:00:09. > :00:12.Not for the first time, the government is looking at thhs
:00:13. > :00:17.through the wrong end of thd telescope. Surely rather th`n try
:00:18. > :00:20.and put bent local authorithes from taking ethical and admire a mental
:00:21. > :00:25.issues into account when making decisions it should, as the Scottish
:00:26. > :00:28.Government does, encourage them to do so. Does the Minister re`lly
:00:29. > :00:32.believe that council tax paxers money should be used to prop up
:00:33. > :00:40.oppressive regimes and support unlawful activity throughout the
:00:41. > :00:44.world? I find it surprising that the SNP and gauges and supports
:00:45. > :00:49.discrimination of this kind when what we should do is we shotld trade
:00:50. > :00:54.with the world, except wherd there is a boycott or a decision `t a
:00:55. > :01:00.national level. The idea we should discriminate against companhes where
:01:01. > :01:13.we otherwise have otherwise good trading relationship is wrong.
:01:14. > :01:19.Question three. At present H am afraid that following the moves of
:01:20. > :01:23.an outstanding permanent secretary from Whitehall into being chief
:01:24. > :01:29.executive of Ofcom, there are no permanent secretaries from the B M E
:01:30. > :01:32.communities at present. There are, however, 20% of permanent
:01:33. > :01:38.secretaries who are women which is higher than the percentage hn 2 10
:01:39. > :01:42.and higher than the 8% in 2005, but it is considerably too low `nd we
:01:43. > :01:45.have a great deal more work to do to make sure we are drawing on a talent
:01:46. > :01:53.pool that reflects the nation as a whole. In 2011 50% of permanent
:01:54. > :01:57.secretaries were female for the first time and since then and since
:01:58. > :02:02.the Prime Minister took control the glass ceiling has been painstakingly
:02:03. > :02:05.reassembled. If he can't be trusted to appoint women, then isn't it
:02:06. > :02:11.about time we introduced sole positive discrimination? Well, the
:02:12. > :02:16.honourable member is referrhng to a brief moment during which bdcause of
:02:17. > :02:19.appointments already in place and new appointments made there was a
:02:20. > :02:23.spike that was replicated as a long-term move and we have `ppointed
:02:24. > :02:28.a range of permanent secret`ries who are women in the last few months and
:02:29. > :02:31.I am glad to tell the honourable member that we are doing a great
:02:32. > :02:36.deal to try and ensure that the pool from where we draw the perm`nent
:02:37. > :02:42.secretaries in the first pl`ce, obviously the director-general is,
:02:43. > :02:46.is significantly improving. We have now 37% about your director,general
:02:47. > :02:49.that women and we hope to move that further forward and we need to see
:02:50. > :02:58.that guy want to wrap the sdnior civil servant of course. According
:02:59. > :03:02.to the Leonard Cheshire dis`bility, only 4.5% of senior civil sdrvants
:03:03. > :03:07.are disabled. What is the government doing to ensure that disability is
:03:08. > :03:11.not impeding people from re`ching the highest levels and will the
:03:12. > :03:15.government review the on a lat and keep this house updated on his
:03:16. > :03:19.efforts to improve employment prospects for disabled people in the
:03:20. > :03:26.civil service? I think the honourable member is right `nd the
:03:27. > :03:32.situation is worse than she quotes. The percentage of disabled senior
:03:33. > :03:36.civil servants, or those who register themselves as disabled in
:03:37. > :03:40.the staff surveys is only 2.4% and we think that is much too low and it
:03:41. > :03:44.must represent the fact that we haven't yet been able to relove all
:03:45. > :03:48.the barriers we have needed to remove. I am sitting next to my
:03:49. > :03:51.right honourable friend who has shown that in politics it is
:03:52. > :03:54.perfectly possible to reach the highest levels if you suffer from a
:03:55. > :04:00.significant disability and we need to draw on talent from wherd ever it
:04:01. > :04:04.comes. As the Minister has just concerned, since the Prime Linister
:04:05. > :04:09.gave himself the power to appoint, 80% of permanent secretaries are now
:04:10. > :04:12.men. In the spirit of the open government, will the Ministdr commit
:04:13. > :04:16.to publishing the short list from which the Prime Minister has
:04:17. > :04:20.appointed? I will go back and talk to colleagues about the methods by
:04:21. > :04:25.which we publish what happens in that procedure, but I would like to
:04:26. > :04:31.point out to the opposition spokesman that the pool frol which
:04:32. > :04:39.we draw the spokesperson... The pool from which we draw the secrdtaries
:04:40. > :04:43.is the director general and we need to encourage more and more women to
:04:44. > :04:47.be director-general and we `re now up at 37% as women and we would
:04:48. > :04:51.obviously like to get up to be on the 50% point and the truth is that
:04:52. > :04:54.as we do so we will have thd talent from which to draw into the
:04:55. > :05:04.permanent secretary ranks which is where we want to see women of talent
:05:05. > :05:07.ending up. Number four, Mr Speaker. The government has a directhon of
:05:08. > :05:11.travel which is ensuring value for money for the taxpayer and value for
:05:12. > :05:15.money overall. The government property unit is working closely
:05:16. > :05:19.with departments to reduce the government estate from around 8 0
:05:20. > :05:24.buildings to close at the 200 by 2023 and in London the numbdr of
:05:25. > :05:28.government offices has falldn from 181 in 2010 to just 54 todax and we
:05:29. > :05:35.seek to further reduce this number to around 20 buildings by 2025.
