Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants have been (a) disciplined, (b) subject to criminal charges, and (c) dismissed for offences under the Official Secrets Act 1989 in each of the last five years.
Answered by David Lidington
All breaches of information are taken seriously and recorded by each individual department. The Civil Service Management Code (4.2.1) states ‘Departments and agencies must remind staff on appointment, retirement or resignation that they are bound by the provisions of the criminal law, including the Official Secrets Acts, which protect certain categories of official information, and by their duty of confidentiality owed to the Crown as their former employer’.
Where a law has been broken or potentially broken, it is reported to the police and they would take forward any investigation. Subsequent actions would be a matter for the police and the courts.
Other than in exceptional cases, when it is in the public interest, it has been the policy of successive governments not to comment on breaches of security.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, whether she discussed the disqualification of candidates from Hong Kong elections with the Government of China during her recent visit to that country.
Answered by Baroness May of Maidenhead
I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued on 1 February following my meeting with President Xi and which is available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-president-xi-1-february-2018.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, if she will ask the Cabinet Secretary to investigate the circumstances surrounding meetings held by the Secretary of State for International Development in Israel in August 2017.
Answered by Baroness May of Maidenhead
My right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the hon. Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and me on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, when she was made aware of meetings in Israel held by the Secretary of State for International Development in August 2017; and what information she has since been given about what was discussed at those meetings.
Answered by Baroness May of Maidenhead
My right hon. Friend the Member for Witham (Ms Patel) resigned as Secretary of State for International Development on 8 November. I refer the hon. Member to the exchange of letters between my right hon. Friend and me on her resignation; and to the statement issued by my right hon. Friend on 6 November, a copy of which is available on the gov.uk website.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has received a copy of the Birmingham Students' Brexit Manifesto; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness May of Maidenhead
A reply will be sent in due course.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 20 of his Department's report, entitled Rising to the challenge of ending poverty: the Bilateral Development Review 2016, published in December 2016, how the Government plans to expand the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.
Answered by Ben Gummer
The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) has a budget of £1.1billion, due to grow to £1.34billion by the end of 2019/20. As reflected in the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR), the additional c.£200m will increase Government’s capacity to prevent threats and build stability, as well as respond to crises more quickly and effectively. The CSSF will have more resources and expertise to address the drivers of transnational threats to stability such as extremism, illegal migration and serious and organised crime.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2016 to Question 46376, how many projects managed by each Government Department the Infrastructure Projects Authority currently oversees; what the current status is of each project; and whether each such project is (a) ahead, on, or behind schedule and (b) under, on or over budget.
Answered by Ben Gummer
Under transparency policy, we release the data annually (6 months in arrears) through the IPA Annual Report. The most recent report can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/535243/ipa_annual_report_on_major_projects_2015_2016.pdf
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department takes to ensure that government projects are delivered on time and within budget.
Answered by Ben Gummer
All projects are ultimately the responsibility of individual government departments. However, with £400 billion in the Infrastructure Pipeline and £400 billion in the Major Projects Portfolio, the Cabinet Office has a central team, the Infrastructure Projects Authority (IPA), to support departments to deliver on time and within budget. The IPA provides expertise and practical help, a supportive environment to enable major projects to succeed, and manages an independent assurance process to ensure projects are delivered to time and within budget.
The IPA works with all partners in infrastructure and major projects - government departments, project teams, HMT, Cabinet Office, and the private sector - to do this. The IPA reports jointly to HMT and Cabinet Office Ministers.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library copies of his letter to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield of 4 May 2016 on local government and ethical procurement.
Answered by Matt Hancock
I will place this correspondence in the Library as requested, following the end of the pre-referendum period.
Asked by: Richard Burden (Labour - Birmingham, Northfield)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to the letter of 24 March 2016 on ethical procurement from the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield.
Answered by Matt Hancock
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today.