Paula Sherriff

The Government Equalities Office has not allocated any funding to interfaith projects during the last three years.

An evaluation of the Access to Elected Office pilot fund is currently being undertaken. The report from that evaluation will be published when a statement about the future of the fund is made in due course.

The Access to Elected Office Fund was set up to help disabled candidates meet their additional costs in standing for election. It was a three-year pilot that ran until the General Election in May 2015. No applications were made after March 2015.

The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff, including the Government Equalities Office (GEO) staff, by a) female b) male c) BME and d) non-BME.

Average Earnings of DfE Staff (including GEO)

The following table shows the average hourly earnings of GEO staff by a) female and b) male.

Average earnings of GEO Staff

The Department and GEO records earnings as annual salaries. In order to convert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used: ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.

The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that is greater proportions of women and BME staff of the lower pay bands.

The table below shows the average hourly earnings of the Department for Education (DfE) staff, including the Government Equalities Office (GEO) staff, by a) female b) male c) BME and d) non-BME.

Average Earnings of DfE Staff (including GEO)

The following table shows the average hourly earnings of GEO staff by a) female and b) male.

Average earnings of GEO Staff

The Department and GEO records earnings as annual salaries. In order to convert the annual salaries to hourly rates the following calculation has been used: ((Gross Basic Salary*FTE)/52)/Weekly hours.

The pay gap is lower when analysed at grade level for men and women and BME and non-BME. The gaps can be largely attributed to the fact that is greater proportions of women and BME staff of the lower pay bands.

The Civil Service recognises that good workforce health and wellbeing is fundamental to delivering effective public services. We support people so that they can remain at work where possible and to return as soon as they are ready following sickness absence.

The Cabinet Office holds information on the amount of sick leave taken and the reasons for sick leave taken for (a) all of the civil servants in the Department who have recorded absence due to sickness. This includes sick leave for mental health issues that in each of the calendar years 2016 and 2017 amounted to less than 1 day of absence per staff year.

Statistics on sick leave taken by staff in the Cabinet Office are published quarterly in arrears at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-absence-data .

The Cabinet Office collates data on sickness absence from (b) civil service departments and agencies on a quarterly basis in order to understand variation across departments and overall civil service trends. The data can be broken down across a range of types of illness including mental ill-health. The latest data held covers the years leading up to and including Q2 2017 (July 2016 - June 2017). In this period there was an average of 1.7 days per staff year of absence due to mental ill health across the civil service. In the previous year (July 2015-June 2016) there was an average of 1.8 days per staff year of absence due to mental ill health across the civil service.

The latest Civil Service sickness absence data for Q1 2017 was published on 14 December 2017 and is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence .

The Civil Service continues to review how it can actively manage all sickness absence and improve health and wellbeing at work even further, ensuring that it consistently delivers the high level of service that the public demand and expect.

Political activity of all public appointments is collected and published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The statistical methodology has changed since 2014-15, and the figures are not directly comparative over the last five years.

Political affiliation as percentage of total number of public appointments:

Political affiliation as percentage of those who answered the question on political activity:

_{NB. These figures are not comparative with the previous table: the rise is due to the different methodology.}

Overall, 94% of appointees in 2015-16 declared no political activity. By contrast, the political activity declaration rates under the last Labour Government were 10.2% in 2008-09, 10.4% in 2007-08 and 15.8% in 2006-07.

Being involved in a political party is a healthy part of civic democracy, and those interested in politics are often the same people who will be interested in public service. Individuals are appointed on the basis of their skills and experience, not their party background.

Data on executive body chairs is not held centrally. Data on chairs of non-executive bodies which are public appointments is collected and published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The data can be found on the Commissioner’s website at: http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/statistical-reports/

Statistics on public appointments are published annually by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Statistics on Public Appointments are published annually by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the data can be found at: http://publicappointmentscommissioner.independent.gov.uk/statistical-reports/.

There has been one new appointment to the Civil Service Board since 12 July 2016. Tom Scholar joined the Board at the end of July after taking up his position as Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury. The full list of current Board members is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/our-governance

The Government has been clear that employers should not make unreasonable deductions from the tips their staff receive. Furthermore, guidance on the National Minimum Wage explains that income from tips can not be used to top up a worker’s pay to the National Minimum Wage. The Government consultation on tipping practices published in 2016 also explained the law on how income from tips should be handled.

Since the publication of that consultation, the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers and Unite the Union have established a joint Code of Practice for good practice in handling tips. The Government supports these efforts, and will respond to that consultation in due course.

The Government is currently considering next steps in light of responses to the consultation.

The government is currently considering next steps in light of responses to the consultation.

The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has two diversity and inclusion champions on the departmental board - Angie Ridgwell (Director General, Finance and Corporate Services) and Gareth Davies (Director General, Business and Science).