:05:36. > :05:40.Would my honourable friend `gree that where ever possible all tax
:05:41. > :05:44.payer funded bodies should look at relocating outside a central London
:05:45. > :05:51.to save money and will he write to it so that this suggestion? If I
:05:52. > :05:57.didn't know my honourable friend better I would think he was bidding
:05:58. > :06:00.for an HQ to be located in Northampton South so I would tell
:06:01. > :06:04.him to be careful that he whshes for. I know however that
:06:05. > :06:09.Northamptonshire has led thd way as the first area in the country to
:06:10. > :06:14.announce plans to bring thehr police and Fire Service together in a
:06:15. > :06:17.shared estate. The Minister indicated the value for mondy
:06:18. > :06:21.approach, would he also agrde with me that it would be advisable and
:06:22. > :06:24.better if government officers were spread right across the United
:06:25. > :06:30.Kingdom, and given the valud for money approach in Northern Hreland,
:06:31. > :06:34.would he look at Northern Ireland as a location? Yes, my honourable
:06:35. > :06:38.friend makes an important point and there is a policy on rebalancing the
:06:39. > :06:44.civil service across all regions of the United Kingdom and the civil
:06:45. > :06:46.service is already signific`nt in the United kingdom and many civil
:06:47. > :06:53.servants are employed in Northern Ireland and we look to extend this
:06:54. > :06:59.further and create multiple occupancy units in key locations in
:07:00. > :07:03.the country. I am happy to lake a bid in terms of the relocathon of
:07:04. > :07:07.government offices. Coastal communities, as my right honourable
:07:08. > :07:09.friend will know, and many advantages, but also serious
:07:10. > :07:14.challenges. Does my right honourable friend agree that as the sunniest
:07:15. > :07:17.ounce in the United Kingdom, thriving cultural scene, bohling
:07:18. > :07:19.chamber of commerce, that E`stbourne might be just the place for
:07:20. > :07:32.relocation? My boyfriend is a member of
:07:33. > :07:37.Parliament in her area. We know that the Eastbourne Chamber of Commerce
:07:38. > :07:45.was one of the ten happiest places to stay in the United Kingdom. It
:07:46. > :07:55.might be a place for all of us to go after the European referendtm,
:07:56. > :08:06.regardless of the result. The extent of the boundary review is one for
:08:07. > :08:21.the boundary commission. Can my honourable friend confirm that the
:08:22. > :08:30.electoral commission should split constituencies by size? My
:08:31. > :08:36.honourable friend is absolutely right the principle that all votes
:08:37. > :08:41.should have equal weight. They must be more equal in size, the
:08:42. > :08:52.constituencies. It is part of the boundary commission 's work for some
:08:53. > :09:00.time. They are expected to hntroduce it for constituencies in England
:09:01. > :09:04.this time. The number of democratically appointed melbers of
:09:05. > :09:15.this house from Scotland will be diminished by six members. Given
:09:16. > :09:23.that, should membership be `ble to report on issues which involve both
:09:24. > :09:32.Scotland and the United Kingdom I cannot confirm plans to confirm or
:09:33. > :09:45.otherwise with regard to ch`nges within the House of Lords. H am in a
:09:46. > :09:52.generous mood. I welcome thd consultation period. But dods my
:09:53. > :09:56.honourable friend believe it is important to ensure people `re aware
:09:57. > :10:02.of the consultations in orddr for them to make their views known?
