Communities and Local Government written question – answered at on 17 July 2013.
Chris Ruane
Labour, Vale of Clwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
(1) how many answers by his Department to Parliamentary Questions involving tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were (a) printed in full and (b) provided via a link to a website in the last year;
(2) what guidance his Department follows in determining whether statistics in answers to Parliamentary Questions are (a) provided in full, (b) provided via a weblink to a website and (c) placed in the library.
Brandon Lewis
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Communities and Local Government
The information requested on tables of statistics is not centrally held; it would involve disproportionate cost to undertake a comprehensive and bespoke analysis of which tables of statistics fewer than four pages in length were included in answers.
Notwithstanding, the Official Report—and parliamentary search tools are readily accessible to the hon. Member, allowing him to undertake such an analysis himself, if he wishes.
The Office of the Leader of the House provides guidance to all Departments on answering parliamentary questions. The Guide is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work
In the main, questions seeking information which is already published are answered by reference to the published material—this enables the hon. Member and others to see the information alongside related material and commentary and definitions. Tables of unpublished statistics that are short in length will generally be included in the answer but, longer and more complex tables and datasets are deposited in the library of the House on a case by case basis.
Yes1 person thinks so
No1 person thinks not
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This phrase is often used in written answers to indicate that a minister has deposited some relevant information in the House of Commons Library. Typical content includes research reports, letters, and tables of data not published elsewhere.
A list of such depositions can be found at http://deposits.parliament.uk/ along with some of the documents. The Library is not open to the public, but copies of documents can be requested if they are not on that website. For more information, see the House of Commons factsheet: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/P15.pdf
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
See "placed in the library".
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
