Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed digital ID scheme will be rolled out on the same basis for all parts of the UK.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

From the end of this Parliament, UK employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks when people move jobs.

The Government will work closely with the Devolved Governments throughout all stages of the programme’s development.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the expenditure incurred by public inquiries in each of the last five years.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Published costs for inquiries can be found on inquiry websites, as well as in the National Archives.

Public Inquiries shed light on injustices of the past, provide a means for victims and survivors to finally have their voices heard, and can help to rebuild trust in national institutions. The Government also recognises that there is growing criticism of the cost of inquiries, and is considering whether there are changes that could enable inquiries to deliver outcomes and enable lessons to be learnt more swiftly and at lower cost. This is a substantial piece of work, led by the Cabinet Office, that will aim to improve how we identify wrongs, and get to the truth more quickly. We will continue to keep Parliament updated on this important subject.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of (a) marriages and (b) other unions between (i) first cousins and (ii) closer relatives in each nation of the UK in each year since 1997; and whether the Office for National Statistics (A) collects and (B) plans to collect such data through (1) the census, (2) birth records and (3) linked administrative datasets.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the (a) geographical and (b) demographic distribution of (i) consanguineous unions and (ii) high genomic inbreeding coefficients in each region; and whether these data are used in public health planning.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has taken steps with Cabinet colleagues to make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of inbreeding on (a) socioeconomic, (b) educational and (c) health outcomes in each region of the UK.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will estimate the number of people who have died due to mercury poisoning in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency in every year since 2010.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 31st October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his digital ID proposals will use (a) biometric and (b) facial-recognition technology for age verification.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether proposals for digital ID include a centralised audit log of verification events.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Irish citizens in Northern Ireland will be required to have digital ID cards.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There will be no requirements for Irish citizens, or UK citizens, to have a digital ID. We will design this system to ensure everyone who has a right to live and work in any part of the UK can do so more easily and securely, ensuring our commitments in the Good Friday Agreement and the Common Travel Area are respected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether members of the armed forces will be required to have digital ID cards.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There will be no requirement to enrol in digital ID. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this Parliament. All UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over will be able to obtain one, and over time, use it to seamlessly access a range of public and private sector services.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people have died as a result of misuse of prescription medication in England in each year since 2020.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 30th October is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) members of the Royal Family and (b) parliamentarians will be required to have digital ID cards.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There will be no requirement to enrol in Digital ID. Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks by the end of this Parliament.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will publish all consultation responses on the proposed digital ID scheme prior to the introduction of legislation.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We will follow the Cabinet Office principles for consultations and consider all responses received, from both individuals and organisations.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 26 September 2025 to Question HL9585 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, when it was registered as a second home.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

As the property was a second residence, the Government was responsible for paying the Council Tax on Admiralty House, not the former Deputy Prime Minister - in line with long-standing precedent under successive governments.

As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government Property Agency is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House.

Following the introduction of the second homes premium, this has been paid in full in a one-off full payment in July 2025. This payment was made on the date the invoice was received from Westminster City Council.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 74185 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, for what reason the second homes council tax premium was paid in August 2025.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Honorable Member to 74185 which has since been corrected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing people using the UK digital ID system to have the right to view an access log showing (a) which and (b) organisations checked their identity.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to take steps to prevent commercial entities acting as digital ID verifiers from using verification data for (a) marketing, (b) analytics and (c) employment profiling.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what process the he is planning for (a) employers and (b) landlords to verify digital ID credentials; and whether that process will require personal data to be transmitted to a (i) central record and (ii) broker service.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Employers will be required to conduct digital right to work checks using the new digital credential by the end of this Parliament.

We will be consulting on the detail of the programme in due course, including how to help employers onboard onto the system and how they will validate the credential to prove an employee's right to work.

There are no plans to pool data in a single location. The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he plans to take to ensure that any AI-assisted (a) decision and (b) image recognition within the digital ID system is (i) explainable, (ii) human-reviewed before adverse action, and (iii) subject to a right of correction or appeal.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what types of cross-system data matching he is planning under the proposed digital ID system.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government will conduct a full public consultation on the new digital ID to inform our approach. We are currently exploring best practice from other countries with digital identity schemes and other private sector companies who have digitised their services in order to develop the set of proposals to take to public consultation.

The Government has been clear that privacy and security will be hard-wired into the system from the start, and user control will be central to plans. It will operate to best practice standards for security and privacy.

