Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the objectives, work and structure of any units, teams or groups within the Cabinet Office working on European Union matters, relations or policy, and what is the headcount for those units.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
On 24 July 2024, the Prime Minister announced via a Written Ministerial Statement that responsibility for the UK’s relationship with the EU, including co-chairing the ministerial structures under the UK’s treaties with the EU, would move to the Cabinet Office.
The EU Relations Secretariat was established in the Cabinet Office to give effect to the Government's manifesto commitments to reset the relationship with the EU, deliver on our commitments in the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement and Trade and Cooperation Agreement, and implement the Windsor Framework in good faith and protect the UK's internal market.
The EU Relations Secretariat brings together civil servants who were already working on EU relations from across the government. The data on this headcount will be published in 2025. The next update to the Cabinet Office organogram with a breakdown of grades will be published on 30 January 2025.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross of 4 November (HL1812), whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of each artwork or portrait that has been (1) removed from, and (2) added to the Downing Street estate, including Number 9, Number 10, Number 11, Number 12 and the two official residences, since 5 July, including any Government Art Collection reference number, according to records held by the Government Art Collection.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Minister Gould, 31 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 8943.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many special advisers are employed by the Government.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As when the noble Lord was a special adviser under the previous administration, the number of special advisers will be published in the Annual Report on Special Advisers.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the portraits of Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh, William Gladstone, Margaret Thatcher and William Shakespeare, which formerly hung in 10 Downing Street, have either been (1) rehung elsewhere; or (2) moved into storage; and if so, where.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lord to my answer of 23 September 2024, Official Report, PQ HL1035 and the answer of the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Georgia Gould, 31 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 8943. To note, the portrait of William Gladstone was hung in 11 Downing Street, rather than 10 Downing Street.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish an updated list of ministers' interests.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal
The List of Ministers’ Interests will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will resume publication of Civil Service office attendance data; and how that data is broken down by department for the period between May and July this year.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The publication of this data was suspended in line with pre-election guidance for the duration of the Pre-Election Period. We will provide an update on future publication plans in due course.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to maintain the Civil Service work-from-home rules, introduced in November 2023, which require Civil Servants to work in the office or face-to-face 60 per cent of the time, and whether they will publish a copy of those rules.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Current Civil Service guidance requires Civil Servants to attend the office or work face-to-face with colleagues at least 60% of the time. There are no plans to change those requirements.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total cost of machinery-of-government changes, including renaming and rebranding of departments, during the recent change of Government, broken down by department.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer Lord Kempsell to the statement made by the Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Basildon about Machinery of Government changes on 24 July 2024, HLWS18.
No additional funding is allocated to departments to implement machinery of government changes.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of proposals to extend a legal duty of candour on public bodies other than healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
The Government firmly believes in the benefits of having a bespoke approach to different parts of the public sector and is not persuaded that a single overarching duty would work well in practice.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to eradicate modern slavery from centrally held procurement supply chains.
Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Shadow Minister (Treasury)
Modern slavery has no place in public supply chains.
We have taken action in the Procurement Act to strengthen the rules around excluding suppliers linked to modern slavery. The current rules require the supplier to have been convicted or there to have been a breach of international treaties banning forced labour, or evidence of grave professional misconduct.
We recognise that modern slavery often occurs in countries which are not party to international treaties on forced labour and which are unlikely to prosecute the perpetrators. Our changes will allow authorities to exclude suppliers and disregard their bids where there is sufficient evidence of modern slavery. This will apply whether or not there has been a conviction or a breach of an international treaty.
The Cabinet Office has also published a Procurement Policy Notice which sets out how UK Government departments must take action to ensure modern slavery risks are identified and managed in government supply chains.
Individual procurements and their contract management of course remain the responsibility of government departments.