Cabinet Office

This expenditure was incurred by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), which transitioned from the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) earlier this year.

The ​payment of £38,040​ to Public Group International Limited covered GCA communication enhancements, including website optimisation, developing the social media strategy, and updating buying guidance to reflect legislative changes introduced by the Transforming Public Procurement programme.

The payment of £212,863 to Mediasense Communications Limited related to audit requirements for the RM6123 Media Services framework. This work provided assurance on financial transparency and contractual compliance, verification of management information and levy payments, and benchmarking to assess value for money against industry rates.

The Government keeps the effectiveness of the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) with Microsoft under review. Government Commercial Agency (GCA), formerly Crown Commercial Service (CCS), manages SPA24 with Microsoft, which provides enhanced value and discounted pricing for eligible UK public sector organisations.

The agency reviews Microsoft’s performance against SPA24 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) quarterly, focusing on pricing commitments, financial transparency, social value delivery, and client satisfaction.

Microsoft’s key contracts are assessed by departments against a range of criteria. KPIs are available on gov.uk.

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to PQ 116772.

His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one.

The Cabinet Office did not require public bodies and institutions to ‘opt out’ of the scheme, and therefore the reasons for not applying for His Majesty's Official Portrait were not requested and so are not recorded.

Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up, including percentage take-up figures was published on gov.uk.

His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. The scheme ran from November 2023 to August 2024.

There are no plans to reopen the scheme. For those wishing to purchase a portrait of His Majesty The King, it is now available from Royal Images.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 5 March, Official Report, PQ HC110411:

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77563 on Palantir, whether there is a record of who the Prime Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to during that visit.

Answer: The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.

This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

I refer the Noble Baroness to the response already provided to HL 15974:

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 23 March (HC120630), what consideration they have given to amending primary legislation to provide for the Ministerial Pension Scheme to be in scope of forfeiture for situations where a former minister is convicted for a criminal offence in relation to their activities while serving as a minister.

Answer: The government does not currently have any plans to amend the Ministerial Pension Scheme.

I refer the Noble Lady to the answer given on 5 March, Official Report, PQ HC110411:

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77563 on Palantir, whether there is a record of who the Prime Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to during that visit.

Answer: The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.

This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

It is for each department to manage the process of inducting and briefing new ministers.

The guidance on speaking to the media is subject to ongoing policy development. Disclosing the publication date of the most recent version of the guidance could, in conjunction with other information already in the public domain, reveal the stage and direction of that development, which in turn could inhibit the free and frank provision of advice necessary for the policy process to operate effectively.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March which sets out the process of appointment and the steps the Government is taking to strengthen the process going forwards.

Each Government department is responsible for ensuring adequate resourcing to keep uncommenced legislation under review.

Details of ministerial meetings are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency publications.

The drafting and passage of a Government bill requires resource from a number of departmental teams including legal and policy officials as well as shared resource such as the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

Each Government Bill requires a different amount of resource based on its size and complexity. The Guide to Making Legislation sets out that bill teams must be properly resourced, with a dedicated bill manager, separate to the policy team, in place to oversee progress from an early stage.

In addition, the passage of Government bills requires resource in both the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Government does not hold data on the average number of people required to, nor the cost of, producing and passing Government bills.

The government is reforming the spending control and accountability framework in order to drive better value for money and enable the public sector to deliver the government’s priorities efficiently. This ultimately means better and faster outcomes for citizens. The reforms will reinforce accountability, enable the central government functions to focus more of their efforts on building capability, and be supported by open and collaborative ways of working. From 1 April, ‘delegated authority limits’ have increased across most of government and duplication in the approvals process has been removed.

Taskforces will be given the authority to exercise unique freedoms, including the freedom to get on with the job with prioritised business case approvals and increased delegated authority limits from the Treasury as appropriate.

Under the Government’s National Cyber Incident Management Framework, the cross-government response to major cyber incidents is coordinated and managed by the National Cyber Security Centre, with the Cabinet Office’s National Security Secretariat taking the lead for those incidents that would be considered a national cyber emergency. This framework ensures cross-departmental communication and information sharing during a crisis.