This includes established standards for cyber security, counter-fraud and data storage, and following all existing UK legislation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 67 of the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts 2024-25, published on 23 October 2025, if he will list the venues that Cabinet away days took place in 2024-25.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Cabinet away days taking place in 2024-2025 have been located at the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Lancaster House and Chequers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the latest figure for the total number of people employed in the Civil Service, and how many of those people are employed in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, (4) Northern Ireland, and (5) overseas.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Headline information on the number of civil servants are published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the accredited official statistics release ‘Public Sector Employment Statistics’. Latest data as at June 2025 shows that there are 550,730 civil servants on a headcount basis and 516,950 on a FTE basis.

More detailed information on employment numbers by region including overseas are published annually by the Cabinet Office as part of the accredited official statistics release ‘Civil Service Statistics’. Latest information as at 31 March 2025 can be found at table 1 below:

Table 1: Regional distribution of Civil Service employment, as at 31 March 2025

Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), Cabinet Office

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish the applications reviewed by the Debt and Fraud Information Sharing Review Board for projects 341 and 476, and to publish any end-of-pilot report for project 341.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Digital Economy Act (DEA) 2017 Secretariat has no plans to publish application documents (e.g. pilot business cases, data protection impact assessments or memorandums of understanding) in relation to projects 341 and 476.

It is the voluntary responsibility of participating pilot organisations to publish any documentation in relation to applications. This is set out in paragraph 146 in the Code of Practice (CoP) for public authorities disclosing information under Chapters 1, 3 and 4 (Public Service Delivery, Debt and Fraud) of Part 5 of the DEA 2017.

On the publication of an end-of-pilot report on project 341, the DEA Secretariat publishes summary minutes from each Review Board meeting, which references organisational-led end-of-pilot reports. The decision to publish these reports are the responsibility of the relevant organisation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential contribution of a youth mobility scheme with the EU to economic growth.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. This will create new opportunities for cultural exchange between the UK and the EU. It will be good for the economy, good for growth and good for business. Any scheme will be time-limited and capped, and we have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The Government is committed to providing appropriate analysis of our EU deal but we will not be able to provide a full assessment of the impacts whilst detailed negotiations are ongoing.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase employment opportunities through public procurement.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Government is determined to ensure public procurement boosts jobs, growth and the economy.

The Government has updated the Social Value Model with new criteria on fair work so that suppliers are rewarded in procurements for providing good quality jobs, supporting people into work and providing their employees with additional development opportunities.

The Government has consulted on further reforms to public procurement and will provide an update on the response to the consultation and next steps in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the risk from non-government actors to people's personal data security under the proposed digital ID scheme; and what (a) technical and (b) legal controls will be used to mitigate this.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The cyber security of the UK is a key priority for this government – crucial to protecting the public and our way of life, and a successful, growing economy. We are introducing the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill to improve UK cyber defences - protecting our economy, safeguarding essential public services and strengthening UK national security.

The bill will deliver a fundamental step change in the UK’s national security – making essential and digital services more secure in the face of cyber criminals and state actors who want to disrupt our way of life.

This framework will be applied to the new digital ID, which will have robust cyber security and personal data protections in place. These will also feature in the upcoming consultation on the scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) offline and (b) paper-based alternatives will be available for citizens without (i) digital access and (ii) smartphones under the proposed digital ID system.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

To design and deliver digital ID, this government will undertake the biggest digital inclusion drive in our country's history. This will ensure everyone eligible can access and use this new digital ID, including those more likely to be digitally excluded.

We are considering options like a digitally enabled physical alternative for those without access to technology, help for those who are partially sighted, in-person support for those who struggle to engage digitally, and a dedicated team of case workers to support those who may struggle to initially prove their identity and access the system.

We will launch a public consultation in the coming months and have already started to engage with a range of expert organisations and community groups, including the Digital Inclusion Action Committee.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of mandatory digital ID cards on (a) marginalised and (b) digitally excluded communities.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

To design and deliver digital ID, this government will undertake the biggest digital inclusion drive in our country's history. This will ensure everyone eligible can access and use this new digital ID, including those more likely to be digitally excluded.

We are considering options like a digitally enabled physical alternative for those without access to technology, help for those who are partially sighted, in-person support for those who struggle to engage digitally, and a dedicated team of case workers to support those who may struggle to initially prove their identity and access the system.

