Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will make it his policy to increase the powers and independence of the Independent Ethics Adviser by (a) giving the Adviser the right to initiate inquiries, (b) making the appointment a fixed term and (c) implementing the other recommendations to strengthen the (i) appointments process, (ii) powers and (iii) remit of the Independent Adviser set out in the report Upholding Standards in Public Life by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, published on 1 November 2021; and if the Prime Minister will make a statement.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my honourable friend, the member for Brentwood and Ongar, Alex Burghart MP, in response to the Urgent Question on 30 November.
In May, the Government published a policy statement alongside revised Terms of Reference, which set out reforms to the role of Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests. This included an enhanced process for the initiation of investigations under the Ministerial Code. The appointment has been for a five-year fixed term since April 2021.
The appointment process for the Independent Adviser is ongoing, and the House will be updated on this when an appointment has been made.
The Prime Minister set out his clear intention to appoint an Independent Adviser when he assumed office.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 15 July 2022, Official Report, HCWS208. As explained in that statement, work on further reforms recommend by the Committee on Standards in Public Life continues and will be informed by the new Prime Minister. That statement can be found here https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-07-15/hcws208
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the recruitment process for the Independent Ethics Adviser began.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my honourable friend, the member for Brentwood and Ongar, Alex Burghart MP, in response to the Urgent Question on 30 November.
In May, the Government published a policy statement alongside revised Terms of Reference, which set out reforms to the role of Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests. This included an enhanced process for the initiation of investigations under the Ministerial Code. The appointment has been for a five-year fixed term since April 2021.
The appointment process for the Independent Adviser is ongoing, and the House will be updated on this when an appointment has been made.
The Prime Minister set out his clear intention to appoint an Independent Adviser when he assumed office.
I would also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement of 15 July 2022, Official Report, HCWS208. As explained in that statement, work on further reforms recommend by the Committee on Standards in Public Life continues and will be informed by the new Prime Minister. That statement can be found here https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-07-15/hcws208
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2022 to Question 73117 on Prime Minister: Furniture, what the disproportionate cost threshold is for answering written parliamentary questions.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Disproportionate Cost Threshold is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2018) published at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/740236/Guide-to-Parliamentary-Work-2018.pdf.
Asked by: Alex Davies-Jones (Labour - Pontypridd)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Secretary was informed by the Rt hon. Member for North East Somerset of the shares in Yandex Ltd held by Somerset Capital Management LLP while he held his positions as (a) Leader of the House and (b) Minister of State for Brexit Opportunities; and whether an assessment was made of whether this could have constituted a conflict of interest.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
I refer the hon Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend the member for Northampton North on 14 March 2022 (UIN 122754) and to the Annual Report of the Independent Adviser on Ministers Interests, together with the List of Ministers Interests, which were published on 31 May 2022.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister's Office is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
Between the period of May to July inclusive, the Prime Minister answered 100% of Parliamentary Questions on time each month. The Prime Minister receives over 3,000 letters and emails every week covering a broad spectrum of issues.
Where an Hon. Member writes to the Prime Minister about a matter that is directly the responsibility of another Department, it has been the long-standing practice of successive administrations for that matter to be passed to that Department for a substantive reply, on his behalf.
Information on departmental performance on correspondence can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/data-on-responses-to-correspondence-from-mps-and-peers.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps their Department is taking to reduce the time taken to respond to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) correspondence from Members of Parliament.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
All departments have access to regular training led by the Parliamentary Capability Team through the Government Campus.
The Cabinet Office attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of Parliamentary Questions (PQs) and correspondence, and officials remain committed to providing the highest level of service. To complement the work of the Parliamentary Capability Team, the Cabinet Office also runs tailored training sessions for Cabinet Office staff specific to PQs and Correspondence to drive up the quality and timeliness of our responses. These sessions have been delivered 3 times since July.
Between the period of May to July inclusive, the Cabinet Office consistently answered over 90% of PQs on time each month, and an average of 86% of all ministerial correspondence on time over those 3 months.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 47403 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Special Advisers, tabled by the Rt hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 5 September 2022, on whether (a) Mr Adam Jones, (b) Ms Sophie Jarvis, (c) Mr Jamie Hope, (d) Mr Reuben Solomon and (e) Ms Sarah Ludlow were continuously employed by the Cabinet Office on full-time special adviser contracts to work at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office between 7 July 2022 and 2 September 2022.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
I refer the Rt hon. Member to PQ 47403, answered on 25 October.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether a Ministerial Direction was issued in regards to the decision to award a contract to Peters and Peters in relation to the opinion published regarding the Committee of Privileges' inquiry into the Rt. hon. Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to PQ 47506. Please see here https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-09-05/47506
Asked by: Angela Rayner (Labour - Ashton-under-Lyne)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which recommendations of the Boardman Review are yet to be implemented.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement Government Transparency and Accountability, put before the House by the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 15 July. The statement sets out action already taken in relation to reports by Nigel Boardman and the Committee on Standards in Public Life and that further work continues.
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Sir Brian Langstaff’s interim report on the Infected Blood Inquiry, if he will make it his policy to adopt the report’s recommendation that interim payments should be immediately made to those infected and affected by contaminated blood.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to PQ 42184 on 6 September 2022.