Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he expects all payments by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to eligible people to be made.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The recently published Framework Document sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of 2027 and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029. I do not regard those as targets. I regard those as backstops, and the objective should absolutely be to pay as soon as possible.
IBCA is committed to opening the full compensation service to all those eligible as soon as possible. Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, I fully support their commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible and as the Minister, I stand ready to help and assist in any way I can to speed up the payments.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of eligible people have received compensation from the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Due to the nature of the Infected Blood scandal there is uncertainty over the number of people, especially those affected, who might be eligible for compensation. The final number of eligible people will ultimately depend on the number of victims who come forward.
As of 6 May 2025, 677 people have been contacted to begin the claims process, with 432 of those starting their claim. 160 offers of compensation have been made, totalling over £150m, and 106 payments have been made, totalling £96,608,906.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people (a) infected and (b) impacted by the infected blood scandal have (i) been invited to make a claim, (ii) been offered compensation and (iii) received compensation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As of 6 May 2025, 677 infected people have been contacted to begin the claims process, with 432 of those starting their claim. 160 offers of compensation have been made, totalling over £150m, and 106 payments have been made, totalling £96,608,906.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether benefits advisors are classified as civil servants for the purposes of the regulated period ahead of an election.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out restrictions on civil servants with regard to political activity, including examples of roles that fall into the politically restricted category. This category includes members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the Fast Stream Development Programme.
A civil servant is normally defined as someone who is employed by the Crown to work for a Civil Service body.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which job roles are restricted on involvement in political campaigning during the short campaign of an election.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out restrictions on civil servants with regard to political activity, including examples of roles that fall into the politically restricted category. This category includes members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the Fast Stream Development Programme.
A civil servant is normally defined as someone who is employed by the Crown to work for a Civil Service body.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which roles the Government classifies as civil servants for the purposes of short campaign election regulation.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code sets out restrictions on civil servants with regard to political activity, including examples of roles that fall into the politically restricted category. This category includes members of the Senior Civil Service and civil servants at levels immediately below the Senior Civil Service, plus members of the Fast Stream Development Programme.
A civil servant is normally defined as someone who is employed by the Crown to work for a Civil Service body.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to remove barriers to young people in the UK wishing to study and work in the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government recognises the value to young people of the opportunity to experience different cultures and work or study elsewhere. UK nationals can travel visa-free to the EU, for example for short-term study, for up to 90 days in a rolling 180-day period. If travelling for the purposes of work, they may need permission from the relevant Member State.The Government introduced the Turing Scheme in 2021, which provides grants for students to study and work anywhere in the world, including Europe, supporting tens of thousands of UK students since its launch.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on the review to look at government wide reform at a local level led by the Parliamentary Secretary.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to reforming the state to deliver better public services which revolve around the needs of the users. At the heart of those reforms is a place-based approach. A significant programme of work is underway with departments, local authorities, leaders, frontline staff and others to strengthen and embed this way of working across government.
The work underway includes the £100 million Public Service Reform and Innovation Fund, which will be deploying Test and Learns teams around the country over the next three years to design and test innovative solutions to our biggest public service challenges in partnership with local places – and ensuring that local learning informs national policy decisions.
The Government will also use the significant opportunity presented by the Spending Review to reform our public services.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce trade barriers with the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is committed to resetting our EU relationship, including by reducing barriers to trade. We will seek a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement to reduce unnecessary border checks and mutual recognition for professional qualifications, as well as helping our touring artists. We look forward to exploring these issues with our partners in the EU.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will have discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential merits of a youth mobility system between the United Kingdom and European Union.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme