Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 May 2023 to Question 184900 on Office for Veterans' Affairs: Photography and Social Media, how many photographers and videographers work in the Cabinet Office as of 18 May 2023.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office Communications team employs two Digital Media Officers who support all Ministers in the Department. This is an essential part of helping to explain the Department's policies and priorities to a wider audience.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants work in the Office for Veterans' Affairs as of 15 May 2023; and at what grades.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is located in the Cabinet Office and works with all UK Government departments and a large range of other private, charity and public sector organisations who collectively deliver support and services to veterans.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is headed by a Director and has approximately 23 staff, in addition to receiving support from colleagues in the Cabinet Office communications and external affairs team, as well as the Minister’s private office.
As announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget 2023, the Government is providing an additional £33 million to the Office for Veterans’ affairs over the next three years. This will allow for a significant expansion of the team in order to increase the service provided to veterans.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much from the public purse the Office for Veterans' Affairs has spent on (a) photography, (b) videography and (c) social media promotion in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
We are in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government. Photographers are a cross-government resource, supporting departments and Ministers, and play a critical role in the support of the Government’s digital communications activity and in progressing key policy areas.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how long the major projects leadership academy for senior responsible owners is.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Major Project Leadership Academy (MPLA) is an 18 month programme aimed at senior leaders, SCS1 and above, of the projects in the Government's Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letter of 13 October 2022 from the hon. Member for North Durham on the If U Care Share Foundation.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office has no record of receiving this correspondence. If the hon. Member would like to supply a further copy, a reply will be sent.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have met with Astra Asset Management UK in the last two years.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government is committed to publishing details of ministers’ and senior officials’ meetings with external organisations on gov.uk, and does so on a quarterly basis.
There is no record of any meetings taking place with Astra Asset Management UK in the past two years.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether IX Wireless has been awarded a government contract in this financial year.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Details of Government contracts above £10,000, and £25,000 in the wider public sector, are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's policy is on the awarding of public procurement contracts to companies that have never declared a profit.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The driving principle behind public procurement policy is to award contracts on the basis of value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project, not just price alone. The best way to test for and to demonstrate this principle is via an open competition, as is required in most cases by public procurement legislation.
It is open to organisations to consider and bid for contract opportunities where appropriate. This Government is committed to ensuring procurement opportunities are accessible to a range of organisations, and in supporting start-ups, small businesses and Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprises to participate in government procurement.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2022 to Question 47378, whether steps were taken to assess whether communications were made by his Department to the BBC between 29 June 2022 and 3 July 2022 concerning the conduct of the Rt hon. Member for Tamworth.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Cabinet Office has examined its official records and found no communication with the BBC regarding the Rt Hon. Member for Tamworth between 29th June and 3rd July.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what communications were made by his Department to the BBC between 29 June 2022 and 3 June 2022 concerning the conduct of the Rt Hon. Member for Tamworth.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no record of any communication from the Cabinet Office to the BBC regarding the Rt Hon. Member for Tamworth between 29 June and 3 July.