Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the process is for a member of staff making a formal bullying complaint about a Minister under the Ministerial Code.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Rt. Hon Member to the answer given in PQ24573 on 24 June 2022
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials work in the Government Consulting Hub; and at what band those officials are working as of 14 March 2023.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Rt Honourable Lady to my answer of 10 February, PQ 138358, in which, inter alia, I set out that the Government Consulting Hub was closed in January 2023.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2022 to Question 92227 on Fraud, what recent progress the Public Sector Fraud Authority has made on delivering £180m of identified fraud benefits within its first year.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office's Public Sector Fraud Authority is on track to deliver in excess of £180m of identified fraud benefits in its first year. The final figure will be audited by GIAA in the Summer and announced shortly after.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average cost per hour was of legal advice to his Department over the last 12 months.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Cabinet Office predominantly receives legal advice in-house from the Government Legal Department, which charges for its work on various bases, including fixed fee arrangements and hourly charging. However, there are special cases where we need to seek advice from external legal firms and counsel; in these circumstances, the Cabinet Office ensures the costs are competitive and value for money is achieved by using competed frameworks for external firms and the Attorney General’s panel of counsel.
Since much of the advice is not charged for on an hourly basis, the department cannot calculate the average hourly cost of legal advice.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2022 to Question 92230 on Dominic Raab, whether his Department has received any further formal complaints regarding the conduct of the Deputy Prime Minister since 29 November.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the honourable member to my earlier answer of 19 December. [UIN 110723]
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 September 2022 to Question 48359 on 10 Downing Street: Furniture, whether the lectern used by the Prime Minister on 25th October was paid for by the taxpayer.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Lecterns are regularly used at government press conferences, receptions and speeches.
These lecterns were purchased by the Government under a previous administration.
As previously stated, lecterns are used and repurposed across the Cabinet Office estate and other government buildings.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the lectern used by the Prime Minister on 7 March 2023 was paid for from the public purse.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Lecterns are regularly used at government press conferences, receptions and speeches.
These lecterns were purchased by the Government under a previous administration.
As previously stated, lecterns are used and repurposed across the Cabinet Office estate and other government buildings.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has knowingly granted procurement contracts with any firms that have engaged in fire and rehire tactics.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government has been clear on its opposition to this practice being used as a negotiating tactic and is now making it clear how it expects employers to behave.
Departments are responsible for their own commercial decisions, including the award and management of contracts.
Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a timeframe for updating the 2013 Cabinet Office guidance on use of private email accounts by Departments.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the Right Honourable Member to my reply to PQ 95849
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many suppliers the Government excluded from procurement on the grounds of fraud under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 in (a) 2015 (b) 2018 and (c) 2021.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to tackling fraud and corruption in public procurement. All contracting authorities must act, and be seen to act, with integrity.
Information on how many suppliers the Government excluded from procurement on the grounds of fraud under the Public Contract Regulations 2015 is not held centrally. Departments will hold their own exclusions data.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority was established in August 2022 to work with departments and public bodies to understand the causes of fraud and reduce its impact, throughout the commercial lifecycle.
The Procurement Bill, which is making its way through Parliament, further strengthens the rules on supplier exclusion for fraud and corruption.