Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many National Security Council meetings at Ministerial level there have been since 1 September 2023.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Hikvision CCTV or other surveillance software or equipment from Hikvision, is used on any property owned or administered by his Department.
Answered by Michael Ellis
As has been the case under successive administrations, it is not government policy to comment on the security arrangements of government buildings. Specific details regarding the make and model of security systems are withheld on national security grounds.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are being used to evaluate value for money of possible relocations of Government offices under the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has committed to ensuring that the administration of Government is less London-centric through the relocation of 22,000 civil service roles to locations across the United Kingdom.
Departments are taking into account a range of factors including their operating model, workforce and location analysis to assess possible locations for roles. The department will select places that they judge to have the skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to identify rural areas with strong transport connections to urban centres as suitable locations for the Places for Growth programme.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Places for Growth was established to contribute towards the government’s levelling up aims and commits to relocating 22,000 civil service roles from central London to the regions and nations of the UK by the end of the decade.
Departments will decide on their locations taking into account a range of factors including their specific operating models, workforce and location analysis. Departments will select places that they judge to have the skills, transport links and capacity to meet their needs and flourish in their chosen locations as well as ensuring locations are suitable for the long term success and sustainability of the civil service.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Melton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of firms that have been successful in bidding for Government contracts between 2015 and 2020 are (a) headquartered and (b) registered with Companies House at an address in a predominantly rural area as defined by the Office of National Statistics' Rural/urban classification 2011.
Answered by Chloe Smith
This information is not held centrally.
Records of central government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search