theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Alberto Costa:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department made a distinction between pensioners living in (a) care homes and (b) assisted living accommodation when reviewing eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments. \p Torsten Bell: Pensioners who are in receipt of a means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit, and who live in a care home are not entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment. This is because most will have their care and accommodation costs met by the Local Authority.

For purposes of Winter Fuel Payments, a care home is defined by section 3 of the Care Standards Act 2000 in England (Care Standards Act 2000) or Part 1 of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 in Wales (Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016). Assisted living accommodation does not fall under this definition.
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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral statement of 17 December 2024, Official Report, Column 167, on Women’s State Pension Age Communication: PHSO Report, if she will publish the internal Equality Impact Assessment. \p Torsten Bell: The Equality Analysis requested was published as part of the Government response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues, which is available at the following link:

Government response to Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s Investigation into Women’s State Pension age communications and associated issues - GOV.UK

No additional internal Equality Analysis was undertaken to support this decision.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the annual pensioner Christmas bonus in line with inflation. \p Torsten Bell: The Department has no current plans to make such an assessment.

The Christmas Bonus was initially introduced as a one-off payment of £10 in 1972 and has not been uprated or increased on a yearly basis like some benefits.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of people receiving an adequate pension since 2019. \p Torsten Bell: There are many ways of measuring of adequacy, such as Target Replacement Rates (TRR) or using minimum income standards such as the PLSA Retirement Living Standards.

DWP's latest estimates of undersaving for retirement showed around 4-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement according to TRR levels and 1-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement as measured by PLSA Minimum Retirement Living Standards. This is published here: Analysis of future pension incomes - GOV.UK.

Current pensioners have seen gross incomes increase over the last 10 years in real terms (a 4% increase from 2012/13 to 2022/23). This is available in Pensioners' Incomes: financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK. These statistics are published annually.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pension credit applications made before 21 December 2024 are waiting to be resolved. \p Torsten Bell: 61,866 claims made before 22nd December remained outstanding as of 19 January 2025. This includes 6,712 advanced claims. Advanced claims are where the application can be started up to 4 months before reaching State Pension age.

Please note, the data shown is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day. \p Andrew Western: The Department for Work and Pensions does offer paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
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Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children are living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty in South Cotswolds constituency. \p Alison McGovern: The latest statistics show that in 2022/23, there were 1,557 children living in absolute poverty and 2,215 children living in relative poverty in South Cotswolds constituency. Figures are provided for all children (including 16- to 19-year-olds) and on a before housing costs basis, available on Stat-Xplore. Figures on an after housing costs basis are not available below region level.

Source: Stat-Xplore (Children in Low Income Families Statistics)
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Ian Lavery:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many children were living in poverty in (a) Northumberland, (b) the North East and (c) nationally in (i) 2022-23 and (ii) 2023-24. \p Alison McGovern: In 2022/23 in Northumberland there were 10,858 children living in relative poverty before housing costs. Figures on an after housing costs basis are not available below region level. Source: Children in Low Income Families statistics

In 2022/23 in the North East there were 0.1m children living in relative poverty on a before housing costs basis and 0.2m children living in relative poverty on an after housing costs basis. Source: Households Below Average Income statistics

In 2022/23 in the UK there were 3.2m children living in relative low poverty on a before housing costs basis and 4.3m children living in relative poverty on an after housing costs basis. Source: Households Below Average Income statistics

2023/24 figures will be published in March 2025.
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Preet Kaur Gill:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her policy to allow Household Support Fund allocations to be used by local authorities to purchase (a) slow cookers and (b) kettles. \p Alison McGovern: In England, the Household Support Fund is a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water and to support with essentials linked to these for example, energy efficient items which reduce bills and the purchase of equipment such as slow cookers.

Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have set out for the fund. This is because they have the ties and the knowledge to best determine how support should be provided in their local communities.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to help support parents into work. \p Alison McGovern: Our recently published Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our aspirations to overhaul the Jobcentre system and establish a new Job and Career Service, which will focus on people’s skills and careers instead of just monitoring and managing benefit claims. This will be kickstarted by £55million of investment, to help people – including parents - get into work, stay in work, build skills and progress in their career.

We are also considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our Child Poverty Strategy which will be published later this year.

Work Coaches provide individual, tailored support to all customers, this includes advice to parents on childcare support or help to address their skills gaps to aid career progression.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support people with (a) disabilities and (b) long-term health conditions into work. \p Alison McGovern: Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme.

Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live.

Disabled people and people with health conditions, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.

Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.
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Liam Conlon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of job centres on economic growth. \p Alison McGovern: As announced in the recent Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. This new service will transform our ability to support people into work, help those on low pay to increase their earnings, and create a more flexible workforce for a fast changing, higher skilled jobs market. This transformation is expected to contribute significantly to economic growth by addressing local skills gaps and providing tailored support to meet the needs of local labour markets.

We are currently considering our evaluation strategy to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and impact of the new service. This includes funding in 2025/26 to take forward the first steps of building the new service through a pathfinder, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
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Jon Trickett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of pension credit cases have not been cleared within 50 days since September 2024. \p Torsten Bell: The most recent information on processing times for Pension Credit was published in the DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (ARA) on 22nd July 2024. This shows that in 2023/24 DWP cleared 192,000 Pension Credit claims within the planned 50 working day timescale, equating to 77.7%. The next publication of the ARA will include claims processed in the Financial Year 2024 to 2025, which is due for publication in the summer.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken is for Pension Credit appeals to be reviewed. \p Torsten Bell: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Chris Webb:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the household benefit cap on families with children living in poverty. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made. Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government, and the Ministerial Taskforce is continuing its urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy. Families can receive benefits up to the value of gross earnings of around £25,700 or £30,300 in London. Where households require more support, they can approach their Local Authority, for help and guidance with housing costs.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24, HC 62, whether the exercise to correct National Insurance records for recipients of Universal Credit has been completed in line with the expected timetable; and how many records have been amended as a result of that exercise. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The exercise was completed by 31st May 2024 ensuring all National Insurance records were corrected within the expected timetable with the data shared with HMRC. As stated when the issue was originally raised, relatively few cases, with benefits already in payment, were affected (20,604). Arrears of £7,338,393.81 have been paid.
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Alison Griffiths:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day. \p Hilary Benn: All dismissals are handled in line with current legislation and appropriate Codes of Practice. Where an employee feels they may have been unfairly dismissed, appropriate internal appeal routes may be instigated.

Where an employee is unable to solve a problem internally they may be able to go to an employment tribunal to claim unfair dismissal, as set out in legislation.

This position will be reviewed when unfair dismissal rights are updated in line with proposals in the Employment Rights Bill.
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Andrew Griffith:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day. \p Hilary Benn: The Northern Ireland Office offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day if the employee has worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before their baby is due.

To be eligible for occupational paternity pay, staff must be in paid service at the time the paternity leave starts and have completed at least one year’s paid service in the Civil Service at the expected week of childbirth (EWC).

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day. \p Hilary Benn: No. The Civil Service Management Code states that, ‘Departments and agencies may only grant shared parental leave in accordance with the statutory requirements governing eligibility for this category of leave.’ However, some staff could qualify for statutory shared parental leave on their first day of service with a particular department because they already have service with another department.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in preparation for when the Employment Rights Bill 2024 comes into effect.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22425 on Pakistan: Extradition, whether the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan raised (a) restricting foreign aid, (b) restricting visas and (c) using other punitive international measures with Senior Ministers during his visit to Pakistan in November. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: We recognise and appreciate the great contribution of Pakistani people to the diverse culture of the UK. Despite significant and complex challenges when seeking to return foreign national offenders, this government is fully committed to making our communities safer by deporting those who break our laws. I raised some of these issues with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi during my visit to Pakistan in November, and the British High Commission continues to engage the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on this complex matter. I did not specifically raise these punitive measures with the Government of Pakistan during my recent visit.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions the Minister for International Development has had with Baroness Shafik on evidence submitted to her review of international development. \p Anneliese Dodds: I have been in communication with Baroness Shafik throughout the review, including discussing review findings.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to implement the 2030 Strategic framework for international climate and nature action. \p Anneliese Dodds: This Government is already delivering on many of the aims of the previous 2030 Strategic Framework, while stepping up our ambition. I was proud to join UK Ministers showing leadership at COP29, where the Prime Minister announced our ambitious 2035 emissions reduction target, and the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed our climate commitment including our £11.6 billion climate finance goal. At home, we have already removed the de facto ban on new onshore wind in England, secured a record-breaking number of new renewable electricity projects, and have set out legislation to establish Great British Energy.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Department's International Women and Girls Strategy 2023-2030, published in March 2023, what steps his Department has taken to implement the three Es within the strategy. \p Anneliese Dodds: The FCDO is committed to putting women and girls at the heart of everything we do. We will continue to support women and girls to access quality education, tackle gender-based violence, and empower women and girls globally and stand up for their health and rights. Last November, I announced a new £27 million programme to tackle technology-facilitated gender-based violence. We have doubled our aid for Sudan, including £14 million for education programmes in Sudan and for Sudanese refugees, the majority of whom are women and children. In December, the Prime Minister pledged £37 million to strengthen grassroots and civil society organisations and expand access to sexual and reproductive health and rights.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of protecting global water supplies in humanitarian and development settings. \p Anneliese Dodds: The world is facing a growing water crisis exacerbated and accelerated by climate change. Decades of collective mismanagement and undervaluation of water have damaged our ecosystems and contaminated our water resources. We can no longer rely on having enough freshwater for our collective future. Restoring stability of the water cycle is critical to deliver an equitable and sustainable future for all. We will fail to address the climate and nature crises and deliver all the Sustainable Development Goals if we fail on water.

