Chris Stephens Portrait

Chris Stephens

Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West

First elected: 7th May 2015

Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Justice)

(since September 2023)

Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Immigration)

(since September 2023)

Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Levelling Up)
12th Dec 2022 - 4th Sep 2023
Work and Pensions Committee
2nd Mar 2020 - 9th Jan 2023
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Fair Work and Employment)
1st Jul 2018 - 12th Dec 2022
Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Bill
30th Nov 2022 - 7th Dec 2022
Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill
7th Sep 2022 - 12th Oct 2022
Public Service Pensions and Judicial Offices Bill [HL]
19th Jan 2022 - 27th Jan 2022
Work and Pensions Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 6th Nov 2019
Shadow SNP Spokesperson (Trade Unions and Workers' Rights)
20th Jun 2017 - 1st Jul 2018
European Scrutiny Committee
6th Feb 2017 - 3rd May 2017


Oral Question
Thursday 7th December 2023
10:10
Attorney General
Oral Question No. 12
What steps she is taking to increase prosecution rates for small boat gangs and other people traffickers.
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Department Event
Tuesday 9th January 2024
11:30
Ministry of Justice
Oral questions - Main Chamber
9 Jan 2024, 11:30 a.m.
Justice (including Topical Questions)
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Note: This event involves a Department with which this person is linked, and does not guarantee their actual attendance.
Division Votes
Monday 4th December 2023
Victims and Prisoners Bill
voted Aye - in line with the party majority
One of 29 Scottish National Party Aye votes vs 0 Scottish National Party No votes
Tally: Ayes - 246 Noes - 242
Speeches
Tuesday 28th November 2023
Criminal Justice Bill
It is a pleasure to follow the former Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Witham (Priti Patel), and I …
Written Answers
Monday 13th November 2023
Ministry of Justice: Women
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of civil servants on temporary contracts in his Department are …
Early Day Motions
Tuesday 19th September 2023
Abdullah Ocalan
That this House notes with great concern the continued incarceration in isolation by Turkish authorities of Abdullah Ocalan, the Kurdish …
Bills
Wednesday 7th June 2023
Food Poverty Strategy Bill 2022-23
A Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for ending the need for food banks by …
MP Financial Interests
Monday 20th March 2023
2. (b) Any other support not included in Category 2(a)
Name of donor: Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
Address of donor: 160 Falcon Road, London SW11 2LN
Amount of …
EDM signed
Monday 4th December 2023
85th anniversary of the return of the British and Irish volunteers in the International Brigades
That this House notes that 7 December 2023 marks the 85th anniversary of the return to Britain of the British …
Supported Legislation
Tuesday 2nd May 2023
National Minimum Wage Bill 2022-23
A Bill to make provision about the national minimum wage; and for connected purposes.

Division Voting information

During the current Parliamentary Session, Chris Stephens has voted in 632 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Chris Stephens Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Paul Scully (Conservative)
(28 debate interactions)
Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
(22 debate interactions)
Chris Philp (Conservative)
Minister of State (Home Office)
(20 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Department for Work and Pensions
(98 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(65 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Chris Stephens's debates

Glasgow South West Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petitions with highest Glasgow South West signature proportion
Petition Debates Contributed

The maximum penalty for failure to stop after an incident is points and a 6-month custodial sentence. Causing death by careless/dangerous driving is between 5-14 yrs. The sentence for failing to stop after a fatal collision must be increased.

The offence of causing 'death by dangerous driving' should be widened to include: failure to stop, call 999 and render aid on scene until further help arrives.

Enact legislation to protect retail workers. This legislation must create a specific offence of abusing, threatening or assaulting a retail worker. The offence must carry a penalty that acts as a deterrent and makes clear that abuse of retail workers is unacceptable.

The government is helping private firms to protect jobs by paying up to 80% of staff wages through this crisis. If it can do this why can it not help key workers who will be putting themselves/their families at risk and working extra hard under extremely challenging and unprecedented circumstances.

During the pandemic government workers have delivered vital public services and kept our country safe and secure. After ten years in which the real value of civil service pay has fallen, many face hardship. The Government must start to restore the real value of their pay with a 10% increase in 2020.

Illegal immigrants are entering the UK in many different ways, including small boats from France which are not stopped by either French or British forces.


Latest EDMs signed by Chris Stephens

4th December 2023
Chris Stephens signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 4th December 2023

85th anniversary of the return of the British and Irish volunteers in the International Brigades

Tabled by: Beth Winter (Labour - Cynon Valley)
That this House notes that 7 December 2023 marks the 85th anniversary of the return to Britain of the British and Irish volunteer members of the International Brigades who fought on the side of the Republican Government against fascism of Franco, Mussolini and Hitler in the Spanish Civil War; recalls …
6 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Dec 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 4
Scottish National Party: 1
Independent: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
4th December 2023
Chris Stephens signed this EDM on Monday 4th December 2023

Reductions in railway funding

Tabled by: Ian Mearns (Labour - Gateshead)
That this House notes the Government funding settlement for the next five-year Railway Control Period 7 from 2024 to 2029 will result in a £1.2bn cut in Network Rail's budget for vital safety-critical railway infrastructure work compared to the previous five year period; further notes these cuts will fall on …
23 signatures
(Most recent: 4 Dec 2023)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 17
Independent: 3
Green Party: 1
Plaid Cymru: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Chris Stephens's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Chris Stephens, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


1 Urgent Question tabled by Chris Stephens

Thursday 17th March 2022

3 Adjournment Debates led by Chris Stephens

Thursday 23rd June 2022
Monday 29th November 2021

38 Bills introduced by Chris Stephens


A Bill to make provision about workers’ rights; to amend the definition of worker; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 24th March 2023

A Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to prevent the evictions of Universal Credit claimants in rent arrears; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for national minimum standards in accommodation offered to refugees and asylum seekers; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to grant powers to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to identify and investigate systemic problems in the benefits system and make associated recommendations to the Secretary of State; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the merits of repealing those provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which provide for persons to be paid reduced rates of housing benefit or Universal Credit because their accommodation is deemed to be under-occupied.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish annual calculations of the benefit and tax credit rates that would be required for a representative household to afford to buy meals in accordance with the Eatwell Guide to eating healthily; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 to provide that a Universal Credit claimant may not be sanctioned for refusing work on a zero hours contract; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to place a duty on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to pursue a policy of full employment; to make associated provision for an employment guarantee scheme for benefit claimants who have been unemployed and looking for work for longer than six months; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to amend the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to make provision about civil liability for breaches of health and safety duties; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision about workers’ rights; to amend the definition of worker; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to ensure that applicants for Disability Benefit are given the option of their eligibility assessment being audio recorded; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to amend the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 to make provision about the offence of corporate homicide; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for warnings to be given to benefit claimants before they are given sanctions; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for granting permission to work to asylum seekers who have waited six months for a decision on their asylum application; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

A Bill to make provision for asylum seekers to challenge the proportionality of a proposed eviction from accommodation before an independent court or tribunal; to establish asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading
Friday 6th May 2022

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the definition of worker; to make provision about workers’ rights; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading: House Of Commons
Friday 4th October 2019

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 to provide that a Universal Credit claimant may not be sanctioned for refusing work on a zero hours contract; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 40%

Last Event - 2nd Reading: House Of Commons
Friday 4th October 2019

A Bill to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 to provide that a Universal Credit claimant may not be sanctioned for refusing work on a zero hours contract; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to report to Parliament on the merits of repealing those provisions of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 which provide for persons to be paid reduced rates of housing benefit or universal credit because their accommodation is deemed to be under-occupied.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish annual calculations of benefit and tax credit rates that would be required for a representative household to afford to buy meals in accordance with the Eatwell Guide to eating healthily; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to grant powers to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to identify and investigate systemic problems in the benefits system and make associated recommendations to the Secretary of State; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to make provision for national minimum standards in accommodation offered to refugees and asylum seekers; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to amend the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 to make provision about civil liability for breaches of health and safety duties, and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to place a duty on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to pursue a policy of full employment; to make associated provision for an employment guarantee scheme for benefit claimants who have been unemployed and looking for work for longer than six months; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to require the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for ending the need for food banks by 2030; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 7th June 2023

A Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to prevent the evictions of Universal Credit claimants in rent arrears; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A duty on the Secretary of State to ensure that applicants for Disability Benefit are given the option of their eligibility assessment being audio recorded; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to amend the Scotland Act 1998 to grant legislative competence for employment matters to the Scottish Parliament.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to amend the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 to make provision about the offence of corporate homicide; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to make provision for warnings to be given to benefit claimants before they are given sanctions; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to make provision for granting permission to work to asylum seekers who have waited six months for a decision on their asylum application; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to make provision for asylum seekers to challenge the proportionality of a proposed eviction from accommodation before an independent court or tribunal; to establish asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 20th June 2022

A Bill to amend the definition of worker; to make provision about workers’ rights; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Wednesday 26th February 2020
(Read Debate)

A Bill to amend the Welfare Reform Act 2012 to provide that a Universal Credit claimant may not be sanctioned for refusing work on a zero hours contract; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 10th February 2020

A Bill to place a duty on the Secretary of State to prevent the evictions of Universal Credit claimants in rent arrears; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 10th February 2020

A Bill to make provision for asylum seekers to challenge the proportionality of a proposed eviction from accommodation before an independent court or tribunal; to establish asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading
Monday 10th February 2020

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision for asylum seekers to challenge the proportionality of a proposed eviction from accommodation before an independent court or tribunal; to establish asylum seeker accommodation eviction procedures for public authorities; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 2nd Reading: House Of Commons
Friday 4th October 2019

A Bill to restrict charges for using telecommunications to contact certain government advice services; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 21st February 2017
(Read Debate)

628 Written Questions in the current parliament

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
8 Other Department Questions
6th Jul 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on support for asylum seekers with protected characteristics.

Everybody has a protected characteristic.

In supporting individuals and where it is required, we have an obligation to provide accommodation which is adequate to their needs, which may or may not be on account of protected characteristics.

Accommodation providers are required to take account of specific requirements from individuals who have specific characteristics including sexual and gender identity.

Sarah Dines
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
25th May 2023
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent steps the Government has taken to support people with disabilities with increases in the cost of living.

Over 8 million households on eligible means-tested benefits will receive Cost of Living Payments, totalling up to £900. The first instalment of £301 was paid recently.

In addition, over six million people receiving an eligible disability benefit will receive a further £150 disability cost of living payment from the 20th of June.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

DCMS does run a Disability Confident Scheme, which is applied to all advertised vacancies in the department. Any applicant with a disability is able to make an application under the scheme.

2021 #

2021 %

2022 #

2022 %

Applicants applying on level transfer under the DCS who were interviewed

9

3.93%

35

14.23%

Applicants applying on level transfer under the DCS who were laterally transferred/posted

1

1.45%

5

7.58%

To note on figures:

  • Figures include vacancies that were advertised internally to DCMS, and across government - as this is the only way to identify those applying on level transfer.

  • Figures relate to DCMS pre recent Machinery of Government changes.

  • Percentages are expressed as a proportion of the total number of applicants (i.e. those with a disability, those without a disability, and those who preferred not to disclose).

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The disability confident scheme (DCS) is applied to all advertised vacancies in DCMS. Any applicant with a disability is able to make an application under the scheme.

2021 #

2021 %

2022 #

2022 %

Applicants applying on promotion under the DCS who were interviewed

39

10.89%

39

12.11%

Applicants applying on promotion under the DCS who were promoted/posted

6

5.26%

10

11.90%

To note on figures:

  • Figures include vacancies that were advertised internally to DCMS, and across government - as this is the only way to capture those applying on promotion.

  • Percentages are expressed as a proportion of the total number of applicants (i.e. those with a disability, those without a disability, and those who preferred not to disclose).

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
16th Nov 2021
To ask the President of COP26, how local community groups and charities in Glasgow South West constituency may be able to apply for some of the 6000 items of furniture donated by IKEA which were used for COP26.

The UK Government, IKEA and Glasgow City Council are working closely together to ensure these donations are responsibly distributed amongst community groups and third sector organisations such as NGOs, voluntary organisations and cooperatives within Glasgow and the wider region.

We are working on a platform to facilitate this process. In the meantime organisations can get in touch through COP26Enquiries@glasgow.gov.uk to register their interest.

Alok Sharma
COP26 President (Cabinet Office)
19th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recommendations have been received from Public Health England since November 2020 on the circumstances in which the suspension of work on the Parliamentary estate would be advisable owing to the increased risk of infection from covid-19.

Public Health England has confirmed that the measures put in place to ensure the House remains Covid secure are appropriate to manage the risk of infection. As the risks are being managed, Public Health England has issued no advice around where suspension of work on the estate may be necessary.

19th Jan 2021
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether the Commission has received advice from Public Health England on what level of increased risk of covid-19 infection would require the suspension of work on the Parliamentary Estate.

The Commission has received no advice from Public Health England on what level of increased risk of covid-19 infection would require the suspension of work on the Parliamentary Estate.

10th May 2023
To ask the Attorney General, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The Government Legal Department [GLD] is considering available options in relation to calculating holiday pay with respect to overtime. The GLD aims to complete this work in the current financial year.

Michael Tomlinson
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
31st Jan 2023
To ask the Attorney General, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has a shared HR service with the Government Legal Department (GLD). Negotiations with recognised trade unions relating to pay and changes to HR policies are conducted by GLD, with the AGO adopting the final agreement. Equality Impact Assessments are discussed with the trade unions where appropriate, however the Civil Service Management Code (CSMC) does not place an obligation on departments to share this information with their representative trade unions, nor is there a legal requirement to publish such assessments.

Michael Tomlinson
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Attorney General, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has a shared HR service with the Government Legal Department (GLD). GLD meets regularly with their recognised Trade Unions and presents and shares a range of information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement. GLD are therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, and always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements. There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and therefore publicly available.

Michael Tomlinson
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
26th Jan 2023
To ask the Attorney General, what steps they are taking to ensure that their Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether the monitoring data gathered for that purpose is shared with relevant trade unions.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has a shared HR service with the Government Legal Department (GLD). All AGO staff are asked to self-declare their personal sensitive information on the HR Information system, as per section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code. Negotiations with the trade unions in respect of changes to HR practices or policies would normally be conducted by GLD with AGO adopting the final agreement. A link to the Civil Service statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Michael Tomlinson
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Attorney General, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

The Attorney General’s Office has a shared HR service with the Government Legal Department (GLD) and do not report separately on this matter. This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%. Further information can be found on National Living Wage and National Minimum wage here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-national-minimum-wage-in-2022

Michael Tomlinson
Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Attorney General, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

This answer is in respect of the Attorney General’s Office, the Government Legal Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Serious Fraud Office and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

The introduction of GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in the organisations above in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Attorney General, whether his Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

This part of the response is in relation to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the Government Legal Department (GLD), and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI).

The three organisations above, and Government more widely, recognise that there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services. Whilst facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money, departments have an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

In line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually by GLD, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer, including where this arises under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

The Serious Fraud Office (whose HR service is independent of the other Law Officer’s Departments) Facility Time Agreement allows for paid time off for health and safety representatives but that time off is set against the overall level of facility time agreed between the employer and the 3 recognised trade unions.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to reply to the letter of 22 August 2023 from the Public and Commercial Services Union on the ruling in Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors.

The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL) to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring 2024.

I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.

7th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in his Department.

The Cabinet Office is working closely with our shared services provider (SSCL) to implement a solution. Early indications are that this will take place in Spring 2024.

I have informed the Public and Commercial Services Union that a full response to their letter of 22 August 2023 will be sent in due course.

18th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which departmental buildings are part of the Mitie Affiliate Cluster.

GPA currently outsources Workplace Services to MITIE to the following organisations and at following locations. This contract was competitively tendered to ensure it provides the best value for money to the taxpayer.

Building List

Ashford, International House

Basingstoke, Priestley House, Priestley Road

Birmingham, Quinton Business Park

Carlisle, Victoria Place

Carmarthen, Ty Myrddin

Cheltenham, St James House

East Kilbride, Eaglesham Road, Abercrombie House

Glasgow, Cornerstone

Inverness, Longman Road

London, 10 South Colonnade

London, 22-26 Whitehall

London, 35 Great Smith Street

London, 70-72 Whitehall

London, Admiralty House Whitehall

London, Dover House, 66 Whitehall

London, The Whitechapel Building

Norwich, Rosebery Court Central Avenue

Tadley near Basingstoke, Cottington Hill

Department list

Health and Safety Executive

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Cabinet Office

Scotland Office

Government Digital Service

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
18th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Departments are in the Mitie Affiliate Cluster.

GPA currently outsources Workplace Services to MITIE to the following organisations and at following locations. This contract was competitively tendered to ensure it provides the best value for money to the taxpayer.

Building List

Ashford, International House

Basingstoke, Priestley House, Priestley Road

Birmingham, Quinton Business Park

Carlisle, Victoria Place

Carmarthen, Ty Myrddin

Cheltenham, St James House

East Kilbride, Eaglesham Road, Abercrombie House

Glasgow, Cornerstone

Inverness, Longman Road

London, 10 South Colonnade

London, 22-26 Whitehall

London, 35 Great Smith Street

London, 70-72 Whitehall

London, Admiralty House Whitehall

London, Dover House, 66 Whitehall

London, The Whitechapel Building

Norwich, Rosebery Court Central Avenue

Tadley near Basingstoke, Cottington Hill

Department list

Health and Safety Executive

Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office

Cabinet Office

Scotland Office

Government Digital Service

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
18th Jul 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what facility management services the Government Property Agency will provide the Ministry of Justice in 2023.

The Government Property Agency does not provide facilities management services to the Ministry of Justice.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Cabinet Office, as an employer, is an accredited member of the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and retains a level 3 position. This demonstrates the department has the ability to actively and effectively recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

As a DCS member, the Cabinet Office is committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and putting in place reasonable and workplace adjustments wherever required.

We offer an interview to all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for, demonstrating flexibility when assessing applicants so disabled people have the best opportunity to demonstrate that they can do the job for which they have applied.

Cabinet Office regularly reviews and challenges operating processes to ensure disability inclusion happens throughout the recruitment process and during all employees’ periods of employment with the department.

In 2021-22, 174 candidates who declared a disability and applied under DCS on promotion were interviewed and 40 candidates received a provisional offer.

In 2021-22, 74 candidates who declared a disability and applied under DCS on a level transfer were interviewed and 40 candidates received a provisional offer.

22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Cabinet Office, as an employer, is an accredited member of the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and retains a level 3 position. This demonstrates the department has the ability to actively and effectively recruit, retain and develop disabled people.

As a DCS member, the Cabinet Office is committed to providing a fully inclusive and accessible recruitment process, and putting in place reasonable and workplace adjustments wherever required.

We offer an interview to all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the role they have applied for, demonstrating flexibility when assessing applicants so disabled people have the best opportunity to demonstrate that they can do the job for which they have applied.

Cabinet Office regularly reviews and challenges operating processes to ensure disability inclusion happens throughout the recruitment process and during all employees’ periods of employment with the department.

In 2021-22, 174 candidates who declared a disability and applied under DCS on promotion were interviewed and 40 candidates received a provisional offer.

In 2021-22, 74 candidates who declared a disability and applied under DCS on a level transfer were interviewed and 40 candidates received a provisional offer.

21st Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the announced machinery of Government changes on 7 February 2023 and the formation of new departments will delay the retendering exercise currently being undertaken by the Government Property Agency on facility management.

Following the Machinery of Government that was announced on 7 February 2023, there has been no change to the GPA’s plan for delivering the retendering of the facility management contracts. Furthermore, no changes to the retendering exercise are envisaged or being planned.

31st Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

There is no legal requirement to publish duty assessment documentation, however, the relevant documentation is provided to staff and Trade Union colleagues upon request.

