Select Committee

Unite the Union

UKE0007 - The UK’s economic security

Written Evidence Jan. 31 2024

Inquiry: The UK’s economic security
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)

Found: UKE0007 - The UK’s economic security Unite the Union Written Evidence

---

Commons Chamber
Scrutiny of Secretaries of State in the House of Lords - Wed 20 Mar 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Patrick Grady (SNP - Glasgow North) There have been 22 written statements from FCDO Ministers in the Commons, three of which have been on - Speech Link
2: Patrick Grady (SNP - Glasgow North) Incidentally, I do not know whether he has written it down or said it anywhere, but around the time of - Speech Link
3: Patrick Grady (SNP - Glasgow North) However, the concept of a “great office of state” is not written down anywhere, and any Prime Minister - Speech Link
4: Alex Burghart (Con - Brentwood and Ongar) Members of this House have had opportunities to ask questions of him—a man who sits in Cabinet and who - Speech Link

---

Commons Chamber
Oral Answers to Questions - Thu 25 Apr 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Christian Wakeford (Lab - Bury South) Was the Cabinet Office aware of the visit in advance, and did the Deputy Prime Minister—the Secretary - Speech Link
2: John Glen (Con - Salisbury) The Cabinet Office did not clear it. - Speech Link
3: Patrick Grady (SNP - Glasgow North) With reference to the written questions that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office has answered - Speech Link

---

---

---

---

Select Committee

Cabinet Office, and Cabinet Office

Oral Evidence Apr. 29 2024

Inquiry: Statutory Inquiries
Inquiry Status: Closed
Committee: Statutory Inquiries Committee

Found: Cabinet Office, and Cabinet Office Oral Evidence

---

Written Question

Leader of the House of Commons: Written Questions

Thursday 7th September 2023

Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what steps their Department is taking to improve response times to written parliamentary questions.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Parliament has a right to hold Ministers to account and, as Leader of the House, I expect Government Ministers to respond quickly and effectively to written parliamentary questions. I will continue to drive that message and I encourage members who get an unsatisfactory response to write to me and I will take this up for any Member who does not get a proper response.

Data on response times to written parliamentary questions is held by the House, not government, and the ​Procedure ​Committee has a strong track record of calling Ministers in to look at​ departmental​ performance where there are issues​. Their regular reporting of performance continues to be an effective tool​. ​I note the Procedure Committee's report from earlier in this session on written parliamentary questions during the 2021-22 session​ and ​I was pleased to read that the number of answers provided on time has improved from the 2019-21 session. ​I hope we will see this improvement continue when the Committee publishes its next report following the current session. ​

I recognise that my office and I have a role to play in making representations to Government on behalf of the House of Commons, and have taken a number actions:

• In line with the practice of my predecessors, I have written to all members of Cabinet.
• I met with all departmental Permanent Secretaries where I reiterated the importance of substantive and timely answers to written parliamentary questions.
• I participated in a ‘Leading in Parliament’ session with Senior Civil Servants.
• I met with the Home Office Permanent Secretary following a number of concerns raised during Business Questions.
• In November 2022 my office published an updated Guide to Parliamentary Work which is available on Gov.uk and includes guidance for civil servants on answering written parliamentary questions (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
• My office oversees the Parliamentary Clerks’ Working Group, which brings together all departmental Parliamentary Clerks from across Whitehall to discuss topical issues and share best practice.

The Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office also provides training on managing parliamentary work to civil servants of all departments and grades, including blended learning courses on Written Parliamentary Questions and tailored workshops for Senior Civil Servants. Since April 2022, 1012 civil servants from across government have attended training provided by the Parliamentary Capability Team on managing Written Parliamentary Questions.

---

---

Grand Committee
Permanent Secretaries: Appointment and Removal (Constitution Committee Report) - Thu 09 May 2024
Cabinet Office

Mentions:
1: Lord Thomas of Gresford (LD - Life peer) As for another senior civil servant in the Cabinet Office, he wrote in an email:“I will personally handcuff - Speech Link
2: Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston (XB - Life peer) The code itself is owned by the Cabinet Office. We take this role seriously. - Speech Link
3: Lord Young of Cookham (Con - Life peer) ministers; do not be tempted by Napoleonic models, shifting resources ... from the Cabinet Office to - Speech Link
4: Baroness Finn (Con - Life peer) Office, which in turn reports directly to the Cabinet Secretary.The Act is also almost unique in the - Speech Link
5: Baroness Neville-Rolfe (Con - Life peer) As the noble Baroness, Lady Stuart, mentioned, the Minister for the Cabinet Office said today that the - Speech Link

---