Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many applications were received for the recently vacant position of Cabinet Secretary.
Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Minister for the Civil Service appointed Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, following an expressions of interest process. This is in line with the process used for previous such appointments, and was overseen by the First Civil Service Commissioner. Details of candidates for internal positions are not normally disclosed.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to introduce a framework of compensation for the (a) victims and (b) families of the contaminated blood scandal.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This government remains committed to considering a framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the UK.
Cabinet Office officials are working with their colleagues in HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care, and health departments in the devolved administrations to take this forward. I will update the House and the Inquiry, and those infected and affected as soon as these considerations have been concluded.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when a framework of compensation for the (a) victims and (b) families of the contaminated blood scandal is planned to be introduced.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
This government remains committed to considering a framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the UK.
Cabinet Office officials are working with their colleagues in HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care, and health departments in the devolved administrations to take this forward. I will update the House and the Inquiry, and those infected and affected as soon as these considerations have been concluded.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, if he will list all newspaper print and online titles that as at 11 May 2020 received Government-funded advertising on covid-19 arising from the Government programme to support news media.
Answered by Chloe Smith
In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.
To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. Importantly, all these titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level and are verified by our media auditors.
A list of publications involved in the partnership will be placed in the Commons Library.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, what criteria his Department used for selecting the (a) print and (b) online news publications that received government-funded advertising on covid-19.
Answered by Chloe Smith
In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.
To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. These titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 27 April 2020 to Questions 37724 and 37725, which newspaper titles have received Government-funded advertising arising from the national campaign to provide information on covid-19.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Further to the answers given to PQs 37724 and 37725 on 27 April 2020, in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public.
The campaign spans owned, earned and paid-for channels, including local radio and TV, to maximise reach and engagement. We are constantly reviewing our use of each of these channels and amending campaign activity accordingly to ensure our messaging reaches as many people as possible.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local newspapers were selected to publish the Government's messages on covid-19 in April 2020.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.
As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria were used to select the (a) national and (b) regional or local newspapers that carried Government's coronavirus crisis advertising wraparound in April 2020.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.
As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to meet representatives of victims and families of the contaminated blood scandal on a framework for compensation, before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
In January 2020, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health met campaigners representing people infected and affected. A number of issues were raised, including support that would assist people outside of the inquiry process. Ministers have committed to looking at these issues carefully and to report back on where progress can be made.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Government believes that we should wait until the Inquiry reports before considering compensation. The Inquiry cannot make a finding of legal liability, but it could make a recommendation that the Government fundamentally increases what it pays to the infected and affected, and that it does so on a different basis. Government will act on the Inquiry's recommendations with the utmost urgency, when it reports.
In the meantime, we are working with our partners in the devolved nations, including Northern Ireland, and other relevant Government departments to improve the parity of financial support for those infected by the infected blood scandal, across the United Kingdom.
The Department of Health NI was allocated £1.03 million in January 2020 monitoring, ringfenced for the specific purpose of providing financial support to the infected and affected.
Of this £610,780 was committed in the interim payments announced on 27 January and has been paid out. Therefore £419,220 remains, which the NI Health Minister committed to allocating before the end of this financial year.