The Cabinet Office adheres to the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) by completing an equality analysis for each HR policy that we update and/or introduce. This document records the analysis undertaken by the Cabinet Office to fulfil the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010. The department meets the requirement by paying due regard to the need to:

  1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination - direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, and harassment, victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Act

  2. Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and people who do not share it

  3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not share it

We do this by giving consideration to protected characteristics, as well as other groups not included within the list of protected characteristics within the Act, such as varying socio-economic groups. We consider Public Sector Equality Duty before and during policy or service formation, and monitor how the policy or service is working once a decision is implemented. Considering equality in this way is a part of normal day-to-day activity and not a one off exercise.

The Cabinet Office meets regularly with Trade Union representatives. We share information and data requested on the Cabinet Office workforce where appropriate and in line with our privacy statements to help inform decision making.

We regularly communicate and meet with our Trade Union colleagues and have a standard process for engaging with them. In the context of HR policies, this includes, but is not limited to sharing draft HR policies for review, discussion and comment and provides Trade Union colleagues with the opportunity to provide feedback prior to publication.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

I refer the hon. Member to PQ 128667

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

There is no central policy on buying/selling leave. Departments may consider introducing this benefit under their own delegated authority.

Cabinet Office does not currently offer a buying/selling annual leave scheme.

23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of employees in the Prime Minister's Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

The Cabinet Office ensures that we are compliant with legislative increases to the National Minimum Wage. Our minimum salary (AO at a National Pay band) works out to £11.25 per hour.


For management and staffing purposes, the Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. All employees in the Cabinet Office are paid above the National Minimum Wage.

23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

The Cabinet Office ensures that we are compliant with legislative increases to the National Minimum Wage. Our minimum salary (AO at a National Pay band) works out to £11.25 per hour.


For management and staffing purposes, the Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. All employees in the Cabinet Office are paid above the National Minimum Wage.

20th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department's compliance with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available. In addition, Cabinet Office meets regularly with Trade Union representatives and presents and shares information and data requested on the Cabinet Office workforce, where it is appropriate and in line with our privacy statements to help inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

Cabinet Office is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

19th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what human resources information his Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available. In addition, Cabinet Office meets regularly with Trade Union representatives and presents and shares information and data requested on the Cabinet Office workforce, where it is appropriate and in line with our privacy statements to help inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

Cabinet Office is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

18th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Cabinet Office complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code and relevant legislation including GDPR and Equality Act 2010. We collect diversity information and community background information during the job application process and on our workforce through our HR platforms. All personal and sensitive data collected is used in accordance with the Privacy Statement agreed by employees on the HR platforms.

This information is used to understand the workforce size and shape, as well as the level of turnover and diversity in our workforce. The data is used to help us invest in skills, and to inform our HR strategy and policy. Diversity and inclusion data also helps us understand how representative we are and identify those areas we need to improve. The data supports an evidence based approach to diversity and inclusion in the Cabinet Office.

The Cabinet Office meets regularly with the unions and presents and shares information and data requested - where it is appropriate and in line with our privacy statements - to help inform decision making through negotiation and consultation.

30th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the state of industrial relations in the Civil Service.

The Cabinet Office is not the employer for all civil servants, and departments are responsible for engaging with recognised trade unions at departmental and local level. At Cabinet Office level, we engage with the National Trade Union Committee.

The Public and Commercial Services Union are currently in dispute with a number of Civil Service employers and have called for strike action in several departments. We remain open to continued dialogue in order to bring about a resolution.

23rd Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government Property Agency’s new Facilities Management contracts under its Workplace Transformation Programme will be let; and when the new companies will start to provide the contracted services.

The GPA’s Workplace Services Transformation Programme (WSTP) continues to progress the new Facilities Management contracts, with all Tender processes now complete and bid responses received across all Lots of the procurement exercise. There will now follow a due diligence process of evaluating the bids received on Quality and Price. The GPA remains on track to let the new contracts from April 2023, with the mobilisation of the new contractors taking up to six months to complete. A proposed final hand-over date is scheduled for October 2023.

2nd Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the total cost the public purse of severance pay awarded to members of the Government leaving ministerial posts since 1 July 2022.

The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 sets out the detail and circumstances under which former Ministers are eligible for a severance payment. A Minister leaving office, who is below the age of 65 and who is not otherwise reappointed to a Ministerial position within 3 weeks of their last day of service, is eligible for a severance payment of 25% of their annual claimed salary at the time at which they ceased to hold office.



24th Oct 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his officials plan to reply to the PCS Union’s letter of 23 August 2022 on pay business cases; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in responding to that letter.

The Cabinet Office has not received pay business cases from these organisations. In line with pay delegation, consultation and negotiation on pay takes place between individual employers and local trade unions. The Cabinet Office does not consult or negotiate pay. A response to PCS Union's letter will be issued shortly.

24th Oct 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether, and on what date, a pay business case from the Health and Safety Executive was received by his Department.

The Cabinet Office has not received pay business cases from these organisations. In line with pay delegation, consultation and negotiation on pay takes place between individual employers and local trade unions. The Cabinet Office does not consult or negotiate pay. A response to PCS Union's letter will be issued shortly.

24th Oct 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether, and on what date, a pay business case from the Government Internal Audit Agency was received by his Department.

The Cabinet Office has not received pay business cases from these organisations. In line with pay delegation, consultation and negotiation on pay takes place between individual employers and local trade unions. The Cabinet Office does not consult or negotiate pay. A response to PCS Union's letter will be issued shortly.

24th Oct 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether, and on what date, a pay business case from the Valuation Office Agency was received by his Department.

The Cabinet Office has not received pay business cases from these organisations. In line with pay delegation, consultation and negotiation on pay takes place between individual employers and local trade unions. The Cabinet Office does not consult or negotiate pay. A response to PCS Union's letter will be issued shortly.

14th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if will place in the House of Commons Library a copy of the new Mitie Business Services organisational chart covering the Government Property Agency’s Affiliate Cluster.

The department does not intend to publish this document because of commercial sensitivities and security considerations.

8th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to issue the invitation to tender for (a) Physical Security Guard Services and (b) Hard and Soft Facilities Management Services in each region as part of the Government Property Agency Workplace Services Transformation Programme.

The current dates for the launch of the Physical Security Guard Services and Hard and Soft Facilities Management Services are (please note due to the nature of the programme the dates are subject to changes as required):

  1. Security Services (Guarding) - CCS Framework RM 6089, Lot 1a - 04.08.22

    1. North

    2. South

    3. Central

    4. London

  2. Hard FM and Soft FM - CCS Framework RM 3830, Lot 1b - 17.08.22

    1. Soft FM - North

    2. Soft FM - South

    3. Soft FM - Central

    4. Hard FM - North & Central

  1. Hard FM and Soft FM - CCS Framework RM 3830, Lot 1c - 25.08.22

    1. Soft FM - London

    2. Hard FM - South & London

5th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation slides on the Government Property Agency’s Workplace Services Transformation Programme that was delivered to the PCS Union in a meeting with the Government Property Agency on 13 June 2021.

Please find a copy of the presentation attached.

5th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Property Agency has made a delivery model assessment in respect of retendering facilities management contracts in 2022.

The GPA can confirm that the Workplace Transformation Programme (WSTP) Supply Chain Project (SCP) which has been initiated to Procure and deliver the Workplace Service contracts in 2022 has completed a Delivery Model Assessment (DMA).

21st Jun 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what equalities impact assessment his Department has undertaken in respect of the Government Property Agency's decision to retender their Facilities Management contracts in late 2022; and if he will place a copy of that equalities impact assessment in the Library.

At this stage no Equality Impact Assessment has been undertaken for the Government Property Agency (GPA) Workplace Services Transformation Programme that will see the procurement of new facilities management contracts in this current financial year. There is no legal requirement to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment and GPA is confident it has had due regard to the public sector equality duty.

The new facilities management contracts will be procured using Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework agreements. The commercial terms of these agreements include obligations on suppliers to follow all applicable equality law including protections against discrimination and also any other requirements imposed by the authority in relation to equality law.

21st Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work in those circumstances have been conducted by the Department as of 21 February 2022.

Throughout the pandemic, the Cabinet Office has followed Government guidance on ensuring safety in the workplace, particularly the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance - recognising the different approaches taken by the devolved administrations. This includes undertaking appropriate premises risk assessments and implementing mitigation measures.

In addition to workplace risk assessments, we encourage managers to complete individual risk assessments with staff who come into the workplace. Any data acquired through use of the CIRI is confidential and will only be used to ensure any risks are identified and actions taken to respond to any issues relating to a return to the workplace. We do not store this information centrally.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Places for Growth initiative applies to public servants.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Departments are required to inform the Cabinet Office of any plans to move posts out London and the South East under the Places for Growth initiative.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there are any potential redundancy schemes operating in relation to the Places for Growth initiative.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether recognised trade unions will be consulted on any move of posts out of London and the South East under the Places for Growth initiative.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all Departments have been advised to carry out an equality impact assessment in advance of any move of posts out of London and the South East under the Places for Growth initiative.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

18th Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has taken steps to maintain a central equality impact assessment on the move of posts out of London and the Southeast under the Places for Growth initiative.

The Government has made it clear that the Civil Service and its public bodies should have a truly national footprint. Places for Growth is working closely with departments and public bodies to relocate 22,000 Civil Service roles from Greater London to locations across the UK. The Government engages with Trade Unions regarding the Government’s overall ambition for Places for Growth.

Departments are responsible for their individual relocation programmes and own the associated business cases, Equality Impact Assessments and engagement with Trades Unions relating to their plans.

The majority of moves will involve roles becoming available through natural turnover, whereby roles identified as suitable for relocation will be advertised in the new location once a vacancy arises.

Places for Growth has an Equality Impact Assessment in place and departments are also responsible for ensuring they carry out, review and scrutinise Equality Impact Assessments for their specific relocation programmes.

2nd Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Employment Tribunal claims of (a) race and (b) disability discrimination have been lodged against the Cabinet Office in each of the last five years.

Under the GDPR, the Cabinet Office is unable to provide specific data broken down year-on-year for the number of employment tribunal claims of a) race and b) disability that have been lodged. However, in total for the five year period from 01/01/2017 - 01/01/2022 there have been a total of 27 race, disability or race and disability discrimination cases lodged. Some claims are not defined for singular reasons; a claim may have multiple aspects.

2nd Feb 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Employment Tribunal claims of (a) race and (b) disability discrimination have been settled before a hearing in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was of those settlements.

Under the GDPR, the Cabinet Office is unable to provide specific data broken down year-on-year for the number of Employment Tribunal claims of a) race and b) disability that have been settled before a hearing. However, in total for the five year period from 01/01/2017 - 01/01/2022 there have been a total of 9 race, disability or race and disability discrimination cases that have been settled before a hearing.

The total cost of settlement provided by our third party provider for all disability and race discrimination cases for the Cabinet Office in the five year period is £280,085.15. This figure captures settlement only - not associated costs. Any settlements made during the ACAS Early Conciliation process are not included here as by definition they have not progressed to an employment tribunal claim.

31st Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is Civil Service policy that staff who have been homeworking must have an individual risk assessment before returning to the workplace.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has published guidance on GOV.UK: Working Safely During Coronavirus (Covid-19) which supports all employers, including Civil Service employers, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the workplace and to keep people safe. All employers are required to conduct a health and safety risk assessment that includes the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace. Within the Civil Service managers are also encouraged to conduct an individual risk assessment with their employees, ensuring that personal risk factors are considered and, where identified, control measures are put in place to reduce their level of risk when returning to the workplace.

A decision on whether it is safe for an employee to return to the workplace will be based on the outcomes of those risk assessments.

31st Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a member of Civil Service staff is expected to return to the workplace in the event that a risk assessment for them shows that, even with mitigations, it is more hazardous for them to return to the workplace than to continue working from home.

Throughout the pandemic, the Government has published guidance on GOV.UK: Working Safely During Coronavirus (Covid-19) which supports all employers, including Civil Service employers, to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in the workplace and to keep people safe. All employers are required to conduct a health and safety risk assessment that includes the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace. Within the Civil Service managers are also encouraged to conduct an individual risk assessment with their employees, ensuring that personal risk factors are considered and, where identified, control measures are put in place to reduce their level of risk when returning to the workplace.

A decision on whether it is safe for an employee to return to the workplace will be based on the outcomes of those risk assessments.

21st Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the affiliate cluster contract run by the Government Property Agency is due to expire.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore we are unable to respond to this question.

21st Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Departments and locations are included in the affiliate cluster contract run by the Government Property Agency.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore we are unable to respond to this question.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to (a) honour and (b) make a statement to recognise the volunteers who took part in the covid-19 vaccine trials.

We appreciate there is a huge appetite across the UK to say thank you to all those involved in the successful vaccination programme.

The recently published Birthday Honours List 2021 includes a range of nominations for those who have played crucial roles throughout the COVID-19 effort. A number of people were honoured for their contributions tackling the virus on the frontline and in their communities, building on the nominations brought forward in the Birthday Honours List 2020 and at New Year Honours List 2021. We expect to see more nominations come forward across future Lists, however, there are limits on the numbers who can receive recognition via the honours process.

The Prime Minister announced that the Government will establish a UK Commission on COVID Commemoration to consider the appropriate way to remember those who have lost their lives and to commemorate the service of all those involved in the unprecedented response. The Government will set out the Commission membership and terms of reference in due course.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
7th Jun 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's powers in respect of the ability to proactively investigate systemic issues arising in the benefits system.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman operates according to his powers in the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967. This includes investigating complaints made by MPs on behalf of members of the public about the benefits system administered by the Department for Work and Pensions. The current legislation does not include powers to investigate any issues proactively and ministers have no plans to introduce such reforms at the current time.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
26th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Crown Commercial Service will assess in future, as part of its due diligence checks on companies wishing to join the Facilities Management Marketplace, whether they have financial links with supply chain financing providers.

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) did not ask companies that are part of its Facilities Management Marketplace whether they have had financial links with (a) Greensill Capital and (b) other supply chain financing providers.

The financial assessment of suppliers who are part of the Facilities Management Marketplace is undertaken using Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) checks, amongst other internal checks. The Facilities Management Marketplace framework has three lots (lots 1a - c) of which each has their own D&B risk threshold that suppliers are required to meet. This is monitored by CCS framework management and commercial finance teams. Where suppliers fall below the minimum D&B credit rating threshold, further investigation is undertaken which may result in a Financial Distress event as per the terms and conditions of the framework.

There is no intention in the future to assess, as part of its due diligence checks on companies wishing to join the Facilities Management Marketplace, whether suppliers have financial links with supply chain financing providers.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
26th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) has asked the companies that are part of its Facilities Management Marketplace whether they had financial links with (a) Greensill Capital and (b) other supply chain financing providers; and what assessment the CCS has made of the financial stability of those companies.

The Crown Commercial Service (CCS) did not ask companies that are part of its Facilities Management Marketplace whether they have had financial links with (a) Greensill Capital and (b) other supply chain financing providers.

The financial assessment of suppliers who are part of the Facilities Management Marketplace is undertaken using Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) checks, amongst other internal checks. The Facilities Management Marketplace framework has three lots (lots 1a - c) of which each has their own D&B risk threshold that suppliers are required to meet. This is monitored by CCS framework management and commercial finance teams. Where suppliers fall below the minimum D&B credit rating threshold, further investigation is undertaken which may result in a Financial Distress event as per the terms and conditions of the framework.

There is no intention in the future to assess, as part of its due diligence checks on companies wishing to join the Facilities Management Marketplace, whether suppliers have financial links with supply chain financing providers.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
26th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Property Agency will in future, as part of its due diligence checks on facility management companies it wishes to contract with, assess whether they have financial links with supply chain financing providers.

The Government Property Agency has not asked our facilities management suppliers whether they have, or have had, any financial links to Greensill Capital or another supply chain financing provider.

GPA's principal suppliers are government strategic suppliers; the Cabinet Office Market and Suppliers team closely monitors the financial health of these strategic suppliers and has regular discussions with their management.

GPA procurement processes are aligned with legal and commercial policy requirements. At the moment, there is no requirement to specifically enquire about company links with supply chain financing providers as part of due diligence.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
25th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Property Agency (GPA) has asked the Facility Management companies it contracts services from whether they had any financial links with Greensill Capital or have links with another supply chain financing provider; and what assessment the GPA has made of the financial stability of such companies.

The Government Property Agency has not asked our facilities management suppliers whether they have, or have had, any financial links to Greensill Capital or another supply chain financing provider.

GPA's principal suppliers are government strategic suppliers; the Cabinet Office Market and Suppliers team closely monitors the financial health of these strategic suppliers and has regular discussions with their management.

GPA procurement processes are aligned with legal and commercial policy requirements. At the moment, there is no requirement to specifically enquire about company links with supply chain financing providers as part of due diligence.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what health and safety measures will be carried out to facilitate a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak of (a) staff, (b) hon. Members and (c) visitors; and if he will make a statement.

In line with Public Health England (PHE) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance, the House of Commons is implementing numerous measures to facilitate Parliamentary Business and the eventual full return to Parliament of staff; hon. Members; and visitors when it is safe to do so.

Measures to promote social distancing on the estate include the physical re-arrangement of workspaces; installation of floor markings and provision of signage to encourage people to stay 2m apart. Additional measures have been implemented to facilitate frequent hand washing; support workers getting to and from the estate; move around the estate and use communal areas safely.

The comprehensive list of measures being implemented is contained within the House of Commons’ COVID-19 risk assessment and has been shared with people working on the estate.

Contractors working on the estate have implemented commensurate measures as part of their assessment of their own activities.

11th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what legislation under paragraph 5 of the civil service management code Ministers have undertaken to apply as if it were binding on the Crown.

The Cabinet Office works closely with all departments on many of the matters outlined within the Civil Service Management Code. All departments are expected to follow the instructions within the Civil Service Management Code when setting terms and conditions of Civil Service employment.

Paragraph three of the Civil Service Management Code outlines the authority delegated to Ministers in charge of departments.

Some legislative employment provisions are applied to Civil Servants. These areas, which include notice and redundancy, are as set out in the Civil Service Management Code and departmental policies.

11th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times his Department has used the right under paragraph 7 of the civil service management code to inspect and monitor observance of the civil service management code in the last three years.

The Cabinet Office works closely with all departments on many of the matters outlined within the Civil Service Management Code. All departments are expected to follow the instructions within the Civil Service Management Code when setting terms and conditions of Civil Service employment.

Paragraph three of the Civil Service Management Code outlines the authority delegated to Ministers in charge of departments.

Some legislative employment provisions are applied to Civil Servants. These areas, which include notice and redundancy, are as set out in the Civil Service Management Code and departmental policies.

11th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what functions have been (a) delegated to Departments and (b) retained by the civil service under the civil service management code.

The Cabinet Office works closely with all departments on many of the matters outlined within the Civil Service Management Code. All departments are expected to follow the instructions within the Civil Service Management Code when setting terms and conditions of Civil Service employment.

Paragraph three of the Civil Service Management Code outlines the authority delegated to Ministers in charge of departments.

Some legislative employment provisions are applied to Civil Servants. These areas, which include notice and redundancy, are as set out in the Civil Service Management Code and departmental policies.

29th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will amend the Ministerial Code to include what the steps that will be taken in the event that a (a) Minister and (b) Special Adviser is accused of sexual harassment.

The Ministerial Code makes clear that: “harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated”. Sections 1.4 to 1.6 of the Ministerial Code sets out steps to investigate allegations of a breach of the Ministerial Code.

The model contract for Special Advisers and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the standards of conduct expected of special advisers, and the disciplinary procedures that will be followed where necessary.

29th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to amend the Ministerial Code to include the steps that will be taken in the event that a (b) a Minister and (b) Special Adviser is accused of bullying a civil servant.

