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
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve relations with the European Union.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is resetting the relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties and tackle shared challenges. The Prime Minister and President of the European Commission have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK, putting it on a more solid, positive and forward-looking relationship . I am taking forward discussions with my EU counterpart, Vice President Maroš Šefčovič.
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 ensure the security of domestic elections from foreign interference.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Protecting the UK and our democratic processes from foreign interference is a priority for this Government and we have a number of mechanisms in place to do this.
The National Security Act 2023 provides the security services and law enforcement agencies with the tools they need to deter, detect, and disrupt state threats.
The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP) works between the Cabinet Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) to coordinate election security and preparedness activity within government and externally. This includes working with the devolved administrations, local authorities and the Electoral Commission.
The Government's Defending Democracy Taskforce, chaired by the Security Minister, is focused on safeguarding our democracy from the full range of threats including foreign interference.
The Government has also committed to enhancing the safeguards against foreign funding of election campaigns and will be bringing forward proposals in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are working on matters relating to common sense at the instruction of the Minister without portfolio within the Cabinet Office.
Answered by John Glen
The Minister’s official role is the Minister without Portfolio, a role which has a large scope across government. The Minister supports the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to identify where our public sector delivery is inhibited by bureaucracy and inefficiencies. The Minister’s overarching aim is to ensure efficiency and value for money for the taxpayer.
Further information on the Minister without Portfolio’s role can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/people/esther-mcvey.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on matters relating to common sense at the instruction of the Minister without portfolio within the Cabinet Office since her appointment.
Answered by John Glen
The Minister’s official role is the Minister without Portfolio, a role which has a large scope across government. The Minister supports the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to identify where our public sector delivery is inhibited by bureaucracy and inefficiencies. The Minister’s overarching aim is to ensure efficiency and value for money for the taxpayer.
Further information on the Minister without Portfolio’s role can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/people/esther-mcvey.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to his Department have been reported (a) lost and (b) stolen in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The following table includes the number of lost or stolen ministerial red boxes from the Cabinet Office between 2021 and 2023.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
Lost | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Stolen | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2024 to Question 11390 on Cabinet Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on each of those refurbishments.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Ministerial Offices in 70 Whitehall, redecorated due to water damage in April 2023, cost a total of £19,956.50 exclusive of VAT.
The redecoration of the Ministerial Waiting Room in 70 Whitehall with furniture alterations (partly necessary due to historic mould issues, and completed in November 2023) cost a total of £13,359.11 exclusive of VAT.
The decoration of the Ministerial corridor (due to complete in March 2024) is taking place as part of planned building-wide programme of annual maintenance. As part of this programme, a number of corridors throughout the building are being repainted. Therefore it is not possible to distinguish the cost of the redecoration of the Ministerial corridor from the wider programme.