We will launch a public consultation in the coming months and have already started to engage with a range of expert organisations and community groups, including the Digital Inclusion Action Committee.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of mandatory digital ID cards on blind and partially sighted people.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

To design and deliver digital ID, this government will undertake the biggest digital inclusion drive in our country's history. This will ensure everyone eligible can access and use this new digital ID, including those more likely to be digitally excluded.

We are considering options like a digitally enabled physical alternative for those without access to technology, help for those who are partially sighted, in-person support for those who struggle to engage digitally, and a dedicated team of case workers to support those who may struggle to initially prove their identity and access the system.

We will launch a public consultation in the coming months and have already started to engage with a range of expert organisations and community groups, including the Digital Inclusion Action Committee.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82740 on Electric Vehicles: Grants, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector on (a) 4 July 2024 and (b) the most recent date for which data is available.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms his Department has put in place to allow people to report (a) poor performance and (b) untidy workmanship from Government contractors.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Individual contracting authorities are responsible for monitoring contract performance. The Procurement Act 2023 will require contracting authorities to publish Key Performance Indicators and performance against them on major contracts. These will be published on the Central Digital Platform.

Under the Procurement Act, poor performance has been established as a new discretionary exclusion ground, making it easier for contracting authorities to exclude suppliers who have under-performed on other relevant contracts. Contracting authorities must notify the Procurement Review Unit (PRU) of any supplier exclusions via its page on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to respond to the Freedom of Information Act request of 7 October 2025 by the hon. Member for Newton Abbot regarding meetings between Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Freedom of Information Act 2000 requires that requests are answered promptly and no later than 20 working days after receipt. Cabinet Office responded to the hon. Member’s request on 5 November 2025, within the statutory time limit.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of levels of wage growth in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the findings of the One Big Thing 2024 evaluation will be compared with the Civil Service People Survey results in (a) 2024 and (2025) to test whether any change in (i) culture and (ii) innovation capability has been sustained.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As set out in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2024 report, published on GOV.UK, the 2024 and 2025 People Survey findings will be compared to assess whether there has been sustained culture change around innovation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 76050 on Lobbying: Official Hospitality, whether the donation in kind of (a) a venue and (b) hospitality from a lobbying firm hosting a Departmental reception should be declared by the Department in their annual accounts; and whether a proportion should be declared by a Minister in their monthly transparency return on gov.uk.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Guidance on what should be published in a department's Annual Reports and Accounts is published by HM Treasury in the Government Financial Reporting Manual. Guidance on what should be declared by a Minister in their monthly gifts and hospitality transparency return is published by the Cabinet Office. Both documents are available on GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department's lieutenancy policy team engages with the Association of Lord-Lieutenants; and whether any (a) formal agreement and (b) memorandum of understanding exists between them.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There is no formal agreement or memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Cabinet Office Lieutenancy Team and the Association of Lord-Lieutenants. The Association operates on an informal, voluntary basis, and its relationship with government is conducted through established liaison channels.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's transparency data entitled Cabinet Office spend approvals: April to June 2025, published on 26 September 2025, what is the financial breakdown of (a) programmes within and (b) external contractors employed as part of the planned spending by the New Media Unit.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The New Media Unit delivers campaigns to support the government missions and government priorities. The New Media Unit’s planned spend is £10.9m.

No external individual contractors are employed by the New Media Unit. However, we use third party suppliers to support New Media Unit campaigns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77545 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, whether the influencers are (i) contracted directly by the New Media Unit or (ii) procured through a third party agency.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The New Media Unit delivers campaigns to support the government missions and government priorities. The New Media Unit’s planned spend is £10.9m.

No external individual contractors are employed by the New Media Unit. However, we use third party suppliers to support New Media Unit campaigns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 82672 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, for what reason the room was not politically neutral.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

A one-off refresh of the facility was undertaken in December 2024. This was a decorative refresh, and work was undertaken to re-paint the backdrop to blend with existing wood panelling, install lighting, re-cover fabric panels and replace carpet tiles. This has restored the room back to its original politically neutral state.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposal for mandatory digital ID on the UK’s obligations under the common travel area; and what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on this issue.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Digital ID will not be mandatory for UK citizens. The government will launch a public consultation on the design of the new digital ID which will inform ongoing policy development and assessments of impacts.

