Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of civil service staff working are paid a rate equivalent to the real living wage, broken down by Government Department.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
In the majority of Government departments, at least 98% of staff earn a rate equivalent or greater than the 2021/22 Voluntary Living Wage (£11.05 if based in London, or £9.90 if based outside of London), as at 31 March 2022. In all departments the proportion is over 90%.
Table 1: Percentage of civil servants earning at or above the Voluntary Living Wage in March 2022 by Department
Departments (including agencies) | % at or above the VLW |
Attorney General’s Departments | 98.8% |
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy | 99.6% |
Cabinet Office | 99.7% |
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | 100.0% |
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | 99.9% |
Education | ≥99.9%¹ |
Transport | 92.5% |
Health and Social Care | 99.5% |
International Trade | ≥99.9%¹ |
Work and Pensions | 100.0% |
Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office | 99.5% |
HM Revenue and Customs | 100.0% |
HM Treasury | 99.5% |
Home Office | 98.6% |
Levelling Up, Housing and Communities | 99.4% |
Defence | 96.3% |
Justice | 98.5% |
Other² | 99.1% |
Scottish Government | 100.0% |
Welsh Government | 100.0% |
¹ Exact figure suppressed due to low numbers
² Other includes staff in Government organisations not listed separately (CC, CMA, COD, ESTYN, FSA, HMLR, NCA, NIO, OFGEM, OFQUAL, OFSTED, OFWAT, ORR, SO, TNA, UKEF, UKSA, UKSC, WO)
Figures are based on the centrally held numbers and salaries of civil servants collected in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey as at March 2022, and may differ from those provided by individual departments. Civil servants located outside the UK or with an unreported location (6,995) or without a reported hourly rate (an additional 150) have been excluded. Percentages are calculated on a headcount basis and rounded to the nearest percentage point, due to the rounding a very small number of employees in departments listed as 100% may earn below the Voluntary Living Wage.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on hospitality at Downing Street from 6 September 2022 to 25 October 2022.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Departments publish details of ministers' gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings on a quarterly basis. Cabinet Office returns include official hospitality provided by the Prime Minister, official No10 receptions and official hospitality at Chequers. More information can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with representatives of the Rail Delivery Group on negotiations with the (a) RMT and (b) other Transport Trade Unions; and what negotiating powers he has given that group.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The Transport Secretary wants to see an end to the rail industrial disputes, which are affecting passengers, the industry and the rail workers themselves.
The Secretary of State and I Rail regularly meet with both Rail Delivery Group and Network Rail representatives and are also having introductory meetings with rail union leaders.
We are very clear that it is for employers and Trade Unions to negotiate the details of essential workforce reforms that would enable an affordable pay deal. Ministers role is to facilitate and support the ongoing discussions between the rail industry and Trade Unions regarding workforce reform and pay.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on official hospitality at Chequers from 6 September 2022 to 25 October 2022.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Chequers is not a government building; it is run and managed by an independent trust.
As has been the practice under successive Premiers, the incumbent Prime Minister uses Chequers consistent with the wishes of the donor, the late Sir Arthur Lee, who gave it to the nation for the use of the serving Prime Minister, for both official and private use. This is set out in the Chequers Estate Act 1917.
Details of official hospitality at Chequers are published on a quarterly basis and are available via gov.uk. Personal or party political hospitality is not paid for by the public purse.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department have taken steps to make options available for council tenants to buy their homes using mortgages which comply with Islamic law.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The legislation governing the Right to Buy scheme requires direct transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer (the tenant). Any transfer made to a third party is not compatible with the scheme, including Islamic mortgages that operate on this basis.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to roll out a takaful-based funding structure for mortgages for right to buy tenants.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The legislation governing the Right to Buy scheme requires direct transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer (the tenant). Any transfer made to a third party is not compatible with the scheme, including Islamic mortgages that operate on this basis.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will conduct a review of the availability of mortgages which comply with Islamic law.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
There are a broad range of mortgage products available on the market, including products that comply with Islamic law. Those wishing to take out a Sharia-compliant mortgage may wish to shop around and speak to a specialist mortgage broker in order to find the best possible product for them.
It is also worth noting that the UK is the leading western hub for Islamic finance, with more institutions offering Islamic financial services in the UK than anywhere in Europe or North America, including four fully licenced Sharia-compliant banks.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what short and long term steps the Government is taking to increase the availability of GP appointments.
Answered by Will Quince
Excluding COVID-19 vaccinations, there were an average of 1.24 million appointments per working day in July 2022, compared to 1.17 million in July 2019. We have also made £520 million available to improve access and expand general practice capacity during the pandemic. To reduce unnecessary bureaucracy for general practitioners (GPs) and increase capacity for appointments, we have expanded the range of healthcare professionals who can sign fit notes and published seven principles to reduce unnecessary burdens on GPs.
We are investing at least £1.5 billion to create an additional 50 million general practice appointments by 2024 through increasing and diversifying the workforce. General practice teams include a range of other health professionals in addition to GPs, to respond to the needs of patients and we are on schedule to recruit an additional 26,000 primary care staff.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people are quickly moved out of temporary accommodation; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that these properties (a) are pest-free and (b) provide a safe environment for residents.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide temporary accommodation for households owed the main homelessness duty until suitable long-term accommodation can be offered to them. They must ensure temporary accommodation is suitable in relation to the applicant and to all members of their household who normally reside with them, or who might reasonably be expected to reside with them, and there is a right of appeal.
Housing authorities should, as a minimum, ensure that all temporary accommodation is free of Category 1 hazards as identified by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). We have given local authorities very strong powers to take enforcement action when they identify seriously hazardous conditions, including the power to issue heavy fines. Consideration of whether accommodation is suitable will require an assessment of all aspects of the accommodation in the light of the relevant needs, requirements and circumstances of the homeless person and their household.
Asked by: Sam Tarry (Labour - Ilford South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues regarding the health impacts on workers of working in extreme weather.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
Ministers have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues relating to health and social care, such as extreme weather.