The Ministerial Code makes clear that: “harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated”. Sections 1.4 to 1.6 of the Ministerial Code sets out steps to investigate allegations of a breach of the Ministerial Code.

The model contract for Special Advisers and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the standards of conduct expected of special advisers, and the disciplinary procedures that will be followed where necessary.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Cabinet Office has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

In line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually. Facility time, defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official (permitted by the official’s employer) includes, where this arises, under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974."

The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in the Cabinet Office to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

The Department for Business and Trade has assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) are aware of the ruling in the relevant Employment Appeal Tribunal and have been working to implement this with our shared services provider, UK Shared Business Services (UKSBS). We expect this request to be processed following the Machinery of Government (MoG) staff payroll transfer.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

From 1st April 2022, criteria and assessments for the Access to Work scheme changed and government departments are not eligible to receive support from Access to Work. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is supporting staff with requirements for reasonable adjustments due to disability or long-term health concerns including for equipment, software and hardware, training, coaching and other reasonable adaptations. Specialist assessments are carried out as needed through the occupational health provider as per the flexible cross-government occupational health framework.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if he will make a statement.

The Department is aware of the ruling and will reflect the position in its policies. The Department is still working through the mechanics of the recent Machinery of Government change. This includes finalising which staff will be transferred into the Department. It is therefore not yet possible to assess accurately the impact on the Department.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero was created following Machinery of Government changes announced on 7th February 2023, so we are not able to provide the requested data for 2021 and 2022.

It is standard practice within the Civil Service to operate the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates and the department plans to continue this in future.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

Recruitment data for 2021 and 2022 relates to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy as this predates the recent Machinery of Government changes.

BEIS operated the Disability Confident Scheme for disabled candidates applying to roles in the Department.

The response below applies to recruitment campaigns advertised internally to BEIS and across government as the data requested is not held on externally advertised vacancies. The below figures apply to delegated grade recruitment from Administrative Officer (AO) to Grade 6.

In 2021, 306 candidates internal to BEIS applied to roles advertised across the Department only or across government roles on promotion under the Disability Confident Scheme. 89 (29%) of these candidates were invited to interview and 25 (8%) received an offer and were promoted.

In 2022, 505 BEIS candidates applied to roles advertised across the department only or across government roles on promotion under the Disability Confident Scheme. 142 (28%) of these candidates were invited to interview and 48 (10%) received an offer and were promoted.

Graham Stuart
Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

From 1st April 2022, criteria for the Access to Work scheme and assessments changed and government departments have not been eligible to receive support from Access to Work. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology continues to support staff with requirements for reasonable adjustments due to disability or long-term health concern including for equipment, software and hardware, training, coaching and other reasonable adaptations. Specialist assessments are carried out as needed through the occupational health provider as per the flexible cross-government occupational health framework.

10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The Department is aware of the ruling and will reflect the position in its policies. The Department is still working through the mechanics of the recent Machinery of Government change. This includes finalising which staff will be transferred into the Department. It is therefore not yet possible to accurately assess the impact on the Department.

23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created following Machinery of Government changes announced on 7th February 2023 so we are not able to provide the requested data for 2021 and 2022.

It is standard practice within the Civil Service to operate the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates and the Department plans to continue this in future.

22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was created following Machinery of Government changes announced on 7th February 2023 so we are not able to provide the requested data for 2021 and 2022.

It is standard practice within the Civil Service to operate the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates and the department plans to continue this in future.

31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The BEIS HR Directorate carries out equality impact assessments in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty when developing new internal departmental HR policies. BEIS does not routinely publish the equality impact assessments for new internal departmental HR policies, however, they are shared with the departmental trade unions, staff networks, and employees more broadly, upon request.

The BEIS HR Directorate consults with the departmental trade unions when proposing new internal HR policies for the Department.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) provides specific Human Resources data/information to Departmental Trades Union Side (DTUS), on request, in line with our obligations under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Furthermore, BEIS publishes a range of information about the operation of the Department, which is available on GOV.UK and so is publicly accessible.

In addition, BEIS meets regularly with the DTUS, presenting and sharing a range of management information as part of normal engagement on a spectrum of issues. Information and data are supplied where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement. BEIS always seeks to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
26th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

We have made good progress in recent years in diversifying the Civil Service. The percentage of civil servants from an ethnic minority background is at 15.0% and the percentage of those who declare themselves disabled is at 14.0%. Staff who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or other (LGBO) is 6.1% and the proportion of female civil servants stands at 54.5%. These rates are all at their highest recorded levels. However, we know there is still progress to be made in ensuring we are representative of the citizens we serve across all our grades.

The new Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2025 recognises our success and builds on this good work to encourage a broader range of people into the Civil Service to give depth to our understanding of contemporary society in the United Kingdom. It provides the necessary framing for diversity and inclusion activity in the Civil Service as part of our wider workforce strategy, and through that, how the Civil Service delivers for its people, the Government and our citizens. A link to the Civil Service statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.

BEIS routinely collects a wide variety of data relating to its employees; much of this is published and is publicly available on GOV.UK.

BEIS Human Resources teams use this data to review the impact of our policies and procedures in line with the Civil Service Code, and other our statutory obligations, and make recommendations for improvements, as necessary. Data is shared with Departmental Trades Union Side (DTUS) as necessary and on request.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

There is no central policy on buying/selling leave; instead, departments may consider introducing this benefit under their own delegated authority.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) recently launched a buy/selling of leave policy for the 2022 annual leave year. The policy was introduced to allow BEIS employees to exercise greater flexibility within their total reward package.

All eligible BEIS staff were informed that they were able to access the benefit portal during a three-week window, to register their request to buy or sell up to 5 days (full time equivalent) annual leave. The three-week window ran from 3rd January 2023 to 23rd January 2023.

BEIS issued communications via our Intranet platform on the 22nd November, the 16th December and a final reminder on the 5th January 2023.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage(NLW). In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%.

By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.

The National Living Wage is the statutory minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over. Different minimum wage rates apply to 21-22 year olds, 18-20 year olds, 16-17 year olds and apprentices aged under 19 or in the first year of an apprenticeship.

All employees of The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) are paid above the National Living Wage rate.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy routinely collects a wide variety of data relating to its employees; much of this is published and is publicly available on GOV.UK. Human Resource teams use this data to review the impact of our policies and procedures in line with the Civil Service Code, and other our statutory obligations, and make recommendations for improvements, as necessary.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

BEIS publishes a range of HR information which is available on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available. In addition, routine human resources information is shared with the recognised trade unions as part of normal engagement on a range of issues. BEIS also provides specific HR data/information to Departmental Trade Union Side (DTUS) on request in line with our obligations under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Kevin Hollinrake
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the gov.uk news story of 11 May 2022, Insolvency Service transitions to regional hubs as part of efficiency drive, whether his Department has consulted with (a) the public, and (b) the business community over the closure of Insolvency Service offices.

A key objective of the project to transition the Insolvency Service to a regional hub structure, is to ensure it continues to deliver high standards of service to business and the public. The regional hub structure will enable the Insolvency Service to operate more efficiently and effectively in the future.

There has been informal engagement with a number of stakeholders and this will continue as the transition to regional hubs is delivered over the next three years.

17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the gov.uk news story of 11 May 2022, Insolvency Service transitions to regional hubs as part of efficiency drive, if he will place in the Library a copy of the business case for the decision to close Insolvency Service offices.

It would not be appropriate to place in the Library a copy of the business case for the Insolvency Service’s move to regional centres as it contains commercially sensitive information.

This transition involves closing 10 smaller sites and developing regional centres in 11 locations in which the Insolvency Service has offices. These centres will enable it to provide services more efficiently, with greater flexibility to respond to future changes in demand for services. The Insolvency Service has put in place measures to support staff in affected offices to transfer to their nearest regional centre.

16th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the gov.uk news story of 11 May 2022, Insolvency Service transitions to regional hubs as part of efficiency drive, whether his Department will offer the option of homeworking to mitigate potential redundancies for staff based in Insolvency Service offices that are due to be closed.

In order to support employees moving to a new regional centre location, the Insolvency Service will be exploring with each employee what adjustments can be made to their working arrangements to support their move. The Insolvency Service offers a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working.

16th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the gov.uk news story of 11 May 2022, Insolvency Service transitions to regional hubs as part of efficiency drive, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of redundancies as a result of Insolvency Service office closures.

The Insolvency Service announced its transforming workplaces strategy on 11 May 2022. It is not the intention of that strategy to reduce workforce numbers either by redundancy or otherwise.

16th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of Insolvency Service staff started but did not complete Insolvency Service Investigator Programme training in each of the last three years; and what the associated costs were.

The number of Insolvency Service staff beginning but not completing the investigator programme over the last three years was:

YEAR

NO OF LEARNERS ENROLLED

NO OF LEARNERS LEAVING WITHOUT COMPLETION

%

COST (£)

2019/20

128

45

35

85,131

2020/21

74

9

12

38,214

2021/22

10

0

0

0

16th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has spent on Insolvency Service Investigator Programme training for staff in the Insolvency Service in each of the last three financial years.

Spending on the Insolvency Service’s investigator programme over the last 3 years was:

YEAR

SPEND (£)

2019/2020

242,151

2020/2021

314,213

2021/2022

115,336

16th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the gov.uk news story of 11 May 2022, Insolvency Service transitions to regional hubs as part of efficiency drive, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost of (a) recruitment, (b) training and (c) development that will be required to replace staff as a result of the decision to close Insolvency Service offices.

The Insolvency Service announced its transforming workplaces strategy on 11 May 2022. It is not the intention of that strategy to reduce workforce numbers either by redundancy or otherwise.

19th Apr 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he will make an assessment of any factors that may impact LPG supply in Scotland; and if he will take steps to work with all parties to ensure taxi drivers in Scotland have sufficient access to LPG fuel.

The supply of LPG remains sufficient to meet demand across the UK. BEIS works closely with industry to monitor the LPG supply position throughout the year and proactively take steps to mitigate any risks that may affect distribution to customers and essential services.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to transfer shared service matrix cluster (a) staff and (b) work out of (i) UK Shared Business Services and (ii) Shared Services Connected Ltd to a new provider.

The Matrix shared services cluster will create a single shared service centre with a single technology and a single service provider, in line with the Government Shared Services Strategy. Current plans are that the Matrix shared services cluster will be formed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Cabinet Office in a first wave of rapid adopters, followed by the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Attorney General’s Office, and HM Treasury.

A programme team has been put in place to develop a business case and secure a budget for the implementation of the shared service centre for the cluster. Until a budget is secured, and a business case approved, any figures or options are only tentative and subject to finalising the scope and approach for the programme. Current options being considered include in-sourcing, UK Shared Business Services as provider and using a new provider. The business case will explore the merits of the options in line with standard Government practice, so all options remain a possibility, including those listed above.

23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of in-sourcing shared services within the shared service matrix cluster.

The Matrix shared services cluster will create a single shared service centre with a single technology and a single service provider, in line with the Government Shared Services Strategy. Current plans are that the Matrix shared services cluster will be formed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Cabinet Office in a first wave of rapid adopters, followed by the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Attorney General’s Office, and HM Treasury.

A programme team has been put in place to develop a business case and secure a budget for the implementation of the shared service centre for the cluster. Until a budget is secured, and a business case approved, any figures or options are only tentative and subject to finalising the scope and approach for the programme. Following recent engagement with Trade Unions, we are working with them to discuss the merits of in-sourcing as an option, in line with standard Government practice.

23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the options available for the future of shared services within the shared service matrix cluster; and whether those proposals are being developed in accordance with the Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook.

The Matrix shared service cluster will create a single shared service centre with a single technology and a single service provider, in line with the Government Shared Services Strategy. Current plans are that the Matrix shared services cluster will be formed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and Cabinet Office in a first wave of rapid adopters, followed by the Department for Education, the Department of Health and Social Care, the Attorney General’s Office. and HM Treasury.

A programme team has been put in place to develop a business case and secure a budget for the implementation of the shared service centre for the cluster. Until a budget is secured and a business case approved, any figures or options are only tentative and subject to finalising the scope and approach for the programme. Current options being considered include in-sourcing, UK Shared Business Services as provider or using a new provider. The preferred option will be determined by its merit in line with standard Government practice, including Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook when relevant.

23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Departments within the shared service matrix cluster does Shared Services Connected Ltd provide shared services for.

Shared Services Connect Ltd provides services for one department within the Matrix cluster, which is the Cabinet Office.

23rd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Departments within the shared service matrix cluster does UK Shared Business Services provide shared services for.

UK Shared Business Services provides services for two departments which are in the Matrix cluster: the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for International Trade (DIT).

22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Departments within the Shared Service Matrix Cluster have in-house shared services; and from which offices those shared services are conducted.

Matrix shared services cluster is formed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), Department for International Trade (DIT), Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and Cabinet Office (CO) in a first wave of rapid adopters, followed by Department for Education (DfE), Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and Her Majesty’s Treasury (HMT).

The following Departments have Department-defined in-house shared services:

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: The DCMS definition of shared services is provided by a combination of Outsource and Insource provision. HR transactional services (excluding payroll) are provided in-house across a geographically dispersed team, with people located in

  • Edinburgh
  • London
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle

Department for Education: The DfE definition of shared services is services provided by core DfE to other entities. DfE provides services to the core Department and a number of its ALBs. DfE staff are based in the offices below and the teams that operate our shared service provision are split site, with teams spanning multiple offices.

  • Bristol
  • Exeter
  • Coventry
  • Croydon
  • Darlington
  • Leeds
  • London
  • Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Nottingham
  • Sheffield
  • Watford

Department of Health and Social Care: The DHSC definition of shared services is provided by core DHSC. DHSC staff are geographically dispersed, with people located in:

- London

- Leeds.

HM Treasury: The HMT definition of shared services is provided by Treasury Group Shared Service centre to HM Treasury and its ALBs. Staff are geographically dispersed, with people located in:

- Norwich

- London.

21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2020 to Question 112078, Land Registry: Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made by the Land Registry on exploring new and emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning through its Digital Street research and development project.

HM Land Registry (HMLR) is already using machine learning to enable its caseworkers to compare documents more efficiently, to make the Land Register increasingly machine readable and to accelerate the migration of Local Authority data as part of the Local Land Charges programme.

HMLR’s Annual Report and Accounts 2020/21 includes an update on the Digital Street research and development programme and is available on GOV.UK.

21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) civil servants, (b) public servants in UK Shared Business Services and (c) private sector workers in Shared Services Connected Ltd work on shared services within the shared service matrix cluster.

The Matrix shared service cluster was introduced as part of the Government Business Services “Shared Services Strategy for Government” in March 2021. A programme team has been put in place to develop a business case and secure a budget for the implementation of the shared service centre for the cluster.

The current number of civil servants that work directly on transactional shared services is c.80.

UK Shared Business Services provide shared services, including to BEIS and DIT. The number of public servants in UK Shared Business Services is c.640.

21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2020 to Question 112077, Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made with each of the items listed.

A progress update where available (in italics) on each of the items in the answer I gave the Hon. Member on 13 November 2022 to Question 112077 can be found below.

BEIS are exploring AI and machine learning techniques internally to enable more efficient working. Projects are being

(i) Undertaken:

  • A proof of concept for the use of virtual assistants to help staff find information regarding corporate policies, whereby the assistant will improve by learning from the enquires responses. An HR chatbot was developed as a proof of concept.
  • Planning a proof of concept using Machine Learning for automatic labelling, setting up retention periods for past and future documents that form the official record. A small-scale proof of concept was undertaken in Spring 2021 using a "machine teaching" tool to automate content processing and data classification to help identify information of value within a digital heap.

(ii) Considered:

  • The use of AI handling of inbound enquiries into the department to create draft responses and to triage requests to the correct teams. An enquiries service using an AI builder to automatically categorise emails was developed as a proof of concept.

BEIS Analysts use machine learning techniques, under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, where appropriate as part of analysis supporting policy development.

Machine Learning projects are being

(i) Undertaken:

  • Identifying the location of industrial strengths. Report on this has been published
  • Pilot for targeting communications about business support
  • Categorising internal documents by subject. Currently exploring feasibility for implementation
  • Project to understand the labour market through analysing job adverts. Methodology shared with OGDs and academics
  • A pilot for organising internal processes. Process implemented

(ii) Considered:

  • A pilot for predicting economic impacts using real time indicators
  • Exploring automatic text generation a pilot exploring natural language processing approaches for extracting economic intelligence
  • Planning to repeat a machine learning exercise on HMRC data to identify high growth potential businesses, to build on the successful ‘DECA pilot’ of 2019. This would underpin further operations in 2021, depending on the outcome of the SR process. DECA activities have pivoted to other government priorities.

BEIS policy teams are exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence. AI projects are being considered by the Better Regulation Executive who are looking to convert the stock of regulatory requirements placed on business into machine readable code and pilot hosting this as open source a metadata set on the ‘Open Regulation Platform’ (ORP), freely available on The National Archives GOV.UK platform. The project is currently in discovery phase to identify all data that government holds on regulatory obligations that could be relevant for this platform. This application is closely related to work that has already been undertaken as part of BEIS GovTech challenge to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand the cumulative impact of regulation. The Open Regulation Platform project is currently at the private beta stage.

8th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent estimate he has made of the level of fuel debt accumulated on prepayment meters due to the build-up of standing charges; and what steps he is taking to help prevent the accumulation of fuel debt through standing charges.

Standing charges are capped under the energy price cap which is set by Ofgem to protect customers on default tariffs.

In addition to the existing £12bn package, the government has announced a further package of support to help households with the rising cost of energy, worth £9.1 billion in 2022-23. This includes:

  • A £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn for domestic electricity customers in Great Britain. This will be paid back automatically over the next 5 years.
  • A £150 non-repayable rebate in Council Tax bills for all households in Bands A-D in England.
  • £144 million of discretionary funding for Local Authorities to support households who need support but are not eligible for the Council Tax rebate.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
8th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the difference in unit cost is for households using (a) energy prepayment meters and (b) paying for energy by direct debit; and what steps he is taking to reduce that cost difference.

Supplier licence conditions, enforced by independent regulator Ofgem, state that the differences in price between payment methods for energy, including by prepayment meter, must reflect the cost to the supplier of that payment method. The energy price cap protects prepayment meter customers and ensures they pay a fair price for their energy.

Greg Hands
Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
18th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what records his Department keeps relating to staff working times under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.

Staff at BEIS work a standard 36/37 hour full-time week. Pay and Time Off In Lieu for overtime, and flexitime, are available where agreed and recorded locally. Managers are responsible for monitoring the hours worked by their team members and for addressing any excess hours that are worked on a regular basis.

8th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of amending the Working Time Regulations in response to the Court of Justice of the European Union ruling in the case of Federacion de Servicios de Comisiones Oberas v Deutsche Bank SAE (CJEU Case C-55/18); and if he will make a statement.

It is important that employers comply with the Working Time Regulations in respect of working hours and daily and weekly rest, and that they are held to account if they don't. Workers can take a case to employment tribunal concerning insufficient rest, and the Health and Safety Executive directly enforces maximum working hours. The Government has also committed to bringing forward state enforcement of the rules in the Working Time Regulations on holiday pay for vulnerable workers, to ensure that workers get the paid time off they deserve.

1st Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compliance of the facilities management contractor ISS with employment practices for staff based in his Department's buildings.

The Government Property Agency (GPA) is the contract holder for the facilities management provider ISS. Both GPA and BEIS work closely with all their suppliers on all aspects of service delivery. GPA and the Department draw facilities services from a Crown Commercial Service framework supplier to help ensure confidence in the supplier base.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
1st Jul 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the (a) covid-19 health and safety practices of facilities management contractor ISS and (b) potential effect of those practices on staff based in his Department's buildings.

