This page sets out the Business Statements by the Leader of the House of Commons for April 2014.
The Business Statement takes place every Thursday morning when the House is sitting, usually at 11.30 am. Statements are available here shortly after being announced to the House.
Updated: Added page for April 2014.
The Business Statement sets out the business of the House of Commons for the following week.
This takes place every Thursday morning when the House is sitting, usually at 11.30 am. Statements are available here shortly after being announced to the House.
The Greater Cambridge City Deal is expected to unlock £1 billion of investments in transport and housing, making once in a generation changes to boost economic growth across the region. Cambridge is well known for its cluster of high tech firms and world class research facilities and this Deal will build on that to ensure Cambridge continues to be a magnet for tech companies.
The City Deal aims to extend the reach of the famous “Cambridge brand” by bolstering links between the universities and the science and business parks, and generating investment by accelerating transport and housing infrastructure.
The government is giving Cambridge £100 million to invest in infrastructure over the next 5 years. The scheme, called ‘Gain Share’ means that if Cambridge is successful in using this to drive growth in the local area, the government will invest even more money – up to half a billion pounds.
The Deputy Prime Minister visited the city today (3 April) as Cambridge is preparing for the arrival of the Tour de France in July.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said:
The eyes of the world will be on Cambridge as the Tour de France reaches the city this summer. Cambridge is a key engine of growth which is known across the globe for its world class university and innovative business parks.
This £1 billion City Deal will build on your success to create more jobs for local people and help them gain the skills they need to find work. It will also improve your roads and rail links to encourage more investment to the area and build more homes for families across the region.
It builds the foundations for long term growth in Cambridge for this generation and the next, building a stronger economy and doing it fairly.
Minister for Cities, Greg Clark, said:
This revolutionary City Deal will empower the civic and business leaders of Cambridge and Cambridgeshire to build on the renowned strengths of this city and deliver a serious uplift in its economic growth. This government is resolved to devolve power to our cities and counties on an unprecedented scale. We are making a huge commitment to Cambridge and Cambridgeshire and to ensuring that the local economy here can continue to be one of the big engines of growth of the UK.
The government’s multi-million pound investment will be matched by Greater Cambridge, who will put in £500 million of their own money. To make sure young unemployed people have the skills they need to make the most of these fantastic new opportunities, the City Deal will create new teams to help increase apprenticeships by acting as brokers between training providers and businesses, as well as supporting the guidance that is given in schools and colleges to encourage young people to take up vocational careers.
The Deputy Prime Minister signed a Memorandum of Understanding in December, alongside local council leaders, the University of Cambridge and business leaders showing a joint commitment to delivering an ambitious deal to utilise Cambridge’s strengths and today he is visiting Cambridge again to see how the Deal will boost growth locally. He will visit NAPP Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge Science Park to see how the City Deal will give Cambridge the opportunity to unlock even more success. He will also have a Q&A with around 100 workers to talk about the increase in the personal allowance, the amount working people can earn before they pay any income tax, to £10,000.
This document sets out:
This short guidance is for UK government departments, agencies and contractors who regularly access, handle and/or store international classified information at the ‘Restricted’ level.
Updated: Added sub-sections for security classifications.
The Cabinet Office maintains protective security policies for government.
This includes the Security Policy Framework which provides central internal protective security policy and risk management for government departments and associated bodies. It is the source on which all localised security policies should be based.
The framework was made publicly available for the first time in December 2008; however, it has clearly been necessary to restrict access to some technical and procedural material on security grounds. Whilst security policies will differ according to the range of risks faced by each organisation, the framework sets out the minimum security requirements. The framework also provides technical information, advice and guidance to support implementation of the policy requirements.
Updated: Export Guarantees Advisory Council triennial review added
In April 2011, Cabinet Office announced that all non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) still in existence following the reforms brought about by the Public Bodies Act would have to undergo a substantive review at least once every 3 years, starting in 2011 to 2012.
These triennial reviews would have 2 purposes:
Guidance on how these reviews should be undertaken was published by Cabinet Office in June 2011.
One of the founding principles of the reviews is transparency. The guidance stipulates that the review itself should be open and transparent, and that a report must be published at the end of the review that details the evidence and rationale for decisions about the body’s future. Departments publish these reports online and announce their publication to Parliament.
Guidance on the triennial review process is part of the wider governance of public bodies.
Updated: Added data up to 31 December 2013.
Reports providing brief commentary on the Cabinet Office sick absence results.
