Cabinet Office

As was the case with our association to Horizon under the previous Government, the legal mechanism to associate to the Erasmus+ programme will not be subject to the treaty ratification process set out in Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Protocol I to the UK-EU Trade Agreement will be amended by a decision of the UK-EU Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes. A decision to amend the Protocol does not require ratification. The power to amend Protocol I to add new programmes is already delegated to this committee. The decision will come into force on adoption by the Committee. Once the Specialised Committee decision is adopted, this will be made publicly available on gov.uk.

The Government has launched a national conversation to ensure the digital ID system is shaped by all communities.

The digital ID consultation will involve 8 weeks of open engagement – running from 10 March to 5 May - where anyone who wants to take part can share their views in ways that work for them. You can do this online via an online form, by email or by post.

We will also support local conversations and events across the UK to spread awareness and encourage participation. This includes roadshows, roundtables, as well as resources such as a ‘workshop in a box’ to help communities run their own discussions in ways that work for them. To request materials for ‘workshop in a box’, please email workshop@digitalid.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

After the 8-week open engagement period, we will bring together a broadly representative group of 100-120 people from across the UK to take part in a more in-depth deliberative engagement process.

The Government has launched a national conversation to ensure the digital ID system is shaped by all communities.

The digital ID consultation will involve 8 weeks of open engagement – running from 10 March to 5 May - where anyone who wants to take part can share their views in ways that work for them. You can do this online via an online form, by email or by post.

We will also support local conversations and events across the UK to spread awareness and encourage participation. This includes roadshows, roundtables, as well as resources such as a ‘workshop in a box’ to help communities run their own discussions in ways that work for them. To request materials for ‘workshop in a box’, please email workshop@digitalid.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

After the 8-week open engagement period, we will bring together a broadly representative group of 100-120 people from across the UK to take part in a more in-depth deliberative engagement process.

The Government has launched a national conversation to ensure the digital ID system is shaped by all communities.

The digital ID consultation will involve 8 weeks of open engagement – running from 10 March to 5 May - where anyone who wants to take part can share their views in ways that work for them. You can do this online via an online form, by email or by post.

We will also support local conversations and events across the UK to spread awareness and encourage participation. This includes roadshows, roundtables, as well as resources such as a ‘workshop in a box’ to help communities run their own discussions in ways that work for them. To request materials for ‘workshop in a box’, please email workshop@digitalid.cabinetoffice.gov.uk.

After the 8-week open engagement period, we will bring together a broadly representative group of 100-120 people from across the UK to take part in a more in-depth deliberative engagement process.

The digital ID consultation, running from 10 March to 5 May, is open to all members of the public, including those who expressed interest via the House of Commons petition. We have launched a comprehensive communications campaign to ensure broad awareness. Members of the public can contribute via the GOV.UK survey, email or post.

We want people to have the option to use the digital ID to make their lives easier. There will be no legal obligation for people to have or present the national digital ID. If someone does not want a digital ID they will not have to get it.

Legislation on the digital ID will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny in the usual way. Any changes to the scope of this legislation after it passes would need further parliamentary scrutiny.

The Ethics and Integrity Commission (EIC) is independent of the government. The EIC has set out further information about the review, including a call for evidence, on its website at the following link: https://eic.independent-commission.uk/what-we-do/reports-and-reviews/ It can be contacted at contact@eic.independent.gov.uk

Details of Direct Ministerial Appointments are made available on gov.uk, alongside press releases announcing their appointments.

We do not routinely comment on individual HR matters.

The relevant process in place at the time for a political appointee was followed. There was no requirement for a formal interview with the Prime Minister as part of that process.

A response has been issued here.

It would not be appropriate to comment on the security operations of a previous administration.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) Framework Document, published in March 2025, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of 2027 and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029.

These timescales have been agreed with IBCA, to ensure that the door is kept open for those who have not yet identified themselves as being infected or affected. In my oral statement to the House on 21 July 2025, I set out that these dates are not targets for delivery, but ‘backstops’, and I am pleased that all registered infected people have now been contacted to begin their claim, and that IBCA has started the first claims from all eligible groups.

The Prime Minister is the head of the Government and holds that position by virtue of his or her ability to command the confidence of the House of Commons, which in turn commands the confidence of the electorate, as expressed through a general election.

As set out in the Cabinet Manual, by modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. It is not possible, or desirable, to set out how these conventions operate in practice in every scenario.

As set out in the Government’s manifesto, the Government recognises the good work of many peers who scrutinise legislation and hold the government of the day to account.