BEIS collaborates closely with the Government Property Agency which manages the facilities management contract with ISS. BEIS has reviewed the COVID-19 health and safety practices of ISS, which include risk assessments, training information and protocols for ISS staff working within the BEIS demise of buildings.

The review of ISS practices gives the Department assurance that sufficient COVID-19 mitigations are in place to enable BEIS staff, or others working within the BEIS demise of buildings, to work safely.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the new Single Enforcement Body is planned to have powers to (a) identify, (b) investigate, and (c) take legal action over cases of bogus of self-employment.

The Government has recently published its consultation response on the single enforcement body for employment rights which sets out the high level remit, powers, and overall approach of the new body. The full government response can be found here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/good-work-plan-establishing-a-new-single-enforcement-body-for-employment-rights.

The body will not specifically cover ‘bogus self-employment’. Employment status is based on the reality of the relationship between an individual and the person for whom services are provided. That might not be the same as what the employment contract states. For disputes around the interpretation of employment law, which are often complex and finely balanced, it is right that Employment Tribunals have the power to determine the result, taking into consideration all of the detail of each individual case to ensure any judgment is the conclusion of a fair and transparent process.

We recognise concerns around employment status and the potential for exploitation and the Government is clear that businesses cannot simply opt out of employment rights. The Government is considering options to bring further clarity around the employment status framework, making it easier for individuals and businesses to understand which rights apply to them.

26th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will ban the practice of recruitment agencies asking for incentives to recommend contractors to an umbrella company.

Commercial and loyalty incentive schemes may be a legitimate business-to-business interaction, between the employment agency and an umbrella company. They are therefore outside the scope of the agency regulations enforced by the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate, which regulate the relationship between the agency and work-seeker.

The Government will continue to work with the recruitment sector to seek compliance with existing regulations. The Government will also continue to ensure current regulations remain fit for purpose, drawing on the expertise of trade bodies and businesses in the sector. Proposed regulatory changes would be announced in the usual way.

26th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure umbrella companies comply with legislation on the payment of holiday pay.

Protecting and enhancing workers’ rights, including those employed by umbrella companies is a priority for this Government. We have already introduced requirements to improve the information provided to new agency workers about their contractual terms and pay rates. We have also committed to extend the remit of the Employment Agency Standards (EAS) Inspectorate to include umbrella companies. This will enable EAS to take enforcement action against an umbrella company that has not paid holiday pay. We will bring forward the legislation to implement this in due course.

4th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the UK being ranked by UNICEF 34 out of 41 OECD countries for family friendly policies; and if he will take urgent steps to support people on parental leave during the covid-19 outbreak.

We have a strong tradition of supporting working families in the UK and our parental leave arrangements are generous and flexible.

We go much further than the EU minimum and employed women in the UK have access to up to 52 weeks of Maternity Leave , 39 weeks of which are paid. Where the mother does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements, she can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay with her partner , subject to the parents being eligible for Shared Parental Leave and Pay.

In 2020 we introduced Parental Bereavement Leave and Pay to support parents who suffered the loss of a child. We will also legislate to create a new Neonatal Leave and Pay entitlement to support new parents whose baby needs to spend time in neonatal care, as soon as parliamentary time allows.

The Government is sympathetic to the position that new parents have found themselves in during the pandemic. We have taken steps to support new parents by passing emergency legislation which ensures that parents who are furloughed during the period that is used to determine entitlement to Maternity, Adoption and other family-related statutory pay do not lose out. This legislation ensures that entitlement to pay and the rate of pay that parents receive is based on their normal earnings, not their furlough pay.

4th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will extend paternal leave to support people who have lost access to health services, baby groups and childcare support as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

The Government is sympathetic to the unique challenges that new parents have faced because of COVID-19 and the social distancing measures that we had to put in place to protect lives and the NHS. We recognise that these restrictions have meant that some parents have been, or still are unable to participate in activities normally available to them, such as baby groups.

The Government is not minded at this stage to extend Paternity Leave and Pay entitlements. We believe current entitlements to Paternity Leave and Pay and Shared Parental Leave and Pay are generous enough to allow fathers to care for the child and support the child’s mother or adopter. Fathers have access to two weeks of Paternity Leave and Pay and through Shared Parental Leave and Pay, they can share up to 50 weeks of leave and up to 37 weeks of pay with the mother if she does not intend to use her full maternity entitlements.

We understand that social distancing guidelines have made finding childcare more challenging. Parents who are unable to find suitable childcare can contact their local authority where they will receive advice on available settings. In addition, parents of children aged under 14 are now able to form ‘childcare bubbles’ to allow friends or family from one other household to provide informal childcare. Early Years settings (including nurseries and childminders) also remain open during the new national lockdown.

The NHS has made arrangements to ensure that new parents were supported throughout the pandemic. Operating digitally where possible, community health services have continued to provide support, prioritising higher needs families, and NHS mental health services also remained open.

4th Feb 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he has taken to (a) identify the main challenges that new parents face during parental leave and (b) make an assessment of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on parental leave.

In 2019 we consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. We are also conducting a formal evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay scheme, including large-scale, representative surveys of employers and parents. Together, these will give us a fuller picture of how well the current system of parental leave and pay is working for parents and employers.

We are currently processing and analysing the data from the research and analysing the information that we have collected through the consultation. We intend to publish our findings later this year.

The Government has also remained in close contact with stakeholders and charities supporting parents throughout the pandemic.

We have taken steps to support new parents by passing emergency legislation which ensures that parents who are furloughed during the period that is used to determine entitlement to Maternity, Adoption and other family-related statutory pay do not lose out. This legislation ensures that entitlement to pay and the rate of pay that parents receive is based on their normal earnings, not their furlough pay.

5th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) artificial intelligence and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered for his Department.

There are a number of projects currently being undertaken or considered by the Department, in some cases the progression will be dependent on availability of budget from next financial year.

BEIS are exploring AI and machine learning techniques internally to enable more efficient working. Projects are being:

(i) undertaken:

  • a proof of concept for the use of virtual assistants to help staff find information regarding corporate policies, whereby the assistant will improve by learning from the enquires responses
  • planning a proof of concept using Machine Learning for automatic labelling, setting up retention periods for past and future documents that form the official record.

(ii) considered:

  • the use of AI handling of inbound enquiries into the department to create draft responses and to triage requests to the correct teams.

BEIS Analysts use machine learning techniques, under the umbrella of artificial intelligence, where appropriate as part of analysis supporting policy development.

Machine Learning projects are being

(i) undertaken:

  • identifying the location of industrial strengths
  • pilot for targeting communications about business support
  • Categorising internal documents by subject

(ii) considered:

  • project to understand the labour market through analysing job adverts
  • a pilot for organising internal processes
  • a pilot for predicting economic impacts using real time indicators
  • exploring automatic text generation
  • planning to repeat a machine learning exercise on HMRC data to identify high growth potential businesses, to build on the successful ‘DECA pilot’ of 2019. This would underpin further operations in 2021, depending on the outcome of the SR process

BEIS policy teams are exploring the use of Artificial Intelligence. AI projects are being:

(ii) considered:

  • by the Better Regulation Executive who are looking to convert the stock of regulatory requirements placed on business into machine readable code and pilot hosting this as open source a metadata set on the ‘Open Regulation Platform’ (ORP), freely available on The National Archives .gov.uk platform. The project is currently in discovery phase to identify all data that government holds on regulatory obligations that could be relevant for this platform. This application is closely related to work that has already been undertaken as part of BEIS GovTech challenge to apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) to understand the cumulative impact of regulation
Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
5th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) artificial intelligence and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered for the Land Registry.

HM Land Registry has been exploring new and emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning as part of its Digital Street research and development project since 2017. It is aiming to begin to use Machine Learning capabilities within its casework management systems in 2021/22, and is building its Data Science capability to explore and exploit future opportunities that Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning may provide.

Amanda Solloway
Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions the Commission has had with (a) trade unions and (b) hon. Members to facilitate a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

The House authorities on behalf of the House of Commons Commission have met with representatives of the Trades Unions for staff in the House of Commons and PDS formally at least three times per week since the beginning of March, and with representatives of the Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and Unite as representatives of Members’ staff.

18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak will only take place after a full consultation with (a) trade unions and (b) other interested parties; and if he will make a statement.

The safety of all of those on the estate is the key concern of the Commission. Working extensively with Public Health England and via the implementation of the Covid-19 workplace guidance the appropriate steps have been taken to ensure the safety of all on the estate.

The House authorities have met with representatives of the Trades Unions for staff in the House of Commons and PDS formally at least three times per week since the beginning of March, and with representatives of Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and Unite as representatives of Members’ staff.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether her Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is compliant with section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code - that Health and Safety representatives are entitled to reasonable paid time off to undertake relevant training. Time off for non-industrial staff is not set against the facility time allowed under existing arrangements unless the period of time also discharges a liability under Section 168 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in her Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The introduction of General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the right of recognised Trade Unions to bargaining information in accordance with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

In 2006, DWP took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. In April 2022, all government departments followed suit and assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is aware of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling and we are committed to ensuring fair and legally compliant statutory holiday payments. We are reviewing our policy and procedures to ensure that we are compliant with the ruling and expect the impact to be minimal, given there is minimal use of regular overtime within the department that is not remunerated through role specific allowances.

John Whittingdale
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

Whilst there is no legal requirement to publish equality impact assessments, DCMS fulfils its duty as an employer to consider how our policies or decisions affect people who are protected under the Equality Act. The Department conducts equality impact assessments when introducing new HR policy or making significant changes to existing policy. As part of our policy development process, DCMS engages with its Trade Unions and other stakeholders (such as employee networks) when developing new HR policies or making significant changes to existing policies.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available.

In addition, DCMS meets regularly with our recognised Trade Unions (PCS and FDA) and presents and shares a range of information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements.

This helps to inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

DCMS is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

DCMS staff are not able to sell annual leave.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department's compliance with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The Department shares data and information as set out in section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, as appropriate, with our recognised Trade Unions.

The process for sharing this information is set by our Trade Union Partnership Agreement and upon requests from our trade union representatives. The information is used to support engagement, consultation and negotiation on appropriate areas of policy development and organisational change.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

DCMS routinely collects the data set out in section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code (CSMC) and uses it to inform the department’s Diversity & Inclusion strategy. There is no obligation to share this information with Trade Union representatives. However, DCMS regularly shares D&I data, equality impact assessments and other relevant information in order to support engagement and discussion with the unions on areas of policy. Detailed information on the Civil Service workforce is also collected and published centrally as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Statistics.

DCMS’s D&I strategy is aligned to the new Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2025 which recognises our success and builds on this good work to encourage a broader range of people into the Civil Service to give depth to our understanding of contemporary society in the United Kingdom. It provides the necessary framing for diversity and inclusion activity in the Civil Service as part of our wider workforce strategy, and through that, how the Civil Service delivers for its people, the government and our citizens.

A link to the Civil Service statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

DCMS regularly shares HR information and data with our recognised trade unions to support negotiations for the Department’s annual pay award, this includes data related to pay, headcount, turnover and diversity & inclusion. The Department also regularly provides data and information on our annual People Survey results.

In addition, DCMS shares other HR information on an ad-hoc basis, relating to various policies and processes, upon request by trade unions and where their engagement is required.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
18th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what records her Department keeps relating to staff working times under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.

Staff at DCMS work a standard 36 or 37 hour week and paid overtime is allowed on an exceptional basis in priority areas. No members of staff have opted off of the Working Time Directive, and we do not have any workers in the categories set out in Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998 at this time.

Staff are encouraged to discuss their working hours with their Line Manager and, where they may be working beyond their standard hours, to record their hours of work with managers keeping oversight. A flexi time sheet template is available for individuals to use to record their hours; records are not held centrally and staff are free to retain them for as long as useful.

Julia Lopez
Minister on Leave (Minister of State)
9th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with (a) the Historic Royal Palaces and (b) their staff and trades union representatives on their decision to cut employer pension contributions to 6.5 per cent.

The Secretary of State has had no specific discussions with Historic Royal Palaces (HRP) or their staff and trades union representatives on cuts to employer pension contributions. HRP has responsibility for the recruitment, remuneration, development, retention and motivation of its own staff.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives from trade unions on proposals for reopening (a) Hampton Court Palace, (b) Hillsborough Castle and (c) other Historic Royal Palaces sites on 16 June 2020 following the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will publish the risk assessments undertaken at those sites.

DCMS officials have had no such discussions with representatives of trade unions on Historic Royal Palaces' (HRP) proposals for the reopening of the specific sites in their care, nor are DCMS officials in possession of the risk assessments referred to. Trade Union representatives have, however, been attending the Heritage Working Group which has discussed guidance for safe reopening within the heritage sector. Whether HRP can safely reopen is a matter for HRP to consider in-line with government and Public Health England guidelines.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
9th Jun 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with representatives from Historic Royal Palaces on reinstating employer pension contributions at the level they were prior to the covid-19 outbreak; and if his Department will take steps to compensate workers affected by reductions in employer pension contributions introduced by that organisation in June 2020.

The Secretary of State has had no such discussions with HRP on reinstating pension contributions in respect of HRP’s staff, which is a matter for HRP to consider in consultation with their staff, as appropriate, in-line with the affordability of any such measures and their obligations as employers.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

In common with all Civil Service Departments, the Department has equivalent arrangements in place of the Access to Work scheme.

10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

The Department has assessed the potential implications, for staff in the department, of the 2017 Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Others for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement and is compliant.

23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) leader, achieved through participating in a range of actions to support staff who have disabilities. This includes programmes to help support career progression, such as ‘Beyond Boundaries’, a cross-Government development programme ‘Power of Choice’, an internal development programme, and actions specific to recruitment, such as guidance to ensure the language in job adverts avoids creating extra barriers and automatic interviews for those who reach the minimum pass mark at sift.

Data on the number of internal candidates who have declared a disability and progressed in a recruitment round is below.

2021

2022

Number of internal applicants who applied under DCS on lateral transfer and who were invited to interview

41 (44%)

66 (51%)

Number of internal applicants who applied under DCS on lateral transfer and who were successful

12 (30%)

22 (33%)

22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department is a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) leader, achieved through investment in a range of actions to support staff who have disabilities.

This includes programmes to help support career progression (including ‘Beyond Boundaries’, a cross-government development programme and ‘Power of Choice’, an internal development programme) and actions specific to recruitment, (such as guidance to ensure the language in job adverts avoids creating extra barriers and automatic interviews for those who reach the minimum pass mark at sift).

Data on the number of internal candidates who have applied under the scheme and progressed in a recruitment is below.

2021

2022

Number of internal applicants who applied under DCS

414

702

Number of internal applicants who applied under DCS and on promotion who were invited to interview

162 (39%)

199 (28%)

Number of internal applicants who applied under DCS and on promotion who were promoted

64 (15%)

68 (10%)

31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The Department conducts an equality impact assessment and consults with its recognised trade unions for all new HR policies and amendments to existing HR policies.

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

The Department’s current annual leave policy does not include the option to buy and sell annual leave.

23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid the National Minimum Wage.

All employees in the Department are paid above the National Minimum Wage.

20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Department considers the impact of its workforce policies and processes by routinely carrying out Equality Impact Assessments (EQIAs). The Department discusses the impact of changes to internal policies with the Departmental Trade Union Side (DTUS), and considers their comments when finalising EQIAs. 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code does not place an obligation on Departments to share this information with their representative trade unions.

The Department has data dashboards, including a Diversity and Inclusion Dashboard updated quarterly, to facilitate monitoring of trends regarding Human Resources activity and protected characteristics.

The Diversity and Inclusion Dashboard is available to all Departmental staff, including trade union representatives.

The Department shares data with DTUS which is relevant to the areas being discussed with them each month, or following ad hoc requests.

19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

The Department does not have a prescribed set of data shared with the Departmental Trade Union Side (DTUS) on a regular basis. Instead, the Department shares data which is relevant to the areas being discussed each month or ad hoc requests from DTUS.

21st Sep 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support is available to students across the UK to provide assistance with the cost of living crisis.

Education is a devolved matter and so financial support with the cost of living for students in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be the responsibility of the devolved governments.

The Energy Price Guarantee announced on 8 September will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October and this is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

To support disadvantaged students and those who need additional help in higher education in England, we have confirmed in our guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) on funding for the 2022/23 financial year that universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through their own hardship funds and the student premium, for which up to £261 million is available for academic year 2022/23.

The government has also worked closely with the OfS to clarify that English providers can draw upon this funding now, to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by cost of living pressures.

Maximum grants and loans for living costs for England-domiciled students have also increased by 2.3% in the 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

In addition, maximum tuition fees, and the subsidised loans available from the department to pay them, remain at £9,250 for the 2022/23 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses. We are also freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By 2024/25, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years. As well as reducing debt levels for students, the continued fee freeze will help to ensure that the English Higher Education system remains sustainable while also promoting greater efficiency at providers.

16 to 19-year-old students in England who need help with the costs of participating in education can receive help from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. Over £133 million was allocated to colleges, school sixth forms and other providers to make discretionary bursaries available to young people in the academic year 2021/22 and more will be available in allocations for 2022/23.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), inculding £1.34 billion in 2022/23. The AEB also funds colleges and training providers to help adult learners to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning. This includes Learner Support, to support learners with a specific financial hardship.

23rd May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with devolved Administrations on providing additional support for (a) school and (b) higher education students to help meet increases in the cost of living.

Education policy is devolved, and so cost of living issues for institutions is the responsibility of the devolved administrations. Ministers in the department meet regularly with their devolved counterparts and my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, is looking forward to attending the next meeting of education ministers from across the UK in Edinburgh next week.

The department secured an excellent settlement for England in the Spending Review, and so this will be reflected in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through the Barnett Formula.

It is for devolved administrations to determine how to spend this generous settlement, but in England we have carefully budgeted for a range of policies that will help universities, schools, their staff, and families which will help to meet the challenges in the cost of living right now. This includes our very successful Holiday Activities and Food scheme, National Tutoring Programme, and of course a huge increase in core school funding that means schools are better placed to cover cost increases.

21st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

The department is not mandating individual risk assessments for all employees. Instead, we are encouraging line managers and employees to have discussions regarding returning to the workplace, with consideration for individual risk assessments where deemed necessary by either the line manager and/or the employee.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
18th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what records his Department keeps relating to staff working times under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.

The department does not centrally monitor working hours for any employee but requires all employees, regardless of work location, to keep an accurate record of the hours they work. This must be retained by the employee for 3 years and will be reviewed by their line manager on a regular basis.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many members of House staff by department have (a) tested positive and (b) been hospitalised for covid-19; and if he will make a statement.

Testing is available to all staff of the House who are symptomatic, and is arranged directly by the individual. Results therefore are a matter for the individual only, alongside whether any hospital treatment is needed. The records held by the House will only indicate whether the member of staff is available for work or not.

18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will ensure that a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak will only take place after discussion with the Health and Safety Executive; and if he will make a statement.

The Head of Parliamentary Safety has discussed with the Health and Safety Executive the key risks and control measures to allow everybody to work safely on the parliamentary estate during the Coronavirus outbreak. The Health and Safety Executive are content that the House administration is working to ensure Parliamentary business can continue, whilst meeting the Government guidelines to become “COVID-19 safe”. Regular discussions between the Head of Parliamentary Safety and the Health and Safety Executive will continue during the outbreak.

28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of children in receipt of free school meals have been fed through (a) the national voucher scheme, (b) school collection and distribution models and (c) other means since school closures due to the covid-19 outbreak.

As education is a devolved matter, this answer refers to free school meals in England only.