Updated: Added data for February 2014.
Monthly management information on staff numbers and paybill costs in Cabinet Office and non-consolidated performance related pay data for Cabinet Office.
Notes to accompany the release of monthly workforce management information:
These figures are not official statistics. They are internal workforce management information published in the interests of transparency.
These figures have not been reconciled centrally with any national statistics. Where differences appear between the monthly information and national statistics, clarifying comments are provided.
The ONS quarterly public sector employment survey continues to provide an official headline measure for comparing the overall size of employment in central government organisations with other sectors of the economy at the relevant quarterly reference point.
Given the wide range of organisations covered, caution should be exercised when drawing inferences from the figures and care should be taken when making comparisons between organisations. Users of this management information should refer to any additional commentary and notes where these are provided.
Updated: Added update 4 April update
This page brings together the latest statements and articles from the government on the situation in Ukraine:
4 April
27 March
26 March
25 March
24 March
22 March
21 March
19 March
The Prime Minister spoke to Chancellor Angela Merkel about the EU’s response to events in Ukraine
Statement by UK Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant to the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine
18 March
17 March
Foreign Secretary condemns Russia’s recognition of Crimea as a ‘sovereign state’
Adoption of EU sanctions against individuals in Russia and Crimea
Foreign Secretary William Hague: UK will not recognise the Crimea referendum as legal or legitimate
16 March
15 March
14 March
Foreign Secretary says Russia must engage in dialogue over Ukraine
Foreign Secretary William Hague statement on the UK, US and Russia talks in London
12 March
10 March
9 March
8 March
6 March
5 March
4 March
3 March
2 March
1 March
28 February
25 February
21 February
20 February
19 February
Prime Minister
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Minister of State for Europe
British Ambassador to Ukraine
UK Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN
Sign up for email updates on Ukraine
International organisations should use this form and guidance when they need to obtain personnel security clearance (PSC) for a UK contractor working with international classified information.
The UK Ministry of Defence and the US Department of Defense signed the UK-US Defense Trade Cooperation Treaty in 2007. Under the terms of this treaty, the UK must follow set procedures when dealing with “Defense Articles”.
“Defense Articles” means “articles, services, and related technical data, including software, in tangible or intangible form, listed on the United States Munitions List of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, as modified or amended”.
An independent review into the legal implications of alleged intimidation tactics, announced by the government in November, was launched by the government today. The review will examine the law around so-called ‘leverage’ tactics used by trade unions in industrial disputes, as well as the role of employers in such disputes.
The review will be led by leading industrial relations lawyer Bruce Carr QC and will make proposals and recommendations for change.
The government has a keen interest in the resilience of critical industrial infrastructure. Resilience cannot be guaranteed without effective workforce relationships. These relationships, and the law that governs them, have consequences both for the operation of particular, critically important, facilities, as well as more widely in the economy, at both a local and national level. Therefore, the government wants to assess whether the current legislation dealing with activities taking place during industrial disputes is fit for the 21st century.
The review’s Terms of Reference are to provide an assessment of the:
The Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude said:
This government’s long-term economic plan is building a stronger, more competitive economy to secure a better future for Britain.
Trade unions can play a constructive role in the modern workplace, but allegations of union industrial intimidation tactics – which include attempts to sabotage business supply chains – are very serious and may be damaging our economy’s competitiveness, which would make our future less secure.
That’s why it’s right to have this review to get to the bottom of these tactics and to determine whether the existing law is effective.
Business Secretary Vince Cable said:
Strong and effective relations between employers and workers were crucial in safeguarding British jobs during the worst of the economic crisis.
These strong industrial relations will continue to be at the heart of our economic recovery and I am keen to see balanced input from both sides on how to improve them further. This is especially important for sites that form part of our critical national infrastructure.
We are determined to make the UK the best place in Europe to start and grow a business. Good industrial relations and a flexible labour market are key strengths of our economy. We must safeguard these if we are to continue to attract business investment in the years ahead.
Independent review of the law governing industrial disputes – terms of reference
The government has a keen interest in the resilience of critical industrial infrastructure. Resilience cannot be guaranteed without effective workforce relationships. These relationships, and the law that governs them, have consequences both for the operation of particular, critically important, facilities, as well as more widely in the economy, at both a local and national level. Therefore, the government wants to assess whether or not the current legislation dealing with activities taking place during industrial disputes is fit for the 21st century.
The terms of reference of the review will be to provide an assessment of the:
The review will make proposals and recommendations for change.
