Heather Wheeler: The Head of the Government Skills and Curriculum Unit met with the recognised trade unions on Monday 14 March to discuss the aims and progress of the Government Campus programme and they have agreed to meet biannually. Prior to this, discussion of the skills agenda has been part of conversations with union representatives about modernisation and reform, and civil service human resources.
Heather Wheeler: The Cabinet Office is located across the United Kingdom including presence across many of its growth locations such as Glasgow, York and the devolved administrations as part of the Government’s plan to further strengthen the Union. There are a number of Cabinet Office business units which are currently based in Downing Street. Due to the potential security risks, the Cabinet Office is...
Heather Wheeler: The Cabinet Office has a range of volunteer staff led staff networks and groups based on workplace disciplines, expertise and common interest areas. These do not have dedicated FTE but are carried out as part of their corporate objective. Central funding is at the discretion of the department and is decided on a case by case basis. Additionally, there are a number of Civil Service employee...
Heather Wheeler: I refer the hon. Member to his previous Parliamentary Question answered on 24 May PQ 3128. The government does not comment on the costs of ongoing litigation and will publish the costs at the conclusion of the case.
Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member's Parliamentary Questions of 18 February 2022 is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 115.1KB)
Heather Wheeler: The Civil Service has a range of measures in place to support the health and wellbeing of civil servants. These include access to advice from Occupational Health practitioners on how they can be supported to stay in or return to work as well as to counselling and support for a range of issues which may include the impacts of ill-health. The Civil Service proactively ensures that its policies...
Heather Wheeler: Due to data retention policies, the Cabinet Office does not hold the requested information.
Heather Wheeler: Throughout the pandemic, all Civil Service employers have followed government guidance in setting out their internal COVID-19 related policies. This includes complying with the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance which sets out the key actions organisations should take to protect employees and customers in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in workplaces, along...
Heather Wheeler: As a part of UK membership to the Open Government Partnership, government and civil society work together to develop a National Action Plan every two years. Due to COVID-19 related resource constraints, not all commitment areas identified through the co-creation process could be developed in full, including Aid Transparency. However, as set out in the plan, we will look to explore this theme...
Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 23 February is attached. At the request of the UK Statistics Authority, I have placed in the library a table of the number of suicides by parliamentary constituency. UKSA response (pdf, 116.6KB)
Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 22 February is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 106.5KB)
Heather Wheeler: The Declaration on Government Reform commits the Government to drawing on talent from all backgrounds. There are a number of initiatives aimed at supporting colleagues to reach the Senior Civil Service from a diverse range of backgrounds including the Future Leaders Scheme for our Grade 6/7s and Senior Leaders Scheme which is targeted on our SCS Pay Band 1. The latest data on the Civil...
Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to ensuring that assistance is always available for those who need it. Departments are required by the Service Standard to provide support to users via alternative channels for their services, where it is required, and the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) assures this via a service assessment process. CDDO provides guidance for Government teams and...
Heather Wheeler: I refer the hon. Member to their previous Parliamentary Question answered on 24 May 2021 PQ3128.
Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 18 February is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 110.4KB)
Heather Wheeler: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 22 February is attached. UKSA response (pdf, 113.5KB)
Heather Wheeler: Throughout the pandemic, the Cabinet Office has followed Government guidance on ensuring safety in the workplace, particularly the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance - recognising the different approaches taken by the devolved administrations. This includes undertaking appropriate premises risk assessments and implementing mitigation measures. In addition to workplace...
Heather Wheeler: On 15 December, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of the right hon. Baroness Heather Hallett as chair of the public inquiry into covid-19. The inquiry is set to begin its work in spring 2022.
Heather Wheeler: I sympathise fully with the hon. Gentleman. He has told us about his family bereavement many times, and we have all been very moved by those comments. The inquiry will play a key role in ensuring that we learn the lessons from this terrible pandemic. To do that, we must get the terms of reference right. When the Prime Minister appointed Baroness Hallett as chair, he said he would consult her...
Heather Wheeler: I associate myself with the hon. Lady’s comments about Ukraine. South Derbyshire and the Derby area have a very large diaspora of Ukrainian-related families, so my thoughts and prayers are with them today. To answer the hon. Lady’s question, and I will try to answer questions in my new role, I believe the answer is yes.