Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 25 April (HL Deb cols 1184–5), what plans they have to ensure that (1) ministers, and (2) senior civil servants, are trained in key leadership skills.

(1) The Government Skills and Curriculum Unit committed to developing a programme of induction and training for new ministers in the Declaration of Government Reform. The Declaration noted the importance of support for ministers in their roles as the most senior leaders in Government. This work is ongoing. A programme of masterclass sessions was rolled out over the last year. A particular area of focus is legislation and the provision of guidance and support to ministers taking bills through parliament.

(2) We recognise the importance of ensuring Senior Civil Servants have the right leadership training. We provide a range of training programmes and events to support them in growing their knowledge, skills and networks to tackle many challenges. For example, we have recently launched a new programme for Directors, The Directors Leadership Programme. This has had input from the Blavatnik School for Government and a consortium of experts, to create a rigorous and focussed vehicle for leadership improvement.