Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 9284 on Wales Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)
The Department spent £4,277.25 on refurbishment of Ministers Offices between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024. The spend was on:
£286.76 - replacement of two blind cords with plastic cords;
£3,990.49 - re-upholstering of five leather chairs in the London Office.
The spend was under the previous administration.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what was the total value of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working for his Department as performance-related bonuses in (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20, (d) 2020-21 and (e) 2021-22.
Answered by James Davies
Bonuses paid out as non-cash vouchers are a standard practice across Government. The Edenred contract came into effect in 2017, allowing departments access to non-cash vouchers for staff.
The total value of non-cash vouchers awarded to staff working in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales as performance-related bonuses in the financial years 2017-18 to 2021-22 is provided below. The increase in value in 2021-22 was a direct result of more staff in post, particularly within a probationary period, meaning they were not eligible for cash performance bonuses at mid and end year of the performance period.
Financial Years | Amount (£) |
2017-18 | 210 |
2018-19 | 635 |
2019-20 | 705 |
2020-21 | 735 |
2021-22 | 2,020 |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 77341, how many special advisers working in his Department had their employment terminated after their appointing Minister ceased to hold office between 29 June and 9 November 2022.
Answered by James Davies
In line with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a Special Adviser's appointment automatically terminates following a change of Administration; when their appointing Minister leaves office; or in the event of a General Election. Under these circumstances, Special Advisers are contractually entitled to a severance payment.
The contract sets out that Special Advisers who are later re-appointed to Government must repay their severance pay, less the amount of salary that they would have been paid had they been employed during the period between their termination and their re-appointment.
The contracts of all Special Advisers in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales were automatically terminated on the change of Administration.
The contract also sets out that Special Advisers are entitled to receive three months’ pay if termination occurs at any time during the first year of service, with an additional month’s pay for each completed year of service after the first year, subject to an overall maximum of six months’ pay. Where individuals were immediately re-appointed, severance was not payable.
Information on Special Adviser numbers and costs, including pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what total amount of money has been paid out by his Department in severance payments for former (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers since 29 June 2022; how much of that money has subsequently been repaid to his Department as a result of individuals (A) rejecting the payment or (B) returning to new roles; and in how many cases where individuals were in post for (I) 0-3 months, (II) 3-6 months, (III) 6-12 months and (IV) more than 12 months has their full severance payment been retained as of 2 November 2022.
Answered by James Davies
The Provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of the severance payments made to ministers when leaving office are published in departments’ annual reports and accounts.
Similarly, the provision of severance payments for special advisers is set out in the Model Contract, which is available on gov.uk, including provisions for repayments of severance if reappointed. The cost of severance payments made to special advisers across government is published annually by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many people held electronic purchasing cards that allowed them to make purchases against his Department’s budget as of 31 March 2022.
Answered by David T C Davies
As at 31 March 2022, there are eight people in the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales who hold corporate credit cards which allows them to make purchases against the Departmental budget.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, on how many occasions the provision of mandatory training for his Departmental staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 has been cited by his Department as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.
Answered by Robert Buckland
There are no recorded instances where the provision of mandatory training of staff regarding their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 have been cited by the Department as a defence against Section 109 proceedings since the commencement of that Act.