Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2015 to Question 263, whether it remains his policy to reduce the number of parliamentary constituencies from 650 to 600.
Answered by John Penrose
The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 provides for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600 and the Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value. The Government will outline its plans for constituency boundaries when it responds to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s report, What next on the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries?, in due course.
The Boundary Commissions are due to commence work on their next reviews of Parliamentary constituencies in spring 2016 in order to submit final reports by 1 October 2018. If approved, the new constituencies would take effect at the next General Election.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to enact the reduction in the number of seats in this House from 650 to 600.
Answered by John Penrose
The Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies (PVSC) Act 2011 provides for the number of constituencies to be reduced from 650 to 600 and the Government remains committed to equalising the size of constituencies in order to make votes of more equal value. The Government will outline its plans for constituency boundaries when it responds to the Political and Constitutional Reform Committee’s report, What next on the redrawing of parliamentary constituency boundaries?, in due course.
The Boundary Commissions are due to commence work on their next reviews of Parliamentary constituencies in spring 2016 in order to submit final reports by 1 October 2018. If approved, the new constituencies would take effect at the next General Election.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of changes to the number of people on the electoral register since the introduction of individual electoral registration; and what changes there have been to the age and demographic profiles of electors in that period.
Answered by John Penrose
The introduction of Individual Electoral Registration has made it easier than ever before for electors to register to vote through online registration.
The Electoral Commission will be publishing a report this month on the electoral registers used for the General Election, providing the most up to date picture about registration levels.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the breakdown is of the £17 million savings to his Department's budget.
Answered by Matt Hancock
The Cabinet Office intends to deliver £17.4m savings through a reduction in programme budgets across the Department, and a range of efficiencies affecting administrative expenditure, reduced use of consultants and contractors, and estates efficiencies.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of people who work in public sector mutuals.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
There are over 100 public service mutuals in operation across the country. Further information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/public-service-mutuals-new-approaches-to-finance.
Cabinet Office does not collect its own figures on the number employed by such mutuals. However the July 2013 Boston Consultancy Group report Soft Finance, Hard Choices estimated that public service mutuals employed 35,000 staff and delivered £1.5bn worth of public services.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 2.2 of the report The Performance of the Cabinet Office 2013-14, published by the National Audit Office in November 2014, when he expects the reports commissioned by his Department on examining the barriers faced by people (a) who declare disabilities, (b) from minority ethnic backgrounds and (c) who are LGBT in the civil service to be published.
Answered by Lord Maude of Horsham
All three reports will be published in the coming weeks.