:10:03. > :10:09.These consultations tend not to be publicised. My honourable friend is
:10:10. > :10:13.absolutely great. People should know what is going on. It is being
:10:14. > :10:17.advertised on the boundary commission 's website. It is also
:10:18. > :10:27.opt to political parties on all sides of the house to make sure that
:10:28. > :10:38.people are galvanised and that any submission they may have our cake
:10:39. > :10:44.and regard. In some constittencies, two extra wards have been added He
:10:45. > :10:51.cannot use the December figtres to redraw the boundaries or will the
:10:52. > :10:58.government go back to drawing up boundaries for their own political
:10:59. > :11:04.gain? The final ones will not be published for ten days. No latter
:11:05. > :11:09.what the outcome of that is, it cannot be right for us to c`rry on
:11:10. > :11:16.with the existing constituents boundaries, which are based on
:11:17. > :11:21.electoral rolls from 15 years ago. They are shockingly out of date We
:11:22. > :11:27.need to update them. I can reassure the honourable lady that thdy will
:11:28. > :11:31.be updated every five years, rather than ten, so that constituency
:11:32. > :11:41.boundaries will be more acctrate and up-to-date than they have ever been
:11:42. > :11:47.in the past. Thank you very much. This government and this Prhme
:11:48. > :11:54.Minister have taken a global lead on tackling the scourge of corruption.
:11:55. > :11:58.Each member of the Anti-Corruption Summit signed up to all the
:11:59. > :12:05.recommendations on the commtnique. They have also set out for the
:12:06. > :12:19.measures the Baltic. In Aprhl 2 14, the Prime Minister said, I believe
:12:20. > :12:23.the registration on a centr`l register are important for tackling
:12:24. > :12:31.illicit finance and tax evasion Why does the government no longdr
:12:32. > :12:36.calling on public registers in the British Overseas Territories? We are
:12:37. > :12:42.calling for them. The Prime Minister said that. We are dealing whth no.
:12:43. > :12:46.Later this month, we will ptblish the beneficial ownership register
:12:47. > :12:50.from the United Kingdom. All the overseas Territories have shgned up
:12:51. > :13:00.to that. We want them to make the public.
:13:01. > :13:13.Is there any colleagues with a similar question? In the run-up to
:13:14. > :13:18.the Anti-Corruption Summit, people were calling for the same sort of
:13:19. > :13:22.transparency in our overseas territories. Why did the Prhme
:13:23. > :13:31.Minister ignore them? Was hd unable or unwilling to stop the corruption
:13:32. > :13:40.in our tax havens? We have lade efforts to make sure we havd all the
:13:41. > :13:43.public registers. The promises we have seen from the overseas
:13:44. > :13:48.territories as the biggest we have seen from any government has
:13:49. > :14:01.studied. Transparency International of the summit, it has been ` good
:14:02. > :14:17.day for anti-corruption. Thd panel papers have shown how illicht
:14:18. > :14:21.finance is shipping many economies. How can companies not have the tax
:14:22. > :14:27.affairs scrutinised because they are in the Virgin Islands. Should we not
:14:28. > :14:33.be able to force overseas jurisdictions like the Virghn
:14:34. > :14:37.Islands to publish the accotnts If he cared so much about it, laybe he
:14:38. > :14:42.would be congratulating us on that full dress which has made. The
:14:43. > :14:47.Virgin Islands has signed up for the beneficial register. The have agreed
:14:48. > :14:56.to share that information whth the United Kingdom government. We are
:14:57. > :15:00.committed to tackling the scourge of corruption, something has government
:15:01. > :15:07.and previous ones did their best to ignore. It is thanks largelx to the
:15:08. > :15:15.efforts of my friend that the scheme into force in January 2013. It has
:15:16. > :15:27.unlocked a range of public benefits and services. His findings `re
:15:28. > :15:33.important and having power ` quick input implementation. Centr`l
:15:34. > :15:46.government is driving forward this act and we will take further
:15:47. > :15:55.actions. It has been seen as a benefit to benefit givers and the
:15:56. > :15:58.wider community. We have reviewed central government 's progrdss on
:15:59. > :16:06.the night. We are looking to increase their ways and a clear
:16:07. > :16:10.commitment to implementing ht. We will set out in some of the said
:16:11. > :16:16.steps we are going to take for the future. I have invited a panel of
:16:17. > :16:25.social experts to review thd current plans. This will bring forw`rd the
:16:26. > :16:35.government 's aspirations for social justice. If the Cabinet Offhce is
:16:36. > :16:46.responsible for efficiency hn government.
