Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Department for Education employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The department does not have any employees on zero-hour contracts.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Cabinet Office employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
There are no civil servants employed by the Cabinet Office on zero hour contracts.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Attorney General's Office employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) does not employ any staff on a zero-hour contract. The AGO has a mix of permanent and fixed term contracts.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government under what circumstances they would reconsider the decision not to award a clasp to the General Service Medal for service in BRIXMIS.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As the noble Lord was advised in 2023, cases regarding historic medallic recognition are a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) to consider, rather than the Ministry of Defence. In 2020, the AMSC considered the issue of awarding a clasp to the General Service Medal for service on BRIXMIS, and the recommendation of the Sub-Committee was that BRIXMIS did not meet the criteria for medallic recognition. This recommendation was accepted by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee).
Any further review of this issue would be for the AMSC to consider, should additional evidence be submitted, which fulfils at least one of the following criteria: significant new evidence has become available that had not been considered previously; facts relied upon during the original decision-making process are shown to be unsound; the original decision appears to be manifestly inconsistent with those for other similar campaigns; or the decision appears to have been taken for reasons which have nothing to do with risk and rigour.
Should the AMSC agree that any such new evidence was sufficient to alter their original decision, they would make a recommendation to the HD Committee for further consideration and, if agreed, submission to His Majesty The King for His Majesty’s final approval.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) does not employ people on 0 hour contracts.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 March (HL5463), how many people the Department for Culture, Media and Sport employs on zero-hour contracts.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Zero. DCMS does not have this type of contract.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what definition they use for "family members" in the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The full definition of ‘relevant family members’ for the purposes of this Bill will be included in secondary legislation. This is being done to mirror the approach taken elsewhere in legislation relating to the Armed Forces.
A draft of the definition of ‘relevant family members’ will be shared with Peers as part of Committee Stage in the House of Lords, scheduled for 19, 24 and 26 March 2025.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value of the Defence Gateway in enabling communication with and the work of the active and strategic reserve.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Gateway remains a valued digital portal which enables effective communication, information sharing, and system access to users across the Defence community. Work to address its contracting is underway, due to commercial sensitivities I am unable to disclose further detail at this time.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend or replace the contract for the Defence Gateway.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Gateway remains a valued digital portal which enables effective communication, information sharing, and system access to users across the Defence community. Work to address its contracting is underway, due to commercial sensitivities I am unable to disclose further detail at this time.
Asked by: Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what conditions (1) regular members of the British Army, (2) members of the Army Reserve, (3) members of the Regular Reserve, (4) members of the recall reserve, and (5) civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence are subject to under service law; and what conditions immediate family members of each of these groups are subject to under service law.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Act 2006 (AFA 06) sets out the conditions under which different categories of individuals are subject to service law. Section 367 of the Act sets out the conditions for (1) Regular members, (2) members of the Army Reserve and (3) members of the Regular Reserve as follows:
(1) Every member of the regular forces is subject to service law at all times.
(2) Every member of the reserve forces is subject to service law while—
(a) in permanent service on call-out under any provision of the Reserve Forces Act 1980 (c. 9) or the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (c. 14) or under any other call-out obligation of an officer;
(b) in home defence service on call-out under section 22 of the Reserve Forces Act 1980;
(c) in full-time service under a commitment entered into under section 24 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996;
(d) undertaking any training or duty (whether or not in pursuance of an obligation); or
(e) serving on the permanent staff of a reserve force.
Individuals liable to recall (4) are not members of a reserve force under the Act and would only be subject to service law if they were recalled.
Civilians employed by the Ministry of Defence and immediate family members (if they are civilians) (5) would not be subject to service law under the AFA 06. In certain circumstances they could be subject to service discipline under Section 370 of AFA 06 and these circumstances are set out in Schedule 15 of the Act, such as when they are on an HM aircraft in flight or on a HM ship afloat or they are living or staying with someone who is subject to service law outside the UK.