Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, how many Privy Council Office staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Privy Council Office is part of the Cabinet Office. Some of the information requested is held centrally.

As far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics for the Cabinet Office available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) transport, (b) venue hire and accommodation, (c) printed materials including backdrops, (d) security, (e) staffing, (f) filming and photography and (g) other costs of each public meeting since her appointment.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is a business unit of the Cabinet Office and, as such, its administrative costs are part of the Cabinet Office’s wider administrative costs.

Information for 2022-23 can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Information for the last financial year will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 in due course.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what the administration costs of her office were in each year since her appointment.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is a business unit of the Cabinet Office and, as such, its administrative costs are part of the Cabinet Office’s wider administrative costs.

Information for 2022-23 can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Information for the last financial year will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 in due course.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, how many staff left her Office in each year since 2015.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Some of the information requested is held centrally.

As far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics for the Cabinet Office available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.

Answered by Penny Mordaunt - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for monitoring the Register for APPGs and may investigate alleged breaches of the rules.

Found: Office Strengthening Ethics and Integrity in Central Government CP 900 July 2023 14 Office of the Leader

Found: Correspondence to the Leader of the House regarding Opposition Day procedure and Standing Order No.31

Found: I am copying this letter to the Leader of the House of C ommons, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, and Sir Christopher

Found: I am copying this letter to the Leader of the House of C ommons, Rt Hon Penny Mordaunt MP, and Sir Christopher

Found: In line with the guidance of the Deputy Speaker yesterday, I will raise this question with the Leader

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent assessment her Department has made of the viability of the universal service obligation; and if she will hold discussions with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time to debate the universal service obligation.

Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government’s objective continues to be ensuring the provision of a sustainable, accessible, and affordable universal postal service. It is the responsibility of Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to ensure the provision of a financially sustainable and efficient universal postal service.

Ofcom recently published a discussion document setting out potential options to reform the service, to ensure it remains affordable and sustainable in the future as well as meeting consumers’ needs. The Government will consider any recommendations that Ofcom puts forward, but Ministers are not currently minded to introduce new legislation to change the obligations on postal deliveries.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will hold discussions with the Leader of the House on making parliamentary time available for scrutiny of Ofcom’s guidance on age verification and age assurance before publication of a government response.

Answered by Saqib Bhatti - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Parliamentary scheduling is a matter for the Business Managers.

The government is focused on implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly as possible. Ofcom published its consultation on draft guidance about use of age assurance for sites displaying pornographic content on 5 December 2023, and this was open for responses until 5 March 2024. The Act requires that Ofcom consult with the Secretary of State before producing this guidance.

For the broader duties under the Act about protecting children from harmful content, we expect Ofcom to publish its draft codes of practice later in the Spring. The Act requires that codes of practice are laid in both Houses before coming into force.

Found: of the House of Commons must, within three months of the passing of this Act and annually

Found: The note is then given to the Leader of the House and the Government and O pposition Chief Whips.

Found: May 2022, I received confirmation that this membership will continue for the duration of my tenure as Leader