:16:47. > :17:07.Will the mother 's minister confirm that feel to award contracts for
:17:08. > :17:12.feeling such as human rights abuses? The boycott of and discrimination
:17:13. > :17:16.against countries as potenthally illegal. They gay going to ht was to
:17:17. > :17:23.make absolutely clear that the decisions on boycott and ag`inst
:17:24. > :17:27.countries need to be taken `t the national level and it is
:17:28. > :17:34.inappropriate for local authorities to set their own policies. The
:17:35. > :17:40.National Citizen service has been a wonderful success. What mord can be
:17:41. > :17:47.done to make sure that even more young people in Yorkshire c`n find
:17:48. > :17:56.out how to access this transformative service. It has made
:17:57. > :18:02.a huge difference. 467 people who went through it in 2015. We are
:18:03. > :18:08.absolutely determined to increase that number. There is a new
:18:09. > :18:15.marketing campaign. There are 8 million hours of volunteering. I
:18:16. > :18:18.hope he will see in his constituency a good proportion of that effect
:18:19. > :18:26.coming through in the next few years. What provision has the
:18:27. > :18:32.government made to ensure that none United Kingdom citizens not living
:18:33. > :18:46.here will enjoy the same rates after a possible Brexit vote that as they
:18:47. > :18:51.have no? It is a very hot topic It highlights one of the issues which
:18:52. > :18:57.would have to be resolved. Ht is a very complex issue. This government
:18:58. > :19:06.has a responsibility to enstre our citizens are safe on holidax. What
:19:07. > :19:15.progress has he made on the cyber security? It is increasinglx
:19:16. > :19:22.important, as we have an increasingly digital governlent We
:19:23. > :19:26.have increased investment to ?1 9 billion. We will publish thd
:19:27. > :19:35.strategy later this year. Thank you Mr Speaker. Inequality at the top of
:19:36. > :19:41.the civil service is completely unacceptable. Can I ask agahn, will
:19:42. > :19:47.the Minister release the gender breakdown with regard to permanent
:19:48. > :19:51.secretaries, so we can offer a lot transparency on this issue? As I
:19:52. > :19:58.said to the house a few momdnts ago, we will take that suggestion a week
:19:59. > :20:04.and come back and let you know if it is possible to release that data
:20:05. > :20:08.without compromising individual sense sensibilities. I agred with
:20:09. > :20:16.that we need to see more wolen joining as permanent secret`ries.
:20:17. > :20:24.The positions need to be much better balanced any gender sense. There is
:20:25. > :20:34.a real opportunity for young people in Cornwall to have increasdd
:20:35. > :20:45.opportunities. What steps are they taking to make sure people have
:20:46. > :20:53.access to it. We have seen hundreds of people who have signed up for the
:20:54. > :21:00.Citizen service. We have 486 people signed up and want to see m`ny more
:21:01. > :21:05.in the coming year. I think it will have an enormous effect on social
:21:06. > :21:10.cohesion. 80% of those who went through the National Citizen service
:21:11. > :21:15.said they had a better view of people coming from other backgrounds
:21:16. > :21:22.than they did previously. The Minister is offering serious thought
:21:23. > :21:28.on a very serious subject. H think he deserves a more attentivd
:21:29. > :21:36.audience. Thank you. Given the surge in registration for voters, how can
:21:37. > :21:40.the Minister justify using such inaccurate figures to redraw the
:21:41. > :21:45.boundary map of Great Britahn. We have just had this question a few
:21:46. > :21:52.minutes ago. The answer is very clear. To use the alternative of
:21:53. > :22:00.using figures from 15 years ago is completely unacceptable. We have
:22:01. > :22:04.made it more frequent, not less We update the register for the purpose
:22:05. > :22:13.of boundaries every five ye`rs, not every ten. What steps as thd estate
:22:14. > :22:19.made after the arrest ending victory to stay in Europe to get all
:22:20. > :22:24.departments working well ag`in after the destruction we have heard over
:22:25. > :22:32.the last months? I am afraid the honourable member is mistakdn.
:22:33. > :22:35.Gradually, as a CD by day, the departments have continued to
:22:36. > :22:43.function smoothly and effectively during this period. As have members
:22:44. > :22:49.of the Cabinet. We intend doing so in order to fulfil all the
:22:50. > :22:57.commitments we were elected on. Questions to the Prime Minister I
:22:58. > :22:58.know the whole house