We have spoken with the Government in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government and will continue to engage to ensure systems work for people on both sides of the border, respecting the Good Friday Agreement and the Common Travel Area.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is his Department's policy that the proposed digital ID scheme will be overseen by an independent body to (a) monitor compliance, (b) investigate misuse and (c) publish annual transparency reports.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Digital ID scheme will build on existing programmes and infrastructure. We will follow best practice on privacy and security, from both within the UK and internationally. The National Cyber Security Centre Security (NCSC) is advising how this is done to the highest standard. We will adhere to all existing UK law and governance structures, including close working with the ICO during the development of the scheme.

We will examine options for appropriate oversight of the digital ID system through the upcoming consultation, which will begin in the new year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to footnotes 25 and 26 of the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC 1372, published on 23 October 2025, for what reason the current Cabinet Secretary has a lower salary than the previous Cabinet Secretary.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. Details of any individual’s pay are published in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 63002on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, for what reason the Permanent Secretary was appointed as a temporary civil servant on a SCS contract, rather than as a permanent civil servant under the provisions in paragraph 2.1 of the Permanent Secretary Model Contract.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into DHSC. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has the Cabinet Office spent in John Lewis since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office procures furniture, furnishings, and work-related items from a range of suppliers. It is sometimes the case that required items can be procured cheaper at great British brands such as John Lewis. This has been the practice under previous administrations. Value for money is always central to purchase decisions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to establish (a) accountability and (b) oversight mechanisms for the (i) storage and (ii) use of personal data under future digital identity card policies.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Inclusion, usefulness, and security are the principles guiding the new digital ID. The digital ID will draw on the best practice of cyber security from around the world and we have begun engagement with the UK’s leading security experts—including the National Cyber Security Centre.

The digital ID programme will respect all existing UK laws, including GDPR, so that any data sharing is necessary for the purposes of the activity and only the minimum amount of data is shared. We will launch a full public consultation on all these proposals in the new year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) consent for data sharing and (b) other privacy rights are upheld in the implementation of future digital identity card systems.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Inclusion, usefulness, and security are the principles guiding the new digital ID. The digital ID will draw on the best practice of cyber security from around the world and we have begun engagement with the UK’s leading security experts—including the National Cyber Security Centre.

The digital ID programme will respect all existing UK laws, including GDPR, so that any data sharing is necessary for the purposes of the activity and only the minimum amount of data is shared. We will launch a full public consultation on all these proposals in the new year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to ensure that (a) cloud hosting, (b) data processing and (c) other core components of the proposed digital ID system are under sovereign UK control.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Data associated with the Digital ID system will be held and kept safe in secure cloud environments hosted in the United Kingdom.

The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders to make the programme effective, secure and inclusive, including taking insights from previous IT projects where appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether due diligence undertaken by his Department for the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Ambassador considered (a) Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and (b) Global Counsel’s work in China.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77118 on Lord Mandelson, if he will place in the Library a copy of the due diligence undertaken by his Department on Lord Mandelson before his appointment.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.

In line with the practice across multiple administrations, the government does not publish such material.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the Infected Blood Compensation Authority claims process is accessible to people whose historic NHS records are difficult to locate.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Given the historic nature of the infected blood scandal, the Government recognises that not all medical records will still be available. The Compensation Scheme has been designed to minimise as far as possible the burden on those applying, and eligibility for compensation will be determined based on the balance of probabilities. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed. The role of IBCA’s claim managers includes helping individuals who are claiming to gather information, including medical evidence where available, to support their claim.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projects, published on 16 June 2025, if he will publish an impact assessment for that policy.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This Government is committed to supporting British jobs and industry. As part of this, we have consulted on further reforms to public procurement. If appropriate, impact assessments will be undertaken following our response to the consultation, in accordance with the Better Regulations Framework.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Minister who occupy Ministerial residences as second homes and have council tax paid (a) have restrictions on the number of days that they can occupy the property each week.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There are no such restrictions imposed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities since 4th July 2024.

Since 4th July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £221,472.32 on the purchase of electric vehicles. These purchases were made for the Government Car Service (GCS) Ministerial fleet. The GCS services Ministers from across departments.

The Department has not made an estimate of the difference in capital cost between the electric vehicles purchased and comparable petrol or diesel models.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Cabinet Office’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.

In Cabinet Office, data on staff who are discharged from their probation is collated centrally, however information on those who have had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years is not held.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its main Whitehall building.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office’s main Whitehall building, 70 Whitehall, has 39 single sex cubicles, 14 urinals and 14 non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). This is in addition to 14 wheelchair accessible toilets.

