Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what additional support is available to support service veterans during the covid-19 pandemic to (a) access employment opportunities, (b) access housing opportunities for those who are homeless and (c) link those about to leave the armed services with training opportunities.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, veterans have continued to be able to access support for employment, housing and training through services including the Veterans Gateway and the MOD’s Veterans Welfare Service. The Department for Work and Pensions is delivering the £2bn Kickstart programme, creating high quality work placements for young people at risk of long-term unemployment, and each of Jobcentre Plus’s Districts is currently supported by an Armed Forces Champion to cater for the specific needs of veterans. Training and resettlement is delivered to service leavers through the MOD’s Career Transition Partnership.
As a result of the pandemic, access to CTP services has been extended by three months, and training courses available virtually wherever possible. The Defence Transition Services, which support the most vulnerable Service leavers and their families have continued to operate. The Government has provided additional housing support to the general population, helping rough sleepers into safe accommodation, and published updated guidance for local authorities in June 2020 to ensure the veteran community has appropriate access to social housing, placing a bigger emphasis on mental health needs.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the complaints procedure is for members of the public who have a complaint that a civil servant is in breach of the Civil Service Code; what the timeline is for the relevant Department to provide a substantive response to such a complaint; what process applies if the complaint relates to a civil servant's work at a Department other than the Department in which they are employed; whether that procedure differs for complaints against (a) former and retired civil servants and (b) permanent secretaries or other heads of Departments; how many complaints about breaches of the Civil Service Code by civil servants have been recorded by his Department in each of the last six years; and what the outcomes of those complaints were.
Answered by David Lidington
The Civil Service is committed to providing a high quality service to everyone it deals with and all complaints are treated seriously.
All civil servants are required to adhere to Civil Service Code values - integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. If a member of the public wishes to complain about a civil servant, they should in the first instance contact the Department or Agency where the civil servant is employed. Each Department or Agency has its own complaints procedure that can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: George Howarth (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the number of workers in parcel delivery companies who are (a) self-employed and (b) on zero hours contracts.
Answered by Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.