This will undoubtedly impact the poorest and most vulnerable the hardest. We are working to build resilience for the most vulnerable to cope with crises, including water insecurity and food insecurity. We are committed to increasing the quality and quantity of international climate finance to fragile and conflict affected states, which have traditionally struggled to attract investment. The UK is playing a critical role driving systems transformation to protect freshwater ecosystems and global water supplies.

Through our Just Transitions for Water Security programme, we are working with climate vulnerable countries to influence policy, strengthen governance and accountability mechanisms, and shift markets to leverage critically needed investments in water. Similarly, the UK is working with our international partners to ensure climate-resilient and sustainable Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) - which is essential for poverty reduction, achieving global health goals, and for empowering of women and girls. For example, the UK is working through Sanitation and Water for All's Heads of State Initiative to accelerate access to water security and WASH by engaging political leadership at the highest level.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the (a) Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Chief Secretary to the Treasury on the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative. \p Anneliese Dodds: Preventing conflict and empowering women and girls is critical to the delivery of the government's missions, and this Government remains committed to delivering the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI). The FCDO works closely with HM Treasury to ensure that spend is directed towards our priorities.
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to incorporate the UK’s obligation to prevent and prohibit torture into the Government’s human rights strategy. \p Anneliese Dodds: Upholding the rule of law is central to the strategic approach to human rights and democratic governance, set out by the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Africa on 10 December 2024. We unreservedly condemn the use of torture for any purpose and regularly call on States to ensure that those in detention are treated in line with international human rights law. The UK is a state party to the UN Convention against Torture. The FCDO is proud to work with the Association for the Prevention of Torture and Advocates for International Development to deliver training and advocacy work, globally.
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Brendan O'Hara:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to consult survivors of human rights violations on his Department's human rights strategy. \p Anneliese Dodds: On 10 December 2024, the Foreign Secretary and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Collins, set out their five priorities for promoting and protecting human rights, rule of law and democratic governance. The UK recognises that meaningful engagement with survivors of human rights violations improves the effectiveness of our policies and programmes. We are committed to empowering and engaging survivors, including people with lived experience of modern slavery and business-related human rights abuses for the National Baseline Assessment on the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. We also engage survivors of conflict-related sexual violence through the Survivor Advisory Group for Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief on his (a) priorities and (b) plans to engage with international counterparts. \p Anneliese Dodds: David Smith MP was announced as UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in December 2024. The Envoy works closely with Lord Collins, the Minister responsible for Human Rights, and with other Ministers in the FCDO and, where relevant, other government departments to promote the government's shared priorities on FoRB for all with a range of UK and international partners individually and collectively through the Article 18 Alliance.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to provide humanitarian aid in Sudan. \p Anneliese Dodds: The UK continues to provide humanitarian assistance to support people in Sudan and those who have fled the country. The UK has recently doubled its Official Development Assistance (ODA) this year in response to the conflict in Sudan to £226.5 million - the vast majority of which is spent on vital humanitarian aid including support for the regional refugee crisis. This funding includes support to key UN agencies such as the World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF who are providing life-saving food assistance in Sudan. We are also one of the largest donors to the UN-led Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) which delivers life-saving multi-sectoral support to communities across Sudan and is now piloting support to the Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs). The UK also continues to support the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including their work on emergency preparedness and response, protection of civilians, and providing life-saving healthcare across Sudan.
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Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the continuity of UNRWA's operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Israeli legislation means United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) faces a cliff edge in its ability to support Palestinian refugees across the West Bank and Gaza. We remain opposed to the legislation, and unequivocally reject attempts to undermine or degrade UNRWA. UNRWA plays a vital role in delivering humanitarian assistance in Gaza and enabling the broader international response through its logistics and distribution network. It is also of huge concern that implementation will come just 10 days after the ceasefire began. The Foreign Secretary raised this on 13 January with Foreign Minister Sa'ar, during his visit to the region. I also met with UNRWA leadership and reiterated UK support. I reiterated our position at a UN Security Council session on 20 January. The Foreign Secretary's Representative for Humanitarian Affairs in the Occupied Palestinian Territories also raised this with the Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs on 23 January.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department made of the safety of travel to Trinidad and Tobago before issuing recent travel advice. \p Catherine West: A factual update to FCDO Travel Advice for Trinidad & Tobago was made on 31 December 2024 and 14 January 2025 as a result of assessments made in the wake of the declaration of and extension of a state of emergency in response to gang-related violence. The safety of British nationals in each country and territory is our overriding concern when determining our travel advice. The FCDO keeps travel advice under regular review.
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Colum Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart on the (a) conditions and (b) treatment of Palestinian (i) prisoners, (ii) abductees and (iii) detainees. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: Since taking office, the Foreign Secretary has visited Israel and the OPTs three times and continues to speak regularly with his Israeli counterpart. During these interactions, the Foreign Secretary has raised the UK's deep concerns about reports of the mistreatment of detainees. We continue to reiterate calls for Israel to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) unfettered and immediate access to detention facilities.
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Joani Reid:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed relocation of his Department's site at East Kilbride on the local community. \p Catherine West: The FCDO is awaiting a decision from HM Treasury on the Business Case submitted for the FCDO moving its joint HQ in Scotland from East Kilbride to Glasgow. The FCDO has not made any specific assessment of the impact to the local community of a decision to move out of East Kilbride. We do, of course, recognise that many of our staff live in East Kilbride and surrounding communities. Our focus remains on supporting them as we transition to Glasgow. We have also committed to ensuring the local community have access to information on future FCDO recruitment opportunities and our outreach is focused on helping enhance knowledge and understanding of the Civil Service as a future career option.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) cost and (b) timeline is for the establishment of his Department's office in Glasgow. \p Catherine West: The Outline Business Case for the FCDO's move from East Kilbride to Glasgow has been approved through the FCDO and now rests with HMT and the Cabinet Office. Until this rigorous HMG approvals' process and a tender to fit out the new Joint HQ are complete, we cannot be precise on when the move will take place or its full cost. The costs of the FCDO's move are subject to final commercial negotiations and are, therefore, sensitive and cannot be shared at this point.
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Alison Griffiths:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department offers protection to staff from unfair dismissal from their first working day. \p Georgia Gould: Unfair dismissal in the UK is governed by the Employment Rights Act 1996 and other legislation, which stipulates that you must have worked for your employer for a minimum period before you qualify for the right to claim unfair dismissal at a tribunal.