70 Whitehall does not have any gender neutral toilets (i.e. toilets where users, of any gender, share a single space containing toilet cubicles, urinal facilities and shared hand washing facilities).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff left his Department by grade in each of the last five years.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Information can be accessed through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following web address:

https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department is providing to members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme that have experienced financial hardship following the time taken to implement the McCloud remedy.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (often referred to as the 'McCloud remedy'), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The Government is committed to implementing the remedy as quickly as possible, and the scheme administrator (MyCSP) has established processes to manage the implementation and support members in line with the scheme's formal governance and service standards. This support will continue once Capita takes over the scheme administration in December 2025.

Since October 2023 all members starting to receive their pension for the first time have been given their 2015 election options prior to their pension being put into payment.

From the Remedy group, there are just 70k members remaining (from the original 430k) requiring the issuing of a Remediable Service Statement. This will enable the member to either continue with their current benefits or opt for the alternative. It is important to note that all impacted members in receipt of a pension are already receiving benefits and that the remedy is an adjustment and the alternative scheme benefits will not automatically provide a member with a higher pension and lump sum. Where it does and the member makes an alternative scheme election, the difference between what has been paid and what is due, will be backdated to the original payment date and paid to the member inclusive of interest.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department are recorded as having a (a) mental health condition and (b) physical disability by grade.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office can confirm staff are able to voluntarily record if they have a disability and the type of disability on our current HR system. We are unable to provide numbers on each categorisation as requested as locating, retrieving information and extracting relevant information are extensive and it is not possible to break this down due to time and cost limitations.

Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025

Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many employment tribunal claims have been lodged against his Department for (a) unfair dismissal and (b) claims under the Equality Act 2010 in each of the last five years.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Hearings in the Employment Tribunal are normally held in public. There are a number of exceptions to this; including if there are national security concerns or if there is a vulnerable individual involved in the case.

There are a number of stages in the Tribunal Process, including ACAS conciliation, the informational stage prior to a formal tribunal being listed, preliminary hearings (where the tribunal may choose to strike out the application), and withdrawal of the claim.

Information pertaining to Employment Tribunals lodged against the department that reach hearing are listed in the public domain. It can be found at

https://www.gov.uk/employment-tribunal-decisions when searching under 'Cabinet Office'.

The published Tribunal decision documents state whether the case was upheld or not.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that the McCloud remedy is provided to for members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (a) in full and (b) as quicky as possible.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The Cabinet Office, as the Scheme Manager, is responsible for ensuring the remedy is implemented in full for all eligible members. All members retiring since October 2023 have been provided with their 2015 Options prior to commencement of their pension. By August 2025, 95% of active members had received their Remediable Service Statement.

Regarding implementing as quickly as possible, the Government is committed to completing this complex programme. The original regulatory timeline for 'Immediate Choice' members (those already retired by October 2023) was 31 March 2025.

While the administrator issued remediable service statements to 44% of this group by that date, the Cabinet Office has exercised its discretion to extend the delivery date by two years for the remaining, more complex cases. Work is underway with the new scheme administrator, Capita, to deliver the remaining Remedy programme as soon as possible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to provide an updated timetable for completion of the McCloud remedy for the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The regulatory timeline for issuing all 'Immediate Choice' Remediable Service Statements was 31 March 2025, by which 44% of statements were issued.

For the remaining 56% of complex cases, the Cabinet Office has extended the delivery date by two years. More detailed delivery dates within this new timeframe will be made available as the work progresses with the incoming supplier, Capita.

It is important to note that anybody retiring after October 2023 has been fully implemented; 44% (58,000) of those who retired before that date have been sent a Remediable Service Statement, and 42,000 have responded and had their election implemented. Of the Immediate Choice group, 56% (90,000) remain to be implemented and these will be completed by March 2027.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many performance reviews were undertaken for staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in each of the last five years; in how many such cases performance was rated as unsatisfactory or below; how many staff left as a result of such a rating; and what proportion of full-time equivalent staff this represented.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

All CO staff members (in scope) are allocated a performance marking at both the mid (Oct) and end of year (April) points of the performance year as part of their performance reviews. These performance markings are Exceeding, High Performing, Achieving, or Partially Met. The below table sets out how many performance reviews were undertaken and are further broken down by full time and part time staff.

The historical data for 2021 and 2022 cannot be segmented in the same format as the last three years, and so the data covers performance markings uploaded by line managers on our central system (SOP) between 2023-25. The process relies heavily on active engagement from the Line manager updating the central system so this may not capture all performance markings.

