Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether specialist advisers to the Government are subject to rules on the use of offshore bank accounts.
Answered by Chloe Smith
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ2887 on 24 October.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has been spent on (a) mugs, (b) badges, (c) pens, (d) t-shirts and (e) jumpers to be provided to civil servants as part of the Government's Get ready for Brexit advertising campaign.
Answered by Kevin Foster
This information on total spend by Government departments is not held centrally in the form requested.
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to PQs 290437, 290765 and 290970 on 30th September 2019.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the rules that govern the use of offshore bank accounts by (a) Government Ministers, (b) Senior Civil Servants and (c) Directors of Government-controlled companies.
Answered by Kevin Foster
All public office holders are expected to comply with the law as it applies to offshore banking activity.
Ministers and Civil Servants must also uphold the standards of conduct as set out in the Ministerial and Civil Service Code respectively, as well as the seven principles of public life.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has any plans to update the special advisers' code of conduct.
Answered by Kevin Foster
The last update to the Special Adviser’s Code of Conduct was in December 2016. This document is kept under regular review.
In December 2018, the Minister for the Constitution announced work to review how Special Adviser’s terms can be made clearer and consistent (19 December 2018 Vol. 651, [HCWS1216]). This work is ongoing.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, under what authority Special Adviser Dominic Cummings has the ability to (a) hire and (b) dismiss staff from government departments.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Special Advisers must adhere to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. As it states in the code of conduct, all Special Adviser appointments must be approved by the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister may terminate employment by withdrawing his consent to an individual appointment at any time.
Dominic Cummings operates under the authority of his appointing Minister, the Prime Minister. An area which the PM has asked Dominic Cummings to lead on is decisions concerning the management of Special Advisers.
As the code of conduct sets out, Special Advisers cannot exercise any power in relation to the management of any part of the Civil Service, except in relation to another Special Adviser.
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the results of the Government's stress testing of the effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Kevin Foster
Operation Yellowhammer is a cross government programme of work to ensure that government is prepared to mitigate the potential impacts of Brexit in the event the UK leaves without a deal.
In response to the Humble Address motion passed on Monday 9 September, The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster published the Yellowhammer reasonable worst case planning assumptions dated 2 August on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-response-to-humble-address-motion
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Highgate)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the results of the Government's stress testing of the effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Hart of Tenby
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.