It is critically important that eligible children continue to receive benefits-related free school meals during this period. We have published guidance for schools explaining what they should do to make sure that eligible pupils have continued access to this provision, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

As of 28 April our supplier, Edenred, reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme and as of Monday 4 May, Edenred has reported that over £47 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not collect data at pupil level. The department does not hold information on the number of children that have been fed via school collection and distribution models or other means since school closures.

The department does not hold data regarding how many children have become eligible for free school meals since the school closures. This information will be collected as part of the school census. Schools and local authorities should continue to accept free school meal applications during the closures to ensure that newly eligible children are able to receive meals they are entitled to.

28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children have become eligible for free school meals since school closures as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

As education is a devolved matter, this answer refers to free school meals in England only.

It is critically important that eligible children continue to receive benefits-related free school meals during this period. We have published guidance for schools explaining what they should do to make sure that eligible pupils have continued access to this provision, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance-for-schools.

As of 28 April our supplier, Edenred, reported that over 16,500 schools had placed orders for the scheme and as of Monday 4 May, Edenred has reported that over £47 million worth of voucher codes has been redeemed into supermarket eGift cards by schools and families through the scheme. We do not collect data at pupil level. The department does not hold information on the number of children that have been fed via school collection and distribution models or other means since school closures.

The department does not hold data regarding how many children have become eligible for free school meals since the school closures. This information will be collected as part of the school census. Schools and local authorities should continue to accept free school meal applications during the closures to ensure that newly eligible children are able to receive meals they are entitled to.

28th Apr 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking in addition to the Holiday Activities and Food programme for safeguarding children's access to food during the summer holidays 2020.

Responsibility for this policy area is devolved.

In England, the Holiday Activities and Food scheme is integral to our approach to provide healthy food to children over the summer and in 2019, our coordinators supported around 50,000 children. We are working with our 2020 coordinators to explore how support can be delivered in light of COVID-19.

In addition, the government continues to invest significantly each year on welfare benefits for people of working age, supporting people when they need it, including those who are out of work or on a low income. During the COVID-19 outbreak, the government has announced a package of temporary welfare measures. Taken together, these measures provide over £6.5bn of additional support through the welfare system for people affected by COVID-19

21st Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to provide guidance to schools on good practice in relation to the roll-over of unspent free school meal allowances.

Responsibility for free school meals and disadvantage policy is devolved and is therefore the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

Free school meals are intended as a benefit in kind, rather than a cash benefit, and our primary interest is that schools meet their legal duties to provide nutritious free lunches to eligible children. It is important that all pupils have access to healthy and nutritious meals at school and we would encourage all eligible children and parents to claim their free meals.

The department does not collect any information on the total or proportion of unspent funds at school or child level. We trust school leaders to make the best decisions in the interests of their pupils and it is right that they have flexibility around how they deliver free school meals. We know that some schools will allow pupils to carry over their benefit, however, we would not want to instruct schools to follow any specific approach nationally. We will consider how we can share the very best practice around the delivery of free school meals.

21st Feb 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the funds on the cards of children entitled to free school meals was unspent in the latest period for which figures are available; and how much of those unspent funds were (a) rolled over, (b) allocated to the school budget, (b) allocated to caterers and (c) allocated to local authorities.

Responsibility for free school meals and disadvantage policy is devolved and is therefore the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

Free school meals are intended as a benefit in kind, rather than a cash benefit, and our primary interest is that schools meet their legal duties to provide nutritious free lunches to eligible children. It is important that all pupils have access to healthy and nutritious meals at school and we would encourage all eligible children and parents to claim their free meals.

The department does not collect any information on the total or proportion of unspent funds at school or child level. We trust school leaders to make the best decisions in the interests of their pupils and it is right that they have flexibility around how they deliver free school meals. We know that some schools will allow pupils to carry over their benefit, however, we would not want to instruct schools to follow any specific approach nationally. We will consider how we can share the very best practice around the delivery of free school meals.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the value of (a) free school meals and (b) Pupil Premium that has not been claimed by eligible children in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Responsibility for free school meals and disadvantage policy is devolved and is therefore the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

In England, free school meal eligibility is used as a proxy measure for allocating the pupil premium. This remains the best available measure at an individual pupil level and the most reliable predictor of academic underperformance. Focusing pupil premium on pupils who have claimed free school meals in the past 6 years ensures schools have additional resources to tackle the educational impact of household economic deprivation.

The continuing provision of free school meals to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government. Take-up of free school meals is strong, estimated at 89% of eligible pupils.

We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this, we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals. We also provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children eligible for free school meals are not registered to receive them.

Responsibility for free school meals and disadvantage policy is devolved and is therefore the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

In England, free school meal eligibility is used as a proxy measure for allocating the pupil premium. This remains the best available measure at an individual pupil level and the most reliable predictor of academic underperformance. Focusing pupil premium on pupils who have claimed free school meals in the past 6 years ensures schools have additional resources to tackle the educational impact of household economic deprivation.

The continuing provision of free school meals to children from out of work families or those on low incomes is of the utmost importance to this government. Take-up of free school meals is strong, estimated at 89% of eligible pupils.

We want to make sure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their free school meals, and to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this, we provide an Eligibility Checking System to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. We have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for free school meals. We also provide guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including free school meals.

Michelle Donelan
Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

In 2006, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. This removed the need for DWP staff to apply for Access to Work. In April 2022, all Government departments followed suit and assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Defra pays holiday pay to employees in recognition of ‘normal remuneration’ during periods of statutory leave, in line with the ruling. This includes voluntary payments such as overtime and on-call.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

a) Equality Impact Assessments:

i. An Equality Impact Assessment is carried out for all new HR policies in Defra. Our HR Policy Team routinely considers equality impacts in relation to new HR policies and significant changes to existing HR policies and takes advice as necessary from our HR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team to ensure compliance with our Public Sector Equality Duty.

ii. For new policies and where there is a significant change in policy, staff networks are consulted in preparation of the Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that potential equality impacts are identified and addressed.

iii. The Equality Impact Assessments are not routinely published but are available to staff on request.

b) Trade unions are always consulted in the development of new HR policies in Defra, through regular meetings between Defra HR and trade union representatives.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available.

Defra has a Departmental Employee Relations Framework, agreed with its three recognised trade unions (PCS, Prospect and FDA), which sets out the principles under which the Department and the unions should conduct and build their rela-tionship. It aims to ensure appropriate negotiation, consultation and information sharing between managers and TU representatives is conducted in accordance with agreed principles and legislative requirements.

This framework specifically references how the Department shares appropriate in-formation with the unions to allow for effective collective bargaining.

In addition, Defra meets regularly with its recognised Trade Unions and presents and shares a range of information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

Defra is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Rela-tions (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

a) No and b) No.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

Defra Group complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code and regularly monitors EDI data, as regards all protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

This Data is captured via self-declaration via Shared Serves Platform. This data is utilised to monitor all aspects of employee lifecycle, including recruitment, retention, in year award / recognition, performance ratings, L&D / Talent and promotions to ensure equal access of opportunity to all. Furthermore, Equality impact Assessments are conducted at the point of policy creation and revision in order to assess impact and effectiveness of internal policies and action plans across protected characteristics.

All monitoring data collated and analysed by the department is shared with the trade unions representing staff covered by the Departmental Trade Union framework (the core department and Executive Agencies), Natural England and the Environment Agency. Workforce data is published annually via Defra Annual Report.

Please note, that 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code (CSMC) does not place an obligation on departments to share this information with their representative trade unions.

We have made good progress in recent years in diversifying the Civil Service. The percentage of civil servants from an ethnic minority background is at 15.0% and the percentage of those who declare themselves disabled is at 14.0%. Staff who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or other (LGBO) is 6.1% and the proportion of female civil servants stands at 54.5%. These rates are all at their highest recorded levels. However, we know there is still progress to be made in ensuring we are representative of the citizens we serve across all our grades.

The new Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2025 recognises our success and builds on this good work to encourage a broader range of people into the Civil Service to give depth to our understanding of contemporary society in the United Kingdom. It provides the necessary framing for diversity and inclusion activity in the Civil Service as part of our wider workforce strategy, and through that, how the Civil Service delivers for its people, the Government and our citizens.

A link to the Civil Service statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
6th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council on changing the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 to (a) replace the criminal standard of proof with the civil standard and (b) make improvements to the Fitness to Practise disciplinary system.

Defra is grateful for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) recommendations for reforming the Veterinary Surgeons Act to ensure that vets and veterinary nurses are regulated in line with modern regulatory practice in the future. My officials have maintained regular contact with RCVS on these matters. Defra supports the need to make changes to improve veterinary retention and simplify the rules and processes used. The Government's legislation for the forthcoming session will be announced in due course. The department will continue to work with stakeholders and RCVS to prioritise other non-legislative work to support improvements to veterinary retention.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

Defra is aware of the many potential benefits associated with updating the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and is considering the most effective and proportionate approach for full or partial reform of the Act. There is currently no timescale as to when any reforms of this legislation might take place. Any proposals taken forward would be subject to a public consultation.

Mark Spencer
Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
14th Jul 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on the impact of (a) trends in the level of and (b) barriers to imports on food security and availability in the UK.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.

The capability, levers, and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. They have highly resilient supply chains, and this was proven in the initial COVID-19 response. The Government’s role is to support and enable an industry-led response.

The UK Government has well established ways of working with the industry and with the Devolved Administrations to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

The UK’s high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
23rd Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the rise in the cost of living on food producers.

Agricultural commodities are linked to global gas prices, and we recognise that farmers and food producers are facing increased input costs – namely fertiliser, energy, fuel and feed. We have taken steps to support farmers with fertiliser availability, brought forward BPS payments, implemented maize tariff reductions and introduced flexibility in the labelling of certain oils in products.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
18th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what records his Department keeps relating to staff working times under Regulation 9 of the Working Time Regulations 1998; and how long those records are kept for.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Easington on 17 January 2022, PQ UIN 102586.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
11th Jan 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote innovation in the food system.

Defra recognises how central innovation and technology are to boosting productivity, enhancing the environment and feeding a growing global population. The Government is making significant investment to unlock innovation and translate our world leading research into practical, farmer-led solutions that improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, and which move towards net zero emission farming systems.

We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.

The Government’s £90 million investment in the 'Transforming Food Production' (TFP) challenge, launched by UK Research and Innovation in 2018, is already supporting ground-breaking research and development to enable farmers and growers to harness the latest technology to produce high quality food, increase their productivity and move towards net zero emission farming systems by 2040.

On the back of this programme’s success, Defra launched a £14.5 million collaborative agricultural R&D competition called 'Farming Innovation Pathways' in spring 2021, targeting existing and new farm focused innovation, which will be delivered through the TFP initiative.

In October 2021, Defra launched the first £17.5 million share of funding in its ambitious new Farming Innovation Programme – as part of the proposed measures to stimulate innovation and boost sustainable productivity in England’s agricultural and horticultural sectors as we move away from the EU system of farming subsidy payments. This Programme will enable more farmers, growers, and agri-food businesses to become involved in collaborative agricultural and horticultural R&D, and will enhance knowledge exchange and adoption of innovation by farmers and growers to ensure innovation can make a real difference to the sectors. It will comprise three separate funds that will pull through innovation in different areas, from small farmer-led innovative research projects to larger industrial R&D projects that can transform the sector.

On January 19 we will launch the Improving Farm Productivity theme of the Farming Investment Fund, part of the £27 million grant scheme fund launched last November. Farmers and growers in England will be able to apply for grants to invest in cutting edge robotic and automation technology to boost productivity. Farmers will benefit from grants ranging from £35,000 to £500,000 to invest in innovative equipment including state of the art autonomous driverless tractors, and cutting-edge robots that harvest, weed and spray crops and voluntary robotic milking systems.

Defra is also engaged with the £47.5 million UK Research and Innovation led Strategic Priorities Fund in Food Systems, which is addressing planetary and health challenges to transform the food system.

Jo Churchill
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) artificial intelligence and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered for his Department.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central on 10 September 2020, PQ UIN 83796.

[questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-09-01/83796]

Defra recognises the potential for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to play an important part in ensuring that data and science are at the heart of decision making.

All of Defra’s ongoing and previous research projects, including a number involving AI and ML, are published on Defra’s research and development website: randd.defra.gov.uk Planned projects are advertised on Bravo: defra.bravosolution.co.uk.

Areas particularly benefitting from these tools include the interpretation of Earth Observation and automated sensor data, the development of advanced modelling techniques, and improved customer service.

We will continue to work in partnership across Government, with academia and industry to develop the use of AI and ML for Defra.

Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in her Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in Defra to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Defra, as with other Government Departments, has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

Defra Health and Safety representatives can use their paid facility time for the following TU duties (this list is not exhaustive):

  • Representing employees in consultation and discussions with the employer on health, safety or welfare,
  • Investigating accidents, near misses and other potential hazards and dangerous occurrences in the workplace
  • Investigating a complaint made by an employee they represent about their health, safety or welfare in the workplace
  • Undertaking training relevant to the role of H&S representative, beyond “Stage One”

Defra makes the following provisions to enable Health and Safety Representatives to discharge their duties effectively, without using facility time.

  • Undertaking “Stage One” Health and Safety training, as this course is recognised as providing good basic standard training and the department wants to ensure those carrying out Health and Safety functions are properly qualified
  • Carrying out inspections where they form part of an agreed joint program
  • Attending Joint Health and Safety Committee meetings

In line with the legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time in Defra for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer, including where this arises under “Regulations made under Section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”.

The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

GDPR has not affected the rights of unions in DExEU to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether his Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

Yes. DExEU complies with this requirement; any safety representative employed by the Department would be entitled to time off with pay, which would not be set against facility time.

Obligations to provide reasonable paid time off to trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties include paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

10th Jun 2020
What assessment she has made of the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the accessibility of UK humanitarian support to people who need it.

There is no doubt that coronavirus restrictions have made it harder to reach those that need our help, whether because of disruption to supply chains or personnel. Our support for the UN’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan remains crucial. Through this, we support humanitarian access by securing the continuity of supply chains to the vulnerable, including refugees, Internally Displaced People, and host communities.

Our job is to get where others can’t.

James Cleverly
Home Secretary
18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what discussions the Commission has had with trade unions as required by Health and Safety law in the completion of risk assessments to facilitate a full return to Parliament during the covid-19 outbreak for (a) staff, (b) hon. Members and (c) visitors; and if he will make a statement.

The House authorities on behalf of the House of Commons Commission have met with representatives of the Trades Unions for staff in the House of Commons and PDS formally at least three times per week since the beginning of March, and with representatives of Members’ and Peers’ Staff Association (MAPSA) and Unite as representatives of Members’ staff.

We have increased facility time for TU Safety officials and now have a full time TU resource working with the Parliamentary Safety Team on risk assessments.

18th May 2020
To ask the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire, representing the House of Commons Commission, what personal protective equipment is available for staff working on the Parliamentary Estate during the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

The provision of personal protective equipment to protect against coronavirus has been guided by Public Health England. After a review, they have advised that the only work on the estate that requires face masks for protection against the coronavirus is undertaken by the occupational health team.

Aprons and face masks for use by security officers are available for the security team to wear whilst processing a person through search and screening if they wish, but they are not an essential risk control.

Staff who normally wear PPE to protect themselves, for example those exposed to dusts, will continue to do so.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has not affected the rights of recognised Unions in DFID to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether his Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

DFID, like all Government Departments, has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives, as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.

In line with this legislative obligation, set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials is published annually, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer (including where this arises under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”).

Andrew Murrison
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) and UK Export Finance (UKEF) conduct Equality Impact Assessments (EQIA) as part of internal process where there is anticipated to be a people-related impact of change to policy, process, or organisational design. These are conducted through engagement with departmental networks and Trade Unions. EQIA documentation is for internal use and therefore is not routinely published.

As part of internal processes, DIT and UKEF both consult with Departmental Trade Unions when introducing new policies or incorporating major changes to existing policies and guidance.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and therefore publicly available:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sections-181-185-of-the-trade-union-and-labour-relations-consolidation-act-1992

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-trade

In addition, the Department for International Trade, now the Department for Business and Trade, meets regularly with their recognised Trade Unions and presents and shares a range of information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through negotiation, engagement and consultation as appropriate.

This department is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions.

UK Export Finance (UKEF) have also provided a similar response to confirm that UKEF is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
26th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him today, UIN 128655.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

The Department does not currently operate a policy which enables staff to sell annual leave. The Department has not notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) routinely captures and monitors personal information as specified in section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code from candidates and staff to ensure best practice and legal compliance. DIT uses Equality Impact Assessments to examine the impacts of policies and processes on the Department’s workforce and take action to mitigate against any unintended impacts.

The data gathered is shared with trade union representatives where appropriate. Detailed information on the Civil Service workforce is collected and published centrally as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Statistics and can be found on Gov.uk.

Nigel Huddleston
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether her Department complies with the requirement set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code. This is also referenced in the internal Industrial Relations Policy, which is accessible to staff.

DIT also publishes information relating to facility time for recognised trade union representatives at Gov.uk.

15th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation affects the right of recognised unions in her Department to bargaining information as set out in Section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) works closely with our recognised Trade Unions and values the benefit of these effective working relationships in delivering the department’s objectives.

General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in DIT to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Following a cross-government consultation exercise in 2019, a decision was taken in 2020 to change the Access to Work eligibility criteria to standardise workplace adjustments for civil servants. As a result, departments were asked to take over the responsibility for putting in place workplace adjustments for their employees from 1st April 2022.

The Department for Transport (DfTc) therefore has a dedicated service to manage, procure and fund the provision of Workplace Adjustments for individuals with a disability and/or health condition.

10th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if he will make a statement.

In response to this judgement, the Department for Transport negotiated and implemented a policy for the core department and executive agencies effective 01 August 2019 to meet the statutory obligations placed on employers.

23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department for Transport is a ‘Disability Confident Leader’ in the Disability Confident Scheme which is the highest of the three levels of commitment to the scheme. In addition to taking steps such as providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, the Department provides leadership in supporting the scheme, reports on disability, mental health and wellbeing and has undergone a rigorous validation process. The data available to the Department shows that around 10% of internal applicants since 1 May 2022 applied under the scheme, with a similar level of representation at interview stage.

22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

The Department for Transport is a ‘Disability Confident Leader’ in the Disability Confident Scheme which is the highest of the three levels of commitment to the scheme. In addition to taking steps such as providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process, the Department provides leadership in supporting the scheme, reports on disability, mental health and wellbeing and has undergone a rigorous validation process. The data available to the Department shows that around 10% of internal applicants since 1 May 2022 applied under the scheme, with a similar level of representation at interview stage.

31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The Department for Transport routinely consults its trade unions when proposing new HR policies and conducts equality impact assessments in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty which are shared with the unions as appropriate.

26th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code by collecting and analysing a range of data on, for example, recruitment, career development, promotion, job allocation and resignations. This data is published in the Department’s Equality Monitoring report. The department also carries out pay modelling and analysis of performance pay. This includes analysis to monitor diversity impacts.

This information is both publicly available and can be shared with trade unions on request.

25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

The Department for Transport offers staff the opportunity to sell leave once a year. The last opportunity was between November to December 2022.

The Department released communications to staff through the staff intranet during November, reminding staff that the benefit window was opening, giving information regarding the buy/sell leave policy and reminding staff when the window was closing. Emails were also sent to all staff email addresses as a reminder of the employee benefit annual window.

23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

All employees within the Department for Transport are currently paid above the National Minimum Wage.

20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

The Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code by collecting and analysing a range of data on, for example, recruitment, career development, promotion, job allocation and resignations. This data is published in the Department’s Equality Monitoring report. The Department also carries out pay modelling and analysis of performance pay. This includes analysis to monitor diversity impacts.

This information is both publicly available and can be shared with trade unions on request.

19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

There is a range of human resources information on the Department for Transport which is published on GOV.UK and is therefore publicly available. The Department also shares routine human resources information with its recognised trade unions as part of its regular engagement.

