Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps they are taking to work with the devolved administrations to combat the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon Member to the statement given by my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 28 April 2020.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure timely responses by Departments to Freedom of Information requests during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chloe Smith
It is important that Departments continue to respond to requests for access to information during this period as a key means of supporting transparency. We recognise that Departments face a range of pressures, and in some cases may not have access to the information requested. The Cabinet Office continues to provide advice to support delivery, in line with guidance issued by the Information Commissioner.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to support the civil service to work securely and safely at home during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Chloe Smith
Where possible civil servants are working from home during the COVID-19 crisis. Departments have been issued with working from home guidance as well as a practical working from home toolkit. This includes information on the safe and secure use of technology and data as well as advice on wellbeing, mental health and staying connected. Departments are creating their own guidance packages specific to their employees and are encouraging employees, their line managers and teams to have regular conversations during this period.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has for training on devolution for the Civil Service.
Answered by Kevin Foster
It has never been more important for civil servants to understand devolution. As we leave the EU a whole range of powers will return from Brussels and the Civil Service must be ready to understand how those powers interact with the devolution settlements.
My department champions devolution capability right across the Civil Service through the flagship Devolution and You programme. Our learning and development offer is extensive, ranging from online training to immersive workshops, work shadowing and written guidance. Departments and devolved administrations also create tailored devolution training on their specific policy areas and priorities.
We are constantly reviewing Devolution and You to develop additional training. For example, we are working right now on enhancing our work shadowing and interchange scheme so more civil servants can spend time directly working in different administrations and different parts of the UK.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to increase the number of Civil Service roles outside of London.
Answered by Simon Hart - Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip)
The Government has committed to ensure that the administration of government, including civil service roles and public bodies are located in the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. The Cabinet Office is co-ordinating this activity through the Places for Growth programme.
To date the Programme has identified over three thousand roles for relocation over a phased timetable and it is working with all departments and public bodies to drive location and workforce planning ahead of the next Spending Review.
Asked by: John Lamont (Conservative - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase the size of the civil service in Scotland.
Answered by Oliver Dowden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government committed in the 2018 Government Estates Strategy to locate more Civil
Service roles into the regions and nations of the United Kingdom. To deliver on this
commitment, the Cabinet Office is co-ordinating such activity under the Places for Growth
programme. This programme will take a place-based approach to relocating roles that
ensures we have the skills and capacity in the right places to enable organisations and
cities to flourish
The Places for Growth team have been engaging with local stakeholders across the UK,
including in Scotland, to build this nationwide picture of skills and specialisms. This informs
the programme’s support of departmental estates and workforce planning for the
forthcoming Spending Review, to ensure alignment with Places for Growth principles
Departments will be required to relocate roles, including senior roles.
The Civil Service workforce survey (2018) shows that the size of the Civil Service in
Scotland is 43,120, (including 17,340 in the Scottish Government).