Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to House of Lords Question HL517 on Civil Service: Expenditure, what plans he has to update guidance on diversity networks in the Civil Service.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Existing guidance remains in place for EDI networks to regulate network governance and delivery and provide necessary guardrails to ensure due regard to the Civil Service Code.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to appoint a new investment minister.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
My Rt Hon Friends the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for Business and Trade are responsible for this Government’s priority of growth and advancing opportunities for investment across the country.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2024 to Question 1240 on Morgan McSweeney, what the responsibilities are of Mr McSweeney in his role as a special adviser.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It’s a longstanding policy to not comment on individuals.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any changes have been made to the goods on sale in the Downing Street shop since 4 July 2024; and if he will publish the price list for goods available in that shop.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
There has been no change to either the goods on sale or prices that were available under the last Government. These items are paid for personally by members of staff at full cost price and with no subsidy from the taxpayer. A list will be placed in the library of the House.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many proposals by departmental Ministers to appoint a special adviser have been refused by 10 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is the longstanding policy of successive governments to not discuss individual staffing matters.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish details of surplus public sector property according to the data held on the Electronic Property Information Mapping Service database.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Register of Surplus Land provides data on the availability of surplus land for government departments.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to Question 930 on Prime Minister: Correspondence, if he will discontinue the fax machine facility in 10 Downing Street.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister’s Office does not use a fax machine. This Government has no plans to stop members of the public contacting us in the ways that they find most helpful. As the previous response explained, where members of the public wish to do so via fax, those messages are converted into emails on receipt.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 30 July 2024 to House of Lords Question HL517 on Civil Service: Expenditure, what plans his Department has to review the (a) Ministerial controls and exceptions on and (b) departments that can authorise equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure; and if he will publish granted exceptions to spending controls.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service Equality Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance which was published on 14 May, remains in place.
Asked by: Lord Forsyth of Drumlean (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the salaries and allowances of each of the Ministers and Whips in the House of Lords.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975 sets out the terms on which salaries can be paid to government ministers. The salaries claimed by ministers and whips in the House of Lords are available on gov.uk at the following address:
A list of all government ministers, which indicates whether each minister receives a salary or is unpaid, is available on gov.uk at the following address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.
In addition, ministers who are members of the House of Lords are entitled under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 to receive the Lords Office-Holders Allowance (LOHA). It has been long-standing government policy over successive administrations for ministers whose main residence is in Greater London to waive their entitlement to claim this allowance and instead claim it at a reduced rate equivalent to the London Area Living Payment set annually by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority; details are available at the following address:
Ministers who are members of the House of Lords who do not receive a salary may choose between claiming LOHA or the Lords Daily Attendance Allowance.
Asked by: Lord Bradshaw (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to revise the factors they take into account when considering the suitability of individuals to be nominated for a life peerage.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government committed in its manifesto to reform the process of appointments to the House of Lords to ensure the quality of new appointments and to seek to improve the national and regional balance of the second chamber and is actively considering how this can be achieved.