Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Forty-Seventh Annual Report on Senior Salaries, published on 22 May (CP 1329), whether they will place in the Library of the House the letters from the Cabinet Office Director of Civil Service Pay, Policy and Pensions (1) to Mark Polin regarding requests for evidence and data ahead of oral evidence, dated 12 February, and (2) to Lea Paterson regarding the oral evidence session, dated 4 April; and if not, why they have not published these documents on Gov.uk.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As has been long standing practice under successive administrations, the Government does not intend to place copies of official-level correspondence to the Senior Salaries Review Body in the Library of the House. All Government Written Evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body has been published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Civil Servants at Senior Civil Servant pay band 4 are paid above the pay band maximum of £200,000.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There are nine Permanent Secretaries paid above £200,000. Data on pay is published in departments' quarterly transparency reports.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 support schemes with total disbursements exceeding £100 million have been subject to a fraud and error measurement exercise by the Public Sector Fraud Authority; how many of those schemes have not undergone that exercise; and whether they will publish a list of all schemes assessed, including the methodology, timing and results of each exercise.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the 2021-22 Fraud Landscape Report, relevant departments reported conducting fraud and error measurement exercises covering higher risk spending both during and after the pandemic. These were undertaken in financial year 2021-22.
These fraud and error measurement exercises in six COVID-19 support schemes (those with the highest spend and assessed level of fraud risk) were reviewed by the Government Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise (now the Public Sector Fraud Authority, PSFA) against the Government Counter Fraud Function’s Fraud Loss Measurement Standard. Each of these six COVID-19 support schemes had expenditure totalling more than £100m each.
The PSFA concluded in 2022 that the fraud and error measurement exercises undertaken by these departments in respect of these six schemes did not meet the Government Counter Fraud Profession Fraud Loss Measurement Standard. The failure of the six measurements assessed by the PSFA does not mean the measurement exercises, and results, were without value.
The PSFA does not intend to publish a list of all schemes assessed, although a majority have already been published in the Annual Reports & Accounts of the respective departments.
The Covid Counter-Fraud Commissioner, who was appointed in December 2024, is also working closely with government departments and local authorities to tackle fraud linked to pandemic support schemes and recover public money. As set out in the Spring Statement, the government has accepted the Commissioner's early recommendation to improve incentives for departments to recover funds.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the report by the National Audit Office, Tackling fraud and protecting propriety in government spending during an emergency, published on 8 February 2024 (HC444), how the Public Sector Fraud Authority defines fraud resource levels of (1) no counter-fraud, (2) clearly mismatched, and (3) potential mismatched; how many government bodies they assessed for fraud resource levels; what methodology they used; and whether they will publish a list of the bodies falling into each of those categories.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the Public Sector Fraud Authority’s Treasury Minutes Progress Report to the Public Accounts Committee on the Sixty-ninth Report of Session 2022-23 (Tackling fraud and corruption against government), available here, we no longer define fraud resources levels in this way.
This is because it is not feasible to identify a ‘correct’ level of counter fraud and corruption investment. This level is dependent on multiple factors which are considered by individual departments and organisations. The optimum level varies, depending on each organisation's fraud risk appetite and the balance of the other risks they face.
Departments agree targets for their impact on fraud, and an overview is published in Cross Government Fraud Landscape report. We will publish an update on performance in tackling fraud in the next report which is due for publication in November 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the payments to the Boston Consulting Group of £548,339 (Ref: 1037198127) categorised under “CDDO Strategy, Analysis and System Reform” in Cabinet Office transparency data for February 2024, whether the then Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service had a role in approving the spending or underlying contractual arrangement.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service is not involved with the process for the approval of payments to suppliers. The purchase to pay process is managed between the Cabinet Office Finance team and the respective Contract Manager.
At the time of this work, the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service was a member of the Cabinet Office Investment Committee which was responsible for the approval of whole life investment spend for projects and programmes over £1m. In addition to this, all professional services spend over £100k required the approval from the Investment Committee and the Minister for Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many staff work in the No10 Implementation Unit; what is its current remit; and whether it has a role in “Plan for Change” and Mission Board monitoring.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There is no No10 Implementation unit.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the 2,100 Cabinet Office roles they plan to cut or move over the next two years are currently vacant or unfilled.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The CO has announced plans to restructure and re-organise, to create a more strategic, specialist and smaller centre of government.
We are currently working with the HR Directorate and our trade unions on the implementation of our directive, and will seek to achieve the necessary reductions through voluntary means and attrition.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will place a copy of the desknote about direct ministerial appointments in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in our Written Answers on 22 October 2024 (PQ 6096) and 31 March 2025 (PQ 41100), we have been considering whether the commitment to publish guidance on direct ministerial appointments made by the previous administration was sufficient and appropriate for meeting the Committees’ recommendations. We will provide a further update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a model contract for permanent secretaries; and if so whether they will place a copy in the Library of the House.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Contracts for Permanent Secretaries and all other SCS are not published publicly so we will not be placing a copy in the Library of the House.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the total cost of (1) redundancy, (2) severance, and (3) human resources consultancy, as a result of the planned reduction of 2,100 roles in the Cabinet Office.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Cabinet Office has announced plans to restructure and reorganise, to create a more strategic, specialist, and smaller centre of government.
Savings will be made from non-pay budgets and pay budgets, and we expect up to 1,200 staff will leave the department in the next two years. Our priority is to achieve the necessary reductions through voluntary means or attrition. So far, 540 employees have been approved to leave through the Voluntary Exit Scheme, which is expected to cost £27 million. Estimates of the total cost of staff exits are under development. All exit payments will comply with the Civil Service Compensation Scheme. This is a long term investment as part of this government's commitment to reshape the way the British state delivers for and serves working people
These staff exits are separate to c.900 people who have moved out of the department through machinery of government changes. This includes the transfer of the Government Digital Service to DSIT to create the digital centre of government.