Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her planned timetable is for bringing into force legislative provisions relating to safe access zones for abortion clinics.
Answered by Chris Philp - Shadow Home Secretary
The Public Order Act 2023 received Royal Assent on 2 May. Implementation of the Public Order Act measures is staggered.
The Government respects the will of Parliament and is working to commence Safe Access Zones as soon as is practicably possible. We have been considering what needs to be done to ensure Safe Access Zones can be implemented as effectively as possible, with law enforcement agencies having a clear and consistent understanding around enforcement, and abortion service providers and protestors being clear as to what is expected under the new law.
The timescales for commencing the new Section 9 offence of interference with access to, or provision of, abortion services will be confirmed in due course.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans his Department has to assist public sector organisations to support workers using their own cars for work.
Answered by Gareth Davies - Shadow Financial Secretary (Treasury)
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee’s expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle, including public sector workers. These rates are also used by self-employed drivers to claim tax relief on business mileage (simplified motoring expenses). The AMAP rates are not mandatory, and employers can choose to pay more or less than the AMAP rate. It is therefore ultimately up to employers to determine the rate at which they reimburse their employees, including public sector employers. In considering changes to the AMAP/simplified motoring expenses rates, the Government has to balance support for individuals with the responsible management of public finances, which fund our essential public services.
However, the Government recognises that transport is a major cost for individuals and families. At Spring Statement 2022 the Government announced a temporary 12-month cut to duty on petrol and diesel of 5p per litre. In order to continue supporting all motorists, it will extend the 5p fuel duty cut, which is worth £100 to the average driver over the next year.
Like all taxes and allowances, the Government keeps the AMAP rate under review, and any changes will be announced at a future fiscal event.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether State Pension data will be included in the Pensions Dashboard Programme.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
Pensions dashboards will allow individuals to view information about their pensions, including the State Pension, for free in one place online. Dashboards will show individuals the estimated State Pension amount they would get based on their current National Insurance contribution record, their forecasted State Pension amount that assumes they pay National Insurance contributions going forward, the date they will reach State Pension age, and supporting messages regarding the data displayed.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the role of Lex Greensill in Credit Suisse's risk management failures.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
The regulation of individual firms is a matter for the independent financial regulators to comment on.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans that the Pensions Dashboard Programme will be ready for use.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
The Dashboards Available Point will be when the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions is satisfied that the dashboards ecosystem – which is being developed by the Pensions Dashboards Programme – is ready to support widespread use by the general public. This will come following consultation with the Money and Pensions Service, the Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority.
The Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 specify that the Secretary of State will provide notice of at least six months ahead of the Dashboards Available Point. The Secretary of State will consider factors including sufficient level of coverage, assurance of the safety, security and reliability of the service, and testing of the user experience.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the cost of the (a) development of the Pensions Dashboard Programme to date and (b) programme on completion.
Answered by Laura Trott - Shadow Secretary of State for Education
MaPS has been allocated £91.1M for the delivery of the Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) through the relevant Spending Review periods covering financial years 2019/20 to 2024/25.
The Pensions Dashboards Programme (PDP) has spent £45.3M between 2019/20 and the end of May 2023 (with spend relating to 2022/23 and to 2023/24 subject to final audit). Further spend for the programme will be available on an annual basis.
Expenditure allocations for years beyond 2024/25 will be the subject of future Spending Review processes.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much from the public purse the Government has provided to (a) the South Tees Development Corporation and (b) Teesworks Joint Venture as of 7 June 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley
On 7 June, the Department published letters appointing three reviewers to the independent review into the South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Joint Venture, alongside a copy of the review's terms of reference. This followed my Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 25 May, announcing the review (HCWS813).
As set out in Parliament on 7 June, in line with existing practice, we have matched the skills, expertise, and experience of the panel, all of whom have held senior positions in local government, to the specific requirements of the review.
Details of the government funding provided to Tees Valley Combined Authority for the development of South Tees Development Corporation site are available on gov.uk. No funding has been provided by the Government to the Teesworks Joint Venture.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what set of criteria he plans to use to appoint panellists to the Independent review: Teesworks Joint Venture.