An employee usually has the right to make an unfair dismissal claim to an employment tribunal if they: a) are legally classed as an employee and b) have worked for their employer for 2 years.

In line with legislation, permanent Cabinet Office employees and those on fixed term appointments with over 2 years’ service have unfair dismissal rights, provided they have been recruited through Fair and Open Competition in accordance with the Recruitment Principles.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department offers its staff shared parental leave from their first working day. \p Georgia Gould: To qualify for statutory Shared Parental Leave (SPL) and Shared Parental Pay (ShPP), both parents (mother/primary adopter and their partner/secondary adopter) must meet an economic activity test relating to employment and earnings and an individual test relating to duration of service as well as having main caring responsibility for the child.

In line with legislation, to be eligible for SPL Cabinet Office policy requires each parent to have at least 26 weeks continuous employment with their respective employer by the end of the 15th week, before the child’s due date or adoption matching date. They must also still be working for the same respective employer when they intend to take the leave.

To be eligible for SPL and ShPP at the statutory rate, an employee must have been employed within the Civil Service continuously during the 26 week period before the end of the 15th week before the child’s due date or adoption matching date.

If an employee has been employed in the Civil Service for this duration, although not in the Cabinet Office, they may still be eligible for SPL and ShPP so long as they meet all the qualifying criteria.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_232

Andrew Griffith:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day. \p Georgia Gould: To be eligible for statutory paternity leave, Cabinet Office policy currently requires employees to meet a series of qualifying conditions, including the requirement to have worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the date the baby is due.

