Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of civil service recruitment campaigns failed to fill the post advertised in each financial year from 2019/20.

Answered by John Glen - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Government Recruitment Service collaborates with departments, functions and professions to develop and deliver high quality, customer-focused recruitment that identifies and attracts the best people for roles whilst offering a wide range of services. It offers core low-cost solutions to meet routine recruitment needs and handles more complex or specialist campaigns by tailoring its approach to attract and recruit the highest quality candidates.

The following table presents civil service recruitment campaigns with successful and unsuccessful vacancy outcomes for campaigns managed by the Government Recruitment Service.

The Government Recruitment Service does not hold any data on why candidates are not successful. However, there could be a range of reasons for non-appointment. All candidates will have been sifted or interviewed out of the recruiting process.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many fraudulent payments of what total value were recovered by the Taxpayer Protection Taskforce.

Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In December 2023, HMRC wrote a letter to the chair of the Committee of Public Accounts with the latest information on HMRC’s compliance activity on the COVID-19 support schemes up to the end of September 2023, when the Taxpayer’s Protection Taskforce transitioned into business-as-usual.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in ministerial departments worked in the Government Communication Service profession in each financial year from 2010/11.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information requested is not held centrally from 2010 to date.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government services have onboarded to One Login.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The GOV.UK One Login system is fully operational, providing a simple and secure way for people to access government services online. Users can create an account, login and prove (and then reuse) their identity - through either a web-based journey, smartphone app or in-person route - to access an initial set of 30 government services. This includes important services such as ‘Request a Disclosure and Barring Service Basic Check’, ‘Apply for an HM Armed Forces Veteran Card’ and ‘Sign Your Mortgage Deed’.

We are on track to onboard additional services - including in HMRC, DWP and DVLA - over the next year, bringing the total number to at least 145.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time equivalent staff were employed in the Government Digital and Data profession on 11 March (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Digital and Data profession issues a Workforce Planning data Commission twice a year in April and October. Below are the number of full-time Civil Servant professionals in filled positions for the years 2022 and 2023:

a) 2022, April commission: 16,662

b) 2023, April commission: 20,163

c) 2023, October commission: 21,366

The 2024 April commission is being issued this month (March 2024), workforce data is therefore not yet available. We are firmly on track to reach its target 6% of the overall civil service workforce by 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department from £13.4m in 2019-20 to £17.1m in 2020-21.

Answered by Tom Tugendhat - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security)

In reference to your question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles. The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent. Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Home Office detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents.

The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in her Department from £0.5m in 2019/20 to £43.2m in 2020/21.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The increase in reported error in 2020/21 was due to the NHS Business Services Authority commencing the reporting of errors identified as part of their NHS Provider Assurance activity.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to pages 31 and 32 of the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what assessment she has made of the reasons for the increase in detected error in her Department from £0.0 in 2019-20 to £0.1 in 2020-21.

Answered by Julia Lopez - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

DCMS is committed to tackling fraud and error wherever it is identified. A key strand of this work is ensuring better reporting of fraud and error, within the department and its public bodies.

Minor fluctuations in reported error are expected year on year, and do not represent a change in our overall risk profile or failure of financial control.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the amount of money lost to fraud and error by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is proud of its record in proactively seeking to find and prevent more fraud in the system. We have established the dedicated Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA). In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

The PSFA produces a Fraud Landscape Report (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cross-government-fraud-landscape-annual-report-2022). This provides data on fraud and error detection, loss and recoveries in central government, outside of the tax and welfare system. The 2020/21 Report was published in March 2023.

Information on detected fraud and error can be found in Defra’s Annual Report and Accounts. The Annual Report and Accounts for the past three years may be accessed here:

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Defra Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from £13.4m in 2019/20 to £160.7m in 2020/21.

Answered by Nusrat Ghani - Minister of State (Minister for Europe)

The Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023 does not mention Department for Business and Trade.

The Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles.

The government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent.

Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy detected error was £13.4m in 2019/20 as published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and increased to £160.7m in 2020/21 as published in the Fraud Landscape Report.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to pages 31 and 32 of the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in detected error in his Department from £0.0m in 2019-20 to £0.2m in 2020-21.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

In reference to your question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) as part of established reporting cycles.

The Government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official Government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent. Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across Government.

This is in line with the Government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents. The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of UK investment generated by the GREAT campaign since its re-launch in 2021.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign is the UK’s international brand marketing campaign, which works closely with UK businesses, not-for-profit organisations and high-profile figures to promote the best of the UK abroad. Since 2021/22, the GREAT campaign has had an annual overall budget of circa £60m (2021/22: £60m; 2022/23: £57.12m; and 2023/24: £57.12m). The results of individual GREAT campaigns vary but, on average, externally verified analysis shows £1 of GREAT spend on marketing generates £15 for the UK by encouraging people to visit, study, trade, invest, live and work in the UK.

Encouraging prospective international students to choose to study in UK higher education institutions brings strong return on investment. For example, the GREAT Study UK campaign generated £407m in 2021/22 and £548m in 2022/23 (specifically from international students studying for up to three years in the UK). The 2023/24 results are currently being verified and are expected by June 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his latest estimate is of the amount of investment that will be generated by the GREAT Study UK campaign.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign is the UK’s international brand marketing campaign, which works closely with UK businesses, not-for-profit organisations and high-profile figures to promote the best of the UK abroad. Since 2021/22, the GREAT campaign has had an annual overall budget of circa £60m (2021/22: £60m; 2022/23: £57.12m; and 2023/24: £57.12m). The results of individual GREAT campaigns vary but, on average, externally verified analysis shows £1 of GREAT spend on marketing generates £15 for the UK by encouraging people to visit, study, trade, invest, live and work in the UK.