21st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

At the current time there are no plans to mandate the use of the risk assessment tools.

As any such risk assessments are voluntary, DfT does not hold data centrally on the number of risk assessments completed or reviewed as of 21 February 2022.

Andrew Stephenson
Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
22nd Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the correspondence form the hon. Member for Glasgow South West of 29 March 2021 and 8 June 2021 on the industrial dispute within the DVLA; and if he will make a statement.

The Department responded to your letter of 29 March on 9 April, and your letter of 8 June on 25 June. Copies of both are in the attached documents.

19th Jan 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) plans he has for and (b) discussions he has had with stakeholders on amending the law on driving theory test certificates as a result of the covid-19 outbreak; and if he will make a statement.

The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place for road safety reasons; to ensure that a candidate’s knowledge is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.

It is important that road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point that they drive unsupervised for the first time. Those with theory test certificates expiring may have taken their test in early 2019. Since then, their lessons and practice sessions will have been significantly curtailed during recent lockdowns and it is likely that their knowledge base will have diminished. Research suggests that this would be particularly harmful for hazard perception skills, a key factor in road safety.

Ensuring new drivers have current relevant knowledge and skills is a vital part of the training of new drivers, who are disproportionality represented in casualty statistics. Taking all this into consideration, the decision has been made not to extend theory test certificates and learners will need to pass another theory test if their certificate expires.

5th Nov 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) artificial intelligence and (b) machine learning projects are being (i) undertaken and (ii) considered for his Department.

Technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning have many potential applications including in the transport sector. Innovation teams across the DfT family support research and development initiatives conducted both within and outside of DfT.

One specific initiative is investigating a proof-of-concept study into a non-intrusive AI-model capable of detecting the number of face-coverings, and the number of uncovered faces, in an image. The model would then display message responses focussed on positive engagement. This work will not be able to identify or track individuals, and no images will be stored by the system.

We don’t hold information centrally regarding further AI or machine learning projects being undertaken or planned by the department at this time.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent advice his Department has received from Public Health England on the safe restarting of driving tests as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.

The DVSA has consulted with Public Health England and has released an updated version of its standard operating procedure and risk assessments to driving examiners, which contains social distancing measures and safety precautions, to ensure the safe restart of driving tests. The DVSA is currently engaging with Scottish and Welsh Governments to ensure it engages with Health advisors before services are resumed in both.

1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has received advice from Public Health England on the safety of clinically vulnerable DVSA staff who conduct driving tests as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.

The DVSA has consulted with Public Health England (PHE) to ensure the safety of all its staff when resuming testing services. The DVSA will be following the guidance PHE has provided to Government for those who are Extremely Clinically Vulnerable and those who are Clinically Vulnerable.

Driving examiners will wear face coverings on test and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers. Candidates will be asked to bring and wear a face covering attending for test, unless they have a good reason not to. Candidates are reminded they should not come for test if they have any symptoms or have been asked to self-isolate by test and trace. Similar guidance has been provided to the approved driving instructors.

1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the ability of DVSA staff to socially distance while conducting driving tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The approach being taken has been developed with input from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Public Health England (PHE).

To prevent the spread of coronavirus and keep staff and candidates safe:

  • Driving examiners will wear face coverings and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers.

  • The number of people arriving for a driving test at the same time will be limited and all meet and greet will be undertaken achieving social distancing.

  • Driving instructors or supervising drivers will not be allowed to sit in the back of the car during the test.

  • Candidates will be asked to bring and wear a face covering attending for test, unless they have a good reason not to.

  • Driving test centre waiting rooms and toilets will be closed except for those who have a disability, medical condition, or who are pregnant.

The amount of time spent in the vehicle will be minimised:

  • If a candidate makes a serious or dangerous fault, which means they have failed, the driving examiner will direct them back to the driving test centre, where the test will end.

  • At the end of the test, the driving examiner will give the test result feedback outside of the vehicle.

  • Driving instructors can listen to the test result feedback if it is safe to do so.

1st Jul 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what personal protective equipment will be provided to DVSA staff conducting driving tests; and if he will make a statement.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.

To keep driving examiners safe, and help prevent the spread of coronavirus, examiners will wear face coverings and have the option to wear gloves and use disposable seat covers. These measures have been put in place following discussions with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Public Health England (PHE).

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has affected the right of recognised unions in his Department to bargaining information in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

The assessment of the Department for Transport is that the General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the DfT in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
13th Jan 2020
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department is compliant with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code that time off with pay for safety representatives will not be set against facility time allowed under existing arrangements.

The Department for Transport provides trade union representatives with reasonable facility time to undertake trade union duties, union learning representative duties and health and safety duties. This is in line with the departmental policy, the Civil Service Management Code, the Cabinet Office Framework on Trade Union Facility Time and our legislative obligations. These include a requirement to publish, as set out in the Trade Union Act (2016), information relating to facility time for relevant union officials, with facility time defined by that Act as including time off taken by a relevant union official that is permitted by the official’s employer, including under “regulations made under section 2(4) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974”.

The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.

Chris Heaton-Harris
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
17th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the last three months for which data is available per constituency; and how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency in that period.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Statistics are published regularly showing the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction. These can be found in the UC sanction rates dataset on Stat-Xplore and are available by Westminster parliamentary constituency, monthly from April 2019 to May 2023

The additional information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
17th Oct 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available per constituency; what was the (a) average and (b) total sum of deduction per constituency; what proportion of deductions were used to repay advance payments; and if he will make a statement.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact the DWP Debt Management Team if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties.

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit, and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in May 2023 by parliamentary constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Data for May 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available Universal Credit Household Statistics.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
29th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much on average was deducted in each constituency; what the total sum was of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of each of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments; and if he will make a statement.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact the DWP Debt Management Team if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties.

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit, and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in February 2023 by parliamentary constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Data for February 2023 has been provided in line with the latest available Universal Credit Household Statistics.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
29th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the last three months for which data is available by constituency; and how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency in that period.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Statistics are published regularly showing the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction. These can be found in the UC sanction rates dataset on Stat-Xplore and are available by Westminster parliamentary constituency, monthly from April 2019 to February 2023.

The additional information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
15th Jun 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant, which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people, and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

In 2006, the DWP took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. This removed the need for DWP staff to apply for Access to Work. In April 2022, all Government departments followed suit and assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
5th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties.

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit, and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in November 2022 by parliamentary constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
5th May 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in his Department investigate benefit fraud; what recent estimate he has made of the cost of that fraud to the public purse; and if he will make a statement.

As of the end of April 2023, DWP has 1,111 full time equivalent (FTE) employees involved in investigating benefit fraud. This number does not include our compliance staff, who carry out robust and challenging interviews to ensure benefit claimants receive their correct entitlement.

For the financial year 2022/23, DWP estimated that the monetary value of benefit overpayments due to fraud stood at £6.4bn.

Fraud and error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Tom Pursglove
Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the last 12 months for which data is available, what was the average monthly deduction taken from Universal Credit payments specifically for Council Tax purposes.

Tables 1 & 2, in the attached spreadsheet, provide figures for the average monthly third-party deduction and the average monthly council tax deduction for the period December-21 to November-22.

Data for the ten largest monthly deductions taken from Universal Credit payments is not readily available and to provide this would incur disproportionate cost.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
20th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average monthly third party deduction taken from Universal Credit payments was in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Tables 1 & 2, in the attached spreadsheet, provide figures for the average monthly third-party deduction and the average monthly council tax deduction for the period December-21 to November-22.

Data for the ten largest monthly deductions taken from Universal Credit payments is not readily available and to provide this would incur disproportionate cost.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
20th Apr 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the ten largest monthly deductions taken from Universal Credit payments were in the last 12 months for which data is available.

Tables 1 & 2, in the attached spreadsheet, provide figures for the average monthly third-party deduction and the average monthly council tax deduction for the period December-21 to November-22.

Data for the ten largest monthly deductions taken from Universal Credit payments is not readily available and to provide this would incur disproportionate cost.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
23rd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of reporting of accidents owing to changes in the default preferences under the SOARS reporting system; and what assessment he has made of the impact of those trends on the Department's compliance with Regulation 4(a) of the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations in regard to safety representatives examining the causes of accidents in the workplace.

There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department consulted (a) health and safety representatives and (b) trade unions on the decision made by Sodexo to change the default setting on the SOARS accident reporting system to one where staff have to opt in to send details of any accident to local health and safety representatives.

There have been no changes to the default preferences. The process remains that TUH&S representatives should receive a copy of all accident reports, these can be anonymised if the individual reporting requests it.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
13th Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions by constituency in the last three months for which data is available; and how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions by constituency in that period.

The latest monthly statistics, taken from Stat-Xplore, on the number of Universal Credit full service claimants with a payment that has been reduced due to a sanction, by Westminster parliamentary constituency, for September to November 2022, are provided in the attached spreadsheet.

The additional information requested for (a) and (b) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Sanctions are only ever applied when a claimant fails to meet their agreed conditionality requirements without good reason.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
2nd Mar 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Universal Credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a payment due in November 2022 by Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Data for November 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
23rd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps they have taken in their Department to operate the Disability Confident employer scheme for those seeking a lateral transfer; and how many and what proportion of candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under that scheme where (a) interviewed and (b) laterally transferred in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

DWP is a Disability Confident Leader and all our campaigns advertised on Civil Service Jobs, externally or across the Civil Service, carry the Disability Confident Logo. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies for these campaigns under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.

To respond to changing resourcing requirements, and enable career development moves, DWP does provide opportunities for its employees to move internally on a lateral basis across the department where appropriate before advertising vacancies on CS Jobs. Advertising internal opportunities to move laterally is not mandatory but where these opportunities are advertised, we operate the Disability Confident Scheme which enables eligible candidates that apply under the scheme to progress to the interview stage if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. As most internal opportunities are advertised locally, using manual processes rather than CS Jobs, we are only able to provide limited numerical data.

The table below shows the number of DWP candidates applying for internal or Cross Government roles advertised on CS Jobs who have declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme. We cannot identify who is applying on a level move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare.

Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only *

2021

2022

Applications received from DWP candidates who declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

95

256

Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.

19 (20.0%)

71 (27.7%)

Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.

12 (12.6%)

Redacted **

.* Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies advertised on CS Jobs. Please note we cannot identify who is applying on a lateral move, just those who have replied ‘no’ to the question 'are you applying on promotion'. This may include a very small number of people who have applied for a role at a lower grade, though this is extremely rare. ** Numbers are low and have been redacted to prevent the risk of individuals being identified.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Feb 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps they have taken to operate a disability confident scheme for those seeking promotion in their Department; and how many and what proportion of those candidates who declared themselves as having a disability and who applied under the scheme were (a) interviewed and (b) promoted in (i) 2021 and (ii) 2022.

In line with the commitment made in the Civil Service Workforce Plan all DWP recruitment has been ‘External by Default’ since August 2020. It is therefore departmental policy that all permanent vacancies, including those that would result in promotion for an existing employee, are advertised externally unless there is clear rationale for not doing so.

To comply with CS Commission Recruitment Principles, our external recruitment is Fair, Open and Merit based and as a Disability Confident Leader all our advertised campaigns, internal or external, carries the Disability Confident Logo to make this clear to applicants. We are committed to offering an interview to any disabled candidate, internal or external, who applies under the Disability Confident Scheme and meets the minimum criteria for the role.

It is only within internal recruitment exercises, where candidates are asked if they are applying on promotion, as such, we only hold data on promotion figures for internally advertised campaigns.

The figures in the table show the number of DWP candidates who declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied for internal vacancies under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, and their progression through the recruitment process.

Internal Recruitment Campaigns Only (applying on promotion) **

2021

2022

Applications received from DWP candidates who declared themselves as having a disability, or who applied under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme.

152

244

Number of the above candidates who were successful at sift stage and invited to interview.

28 (18.4%)

37 (15.2%)

Number of the above candidates who were successful at interview stage and made an offer.

9 (5.9%)

6 (2.5%)

.** Applications made by internal DWP candidates for internally advertised DWP / Cross Government vacancies, on promotion.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
31st Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to meeting its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 with regard to producing Equality Analyses when considering changes which may have an impact on colleagues with protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. The Department consults on new HR policies in line with its Employee Relations Framework.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which body is the legal employer of staff at the Health and Safety Executive.

The Crown is the legal employer of employees at the Health and Safety Executive.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
30th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

There is a range of HR information which is publicly available on GOV.UK.

In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) meets regularly with recognised Trade Unions to present and share information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

DWP is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

DWP has an existing facility for colleagues to exchange untaken contractual leave for payment in the last month of their annual leave year. There is no consistent annual leave year for colleagues across DWP.

From 4 January to 31 January 2023, DWP is running a specific exercise where colleagues can voluntarily request a payment for a maximum of five days of untaken contractual annual leave that they do not want to take, regardless of when their annual leave year ends. Colleagues cannot request to be paid for statutory leave.

Taking part in the exercise is completely voluntary, employees physical and mental wellbeing remains a key priority for the department, and everyone is encouraged to use their annual leave to relax and recuperate wherever possible.

Colleagues were informed of this opportunity 4 January 2023, and reminders were issued 13, 25 and 27 January 2023.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
23rd Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.

The National Living Wage (NLW) is the statutory minimum wage for workers aged 23 and over. Different minimum wage rates apply to 21-22 year olds, 18-20 year olds, 16-17 year olds and apprentices aged under 19 or in the first year of an apprenticeship.

In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%. By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.

As of 24 January 2023, the total number of civil servants in DWP paid at the National Minimum Wage rate per hour was 0 (0% of all staff) and the National Living Wage rate per hour was 65. Everyone in DWP is paid at least the national living wage, with the vast majority above it.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
20th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure his Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

DWP takes its responsibility to comply with Equality Act 2010, Public Sector Equality Duty and Civil Service Management Code seriously. We have adopted an Equality Analysis approach to embed inclusive decision making and equalities considerations and monitoring within all of our policies and practices.

In DWP Equality Analysis is undertaken at policy/project level, and to ensure compliance we have embedded equalities thinking and monitoring within our change processes and have developed comprehensive guidance to support Senior Responsible Officer’s to effectively discharge their responsibilities. In addition, we have dedicated resource in place to provide bespoke support on all aspects of Equality Analysis, including monitoring and evaluation to policy/project leads as requested.

Policy/Projects with an employee impact are actively encouraged to implement Trade Union engagement and the sharing of their Equality Analysis as part of their Stakeholder Management Plans.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
19th Jan 2023
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.

Senior Departmental officials meet with Departmental Trade Union Side to discuss resourcing issues including finance, demand, and recruitment.

As part of the annual delegated pay negotiations, the department provides the three trade unions that are recognised in DWP with detailed information on pay, including pay scales and where employees currently sit within these.

Individual Departmental Directors with responsibility for Service Delivery meet trade unions annually to discuss the resourcing position specific to their area of work. In addition, Departmental Directors meet trade unions regularly to update and share information on issues such as resources, staffing, workloads, performance, health and safety and wellbeing.

There is also a range of publicly available HR information published on GOV.UK.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
16th Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claims were subject to sanctions in the last three months for which data is available by constituency; and how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of benefit income lost by claimants due to sanctions in each constituency.

Monthly Universal Credit full service sanction rate statistics are published every three months on Stat-Xplore.

The information requested for part a) and b) is provided in the attached spreadsheet.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
1st Nov 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much was the (a) total and (b) average sum of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in May 2022 by Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

Points to note:

1. The number of claims per constituency in the table are rounded to the nearest hundred, total claims at GB level rounded to the nearest thousand. UC payments and total amounts of deductions are rounded to the nearest thousand pound. The sum of individual constituencies may not sum to the total figure due to rounding.

2. Deductions include advance repayments, third party deductions and all other deductions, but exclude sanctions and fraud penalties which are reductions of benefit rather than deductions.

3. Amount of Universal Credit paid reflects the amount of money paid to claimants and their landlords as part of their award, including the amount which they would have been entitled to had it not been deducted. It does not include other payments such as advances and hardship payments.

4. Figures are provisional and are subject to retrospective change as later data becomes available.

5. The' unknown' parliamentary constituency label relates to claims for which a constituency could not be determined due to incomplete postcode information.

6. Data for May 2022 has been provided in line with the latest available UC Household Statistics.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's planned timetable is for all Personal Independence Payment applicants to have the choice of a recorded assessment.

The option for a claimant to request an audio recording of their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) telephone or face-to-face assessment is already available, and we are working closely with providers to add the functionality to video assessments. In addition to this, from January 2022, claimants can make their own recordings on a device of their choosing if they do not wish for the assessment to be recorded on their behalf.

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's timetable is for running another pilot of non-financial penalties in place of benefit sanctions.

We have no plans to run another pilot at this time.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) shortest, (b) median and (c) longest waiting times are among Personal Independence Payment applicants who are awaiting an assessment as of 28 June 2022.

Time waiting for assessment is defined as the time from the date an application was referred to the provider from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to the date the assessment was completed and referred back to DWP. Where claimants are outstanding, the assessment is not yet complete.

Shortest waiting times:

Shortest waiting times relate to Special rules for Terminal Illness (SRTI) cases where claimants have a terminal diagnosis.

As of May 2022 (the latest available data), the average time for an SRTI case to be returned to DWP after referral to a provider (i.e., assessment is complete) was 1.61 working days.

Median waiting times:

Median waiting times for each stage of the claimant process can be found in published stats.

Median time waiting for an assessment as of April 2022 (the latest available data) was 12 weeks for new claims and 11 weeks for reassessments.

Longest waiting time:

Latest data from 20 June 2022 shows the oldest case was referred in July 2021.

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were awaiting an assessment for Personal Independence Payment in each of the last 12 months for which data are available.

The total number of claimants that were awaiting an assessment for Personal Independence Payment (PIP), in each of the last 12 months, is provided in the table below.

Month

People Awaiting Assessment

Jun-21

220,840

Jul-21

235,790

Aug-21

266,650

Sep-21

279,600

Oct-21

295,570

Nov-21

294,750

Dec-21

311,870

Jan-22

313,420

Feb-22

312,480

Mar-22

311,390

Apr-22

317,220

May-22

312,470

Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the assessment providers.

Please note: the above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

13th Jun 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were subject to deductions in the most recent month for which data is available, broken down by parliamentary constituency; how much on average was deducted in each constituency; what the total sum was of deductions in each constituency; and what proportion of each of those sums was deducted to repay advance payments; and if she will make a statement.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a deduction in February 2022 by Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure all Personal Independence Payment claimants are adequately informed of their rights of mandatory reconsideration when offering claimants an increased benefits award over the telephone after their appeal has been lodged.

If an appealed decision is revised, the claimant can immediately appeal that decision without first having to request a Mandatory Reconsideration. This is explained both in the phone call which is made when this option is discussed, and again in the decision notice should the claimant agree to the decision being revised.

17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of Personal Independence Payment claimants have had their claim lapsed by her Department in Scotland.

The table below provides information on Personal Independence Payment appeal registrations and lapses for both the whole of Great Britain and for Scotland, between 1st April 2013 and 31st December 2021.

GB Appeals registered

GB Appeals lapsed

Scotland Appeals registered

Scotland Appeals lapsed

604,080

112,100 (19% of GB appeals registered)

72,590

12,270 (17% of Scotland appeals registered)

Notes:

  • Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
  • These figures include appeal registrations and decisions for PIP New Claims, Reassessments, Award Reviews and Change of Circumstances.
  • A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.
17th May 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many appeals against Personal Independence Payment decisions were lapsed by her Department as at the latest date for which data is available.

The table below provides information on Personal Independence Payment appeal registrations and lapses for both the whole of Great Britain and for Scotland, between 1st April 2013 and 31st December 2021.