As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights. .
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_233

Sir Christopher Chope:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) employed and (ii) self-employed tattoo artists there are. \p Georgia Gould: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 24 January is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 106.7KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_234

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the grades were of the staff that supported the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards with his review into the hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate; and which divisions those staff work in. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 28th January, in response to PQ 24882.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_235

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 17545 on Prime Minister: Public Appointments, what the (a) bodies and (b) offices are. \p Georgia Gould: There is nothing further to my answer of 11 December 2024, Official Report, PQ 17545. Individual appointments made by the Prime Minister are publicly announced on gov.uk at the time of appointment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_236

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 13808 on 9 Downing Street: Media, what (a) alterations and (b) other works have taken place in the media room since November 2024; what the cost of those works was; which contractors were used; and which Department authorised the cost of these works. \p Georgia Gould: A one-off refresh of the facility was undertaken in December 2024. This has restored the room back to its original politically neutral state. The cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns. The works were carried out by OCS, and authorised by the Cabinet Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_237

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what oversight his Department provides towards the Government's progress on the Places for Growth targets; and whether his Department produces RAG ratings for each Department based on their performance in meeting those targets. \p Georgia Gould: Places for Growth is overseen by the Places for Growth Portfolio Oversight Board, led by Beth Russell, the Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury.

Departments provide updates on their commitments to relocate roles, including relocation data. This information is published on gov.uk.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_238

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to reduce the size of the Government Communications Service as part of the Spending Review Phase 2. \p Georgia Gould: The Government Communications Service constantly assesses all teams to ensure they are delivering value for money and operating in the most effective and efficient way possible. Decisions on the outcome of Spending Review Phase 2 will be announced in the normal way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_239

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 8803 on Cabinet Office: Software, whether additional work under existing contracts has been awarded to Fujitsu since 4 July 2024. \p Georgia Gould: Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

As with any service, during the life of the contract there may be periods when suppliers are required to perform more work, as allowed under the contract, and periods when they do less. The ability of the authorities to vary the amount of work is detailed in each specific contract. If there is significant additional work required, which exceeds what is allowed under the contract, that is also published on Contracts Finder, in line with the publication requirements.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for new work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_240

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Second Permanent Secretary, European Union and International Economic Affairs has made a declaration of political activity; and if he publish the declared interests of the Second Permanent Secretary. \p Georgia Gould: There are established processes in place to declare and manage interests in the Civil Service, which were followed during the Second Permanent Secretary's appointment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_241

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether public appointment competitions under the Governance Code for Public Appointments can be (a) extended before the public deadline for the closure of applications and (b) re-opened to new applicants after the public deadline has passed. \p Georgia Gould: I refer the honourable member to the answer given in my Named Day Written Answer on 20 January (PQ 24247).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_242

Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 27 November 2024, to Question 15236, on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many individuals are registered with the Skills Match Hub; what grades those individuals hold; what the average time is for an individual to spend in the hub before being redeployed; how many individuals have been redeployed since 4 July 2024; what steps his Department is taking to reduce the time individuals spend in the hub; and how many individuals have been without a substantive post for more than six months. \p Georgia Gould: At any point in time, there is likely to be a small number of individuals who have been displaced due to restructures within their business units or, for example, have returned from a loan from another department and their role no longer exists. The exact number changes on a day-to-day basis.

The grades of the individuals range from Executive Officer to SCS2.

The average time for an individual to spend in the hub is fluid. Whilst these individuals are attached to the Skills Match Hub, they remain in their business units and are managed by their line managers to ensure they continue to receive meaningful work and are appropriately supported, while they work through the redeployment process.

The department is increasing emphasis and priority on more swiftly matching displaced people to new vacancies before any formal recruitment is undertaken.

As was the case under the previous administration, any new vacancies in Cabinet Office cannot be advertised until the role has been reviewed first by the Skills Match Hub for a possible match to anyone registered. If there are no suitable candidates registered, the vacancy can then be advertised.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_243

Noah Law:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase the maximum sentence for (a) failing to stop at and (b) report a road accident, known as hit and run accidents, from six months to ten years. \p Lilian Greenwood: This Government takes road safety seriously, and we are committed to reducing the numbers of those killed and injured on our roads. We are currently considering policy options, including possible changes to motoring offences.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-01-29)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-01-29 conversation_244

Chi Onwurah:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what her Department's timeline is for making autonomous vehicles commercially available for use on UK roads. \p Lilian Greenwood: Following Royal Assent of the Automated Vehicles (AV) Act, our world-leading work on the safe implementation of automated vehicles on our road’s presses ahead with a suite of consultations to enable implementation of the AV regulatory framework in 2027. The AV implementation timeline is designed to prioritise the development of a regulatory framework that maximises innovation, public safety and strengthens public confidence. Alongside developing our domestic regulations, we are playing a leading role in work to harmonise international rules on self-driving, which will enable our companies to export globally. This work is anticipated to complete in early 2027.

We are considering options as to possible routes to enabling advanced trialling and early commercial pilots to be deployed in advance of full implementation of the AV Act, working with industry to explore what they need and how to deliver this within existing legislation. We've established an industry working group to help facilitate this.