Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister raised Myanmar with President Xi Jinping of China during their meeting on 18 November.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Prime Minister raised a range of domestic and foreign issues in his meeting with President Xi at the G20 on 18 November. A read-out of this meeting is available on the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of issuing a statement of principle that all services should be provided in-person where possible.
Answered by Alex Burghart - Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has affordable access to public services, whether online or offline.
Departments are required by the Government's Service Standard to provide support via alternative channels for all their online services to all users, including disabled people, people with other legally protected characteristics, people who do not have access to the internet and/or lack the skills and/or confidence to use it.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what schemes the Government run to encourage people from lower socio-economic backgrounds into the civil service.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
We have a range of schemes to encourage people from lower all backgrounds to join the civil service including:
Apprenticeships, a new strategy was launched in April 2022 and included a target for lower-socio economic backgrounds.
Accelerated development schemes like the Fast Stream. (Representation from lower socio-economic backgrounds in the Fast Stream has increased annually since 2016.)
Civil Service Commission’s Going Forward into Employment Scheme: Life Chances scheme, uses innovative approaches to recruit people from a wide range of backgrounds into the Civil Service with targeted recruitment of care leavers, prison leavers and veterans.
Internships such as the Summer Diversity Internship Programme, the scope of which has been broadened to include lower-socio economic backgrounds.
Mentoring and sponsorship such as the Ministry of Justice Graduate Aspiration programme.
Outreach is carried out by many of our departments within Schools, Colleges and Universities to raise awareness of the broad range of Civil Service careers available.
Work experience placements such as Movement to Work which supports employers to provide work placements that combine employability skills training with on-the-job experience.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that civil service recruitment processes comply with provisions in the Equality Act 2010 on discrimination against people according to their (a) socio-economic status and (b) other protected characteristics.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Cabinet Office operates a policy requiring all employment opportunities to be made readily available to all.
The current selection process is designed to be fair and objectively identify the best candidates.
There are a number of safeguards built in to the process:
Applications are anonymised until after the sift stage.
All sifters are expected to act in accordance with the Civil Service Code.
We would also expect an independent presence during any sift exercise. Each panel should include at least one member from outside of the line of business to provide an independent view.
We are committed to providing services and developing policies which promote equality of opportunity and eliminate unlawful discrimination. We are an equal opportunities employer and will not unlawfully discriminate in any aspect of employment, including how employees are selected or how employees are treated.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the level of foreign direct investment into Bolton in the period since 2010.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Lady’s Parliamentary Question of 27 March is attached and the completed answer will be deposited in the House of Commons Library.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of the proposal to place a statue of Queen Elizabeth II on Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Government is grateful for the many suggestions received to commemorate the life and legacy of Queen Elizabeth II. We will carefully consider these suggestions, including those that relate to Trafalgar Square’s fourth plinth, as part of thinking about how we remember Her extraordinary legacy.
Following the passing of the Deregulation Act 2015, consent from the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is no longer required to erect statues in London.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress the Government has made on implementing a framework for compensation for the victims of the contaminated blood scandal.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
Work is currently underway and I will update Parliament as soon as possible on this.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) full time equivalent posts there were and (b) part-time staff were employed in the Racial Disparity Unit in each year since it was established; and how many (i) full time equivalent posts and (ii) part time staff his Department has planned for in the 2021-22 financial year.
Answered by Julia Lopez
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to PQ57945 by my friend Chloe Smith on 19 June 2020.
Figures for 2021/22 will be confirmed after the Spending Review.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Racial Disparity Unit's explain or change communications strategy was announced; what the cost to the public purse was of that strategy; and what assessment he has made of that strategy's efficiency in promoting change.
Answered by Julia Lopez
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers to PQ 59728 on 16 June 2020 and PQ 62369 on 24 June 2020.
The details of expenditure are published regularly on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Yasmin Qureshi (Labour - Bolton South and Walkden)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Explain or change campaign continues to inform the work of the Racial Disparity Unit.
Answered by Julia Lopez
I refer the Hon. Member to the answers to PQ 59728 on 16 June 2020 and PQ 62369 on 24 June 2020.
The details of expenditure are published regularly on GOV.UK.