GB Appeals registered

GB Appeals lapsed

Scotland Appeals registered

Scotland Appeals lapsed

604,080

112,100 (19% of GB appeals registered)

72,590

12,270 (17% of Scotland appeals registered)

Notes:

  • Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
  • These figures include appeal registrations and decisions for PIP New Claims, Reassessments, Award Reviews and Change of Circumstances.
  • A lapsed appeal is where DWP changed the decision in the customer’s favour after an appeal was lodged but before it was heard at a tribunal hearing.
30th Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of local welfare assistance schemes in Glasgow South West constituency.

No assessment has been made.

Local Welfare is a devolved matter and it is for the Scottish Government to assess the adequacy of their local welfare assistance scheme.

The Government has recently announced an extension to the funding provided to help vulnerable households with cost of living pressures - providing an additional £500 million from April 2022 to help households with the cost of essentials bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion (between October 2021 and September 2022). In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund from 1 April to 30 September inclusive. The devolved administrations will again receive £79 million through the Barnett formula (£41 million for the Scottish Government, £25 million for the Welsh Government and £14 million for the NI Executive).

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what processes are in place for reporting employers that may attempt to advertise jobs on her Department's website that fail to comply with National Minimum Wage legislation to HMRC Minimum Wage Complaint Unit; and if she will make a statement.

All adverts listed on Find a job meet the National Minimum Wage, with the exception of a small number resulting from user error on the part of the employer.

When entering details of their job advert into Find a job the employer is presented with 2 options for stating the wages/salary. They can provide a minimum and maximum rate of pay and select the period this applies to, for example hourly, weekly or annually. Alternatively, they can confirm that the job will pay at least the National Minimum Wage.

The employer is also required to state whether the job is full time (30 hours per week or more) or part time (less than 30 hours per week). When full time is selected Find a job validates that the wages/salary on offer meets National Minimum Wage. The advert cannot be posted until this condition is met.

When part time is selected the validation ensures that the hourly rates entered meet or exceed National Minimum Wage and highlights to the employer where this is not the case; the employer cannot proceed with the advert until this condition is met. However, we know that on a small number of occasions the employer then goes on to mistakenly select the incorrect period this wage applies to. This can lead to adverts showing wages of, for example, £8.91 per year when clearly it should be per hour. Additional manual checks are performed to identify and remove such adverts.

Additionally, if a user finds any error with a job advert – with the rate of pay or anything else - they can use the ‘report this job’ feature and the DWP team will investigate and if appropriate remove the advert.

There is no separate process in place for reporting employers to HMRC’s Minimum Wage Complaint Unit.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department takes to ensure that job advertisements live on its website are compliant with National Minimum Wage legislation; and if she will make a statement.

All adverts listed on Find a job meet the National Minimum Wage, with the exception of a small number resulting from user error on the part of the employer.

When entering details of their job advert into Find a job the employer is presented with 2 options for stating the wages/salary. They can provide a minimum and maximum rate of pay and select the period this applies to, for example hourly, weekly or annually. Alternatively, they can confirm that the job will pay at least the National Minimum Wage.

The employer is also required to state whether the job is full time (30 hours per week or more) or part time (less than 30 hours per week). When full time is selected Find a job validates that the wages/salary on offer meets National Minimum Wage. The advert cannot be posted until this condition is met.

When part time is selected the validation ensures that the hourly rates entered meet or exceed National Minimum Wage and highlights to the employer where this is not the case; the employer cannot proceed with the advert until this condition is met. However, we know that on a small number of occasions the employer then goes on to mistakenly select the incorrect period this wage applies to. This can lead to adverts showing wages of, for example, £8.91 per year when clearly it should be per hour. Additional manual checks are performed to identify and remove such adverts.

Additionally, if a user finds any error with a job advert – with the rate of pay or anything else - they can use the ‘report this job’ feature and the DWP team will investigate and if appropriate remove the advert.

There is no separate process in place for reporting employers to HMRC’s Minimum Wage Complaint Unit.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many jobs are listed on her Department's website that are advertised at rates under the national minimum wage of £9.50 per hour as of 22 March 2022.

All adverts listed on Find a job meet the National Minimum Wage, with the exception of a small number resulting from user error on the part of the employer.

When entering details of their job advert into Find a job the employer is presented with 2 options for stating the wages/salary. They can provide a minimum and maximum rate of pay and select the period this applies to, for example hourly, weekly or annually. Alternatively, they can confirm that the job will pay at least the National Minimum Wage.

The employer is also required to state whether the job is full time (30 hours per week or more) or part time (less than 30 hours per week). When full time is selected Find a job validates that the wages/salary on offer meets National Minimum Wage. The advert cannot be posted until this condition is met.

When part time is selected the validation ensures that the hourly rates entered meet or exceed National Minimum Wage and highlights to the employer where this is not the case; the employer cannot proceed with the advert until this condition is met. However, we know that on a small number of occasions the employer then goes on to mistakenly select the incorrect period this wage applies to. This can lead to adverts showing wages of, for example, £8.91 per year when clearly it should be per hour. Additional manual checks are performed to identify and remove such adverts.

Additionally, if a user finds any error with a job advert – with the rate of pay or anything else - they can use the ‘report this job’ feature and the DWP team will investigate and if appropriate remove the advert.

There is no separate process in place for reporting employers to HMRC’s Minimum Wage Complaint Unit.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
21st Mar 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2020 to Question 112080, Artificial Intelligence, what progress has been made with each of the items listed.

There has been no fundamental change from the answer of 10 November 2020.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of the current board members at the Money and Pensions Service have been advised their appointments will not be renewed; and if she will make a statement.

One current non-executive board member at the Money and Pensions Service has been notified that their appointment will not be renewed. In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the serving board members at the Money and Pensions Advice Service have been notified that their appointments will not be renewed; and if she will make a statement.

One current non-executive board member at the Money and Pensions Service has been notified that their appointment will not be renewed. In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what percentage of board members at the Money and Pensions Service have not had their appointments renewed in the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment. Two non-executive board members at the Money and Pensions Service have not been re-appointed over the last two years, one in 2020/2021 and one in 2021/2022.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many serving board members at the Money and Pensions Advice Service have not had their appointments renewed in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement.

In accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, there is no automatic presumption of reappointment. Two non-executive board members at the Money and Pensions Service have not been re-appointed over the last two years, one in 2020/2021 and one in 2021/2022.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
24th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims were having deductions taken from them in the most recent month for which data are available, in each parliamentary constituency; what was the average size of sums deducted in each constituency; what the total sum was deducted from claims in each constituency; and what proportion of each sum was deducted to repay advance payments.

The Government recognises the importance of supporting the welfare of claimants who have incurred debt. We seek to balance recovery of debt against not causing hardship for claimants and their families. Processes are in place to ensure deductions are manageable, and customers can contact DWP Debt Management if they are experiencing financial hardship, to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment or a temporary suspension, depending on their financial circumstances.

Since April 2021, we have reduced the normal maximum rate of deductions in Universal Credit from 40% to 25% of a claimant’s Standard Allowance. These positive measures were put in place to support claimants to manage financial difficulties

Advances are a claimant’s benefit entitlement paid early, allowing claimants to access 100% of their estimated Universal Credit payment upfront. They ensure nobody has to wait for a payment in Universal Credit and those who need it are able to receive financial support as soon as possible. Claimants can receive up to 100% of their estimated Universal Credit award if required, resulting in 25 payments over a 24-month period. This is not a debt.

The requested analysis of Universal Credit claims with a payment due in November 2021 by Parliamentary Constituency in Great Britain (GB) is provided in the separate spreadsheet.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single claims for universal credit were suspended while a new joint claim was processed and paid in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

There is no requirement for a claim to be suspended as a result of such a change of circumstance.

When a single claimant becomes part of a couple, they form a benefit unit with their new partner. Their single claim becomes a joint claim and, as a result, the claim continues with a partner being added to the household, without the need for a new claim.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2021 to Question 16143 on Food Banks, when she will publish her Department’s review of the drivers of foodbank demand.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The review summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she will place a copy of her Department’s evidence-based review of foodbank use in the House of Commons Library.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The review summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
22nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119672, on Social Security Benefits: Disqualification, in which months the proof of concept is planned to (a) start and (b) finish in 2022; and in what parts of the country it will run.

The proof of concept is due to run in Spring. As this is a small-scale test we do not plan to publish further details on timeframe or location so as to not adversely affect the proof of concept. Sites for the proof of concept are chosen in such a way that ensures we are able to assess the concept / policy under consideration.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
22nd Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new claims for universal credit were processed and paid by her Department within (a) five weeks, (b) six weeks, (c) seven weeks, (d) eight weeks, (e) nine weeks, (f) ten weeks and (g) longer than ten weeks in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

Due to unforeseen circumstances we are unable to access the data to answer your question in time. I will write to you with a response as soon as possible.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
21st Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in her Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by her Department as of 21 February 2022.

DWP has maintained its services throughout the pandemic with Jobcentres remaining open for anyone who needed face-to-face support and whom we could not help in any other way. When DWP returned to its standard opening hours within our jobcentres in April 2021, we launched a template to support one-to-one discussions between managers and colleagues about returning to the workplace. This template is a document for managers and colleagues to capture key information from these discussions, providing support for conversations about the barriers and concerns that may arise for colleagues in returning to the workplace.

The template covers a number of important considerations and topics relating to the health and safety of our colleagues, and includes reasonable and workplace adjustments, risk assessments for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues, mental health support, caring requirements, and wellbeing issues such as referrals to occupational health. The one-to-one template links to a suite of products and supporting mechanisms available to all colleagues across DWP, and has been widely publicised in various communications and channels since its launch. The one-to-one process is focussed on the individual, and was not centrally monitored.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
9th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help avoid a gap in income for households whose single universal credit claims have been closed due to a change of circumstances and who are in the process of establishing a new joint claim with their partner.

When a single claimant becomes part of a couple, they form a benefit unit with their new partner. As the claimant(s) is now part of a benefit unit, their single claim becomes a joint claim as a change of circumstance has occurred.

Support is available to claimants, through a ‘change of circumstances’ advance, for those who face short-term financial need, where a change of circumstances will significantly increase the amount of their benefit entitlement, i.e. from the single standard allowance to a couple’s standard allowance. This advance will be available to claimants in the same Assessment Period in which the change of circumstance occurs.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
9th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support is available to personal independence payment claimants who cannot afford the fees they are being asked to pay by GPs for medical evidence in support of their claim.

We ask claimants to provide evidence they already have available so they do not have to pay a charge which a General Practitioner (GP) may choose to impose. Where a claimant has provided details of their GP or other healthcare professional, the health professional working for our Assessment Providers can request additional evidence from them where they think that would provide helpful evidence of the claimant’s condition or functional needs.

8th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of exempting people from sanctions if there is evidence of severe mental health or associated risk of self harm.

Those who are not expected to look for work, such as those with severe health conditions, including mental health, are not subject to work search or work availability requirements.

Work Coaches engage at an individual level with them and are committed to tailoring support for specific individual needs, including agreeing realistic and structured steps to encourage claimants into or towards the labour market where conditionality requirements are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain appropriate for the claimant. This would include tailoring to reflect any mental health or associated self-harm issues the claimant raised.

Sanctions are only applied where a claimant fails to comply with a mandatory requirement set out in their claimant commitment such as a failure to attend an appointment. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

8th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many single universal credit claims have been closed following a claimant moving in with their partner and submitting a new joint claim in the last 12 months for which data is available.

When a single claimant becomes part of a couple, they form a benefit unit with their new partner. As the claimant(s) is now part of a benefit unit, their single claim becomes a joint claim as a change of circumstance has occurred. As a result, the claim continues with a partner being added to the household, without the need for a new claim.

The information attached shows the number of single claims to Universal Credit where a joint claim change of circumstances had been submitted.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
8th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has for the Household Support Fund beyond March 2022.

The Household Support Fund covers the period 06 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 inclusive. Other support for those on low incomes will also still be available after this point. For example, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins. In Scotland, similar support is provided through Best Start Foods.

We are investing over £200m a year from 2022 to continue our Holiday Activities and Food programme which is already providing enriching activities and healthy meals to children in all English Local Authorities.

The Government is also providing £12 billion of support to ease cost of living pressures, with help targeted at working families, low-income households and the most vulnerable. A further £9 billion has been announced to protect against the impact of rising global energy prices.

David Rutley
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
7th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what date all personal independence payment applicants will have the automatic choice of having their assessment audio-recorded.

The option for a claimant to request an audio recording of their Personal Independence Payment (PIP) telephone assessment is available with both assessment providers, Independent Assessment Services (IAS) and Capita. Claimants are required to make a request to the assessment provider to have their PIP assessment recorded, thereby opting-in to the recording of their assessment. The assessment provider will provide the equipment necessary to allow this service to proceed.

IAS currently delivers the facility to audio record face to face assessments. The department is working with Capita to complete the roll out of audio recording across all assessment centres which removes the requirement for the claimant to provide the equipment.

Work is also ongoing to introduce an audio recording facility for video assessments. This will bring the audio recording of face to face and video assessments in line with the recording of telephone assessments and the department aims to complete both as soon as it is practically possible.

Currently, PIP claimants invited to a face to face assessment by Capita can record their assessment themselves, subject to the conditions set by the department. These are listed in the PIP Assessment Guide (PIPAG) and are contained within correspondence sent to claimants by the assessment providers.

7th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proactive steps Jobcentre Plus is taking to ensure claimants are in receipt of their full entitlement.

The Department works hard to ensure that people are in receipt of their full entitlement, communicating with the public about benefits through paid advertising, stakeholder and employer engagement and no cost campaigns to help people understand their entitlement and the support we can provide as a safety net and in times of need.

During the pandemic this has been of particular importance. We increased the frequency of our stakeholder engagement to effectively convey the rapidly changing environment particularly as many people needed to claim benefits for the first time. We have made additional use of digital media such as YouTube videos, particularly British Sign Language videos to widely promote DWP benefits.

DWP staff in Jobcentres provide support and advice about entitlement to benefits and will signpost citizens to appropriate information to help them. The Department provides telephone service lines that citizens can call to make their claims to benefit and to operate their claims as well as a visiting service which can help vulnerable customers with their claims. Jobcentres have internet terminals for use by the public, and staff will signpost citizens to other community resources (libraries and Citizens Advice) which can also provide advice and internet access points.

The Government’s website, GOV.UK provides guidance on individual’s rights and entitlements to benefits in the UK. In particular, the website provides links to independent benefits calculators that can be used to find out what benefits an individual could get, how to claim and how these benefits will be affected if an individual starts work.

https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators

The independent benefits calculators we endorse are intended to provide useful estimations of what people could be entitled to in certain circumstances, based on the information that is entered on the calculators themselves.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has for a small scale pilot to test yellow card warning systems in place of immediate benefit sanctions.

The Department committed to look at processes to give claimants a written warning, instead of a sanction, for a first sanctionable failure to attend a Work-Search Review. We have completed one small proof of concept, and we plan to run another proof of concept this year.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in the most recent 12 months for which data is available, what the average length of time applicants for (a) personal independence payment, (b) employment and support allowance, and (c) the limited capability for work assessment of universal credit, waited for (i) an assessment and (ii) a correct decision on their assessment.

We are committed to ensuring that disabled people get the full support that they need in a timely manner. We always aim to make an award decision as quickly as possible, taking into account the need to review all available evidence, including that from the claimant. Decisions are made following consideration of all the information provided by the claimant, including supporting evidence from their GP or medical specialist.

(a) For Personal Independence Payment (PIP), between November 2020 and October 2021, the most recent 12 months for which data is available:

- The average (median) time between a PIP new claim being referred to the Assessment Provider (AP) and returned from the AP was 13 weeks.

- The average (median) time between a PIP new claim being returned from the AP and a DWP decision being made was 2 weeks.

The length of time between Referral to AP and return from AP is used as a proxy for the length of time the claimant has waited for an assessment, because data on the dates that assessments took place is not held by DWP. Similarly, the length of time between return from the AP and a DWP decision being made is used as a proxy for the length of time for a decision to be made on the assessment.

(b) The Department publishes Employment Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) statistics on gov.uk which can be found here. The median ESA WCA customer journey processing times for initial claims can be found in section 10 of the latest statistical bulletin. The statistics include the average time taken for the full end-to-end process and also the time from WCA referral to AP recommendation and the time from the AP recommendation to the DWP decision, including those following a Mandatory Reconsideration.

More details can also be found in Table 1 of the ‘Clearance Times for Initial Claims’ dataset in the ESA Work Capability Assessments section of Stat-Xplore. Guidance for users is available here.

(c) The information for Universal Credit WCA processing times is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Notes

Source part (a): PIP ADS

  • PIP data includes normal rules claimants only and is for new claims only.
  • Figures have been rounded to the nearest whole number of weeks.
  • The status of claims as 'normal rules' and 'new claim/reassessment' is shown as at the point of clearance of the stage of the journey concerned.
  • Processing times do not include claims that were withdrawn by the claimant during this phase or claims that were returned to DWP without an assessment report and disallowed because the claimant failed to attend the assessment without good reason.
  • Processing times are for initial decisions only, and do not include Mandatory Reconsiderations or Appeals.
  • The figures quoted are the median processing time of claims which cleared the specified part of the journey between 1st November 2020 and 31st October 2021.
  • The median time is the middle value if you were to order all the times within the distribution from lowest value to highest value. The median is presented here instead of the mean because the mean can be unduly affected by outlying cases (e.g. cases where the person has been hard to reach due to being in prison, hospital, failed to attend the assessment on numerous occasions etc.)
  • Great Britain only.
  • This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.

7th Feb 2022
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether all claimants for whom a DS1500 form has been submitted now have their claims fast-tracked; and if she will make a statement.

The Special Rules recognise that when people are faced with the end of their life, their focus should, as far as possible, be on the time they have remaining. Through the Special Rules, the Department provides simple and fast access to benefits for those nearing the end of their lives so they do not have to claim under the normal processes.

DS1500 forms have never been a requirement for a claim under the terminal illness rules but remain the quickest and most appropriate route to gather evidence to support entitlement in these cases. Where it is not possible to supply a DS1500 in support of a terminal illness claim, the Department considers alternative evidence and works flexibly and quickly with the claimant or their clinician to make a speedy determination.

People with severe health conditions unable to claim under the Special Rules, will continue to be able to receive support from the benefits system through Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance.

8th Dec 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2021 to Question 82339, Coronavirus: Scotland: Wales, for which non-customer-facing roles in Jobcentres are staff required to attend the office.

Some colleagues based in Jobcentres are in non-customer facing roles, in back of house service delivery and corporate roles. Largely, these colleagues are able to work in a hybrid way, with some time spent in the office and some time at home. Although some service delivery roles such as Work Coach Team Leaders are not customer facing, they do support customer facing staff therefore it may be necessary for them to be in the office.

Following recent announcements colleagues have been advised to follow the government guidance regarding working from home. Colleagues in Scotland and Wales have been advised to follow the guidance provided by the devolved administrations. This does not impact those colleagues accountable for delivering face-to-face services in our jobcentres in front of house roles.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
26th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to coordinate its policies on the covid-19 restrictions that are in operation in Scotland and Wales through the devolved Administrations; and if she will make a statement.

We take the Health and Safety of DWP staff and customers very seriously. We have robust risk assessments and guidance to ensure all appropriate mitigations are in place to keep our people safe.

As part of regularly reviewing our risk assessments, working with our departmental and local trade union colleagues, we consult the legislation and guidance of the devolved administrations ensuring that any differences are reflected within the risk assessment and communicated to staff based in offices in Scotland and Wales.

Staff based in Scotland should be following the safety measures included in the DWP risk assessments that incorporate any differences in Scottish government guidance.