The Government launched its consultation on tips, gratuities, service and cover charges to receive views on a range of actions to address issues associated with tipping practices. The Government’s objective is to ensure workers receive all discretionary payments for service, except those deductions required under tax law. The consultation is now closed and the responses are being considered. The Government Response will be published in due course.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Superfast Broadband is now available to nearly 94% of premises in the UK and is on track to reach 95% by the end of 2017. Reinvestment of efficiency savings and gainshare from the government programme, coupled with further commercial roll out, means that coverage can increase. By 2020, we will ensure universal broadband availability of at least 10Mbps, so that no home or business is left behind.

Sue Owen, The Permanent Secretary at DCMS is the lead Civil Service Diversity Champion, and for the department.

​All Healthy Pupils Capital Fund (HPCF) projects funded through the Condition Improvement Fund 2018-19 were assessed against the HPCF funding criteria to improve children’s and young people’s physical and mental health by enhancing access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions. Details of successful HPCF projects have been published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/condition-improvement-fund-2018-to-2019-outcome. Projects have not been categorised by those which relate to mental health or physical health.

Local authorities and larger academy trusts received a formulaic allocation from HPCF based on pupil numbers. They have the flexibility to distribute HPCF funding in line with the HPCF criteria to meet local priorities and need. Data on the use of HPCF funding by local authorities and larger academy trusts will be collected and published in due course, as part of regular capital spend data collections.

The Department ran a public consultation which closed on 12 February 2019 to gather evidence on the impact of increased contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) for all TPS employers, including universities. Final decisions on funding will be taken once the consultation responses have been reviewed. All funding decisions for 2020/21 onwards will be decided as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.

In the 2017/18 academic year reported to date (from August 2017 to April 2018), 260 apprenticeship starts were recorded for the standard ‘Registered Nurse’. This is the level 6 degree apprenticeship approved for delivery on 9 May 2017. Mental health nursing remains an optional element within the nursing apprenticeships.

Additionally, there have been 640 apprenticeship starts reported to date (from August 2017 to April 2018) for the standard ‘Nursing Associate’ (level 5 apprenticeship standard, approved for delivery on 20 November 2017; note that we class apprenticeships at level 6 and above as ‘degree-level’). There were no starts on these standards in the 2016/17 academic year. Full final year data for the 2017/18 academic year will be available in November 2018 and data covering 2018/19 will be available in January 2019.

In England, there have been 64,830 apprenticeship starts in the Health, Public Services and Care sector subject area reported to date in the first three quarters of the 2017/18 academic year (August 2017 to April 2018). This data can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

We want to increase the number of nursing apprenticeships and now have a complete apprentice pathway from entry level to postgraduate advanced clinical practice in nursing. This will support people from all backgrounds to enter a nursing career in the National Health Service (NHS).

We are working closely with employers, Health Education England and ministers in the Department of Health and Social Care to make sure the NHS is fully supported to recruit apprentices, both in nursing and in a range of various occupations.

The department has publicly confirmed the new trusts for 20 of the 21 Wakefield City Academies Trust schools. The nine schools for which trusts have been identified, but they have not moved, is in the table below. For the remaining school, Mexborough Academy, Delta Academies Trust remains the preferred trust. The Regional Schools Commissioner is working to confirm the final trust for Mexborough Academy as soon as possible. Our priority continues to be to minimise disruption for all concerned and move all the schools into strong new trusts as quickly as possible in the interests of pupils.

On appointment, my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State received a letter from the Permanent Secretary drawing his attention to the Ministerial Code, and a copy of that code.

Ministers are expected to observe the Seven Principles of Public Life. The Ministerial code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties. It provides guidance to ministers on how they should act and arrange their affairs in order to uphold these standards. The code is clear that harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour wherever it takes place is not consistent with the Ministerial Code and will not be tolerated.

Clare Moriarty (Permanent Secretary) is the diversity champion on Defra’s departmental board.

The Government introduced diversity champions as part of the Talent Action Plan (TAP) commitment to have champions in all departments. The Government uses diversity champions to provide an overall insight for all protected characteristics, including LGBT, Race, Religion or Belief, Gender, Disability, Social Mobility, Age, Carers, Gender Reassignment etc.

The Department has appointed Catherine Webb as the dedicated senior equalities champion who sits on the Department's Executive Board and provides an insight for all protected characteristics. The Department for Exiting the European Union is committed to the creation of a diverse and inclusive working environment to ensure staff do not face any barriers to success, and all staff feel supported at work. As such, the Department is committed to the steps established in the 2016 Talent Action Plan to help the Civil Service become the most inclusive employer in the UK. The department is also committed to working with a diverse range of external organisations, to ensure our work reflects a broad range of opinions across the UK.

According to a review of relevant records in the provided time window, four visits have been made to Hebron by DFID Ministers since 2010. UK officials continue to monitor the situation in Hebron, especially following the withdrawal of the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.