Answered by Lee Rowley
On 7 June, the Department published letters appointing three reviewers to the independent review into the South Tees Development Corporation and Teesworks Joint Venture, alongside a copy of the review's terms of reference. This followed my Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 25 May, announcing the review (HCWS813).
As set out in Parliament on 7 June, in line with existing practice, we have matched the skills, expertise, and experience of the panel, all of whom have held senior positions in local government, to the specific requirements of the review.
Details of the government funding provided to Tees Valley Combined Authority for the development of South Tees Development Corporation site are available on gov.uk. No funding has been provided by the Government to the Teesworks Joint Venture.
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 June to Question 186376 on Government Departments: Apprentices, if he will provide a breakdown by Department of the percentage change in digital, data and technology apprenticeships between October 2021 and December 2022.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) apprenticeships are a way to gain industry standard qualifications whilst working full time in a salaried DDaT role in the Civil Service. During their programme, apprentices receive training from an apprenticeship provider in their chosen field, and apply their emerging knowledge and skills to their full time role as a DDaT professional.
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) is working with departments and commercial teams to address barriers to fully utilising the apprentice levy, including through increasing apprentice provider choice.
We have also grown our early talent offers. CDDO is now in the process of building a cross-government digital apprenticeship programme ‘Tech Track’ which aims to upskill existing Civil Servants into the DDaT profession through apprenticeships, targeting 350-500 roles in its first year from Q1 2024.
Apprentice numbers regularly fluctuate year to year as apprentices begin and finish their courses at different stages throughout the year. External factors play a significant role in decisions to invest in apprenticeships. These include the impact of Covid-19 on recruitment and operation of apprenticeships, and proposed reductions to overall Civil Service headcount, prompting departments to prioritise fully developed staff. Changes to the recruitment of apprentices will not be reflected in the number of apprentices in departments until the following year.
Data provided by the Civil Service Apprenticeship Unit (CSAU) shows that, between September 2021 and December 2022, the number of apprentices fluctuated as per the below table:
Department | On programme Apprentices September 2021 | On programme Apprentices December 2022 | Percentage Change |
Ministry of Justice | 2 | 22 | 1000% |
Ministry of Defence | 39 | 116 | 197% |
Department for International Trade | 1 | 2 | 100% |
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 7 | 12 | 71% |
Department for Education | 20 | 23 | 15% |
United Kingdom Statistics Authority | 9 | 10 | 11% |
Attorney General's Departments | 1 | 1 | 0% |
Department for Work and Pensions | 169 | 163 | -4% |
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office | 15 | 12 | -20% |
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (and former partners) | 70 | 53 | -24% |
National Crime Agency | 4 | 3 | -25% |
Cabinet Office | 35 | 23 | -34% |
Competition and Markets Authority | 2 | 1 | -50% |
Department For Digital Culture Media And Sport | 4 | 2 | -50% |
HM Revenue and Customs | 248 | 117 | -52% |
Home Office | 89 | 41 | -54% |
Department for Transport | 53 | 22 | -58% |
Department of Health and Social Care | 34 | 13 | -62% |
Charity Commission | 3 | - |
|
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities | - | 1 |
|
Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report from the National Audit Office entitled Digital transformation in government: addressing the barriers to efficiency, published on 10 March 2023, what assessment he has made of the implications for (a) his policies and (b) digital transformation in Government of that report's finding of a reduction of 20 per cent in the number of digital, data and technology apprenticeships between October 2021 and December 202.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Government is committed to strengthening digital and technology specialist skills and has increased the number of recorded specialists by 10% since the establishment of the Transforming for a digital future: 2022 to 2025 roadmap for digital and data.
Individual departments are ultimately responsible for their own resourcing decisions and will have their own rationale for specific choices made. Additionally, apprenticeship headcounts will fluctuate over time linked to factors like the procurement of suppliers and the cohort based nature of apprenticeship recruitment.
Apprentices are a core part of our thriving digital community, as are graduates and interns, and we are committed to ensuring that the trend in reduction of apprentices is reversed. Indeed, since the report was published, the number of recorded apprentices has increased by 6.2%.
The Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) are currently working with departments and commercial teams to address some of the barriers to fully utilising apprentice levy’s in government, including through increasing supplier choice.