Since the start of the pandemic, DWP has rigorously followed guidance from the respective governments in the devolved nations, thus allowing people to work safely from the office, or at home. We are committed to continuing this approach as we learn to live with the virus and return more of our people to the workplace in a safe, steady and controlled way.

We are constantly reviewing our position as and when new government guidance is issued. No matter where our people are working now, or in the future, their safety and compliance with government guidance is our number one priority.

If your constituents remain concerned about their own, or their colleagues’ personal safety and / or any of the practices within their specific office, they can raise this with their line manager.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
26th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that bringing non-frontline departmental staff back into workplaces in (a) Scotland and (b) Wales is in accordance with the covid-19 safety policies in operation in those devolved nations.

The Department has prioritised the safety of our workforce and claimants throughout the pandemic and part of that is ensuring that we have robust national and site level risk assessments and guidance that ensures all appropriate mitigations are in place.

As part of regularly reviewing our risk assessments, in consultation with our departmental and local trade union colleagues we ensure that any differences in devolved administration regulations or guidance is reflected.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the length of time given to claimants for Jobcentre appointments is recorded.

The requested information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Maintaining an effective Work Coach diary is a joint responsibility between a team leader and the Work Coach, and is reached collaboratively through regular discussion and agreement.

The duration of each appointment is determined by the appointment type, and the length of time the appointment is expected to take is recorded by our diary management tool. We do not hold information on the actual duration of an appointment, for example, whether the appointment was longer or shorter than the allocated time.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants have been required to attend more than one appointment at a Jobcentre within a two week period in each of the last six months; and whether work coaches have autonomy to determine the most suitable length of appointment for each claimant that they interview.

The requested information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Maintaining an effective Work Coach diary is a joint responsibility between a team leader and the Work Coach, and is reached collaboratively through regular discussion and agreement.

The duration of each appointment is determined by the appointment type, and the length of time the appointment is expected to take is recorded by our diary management tool. We do not hold information on the actual duration of an appointment, for example, whether the appointment was longer or shorter than the allocated time.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many offices in her Department have been (a) closed or (b) partially closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in each of the last six months.

The Department has consistently taken a proactive approach to reporting and reviewing all reported cases of Covid-19 infections. This has ensured that wherever possible sites remain open or partially open.

During the 6-month period May to October 2021, 11 offices have been closed for a circuit breaks, 6 of these were closed due to multiple positive cases on the site. Circuit breaks are tight restrictions and/or closures designed to stop and bring the number of cases down.

The following offices were closed or partially closed due to circuit breaks:

  • Blackburn Service Centre
  • Wigan Jobcentre
  • Caxton House (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Manchester St Peters SQ (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Dudley Pedmore House Service Centre
  • Guisely Jobcentre
  • Weymouth Jobcentre
  • Newcastle Tyne View Park (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Caerphilly Jobcentre
  • Kirkby Jobcentre
  • Montrose Jobcentre

The offices listed above are sites that were closed for a Circuit Break due to the potential of workplace transmission and therefore do not include sites where they were temporarily closed to allow for deep clean to take place.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which offices in her Department have been (a) closed or (b) partially closed as a result of the covid-19 outbreak in each of the last six months.

The Department has consistently taken a proactive approach to reporting and reviewing all reported cases of Covid-19 infections. This has ensured that wherever possible sites remain open or partially open.

During the 6-month period May to October 2021, 11 offices have been closed for a circuit breaks, 6 of these were closed due to multiple positive cases on the site. Circuit breaks are tight restrictions and/or closures designed to stop and bring the number of cases down.

The following offices were closed or partially closed due to circuit breaks:

  • Blackburn Service Centre
  • Wigan Jobcentre
  • Caxton House (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Manchester St Peters SQ (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Dudley Pedmore House Service Centre
  • Guisely Jobcentre
  • Weymouth Jobcentre
  • Newcastle Tyne View Park (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Caerphilly Jobcentre
  • Kirkby Jobcentre
  • Montrose Jobcentre

The offices listed above are sites that were closed for a Circuit Break due to the potential of workplace transmission and therefore do not include sites where they were temporarily closed to allow for deep clean to take place.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Jobcentres have reported multiple covid-19 cases in each of the last six months.

The Department has consistently taken a proactive approach to reporting and reviewing all reported cases of Covid-19 infections. This has ensured that wherever possible sites remain open or partially open.

During the 6-month period May to October 2021, 11 offices have been closed for a circuit breaks, 6 of these were closed due to multiple positive cases on the site. Circuit breaks are tight restrictions and/or closures designed to stop and bring the number of cases down.

The following offices were closed or partially closed due to circuit breaks:

  • Blackburn Service Centre
  • Wigan Jobcentre
  • Caxton House (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Manchester St Peters SQ (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Dudley Pedmore House Service Centre
  • Guisely Jobcentre
  • Weymouth Jobcentre
  • Newcastle Tyne View Park (Corporate Centre/Hub)
  • Caerphilly Jobcentre
  • Kirkby Jobcentre
  • Montrose Jobcentre

The offices listed above are sites that were closed for a Circuit Break due to the potential of workplace transmission and therefore do not include sites where they were temporarily closed to allow for deep clean to take place.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether work coaches are given a set amount of time in a working day to carry out duties other than face-to-face appointments with claimants.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for claimants who required face-to-face support. From April, Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines.

Work Coaches manage their diaries to ensure that they are supporting their claimants back into work, whilst also allowing time for admin and other duties. The amount of time allocated to carry out duties other than face-to-face appointments will vary, depending on the needs of individual claimants.

There is no maximum number of face-to-face appointments a full-time Work Coach is expected to deliver in one day. The number each day is determined by the circumstances of each claimant and the type of appointment being conducted. If a Work Coach is not available due to annual leave, sick leave, training, or any other reason, the Work Coach Team Leader will manage the situation to ensure that claimants continue to receive the appropriate level of support.

For each of the last six months, the total number of claimants attending a face-to-face appointment in a Jobcentre is as follows:

May

292,185

June

1,010,005

July

1,213,603

August

1,265,330

September

1,533,495

October

1,625,474

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a maximum number of face-to-face appointments a full-time work coach is expected to deliver in one day.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for claimants who required face-to-face support. From April, Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines.

Work Coaches manage their diaries to ensure that they are supporting their claimants back into work, whilst also allowing time for admin and other duties. The amount of time allocated to carry out duties other than face-to-face appointments will vary, depending on the needs of individual claimants.

There is no maximum number of face-to-face appointments a full-time Work Coach is expected to deliver in one day. The number each day is determined by the circumstances of each claimant and the type of appointment being conducted. If a Work Coach is not available due to annual leave, sick leave, training, or any other reason, the Work Coach Team Leader will manage the situation to ensure that claimants continue to receive the appropriate level of support.

For each of the last six months, the total number of claimants attending a face-to-face appointment in a Jobcentre is as follows:

May

292,185

June

1,010,005

July

1,213,603

August

1,265,330

September

1,533,495

October

1,625,474

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether work coaches are being instructed not to block their diaries for the purposes of (a) annual leave, (b) sick leave or (c) training.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for claimants who required face-to-face support. From April, Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines.

Work Coaches manage their diaries to ensure that they are supporting their claimants back into work, whilst also allowing time for admin and other duties. The amount of time allocated to carry out duties other than face-to-face appointments will vary, depending on the needs of individual claimants.

There is no maximum number of face-to-face appointments a full-time Work Coach is expected to deliver in one day. The number each day is determined by the circumstances of each claimant and the type of appointment being conducted. If a Work Coach is not available due to annual leave, sick leave, training, or any other reason, the Work Coach Team Leader will manage the situation to ensure that claimants continue to receive the appropriate level of support.

For each of the last six months, the total number of claimants attending a face-to-face appointment in a Jobcentre is as follows:

May

292,185

June

1,010,005

July

1,213,603

August

1,265,330

September

1,533,495

October

1,625,474

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many face-to-face appointments have taken place in Jobcentres in each of the last six months.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for claimants who required face-to-face support. From April, Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines.

Work Coaches manage their diaries to ensure that they are supporting their claimants back into work, whilst also allowing time for admin and other duties. The amount of time allocated to carry out duties other than face-to-face appointments will vary, depending on the needs of individual claimants.

There is no maximum number of face-to-face appointments a full-time Work Coach is expected to deliver in one day. The number each day is determined by the circumstances of each claimant and the type of appointment being conducted. If a Work Coach is not available due to annual leave, sick leave, training, or any other reason, the Work Coach Team Leader will manage the situation to ensure that claimants continue to receive the appropriate level of support.

For each of the last six months, the total number of claimants attending a face-to-face appointment in a Jobcentre is as follows:

May

292,185

June

1,010,005

July

1,213,603

August

1,265,330

September

1,533,495

October

1,625,474

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
25th Nov 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what impact assessment she has made of the risk of covid-19 transmission of increased face-to-face Jobcentre appointments.

The Department has prioritised the safety of our workforce and claimants throughout the pandemic and part of that is ensuring that we have robust national and site level risk assessments and guidance that ensures all appropriate mitigations are in place. The impact assessment informs the generic risk assessment, which we then apply at a local level, within the parameters that are set.

We have a suite of Health & Safety risk assessments in place developed following extensive consultation with departmental trade union representatives. These cover all of the measures in place to protect staff and customers and are regularly reviewed.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many universal credit claims in each parliamentary constituency had sums deducted from their claim in the most recent month for which data is available; what the (a) average and (b) total sums deducted in each constituency were; and what proportion of deductions were to repay an advance payment or historic tax credit debt.

We carefully balance our duty to the taxpayer to recover overpayments with our support for claimants. Safeguards are in place to ensure deductions are manageable. From 12 April 2021, we further reduced the cap on deductions from Universal Credit (UC) awards to 25 per cent and lengthened the payback period from 12 to 24 months meaning in effect someone can receive 25 payments over 24 months, giving them more flexibility over the payments of their UC award. This will also allow claimants to retain more of their award, giving additional financial security.

Customers can contact the Department if they are experiencing financial hardship in order to discuss a reduction in their rate of repayment, depending on financial circumstances.

The information requested is provided in the attached spreadsheet.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she expects to publish her Department's review of the drivers of food bank demand.

The Department reallocated resources to prioritise work to help the COVID-19 effort. This caused delays to some work, including this literature review. The review summarises publicly available information and does not contain any new research carried out by the Department.

The Department has recently published new data from the Family Resources Survey on household food security, giving us a better understanding of who is most at risk. This underlines how seriously we take the issue of food insecurity.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by what date she plans to (a) commence and (b) complete the rollout of recorded personal independence payment assessments for all applicants that wish to opt for one.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants, invited to a telephone assessment, can opt to have their assessment recorded by assessment providers, who will provide the equipment necessary to allow this service to proceed.

The department is currently working with PIP assessment providers to deliver an audio recording service for face to face assessments, that removes the requirement for the claimant to provide the equipment. Work is also ongoing to introduce an audio recording facility for video assessments. This will bring the audio recording of face to face and video assessments in line with the recording of telephone assessments and we aim to complete both as soon as it is practically possible.

Currently, PIP claimants invited to a face to face assessment, can record their assessment themselves, subject to the conditions set by the department. These are listed in the PIP Assessment Guide, and are contained within correspondence sent to claimants from the assessment providers.

15th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made on the rollout of yellow card warnings in place of immediate benefit sanctions.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given for PQ 11582.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) claimants subject to the under-occupancy penalty are in employment and (b) households subject to the under-occupancy penalty contain at least one person in employment.

The information requested is not readily available for Universal Credit, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Data on households in Housing Benefit impacted by the Removal of Spare Room Subsidy is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk within the section on “Housing Benefit”.

Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of (a) claimants subject to the under-occupancy penalty are sick or disabled and (b) households subject to the under-occupancy penalty contain at least one person who is sick or disabled.

The information requested is not readily available for part (a) and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Some of the information requested for part (b) is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk link is external within the sections on “Housing Benefit” and “Households on Universal Credit”.

Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of households subject to the under-occupancy penalty contain at least one child.

The information requested is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk within the sections on “Housing Benefit” and “Households on Universal Credit”.

Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of new claims for universal credit were paid in full and on time in each of the most recent 12 months for which data are available.

Monthly Universal Credit payment timeliness statistics for new claims are published in the Households on Universal Credit section of Stat-Xplore and can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to give all applicants the automatic right to have their assessment for sickness or disability benefits recorded; and if she will make a statement.

The option for a claimant to request an Audio Recording of their PIP Telephone Assessment is available with both Assessment Providers and also for Work Capability Assessments undertaken over the telephone.

The Department is currently working with both PIP Assessment Providers to deliver an audio recording service for face to face assessments that removes the requirement for the Claimant to provide the equipment. This will bring the audio recording of PIP face to face assessments in line with the audio recording of telephone assessments. The option of audio recording a face to face assessment is already available for Work Capability Assessments and IIDB assessments where requested in advance by the claimant.

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department has made on plans to roll out yellow card warnings in place of immediate benefit sanctions.

The Department committed to look at processes to give claimants a written warning, instead of a sanction, for a first sanctionable failure to attend a Work-Search Review. Before making an assessment of the merits of extending such a system we are under-taking a series of small-scale Proof of Concepts of this warning system.

The increase in claimants due to Covid has led to a pause in this testing in order to prioritise support for claimants during this difficult time.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households were subject to the under-occupancy penalty; what the total size was of the reduction in benefit payments resulting from the under-occupancy penalty; and what the average reduction per affected claimant was, by parliamentary constituency, in the most recent 12 month period for which data are available.

The information requested is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk within the sections on “Housing Benefit” and “Households on Universal Credit”.

For the total size of reduction in benefit payments average reduction per affected claimant “RSRS reduction” with “measures” will need to be used. Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

7th Jun 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children live in households that are subject to the under-occupancy penalty.

The removal of the spare room subsidy policy has been an important tool to help to manage housing support expenditure and enable mobility within the social rented sector. For those who require additional support with housing costs, Discretionary Housing Payments are available.

The information requested for households in Housing Benefit is published and available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk

Guidance for users is available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The information for Universal Credit is not readily available.

27th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants attending face-to-face appointments in job centres by region since the easing of covid-19 restrictions was applied to those centres in late April 2021.

Throughout the pandemic, Jobcentres remained open for anyone who needed face-to-face support. From April, all Jobcentres in England, Scotland and Wales returned to their pre-lockdown opening hours and restarted face-to-face appointments, in accordance with government guidelines. As of w/c 24 May we estimate that 273,318 claimants have attended booked face-to-face appointments in England, 20,997 in Scotland and 15,877 in Wales.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of claimants who failed to attend a face-to-face appointment in a jobcentre since the extended openings began in late April 2021 have since been referred to decision makers for sanction.

Monthly sanction referral statistics for those people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, Employment Support Allowance (Work Related Activity Group), Income Support and Universal Credit (Live Service) are available by referral reason and are published quarterly at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/

Guidance for users is available at:

https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html

The latest statistics are available to January 2021, with the statistics to April 2021 and July 2021 expected to be published in August 2021 and November 2021 respectively.

Sanction referral statistics for those people claiming Universal Credit (Full Service) are not readily available and to provide them would incur disproportionate cost.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
27th May 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what comparative assessment she has made of the effectiveness of a return to face-to-face appointments for groups of claimants in job centres and other channels including telephone and digital that were introduced in response to the covid-19 outbreak.

No comparative assessment of face-to-face appointments for groups of claimants in jobcentres and other channels has currently been made.

The return to a face-to-face regime is based on evidence from past large scale trials of what interventions work best for out of work benefits claimants. These show that face-to-face performs better than telephony and that seeing a claimant fortnightly produces substantially better outcomes than not seeing claimants at all.

https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130314010347/http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs-index.asp (report 382)

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
14th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to give British Sign Language legal status.

On 18 March 2003 the UK government formally recognised that British Sign Language (BSL) is a language in its own right. Provision for accessing services by users of BSL are covered by the Equality Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Existing equality legislation already means employers, service providers and public bodies have to provide services in BSL and other formats when it is reasonable to do so. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies to have due regard to the needs of all those with protected characteristics.

13th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2021 to Question 139055 on Personal Independence Payment: coronavirus, whether his Department plans to automatically apply extensions to all personal independence payments claimants, including those with a fixed term period decision awarded at a tribunal where a decision on their new award could not be made before they reach their end award date.

As referenced in my previous answer, as part of its response to the Covid-19 situation, in Spring 2020 the Department extended award dates for existing PIP claims. We restarted the PIP award review process in July. New decisions made since then will not have had their awards extended. However, we are aware that some claimants on fixed term awards without a review date are now falling out of payment before we have been able to make a decision on renewal claims they have made. We are prioritising these cases to ensure we can make a decision as quickly as possible.

13th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of the introduction of means-testing for the TV licence concession for people aged over 75 on levels of pension credit take-up.

No assessment has been made. The latest estimates of Pension Credit take-up, published in October 2020, relate to the financial year 2018/19 and do not reflect any potential impacts of the BBC TV license.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) risk assessments and (b) discussions with trade unions her Department conducted in preparation for the full reopening of jobcentres on 12 April 2021.

Ahead of the return to full opening hours and the restart of face-to-face appointments, every jobcentre has reviewed all relevant site risk assessments, including the Jobcentre Claimant Facing Risk Assessment, in consultation with local Trade Union representatives. We have maintained an open dialogue with Departmental Trade Union Side, meeting with them weekly to discuss our plans for the 12 April (and 26 April in Scotland), and giving them opportunity to review and comment on all of the supporting products we have provided for our people, and, wherever possible, making changes to reflect their feedback and concerns.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of employment and support allowance are eligible for, but not receiving, severe disability premium.

The Department does not hold the information necessary to provide the requested figure.

12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to maximise take-up of Severe Disability Premium among eligible recipients of (a) Pension Credit and (b) employment and support allowance.

The severe disability premium in Employment and Support Allowance and the additional amounts for persons severely disabled in State Pension Credit are not separate benefits in themselves but are payable as part of the award to those who are eligible, i.e. those severely disabled people who live independently and who are most likely to need to purchase care. When a claim to either benefit is made, the claimant is asked questions, for example if they are in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit or if anybody is caring for them, which helps to determine if the premium or the additional amount is payable. Once entitled to the benefit, claimants are required to report any change of circumstance including ones which may lead to the awarding of the premium or the additional amount. The Department also makes use of the information that it holds to prompt enquiries of the claimant as to possible entitlement to the premium or the additional amount. There is information for claimants about the severe disability premium and the additional amount for persons severely disabled on the relevant pages of www.gov.uk.

12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many recipients of pension credit are eligible for, but not receiving, severe disability premium.

The information requested is not available.

Guy Opperman
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the return of staff for the full reopening of jobcentres on 12 April 2021, how many staff were expected to return immediately; how much notice they were given; and whether individual covid-19 risk assessments were carried out.

We take the health and safety of colleagues extremely seriously, and are absolutely committed to ensuring all our sites remain COVID secure in line with Public Health and Government guidance to keep colleagues and customers safe. We have adopted a slow, steady and safe approach to returning colleagues to the workplace, with the number of colleagues able to return varying by site and based on the COVID secure capacity of the jobcentre. An announcement about the department’s intention to return to full opening hours and restart face-to-face appointments was made by the Permanent Secretary on the 18th March. In advance of their return to the workplace, every colleague, including those who were in the clinically extremely vulnerable group, is having a one-to-one with their manager to make sure they are aware of the support available to them.

Mims Davies
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
12th Apr 2021
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are repaying overpayments of carer's allowance; and what the total value being repaid is.

As of 13th April 2021, 42,400 people were repaying Carer’s Allowance overpayments.

The total original value of those debts was just over £138million; the total amount currently outstanding is £89million.

The Department has a duty to recover overpaid benefits as quickly and efficiently as possible, but it is not intended