The data will not include all agencies as many have their own dedicated systems to record this information and are not subject to the CO performance processes. It is also important to note that not all colleagues are in scope at each cycle, as they need to have worked for the department for a minimum of 60 working days to be eligible for a marking.

This data covers all performance markings which have been uploaded onto our central system (SOP). Line managers are able to record individuals as 'Partially Met', however this does not automatically lead to poor performance measures as there are a number of reasons this may be appropriate (such as staff being new to grade or new to role). Line managers also often seek to address poor performance locally, and not all instances would be recorded on the system.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Civil Service (a) internships and (b) graduate recruitment programmes are (i) inclusive and (ii) accessible to candidates from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Government is committed to building a Civil Service that is representative of all communities across the UK and several graduate and internship programmes exist across the Civil Service. The Civil Service Fast Stream is open to graduates from any background and we consistently monitor recruitment data to ensure we remain an inclusive and accessible employer. For this reason, in August we announced our Summer Internship Programme will open exclusively to undergraduates from lower-socioeconomic backgrounds. The aim of this change is to increase representation in the Fast Stream.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2025, to Question 86766, on Admiralty House: Council Tax, on what council tax (a) discounts, (b) premiums, (c) exemptions and (d) disregards, were applied to the Government’s council tax bill for the occupied Ministerial residence in Admiralty House (i) between November 2024 and March 2025 for the year 2024-25 and (ii) in March/April 2025, for the year 2025-26, according to records held by the Government Property Agency.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The second homes premium was applied to the council tax bill for the former Deputy Prime Minister’s residence at Admiralty House for 2025-2026. No other premiums, discounts, exemptions, or disregards were applied.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's data entitled Expenditure Over £25,000 - September 2025 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 30 October 2025, which events the expenditure with reference SINV-000028834 with Calder Conferences relates to; and what venues were used.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The payment relates to a cancellation fee for CCS Live, an all-staff Crown Commercial Service internal engagement event. The venue booking was made in 2023 - under the previous administration - and at an external venue because no suitable government property was available.

Following the 2025 announcement prohibiting the use of non-government venues for government events, the in-person event was cancelled and delivered virtually.

This decision was made after considering the cancellation costs against running the event in-person. The decision ensured that no additional costs were incurred, while also mitigating any challenges associated with using an external venue.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 61229 on Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure, how many lines of activity in his Department were considered as part of the zero based review.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

At Spending Review 2025, the government conducted the first zero-based review (ZBR) of department budgets in 18 years, with every line of spending scrutinised to ensure value for money.

To ensure consistency in approach, cross-government guidance set expectations for the level of granularity each review should consider, recommending that departments review all spending within individual programme expenditure – at a minimum reflecting any lines of spending in excess of £1m per annum.

Savings identified through this process will support delivery of the government's commitment for all departments to deliver at least 5% savings and efficiencies by 2028-29.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of the Prime Minister's attendance at COP30.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the maximum residency period for UK citizens in the EU from 90 days to 180 days.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals.

The EU allows for travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period; this is standard for third countries travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an estimate of the carbon emissions generated by the Prime Minister's attendance at the COP30 summit; and whether he took steps to offset those emissions.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) civil servants and (b) support staff attended the COP30 summit; and for what reason.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website. It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. Civil Servants and Special Advisers routinely travel with the Prime Minister, including so as to provide support in the conduct of any official duties, which can arise at any time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) letters and (b) emails the Prime Minister has received from the Member for Great Yarmouth.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

All Members of Parliament are able to make representations on behalf of their constituents. It would not be appropriate to disclose the volume of correspondence of individual MPs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2025 to Question 86454 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, if he will publish any information that would not prejudice commercial interests.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Influencers are an effective channel to reach audiences. Their work with the Cabinet Office is primarily supported by agencies OmniGov and Pablo Unlimited via the Campaign Solutions 2 framework, link below:

https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/agreements/RM6125

Channels are chosen based on audience engagement and alignment with government objectives. The Cabinet Office monitors communication spending to ensure efficiency, effectiveness, and best value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 75123 on Angela Rayner, whether he was informed before his statement on 3 September 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer of 15 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 75123.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether 10 Downing Street flew the NATO flag on NATO day in April 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 02 May 2025, Official Report, PQ 48180.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral evidence of 3 November 2025 to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee by the Cabinet Secretary and the Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, if he will publish the report given to the Prime Minister on the appointment of Lord Mandelson.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.

