ProgrammeHMRCGovernment Transformation and Service DeliveryThe Cabinet

Found: The new measures 12 published June 2021 by the Cabinet Office require that by September 2021, prospective

Found: forward are based on continuing to improve financial capabilities, responding to the HM Treasury/Cabinet

Found: The percentage of staff that can be accepted in each category is established centrally by Cabinet Office

Found: have a policy in place for Board Members, which is contained in their Code of conduct, and based on Cabinet

Found: b) Functional Standards Following the issuing of Functiona l Standards from Cabinet Office

Found: Crown Commercial Service (CCS) was established in 2014 as a trading fund and executive agency of the Cabinet

Found: portfolio and we now provide strategic support to seven government clients including DfE , BEIS, Cabinet

Found: establishment as an Agency on 1 April 2018, the GPA has : On - boarded £220m of properties owned by the Cabinet

Found: Brought estates teams from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Cabinet

Found: The Cabinet Office Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies requires that gifts or hospitality

Found: VisitBritain promotes Britain overseas and is a long -standing delivery partner of the Cabinet Office

Found: Office; Baroness Simone Finn, Dep Chief of Staff to PMCabinet Office2022-01-26 00:00:00The Committee's

Found: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Building Digital UK Department for International Trade HMRC Cabinet

Found: Government Office for Science works closely with the new Office for Science and Technology Strategy in the Cabinet

Found: She previously worked in the Departments of Health, Social Security and the Cabinet Office, before moving

Found: and reviewing progress Regularly and directly briefing Cabinet Ministers including HM Treasury and Cabinet

Found: The money has been awarded by the Evaluation Task Force, a joint Cabinet Office and HM Treasury unit,

Found: Minister Rees-Mogg, responsible for Government Efficiency and Brexit Opportunities in the Cabinet Office

Found: the roles will be at a rate of £325 per meeting These appointments are made in accordance with the Cabinet

Found: Ndidi Okezie OBE Professor Keshav Singhal MBE FLSW Sir Mark Walport FRCP FRCPath FRS FMedSci HonFRSE Cabinet

Found: Each of the 9 chairs will work with networks in their region and the Cabinet Office to ensure the voices

Found: from the Minister for Veterans' Affairs Johnny Mercer to veterans and their families From: Cabinet

Found: government also announced the appointment of Johnny Mercer as Minister for Veterans’ Affairs at the Cabinet

Found: From: Senior Salaries Review Body , Office of Manpower Economics, Cabinet Office, Department of Health

Found: government/ publications/ministry-of-justice-gender-pay-gap-report-2021 [accessed on 10 June 2022].34 Cabinet

Found: This consultation has been conducted in accordance with the Cabinet Office Consultation Principles.6.2

Found: It has been administratively classified by the Cabinet Office as a non-departmental Public Body.

Found: Officials are explori ng a range of options and I understand that the Office for Veterans' Affairs in the Cabinet

Found: Office; and giving evidence, normally with the PAO, when summoned before the Public Accounts Committee

Found: Energy and Industrial Strategy Home Office Department for International Trade Digital Cabinet

Found: In line with usual practice the recruitment exercise was conducted by the Cabinet Office (under Civil

Found: New Directors will continue to have acc ess to the Cabinet Office induction programme for Director

Found: As an executive agency it follows as outlined i n the Cabinet Office guidance

Found: We have also drawn on Cabinet Office guidance on the undertaking of Reviews of Public Bodies.

Found: This consultation is being conducted in line with the revised Cabinet Office consultation principles