Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Lincoln Jopp

Thursday 6th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Lincoln?Jopp?(Spelthorne) (Con)]

T7.???In?a speech in December, the Minister said that he wanted to put bureaucracy on more of a �start-up� footing with a Silicon Valley vibe, and that in order to achieve that he was going to send teams�indeed, not just teams, but crack teams�to Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield and Essex in order to test, learn, and fix by Friday. I have a simple question: in those three months, how many of those crack teams have gone in, what have they tested, what have they learned, and what have they fixed by Friday?

[Pat McFadden]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for reading my speeches so closely, but what he has misunderstood is that the teams are on the ground, and the process is to learn every week. I am glad to report that I have already visited a couple of those areas, and good work is under way. The whole point is that this will develop, it will adapt, and perhaps it will be different from the record of the Conservative party, which saw a growth of 131,000 public officials over the last�

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Lincoln Jopp

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right to draw attention to the increased funding for the devolved Government in Scotland as a result of the Budget. We are also putting more money into the NHS in England. He is right to say that when we ask the taxpayer to pay more, that should come with reform. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has been clear about that, and I hope it applies elsewhere too.

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Defence said recently that he would reduce the number of permanent civil servants at the MOD by 10% by the end of this Parliament. Will the Cabinet Office be larger or smaller at the end of this Parliament?

[Pat McFadden]

The hon. Gentleman has perhaps not been paying attention. We announced our programme to reduce the number of civil servants in the Cabinet Office just before Christmas.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Pat McFadden and Lincoln Jopp

Thursday 5th December 2024 Commons Chamber

[Pat McFadden]

I congratulate the college in Ebbw Vale on its brilliant cyber-security course.

My hon. Friend is right to point out the threat, which is why I spoke at the NATO cyber-defence conference last week. State and non-state actors are constantly probing our defences. It is a constant effort to keep those defences strong, and we are determined to work not only with education but with business and our critical national infrastructure to make sure we are as well protected as we can be against the threats we face. Security is no longer just about hard military power; it is also about cyber-security, which is why that has to be a real priority for the Government.

[Lincoln Jopp (Spelthorne) (Con)]

10. What job vacancies in the Prime Minister's Office are being advertised.