Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of when people who receive a Civil Service Pension will begin to receive their remediable service statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We will start issuing Remedial Service Statements (RSS) from Spring 2024 and this will be completed in line with the legislative deadline of April 2025. This has been broken into cohorts starting with Ill Health Retirements and concluding with Deceased.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has a timeline for people who receive a Civil Service Pension to receive their remediable service statement.
Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We will start issuing Remedial Service Statements (RSS) from Spring 2024 and this will be completed in line with the legislative deadline of April 2025. This has been broken into cohorts starting with Ill Health Retirements and concluding with Deceased.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) has been and (b) will be paid under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 to ministers who left Government from 1 July to 25 October.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to severance pay of a quarter of their annual salary. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.
Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers and, as such, the information requested by the Hon. gentleman is not held centrally. Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many ministers have been entitled to severance pay under the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 from 1 July to 25 October.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Under the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, eligible Ministers who leave office are entitled to severance pay of a quarter of their annual salary. This applies only where a Minister is under 65 and is not appointed to a ministerial office within three weeks of leaving government.
Individual departments are responsible for the payment of salaries and severance payments to current and former Ministers and, as such, the information requested by the Hon. gentleman is not held centrally. Departments are required to publish compensation payments paid to former Ministers as part of their Annual Report & Accounts.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to progress the updating of the Integrated Review; how long the update will take; and if he will take steps to ensure that there will be a formal industry engagement process.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Prime Minister has committed to producing a ‘refresh’ of the 2021 Integrated Review by the end of the year to ensure that the UK’s security, defence, development and foreign policy architecture is keeping pace with the evolving international environment.
The ‘refresh’ has two core aims:
to review changes in the strategic context since publication of the IR; and
to adjust the UK’s overarching approach and its priorities for action to 2025, including in line with the new Prime Minister’s specific priorities.
The ‘refresh’ will supplement and extend the IR rather than replacing it. As such, it supports the ongoing process of strategy development and delivery within government, and is an example of adaptive strategy in practice.
The Government will engage with Parliament, the Devolved Administrations, external experts, industry and wider stakeholders with an interest in our nation’s security and prosperity. This includes our allies and partners, building on our ongoing dialogue.
Although there are currently no plans for other documents to be published alongside the ‘refresh’, more detail will be published in due course on how the Government will pursue the strategic priorities set out in the IR.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to publish supplementary documents alongside the update to the Integrated Review.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Prime Minister has committed to producing a ‘refresh’ of the 2021 Integrated Review by the end of the year to ensure that the UK’s security, defence, development and foreign policy architecture is keeping pace with the evolving international environment.
The ‘refresh’ has two core aims:
to review changes in the strategic context since publication of the IR; and
to adjust the UK’s overarching approach and its priorities for action to 2025, including in line with the new Prime Minister’s specific priorities.
The ‘refresh’ will supplement and extend the IR rather than replacing it. As such, it supports the ongoing process of strategy development and delivery within government, and is an example of adaptive strategy in practice.
The Government will engage with Parliament, the Devolved Administrations, external experts, industry and wider stakeholders with an interest in our nation’s security and prosperity. This includes our allies and partners, building on our ongoing dialogue.
Although there are currently no plans for other documents to be published alongside the ‘refresh’, more detail will be published in due course on how the Government will pursue the strategic priorities set out in the IR.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of requests for Internal Review of refused FOI requests were (a) referred to and (b) decided by a Minister during the 2021 calendar year.
Answered by Michael Ellis
In line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, officials will refer to Ministers any requests which require the opinion of a qualified person as to whether or not the exemption at section 36 is engaged.
The Cabinet Office does not gather statistics on the number of referrals made to Ministers.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of Freedom of Information Act requests were (a) referred to and (b) decided by a Minister in the 2021 calendar year.
Answered by Michael Ellis
In line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, officials will refer to Ministers any requests which require the opinion of a qualified person as to whether or not the exemption at section 36 is engaged.
The Cabinet Office does not gather statistics on the number of referrals made to Ministers.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether an official in his Department informed any employee or official of Southampton University prior to 5 August 2011 that it would be unlawful for that university to give public access to any of (a) the private diaries of Lord or Lady Mountbatten and (b) their letters to each other.
Answered by Chloe Smith
As the hon. Member will be aware, there are several FOI exemptions that remain in place for historic records. As I said in previous answers, this case is currently before the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) and it would not be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.
Asked by: Chris Evans (Labour (Co-op) - Islwyn)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there was any communication from his Department to the University of Southampton prior to 5 August 2011 which mentions (a) the diaries of Lord or Lady Mountbatten or (b) any of their letters to each other.
Answered by Chloe Smith
As the hon. Member will be aware, there are several FOI exemptions that remain in place for historic records. As I said in previous answers, this case is currently before the First-tier Tribunal (Information Rights) and it would not be appropriate to make further comment whilst this is subject to ongoing legal proceedings.