However, reform to the House of Lords is long overdue and essential. The Government’s objective is to bring about a renewed focus on active contribution, within a smaller House of Lords that better reflects the country it serves. The Government is therefore committed to introducing a mandatory retirement age for members of the House of Lords.

A response has been issued here.

I refer to my answer 115556, the Cabinet Manual sets out that the Cabinet Secretary is appointed directly by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister receives advice from the First Civil Service Commissioner, but is the final decision maker.

The announcement of the previous Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “this appointment was made following a full fair and open external competition, chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.”

The announcement of the current Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary. Once this process was complete, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that Dame Antonia Romeo is an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre, having run two of the largest operational departments in Government, and confirmed her track record makes her the right candidate for the role.

The necessary approvals were given, as set out in the Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments.

The Government is committed to the effective delivery of public services through cross-departmental collaboration, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's focus on place-based approaches. The Prime Minister has established a Public Services Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. The Committee is considering all matters related to improving the population’s experience of public services.

The public sector - healthcare, education, emergency services, and infrastructure - has delegated authority to determine their own recruitment needs, job roles and hires in line with organisational and industry guidelines.

With regard to the Civil Service, the Government is committed to ensuring it attracts, develops, and retains talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds. To support this, we are currently reviewing and implementing several measures.

I refer to my answer for 115556, following the departure of Sir Chris Wormald as Cabinet Secretary, the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary.

The Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service is the most senior role in the Civil service and a level transfer is not possible.

Responsibility for updating standards for individual infrastructure sectors sits with the Lead Government Departments for those sectors.

In the 2025 Resilience Action Plan, the Cabinet Office committed to mapping the standards that apply to Critical National Infrastructure sectors, which includes transport, water, energy and some aspects of digital infrastructure. This work is ongoing. Cabinet Office will work with relevant departments as they identify and address any gaps in resilience standards that emerge from that mapping.

The National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) is the government’s principal tool for identifying and assessing the most serious malicious and non-malicious risks facing the United Kingdom and its interests overseas.

Whilst timber supply is not currently included as a discrete risk, both threat to domestic timber and critical supply chain disruption are considered from a range of causes across the NSRA. Malicious risks impacting imports and a plant pest affecting UK forestry, for example, currently assess this topic.

Furthermore, all risks are assessed for their economic and macroeconomic impacts, and a disruption to construction materials sufficient to disrupt the UK economy (regardless of cause) may be identified here.

Both the NSRA and the publicly available version, the National Risk Register (NRR), are kept under continual review to reflect the changing risk landscape. During every update, policy makers are encouraged to consider the potential implications of their risk across a range of sectors.

The Lead Government Department (LGD) model ensures departments with the day-to-day responsibility for an issue or sector are responsible for leading work to identify serious risks and ensuring that the right planning, response and recovery arrangements are in place.

The Government values the independent and robust oversight which the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) provides. The Justice and Security Act 2013 (JSA2013) was designed to ensure the ISC has the necessary access to highly classified material while protecting national security. The Government remains confident current arrangements remain fit for purpose.

The UK National Security Strategy is clear that we need to increase our preparations for potential threats, from future pandemics to energy and supply chain disruption.

The UK's alliances and partnerships are critical to our safety and our collective security is a source of significant strength. But it must be delivered in the right way, mitigating against areas of over-dependence and moving instead towards interdependence.

We are embedding lessons from COVID-19, including those of the COVID-19 Inquiry. The largest ever national pandemic response exercise was conducted last year, testing coordination efforts across all regions and nations of the UK and we published the new Pandemic Preparedness Strategy in March 2026, alongside £1 billion of investment in health protection.

The Government published the Resilience Action Plan on 8 July 2025 to set out its resilience strategy. It set out three core objectives to improve the UK’s resilience to the full range of risks we face: (1) continually assess how resilient the UK is in order to target interventions and resources; (2) enable the whole of society to take action to improve their resilience; and (3) strengthen the core public resilience system. These objectives inform a series of activities to deliver greater resilience across the whole of society.

Designated Lead Government Departments are responsible for leading work to identify risks within their sectors and ensuring that planning, response and recovery arrangements are in place.

Capita, the pension scheme administrator, provides a dedicated 'Contact Us' facility within the member portal, which utilises some automated sifting to categorise and direct inquiries. This process allows for both automated allocation and targeted manual review to ensure that correspondence is accurately routed to the appropriate specialist teams for resolution.

To further streamline the member experience, Capita is currently rolling out enhanced online tracking functionality. This will allow members to view the real-time progress of their retirement cases directly, reducing the requirement for manual correspondence and providing a more transparent, self-service digital journey. This functionality is in the process of being rolled out to members.

