Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on raising the level of the personal tax-free allowance in line with the basic state pension.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The DWP Secretary of State engages regularly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. As the Minister for Pensions, I also serve as a Parliamentary Secretary at HM Treasury. Currently the Personal Allowance, which is the amount an individual can earn before paying tax, is higher than the full rates of both the basic and new State Pensions. This means pensioners whose income is solely the full new State Pension or basic State Pension will not pay any income tax.
The previous Government made the decision to freeze the income tax Personal Allowance at its current level of £12,570 until April 2028. At our first Budget, we decided not to extend the freeze on personal tax thresholds.
Under the previous Government the vast majority of pensioners already pay Income Tax. When individuals’ wider income was taken into account in 2022/23 over 80% of pensioners had an income over the Personal Allowance Tax Threshold.
This Government is absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.
Over 12 million pensioners will benefit from our commitment to protect the Triple Lock which is set to increase spending on the State Pension by around £31 billion and will increase people’s yearly State Pensions by up to £1,900 this Parliament.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
For all of offices except Darlington, we have a desk booking system which enables staff to reserve a desk prior to attending the office. However, it is a recommendation rather than a requirement for staff to reserve a space in advance. In the Darlington Economic Campus, staff book a space rather than a desk to attend the office and this is done in collaboration with the other Departments we share with.
ALBs operate at arm's length from the department and have the flexibility to determine their own workplace policies, including desk booking arrangements. The department does not collect this information centrally.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department, via the Government Property Agency as its asset manager, leases a total of thirteen sites, in multi-tenanted buildings, for use by its staff. There is no requirement for staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person. All the department’s arm length bodies, bar those classed as Executive Agencies, manage their own respective estates. They have advised that they do not require staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend any of their offices.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
DCMS staff are encouraged to book a desk to guarantee a work setting whilst working at our London HQ. Other non bookable work settings are also available for staff to use. Desk booking is not currently implemented at any other DCMS office location.
Desk booking services for arm’s length bodies within DCMS are not centrally held and would come at disproportionate cost to the department in producing this information.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Desk booking systems are in use at several DBT’s offices, including its London headquarters. Except for offices at Caxton House, London, it is not compulsory for people to book a desk for them to attend the office in person.
Arms length bodies have their own individual policies and procedures relating to desk booking.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department currently has a formal digital desk booking tool - in a limited number of locations - which allows colleagues to book a desk in advance of attending the office, if they wish to do so. However, there is no requirement for colleagues to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person. There is no formal desk booking tool in place at the remaining DWP locations.
The Department’s ALBs have their own procedures for booking a desk:
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Mike Kane - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no requirement for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend a Department for Transport workplace, including the executive agencies (Active Travel England, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Vehicle Certification Agency). A desk booking application is available for staff attending the DfT offices in Birmingham, Hastings, Leeds, London and Swansea, as well as some of the workplaces operated by agencies and Arms Length Bodies, but employees are not required to use them. Touch-down desks and other working spaces are available for staff who attend these locations without booking a desk.
The Arms Length Bodies sponsored by DfT do not employ civil servants and DfT places no requirement on their staff to book desks to attend workplaces.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is an online booking tool for Core Defra and arm’s length bodies’ staff to use to book workspaces in advance at some office locations (including desks, meeting rooms, and collaboration spaces). It is not a requirement to have the online booking tool in place at all office locations.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Ministry of Justice staff are able to attend an office location without needing to book a desk. This includes our Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies. This approach does not apply to non-operational staff based in the operational estate, which has separate access conditions and processes, due to the security requirements of these sites.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office staff are encouraged to book desks, but it is not mandatory.
Similarly, of the Cabinet Office's arm's length bodies that directly employ their own staff, none mandate booking a desk in order to attend the office in person.