In line with the practice across multiple administrations, the government does not publish such material.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and describes the information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85742 on Infected Blood Inquiry, when he expects the report for the Infected Blood Inquiry for the financial year 2024-2025 to be published.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Infected Blood Inquiry 2024-25 financial report was published on 6 November, the same day that the audited figures were approved for publication. The report can be found here: https://www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/about/financial-reports

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2025 to Question 85743 on Infected Blood Inquiry, how much remuneration the Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry receives for his work on that inquiry each year.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry has been paid at the level of a High Court judge, except that he has declined any pension as a result of his work for the Inquiry. The Ministry of Justice publishes the judicial salaries each year. The Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry is currently receiving one tenth of this salary in recompense for his work.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 71198 on Unherd: Advertising, whether the SAFE framework permits government advertising on the Spectator website.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Following assessment under the SAFE Framework, government advertising is permitted on spectator.co.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend the Counsellors of State Act 2022.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Counsellors of State Act 2022 added two additional Members of the Royal Family to the list of those eligible to act as Counsellors of State in order to provide greater resilience in this aspect of our constitutional arrangements.

In practice, reflecting a commitment made during the passage of the Act, only working Members of the Royal Family are called upon to act as Counsellors of State.

The Government has no plans to amend the Counsellors of State Act 2022.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to amend the Titles Deprivation Act 1917.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Titles Deprivation Act 1917 authorised enemies of the United Kingdom to be deprived of their peerages during the First World War.

The Government has no plans to amend the Titles Deprivation Act 1917.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 86050 on Public Sector Fraud Authority: Local Government, what his planned timetable is for the data matching pilot.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI), as part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), works closely with local authorities to help them identify and prevent fraud.

The NFI is currently collaborating with local authorities to understand the fraud risks related to council tax second home premiums. This insight will inform options to detect and prevent fraud in this area, including the potential for a data matching pilot. This research will also be used to determine the fraud risk and the effectiveness of a data share.

If it is concluded that a data share would effectively target the risks, a planned timetable will be agreed to deliver the data matching pilot.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will set out the (a) remit and (b) responsibilities of each Deputy National Security Adviser, including how they differ from those of the National Security Adviser.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

There are currently three Deputy National Security Advisers (DNSAs), one for International Affairs, one for International Economics and Global Issues, and one for Defence, Intelligence and Security.

The National Security Adviser (NSA) is the most senior figure that provides advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. The NSA attends the National Security Council and oversees cross-government delivery of the National Security Strategy 2025. The DNSAs also provide advice to the Prime Minister on issues within their portfolios, and coordinate relevant policy and operational issues across government at Director-General level.

The DNSAs have additional responsibilities as Civil Servant leaders which the NSA does not undertake. They act as secretaries to the National Security Council and chair the National Security Council (Official-level) meetings. The Executive DNSA, who currently also holds the post of Defence, Intelligence, and Security DNSA, is also responsible for managing the National Security Secretariat’s corporate responsibilities such as headcount, finances, and compliance, as well as being a member for the Cabinet Office Executive Committee.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the National Security Adviser has had with representatives of the Egyptian Government.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to bring legislation before Parliament to give effect to the decision of the King to remove all titles from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Following the statement made by Buckingham Palace on 30 October, the entitlement to the title of ‘Prince’ and the style of ‘Royal Highness’ has been removed by Letters Patent. The title of the Duke of York has been removed from the Roll of the Peerage and will no longer be used officially. There is therefore no need for legislation to implement the measures that have been announced.

Reform the Public Duty Costs Allowance for ex-Prime Ministers. Set a 2-year minimum term in office for eligibility, remove entitlement if they resign in disgrace or are judged to have caused harm, make the allowance time-limited to 10 years, and cut the £115k cap to reflect only essential costs.

We call on all public servants to be subject to mandatory drug testing every 3 months, and mandatory psychological and psychiatric assessments annually. We also call on there to be a mandatory public disclosure of membership of groups, societies and organizations where oaths have been taken.

Ban anyone who has ever been convicted of serious offences (such as sex offences against children, terrorism, serious fraud, corruption, violent crimes) including foreign convictions and given a custodial or suspended sentence from standing for or serving as an MP; when appeals have been exhausted.

Reform the petition system so that petitions reaching 1 million signatures trigger a parliamentary vote on the issue within 6 months, and petitions reaching 5 million signatures trigger a national referendum. This can help ensure the public’s voice leads to action, not just debate.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Introduce a change to the law so that the maximum period between General Elections is reduced from five years to four years.