The Review will be led by an independent senior lawyer from outside government. The senior lawyer will be supported by a Secretariat drawn from officials from BIS and Cabinet Office and across government.
The senior lawyer will report jointly to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Minister for the Cabinet Office. The government will consider the proposals and recommendations and its response and position will be agreed collectively in the normal way.
The new social investment tax relief will give individuals who invest in qualifying social organisations a reduction of 30% of that investment in their income tax bill for that year.
Read further guidance from HM Revenue & Customs on the tax relief.
Updated: Added factsheet and section on social investment tax relief.
Information and publications on the social investment market and what government is doing to improve access to finance for charities and social enterprises.
Find out more about what government is doing to help grow the social investment market or email socialinvestmentandfinance@cabinet-office.gsi.gov.uk.
You can also follow @socimpactbonds on Twitter.
Find out more about the Social Impact Investment Taskforce, originally announced at the G8 Social Impact Investment Forum in June 2013.
Listen to the stories of the first 5 Points of Light award winners.
5 inspirational volunteers who stepped up during the recent devastating floods have been named as the first winners of a new UK Points of Light award for volunteering by Prime Minister David Cameron.
The new award recognises outstanding individual volunteers - people who are making a change in their community and inspiring others. It has been developed in partnership with the hugely successful Points of Light programme in America, which was established by President George H W Bush, and has since recognised over 5,000 individuals and has the support of President Barack Obama.
Speaking at today’s reception, Prime Minister David Cameron said:
We should do more as a country to recognise volunteering. In America they have Points of Light. President George H W Bush spoke about 1,000 points of light shining out in difficult times. Britain is going to have its own Points of Light scheme.
Today I have had the enormous privilege of handing out the first 5.
The Points of Light announced today were:
The Points of Light foundation is a US based not for profit organisation launched in 1990 at the request of President George H.W. Bush. It is dedicated to advancing voluntary service to solve problems in society and communities for the common good. The foundation’s work includes making awards to individuals and organisations that are making a difference in society and in communities through voluntary action.
Former President George H W Bush said:
I applaud the leadership Prime Minister David Cameron has shown in developing volunteering, philanthropy, service and social enterprise in recent years. I also commend the commitment of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales and all party leaders to work together to advance voluntary service across the United Kingdom.
I hope the partnership we are launching can build on this. I am excited about the opportunities for connecting Points of Light on both sides of the Atlantic and enabling Britons and Americans facing similar challenges in their communities to work together and share their experiences and achievements. I am excited too about the opportunities for a wider partnership that will unite policy experts and politicians in both countries as we seek to develop this shared agenda for generations to come.
Let us hold up the thousands of points of light who are serving others, celebrate their work and help them inspire our people - in Britain, in America and across the world.
The Prime Minister began the recognition of volunteering and service in 2010 with the creation of the Big Society Awards which have now recognised over 100 companies and voluntary organisations for their contribution to society. This new award, which will sit alongside the existing Big Society Awards, will recognise exceptional individual acts of volunteering and service in the United Kingdom and this joint working will connect winners of these awards with American counterparts tackling similar social issues.
Her Majesty the Queen has been pleased to agree to open a new session of Parliament on Wednesday 4 June instead of on Tuesday 3 June. The date will better facilitate arrangements for the ceremony and other events that week including the now planned G7 summit in Brussels, Belgium.
‘Ready, willing, and able’ is an interim review report on the Investment and Contract Readiness Fund (ICRF) by the Boston Consulting Group. It analyses how the fund has helped social sector organisations to raise investment or win public service contracts. The report includes findings from surveys, interviews, and analysis of the portfolio of supported ventures.
The data pack summarises the views of those surveyed as part of the Boston Consulting Group’s research on the ICRF. Survey participants included:
The Cabinet Office controls, along with long-term structural reform programmes, are a core component of the work to reduce wasteful expenditure and help reduce the fiscal deficit.
This guidance will help departments and their arms’ length bodies (ALBs) to understand:
View the full list of strategic suppliers.
In recent years, a lot of new funding become available to help social entrepreneurs to build their organisations and become sustainable. In turn social enterprises contribute £55 billion to the economy and employ over £2 million people. However feedback from social enterprises suggests that it is not easy to find the right support and funding.
This was written by the Design Council, working with the Cabinet Office. It summarises the findings of research about how to help social enterprises to get support and funding to grow.
Following on from the report, we are developing recommendations in partnership with many other organisations in the social investment marketplace.