Encouraging prospective international students to choose to study in UK higher education institutions brings strong return on investment. For example, the GREAT Study UK campaign generated £407m in 2021/22 and £548m in 2022/23 (specifically from international students studying for up to three years in the UK). The 2023/24 results are currently being verified and are expected by June 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been of the GREAT campaign since its re-launch in 2021.

Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The GREAT Britain and Northern Ireland campaign is the UK’s international brand marketing campaign, which works closely with UK businesses, not-for-profit organisations and high-profile figures to promote the best of the UK abroad. Since 2021/22, the GREAT campaign has had an annual overall budget of circa £60m (2021/22: £60m; 2022/23: £57.12m; and 2023/24: £57.12m). The results of individual GREAT campaigns vary but, on average, externally verified analysis shows £1 of GREAT spend on marketing generates £15 for the UK by encouraging people to visit, study, trade, invest, live and work in the UK.

Encouraging prospective international students to choose to study in UK higher education institutions brings strong return on investment. For example, the GREAT Study UK campaign generated £407m in 2021/22 and £548m in 2022/23 (specifically from international students studying for up to three years in the UK). The 2023/24 results are currently being verified and are expected by June 2024.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost to the public purse was for legal (a) support and (b) representation for Ministers in his Department in relation to their official conduct in the last three financial years.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what the total cost to the public purse was for legal (a) support and (b) representation for Ministers in her Department and its predecessor department in relation to their official conduct in the last three financial years.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested. More generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the long-standing policies on legal expenditure, as set out recently by Cabinet Office Ministers on 12 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 17709 and 12 March 2024, Official Report, House of Lords, Cols.1901-1904.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total cost to the public purse was for legal (a) support and (b) representation for Ministers in his Department in relation to their official conduct in the last three financial years.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested. More generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the long-standing policies on legal expenditure, as set out recently by Cabinet Office Ministers on 12 March 2024, UIN 17709 and Official Report, House of Lords, Vol. 836, Cols. 1901-1904, 12 March 2024.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department rom £9.5m in 2019-20 to £15.9m in 2020-21.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In reference to the hon. Member’s question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles.

The Government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official Government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent.

Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the Government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Defra detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents as well as in our Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22.

The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The information requested is not centrally collated and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. Information on DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings can be found at: DWP ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings -GOV.UK(www.gov.uk)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in her Department from £7.5m in 2019-20 to £29.1m in 2020-21.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The increase in detected error was driven by the department migrating some of its financial services from an external provider to a pre-existing in-house service.

All detected errors were corrected within the financial quarter in which they occurred. No losses were incurred.

Where errors occur, the department operates a robust process to ensure lessons are learned and corrective actions embedded into processes and ways of working. This is reflected in the drop back to zero detected errors in quarter 3 and quarter 4 of the year.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on how many occasions Ministers from her Department and its predecessor Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Across the UK Government we are committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for all citizens, no matter where in the country they call home. All citizens contribute to the strength of the United Kingdom which is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.

We do not hold information centrally on all Ministerial visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland conducted since the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology was established in February 2023. However, we are able to provide some detail of recent Ministerial visits.

This week, the Minister for Science visited Edinburgh for Arctic Science Summit Week.

In December 2023, Minister for Technology and the Digital Economy visited the compound semiconductor cluster in South Wales.

In May 2023, Chloe Smith MP also visited the compound semiconductor cluster in May 2023 during her time as Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Earlier this month, the Minister for AI and Intellectual Property visited Belfast for CyberNI Week. The Minister also visited Belfast for CyberNI week in April 2023, along with a visit to the Intellectual Property Office HQ Newport, Wales in November 2023.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

DfT ministers regularly visit places across the UK. In the 2023/24 financial year, DfT ministers made 7 visits to Wales, 6 to Scotland and 2 to Northern Ireland.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

This information is not held centrally.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal (a) support and (b) representation to Ministers in his Department in relation to their official conduct in each of the last three years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested. More generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the long-standing policies on legal expenditure, as set out recently by Cabinet Office Ministers on 12 March 2004, Official Report, PQ 17709 and 12 March 2024, Official Report, House of Lords, Cols. 1901-1904.

Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal (a) support and (b) representation to Ministers in his Department in relation to their official conduct in each of the last three years.

Answered by Simon Hoare - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested. More generally, I would refer the Hon Member to the long-standing policies on legal expenditure, as set out recently by Cabinet Office Ministers on 12 March 2024, Official Report, PQ 17709 and 12 March 2024, Official Report, House of Lords, Cols. 1901-1904.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on how many occasions Ministers from his Department have visited (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Across the UK Government we are committed to delivering the best possible outcomes for all citizens, no matter where in the country they call home. All citizens contribute to the strength of the United Kingdom which is the most successful political and economic union the world has ever seen.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what subscriptions to (a) newspapers, (b) magazines and (c) online journals his Department has paid for in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The following is a combined list of subscriptions that the Defra Library and Communications have paid for over the last three financial years. Some are in print and some are online. Not everything on the list was purchased in all three years – subscriptions change on demand and to reflect usage. Information on any subscriptions from other team budgets is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Defra Library purchases magazines and journals for Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Natural England staff to support them in their role. The Communications team purchases newspapers for monitoring the media coverage of issues in Defra’s remit.