Due to the small size of some teams, releasing this information with the specified detail could create concerns regarding personal data.

The policy covering non-corporate communication channels is published on gov.uk, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business/using-non-corporate-communication-channels-eg-whatsapp-private-email-sms-for-government-business-html

The Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee is quorate: there are more independent members than official members. Additional members can be appointed if wider skills or experience are required. Following the appointment of the new Chair, recruitment of additional members is now under consideration.

Ministers providing temporary leave cover, whilst a minister takes maternity leave under the provisions of the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021, are asked to waive their entitlement to a severance payment.

Data on the number of officials in the Cabinet Office is published monthly at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-workforce-management-data-2023-to-2024. Business Unit level data including for Business Units in Number 10 Downing Street is published quarterly at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ff76be1f-4f37-4bef-beb7-32b259413be1/organogram-cabinet-office. We do not routinely comment on individual HR matters.

Public bodies operating at arm’s length from the government, including regulators who are staffed by Crown servants who are not civil servants (and who do not otherwise fall directly under the Business Appointment Rules) are expected to implement their own equivalent processes to manage potential conflicts of interest, with these being tailored to their specific organisational context.

The government is committed to identifying existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties that are slowing down delivery. The policy analysis is in the early stages and all options are being considered.

The Cabinet Office manages its departmental records in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. Section 3 of the Act sets out the provisions for selecting and preserving public records.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.

The Prime Minister's letter to the Ethics and Integrity Commission Chair, dated 11 March 2026 and published on GOV.UK, sets out the policy areas the Commission has been asked to review.

As set out in the Humble Address debate of 4th February, the process is being conducted and led by the Cabinet Secretary who has delegated the role to the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary. Civil servants are of course accountable to Ministers, who are in turn accountable to Parliament.

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 16th March, and the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

All relevant material is being prepared for publication, including the appropriate checks relating to national security, international relations, legal privilege and the protection of personal data.

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.

I refer the Hon Gentleman to the answer to PQ 120319.

The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister's responsibilities are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/darren-jones

I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer.

I refer the Hon Member to my previous answer.

The Cabinet Office has launched a programme of work to simplify the state, removing unnecessary bureaucracy and speeding up the timeline from ministerial decision to delivery for citizens, including through the process for collective agreement of government policy.

All 131 consultation requirements were from existing primary legislation, not bills currently before Parliament or Secondary legislation. The government is committed to identifying existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties that are slowing down delivery.

The government is committed to identifying existing disproportionate reporting and consultation duties that are slowing down delivery. This process is still ongoing.

We are using state-of-the-art large language models to identify all duties to consult within the statute book, as well as contextual information such as responsible department and the circumstances under which consultation is required.

The government is committed to protecting the necessary checks and balances to ministerial and Parliamentary decision making. In line with standard processes, Parliament will have the opportunity to scrutinise and challenge any changes to consultation requirements where they are legislative.

AI tools are being used to identify statutory requirements to consult. Decisions remain the purview of ministers.

AI tools are being used to identify statutory requirements to consult. Decisions remain the purview of Ministers.

Consultation should only be used when it is the most effective tool for good policymaking and not used for other reasons. Reporting requirements should not disproportionately slow down delivery.

We have developed an AI tool to help identify uncover consultation requirements hidden within legislation. It is up to ministerial and Parliamentary discretion to decide their value to specific legislation and the policies underlying that legislation. This initiative will ensure that government policies can be implemented as efficiently as possible, streamlining the process while retaining necessary checks and balances where appropriate. We are introducing a higher bar inclusion of consultation requirements in legislation, and prioritising finding more effective and efficient ways to engage stakeholders. The end goal is ending the introduction of further unnecessary reporting and consultation requirements.

The UK-EU Electricity Agreement will cut electricity costs, strengthen our energy security, drive investment and jobs, and help to achieve our Clean Power 2030 Mission. The Government’s reforms to nuclear regulation, which will make it easier to deliver nuclear projects, also support these objectives. The regulatory changes we are making will provide the best outcomes for both nuclear development and the environment, by offering a more streamlined and co-ordinated pathway to deliver environmental protections. There will be no change to the high environmental standards to which the Government is committed.