The creation of the National School for Government and Public Services was announced by Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones on 20 January 2026. The purpose of the school is to support ambitions for a world-class, professional Civil Service. It is scheduled to be launched later this year.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

Please see the letter attached from the Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics.

Lord Redwood

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

26 March 2026

Dear Lord Redwood,

As Permanent Secretary of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many industrial plants employing over 200 people have closed in the last year (HL15771).

It is not possible to answer the question as asked because these data are not available by the number of employees. However, by using the quarterly business demography dataset[1], it is possible to make an estimate of the number of businesses within the production industries which have closed in the last year.

The number of businesses within the production industries which have closed in the year 2025 is estimated to be 12,510.

The quarterly business demography statistical release is regarded as ‘official statistics in development’.

Yours sincerely,

Darren Tierney

[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemographyquarterlyexperimentalstatisticsuk/latest

The Approvals Process for creating new Arm's-Length Bodies (ALBs) has not changed since July 2024. Approval for setting up a new ALB must be sought formally from Cabinet Office ministers and the Chief Secretary to the Treasury before any decision about any new ALB is made. It is government policy that arm’s length bodies should only be set up as a last resort, when there is no viable alternative. New bodies are also being considered under the same principles as the wider ALB review, as announced on 6 April 2025.

The payment appears in the January transparency publications for Cabinet Office expenditure over £25,000

Ukraine continues to show great determination and ability to defend itself against Russia’s illegal invasion. Russia has gained less than 1.5% of Ukrainian territory since the frontlines stabilised in November 2022, suffering over 1 million casualties since the start of the full-scale invasion, and its economy is stagnating.

The UK will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. The Prime Minister has met with and spoken to President Zelenskyy on numerous occasions since taking office, most recently on March 17th to agree an Enhanced Security and Defence Industrial Collaboration Declaration. We are incorporating lessons relating to CNI, continuity of government and wider resilience from Ukraine’s extraordinary experience as outlined in the Resilience Action Plan and National Security Strategy.

Appointments of existing civil servants on temporary promotion are internal moves and permissible within fair and open recruitment. Paragraph 17 of the Civil Service Recruitment Framework relates to permanent redeployment moves.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.

For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication to ensure members receive the support they deserve. While the immediate focus remains on stabilising the service through this intensive recovery plan, we are committed to ensuring all staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

As of 6 March 2026, there were 2,286 open case requests regarding Cash Equivalent Transfer Value (CETV) quotes and actions on civil service pension member accounts. This includes recent CETV applications, and as such, there will always be a number of outstanding CETV cases at any given time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: (latest update 16 March): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-16-march-2026

The Cabinet Office ensured that the contract with Capita provided a comprehensive scope for the transfer of all necessary data. Throughout the two-year transition period, the Cabinet Office, MyCSP, and Capita worked in close partnership to monitor data-sharing protocols. This approach ensured all of the scheme data, including personal data, was successfully transferred to Capita on the go-live of their administration of the scheme.

The Cabinet Office maintains strict oversight of data security within the Civil Service Pension Scheme. No incidents of data loss have been identified or reported. As no data breach has occurred, the Department has had no requirement to inform the Information Commissioner's Office

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The Cabinet Office confirms that the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) administrator inherited 86,000 cases from the previous provider. Significant progress has been made in clearing the most urgent components of this inherited backlog, supported by an established recovery plan.

Key achievements as of 13 March 2026:

• The inherited backlog of 15,000 unread emails was fully addressed by the end of February 2026.

• Of the 8,063 inherited retirement lump sum cases, 6,871 payments have been processed, ensuring all inherited lump sums are paid where full information has been received.

• For urgent cases, outstanding workable cases have been significantly reduced, returning to or nearing normalised work in progress levels.

• All February and March back office delivery promises are on track due to the deployment of additional CO and Capita surge resource.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update (2 March 2026) is available at this weblink: (latest update 16 March): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-update-16-march-2026

The guidance on conduct for civil servants in relation to the May 2026 elections makes clear that civil servants - including special advisers - should not use official resources for party political purposes. This guidance is available on gov.uk. The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers sets out the rules for special advisers in relation to local political activity. This is also available on gov.uk.

A response has been issued here.

As per my response to PQ 119980, the People’s Panel is being delivered in partnership with Ipsos UK and their partners at the Sortition Foundation. This is part of a GCS call-off contract.

Digital right to work checks will be required by the end of the Parliament. Anyone starting a new job will be able to use the new, free digital proof of identity for these right to work checks - or do a digital check of other documents, including your passport.

The design and rollout of digital ID will be accompanied by an inclusion programme across the UK.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The CSPS launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements. Planning is underway to define the process and timeline, and we aim to open the process later in 2026.