We call on the UK Government to introduce legislation that would trigger an immediate general election if a governing party breaks a commitment set out in its election manifesto.

Found: cost-could-improve-childrens-lives/ 11 iESE — CareCubed (children’s services) — https://carecubed.org/childrens-services/ 12 Cabinet Office

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office relating to the Committee’s recent Report on

Found: Committee has commended are used for training purposes by the Parliamentary Capability Team in the Cabinet Office

Found: Cabinet Office advise that a Machinery of Government change of this scale should usually take a minimum

Found: Letter from the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office to the Chair relating to the Committee’s inquiry

Found: This followed the discovery and evaluation of evidence by the Cabinet Office in April 2024.

Found: 6083 hleuroaffairs@parliament.uk The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: 6083 hleuroaffairs@parliament.uk The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: months, we have appointed: • Former Director for Civil Service People and Places, at the Cabinet Office

Found: In April, the Cabinet Office announced a review of the UK Government’s ALBs.

Found: Letter to Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Office on transparency disclosures and

Found: established under the prerogative, responsible to ministers and with its budget fixed by the Cabinet Office

Found: The Government’s work—and that is the Cabinet Office, Defra and the VMD, which I commend for the amount

Found: It is increasingly working with resilience functions in the Cabinet Office, et cetera.

Found: o Consistent with the recent Cabinet Office consultation on mandatory employer disability pay gap reporting

Found: , Minister of State for Social Security and Disability, announced that he had instructed the Cabinet Office

Found: permanent seat at the policy table by:  Creating a statutory Small Business Council reporting to the Cabinet Office

Found: Credit must go to the Cabinet Office transparency team who have fought to introduce improvements in

Found: We would welcome collaboration with DBT and the Cabinet Office on aligning this delivery model with

Found: range of policy areas, and between central and local/regional government – such as through the Cabinet Office

Found: An example is the Construction Playbook, currently recommends: “As per Cabinet Office payment policy

Found: There are many positive things to learn from initiatives like the Small Business Council and Cabinet Office

Found: Previous initiatives such as the Small Business Council and Cabinet Office Small Business Advisory Panel

Found: the review of the Committee on Standards in Public Life before Jonathan became Chair for the Cabinet Office

Found: Heidi Alexander: A decision was taken by the Cabinet Office this year about not making the outcome delivery

Found: Farmers’ Union of Wales to the Chair dated 26 June 2025 relating to the 4 June evidence session, Cabinet Office

Found: Unless we have an independent mechanism, will having the Cabinet Office oversee those recommendations

Found: Q397 Charlie Dewhirst: The Cabinet Office did announce a review in April of all arm’s-length bodies.

Found: Dame Antonia Romeo: It is actually a Cabinet Office policy. Robbie Moore: Same question then.

Found: the further expansion of the agreements that we saw this summer, which are being led by the Cabinet Office

Found: the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cabinet Office

Found: the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Cabinet Office

Found: previous work as trade policy and economic security Minister and also as a Minister in the Cabinet Office

Found: Government, I do not have visibility of that, but it is very important that you have a strong Cabinet Office

Found: Government, I do not have visibility of that, but it is very important that you have a strong Cabinet Office

Found: We then have a rigorous process, aligned with the Cabinet Office standards and industry standards around

Found: We then have a rigorous process, aligned with the Cabinet Office standards and industry standards around

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for complaints submitted to the Housing Ombudsman to be (a) processed and (b) resolved.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Housing Ombudsman is independent of government.

As its Sponsor Department, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government tracks its progress on delivery in line with Cabinet Office Standards for working in partnership.

The Housing Ombudsman’s Corporate Strategy for 2025-30 sets stretching KPIs (agreed by the Secretary of State) aimed at further reducing casework timescales.

Complaints and enquiries received by the Ombudsman have increased from 32,126 in 2022-23 to 40,945 in 2023-24. The organisation has grown from an average full time equivalent staff (FTE) of 187 in 2022-23 to 340 FTE in 2023-24. There was a 107% increase in the number of determinations made by the Ombudsman in 2024-24.

The Corporate Strategy sets out how the Ombudsman will continue to meet this demand by further expanding the workforce and continuing to explore new approaches to case investigations.

Work to reduce the number of complaints needing to reach the Service is also ongoing and includes the Ombudsman sharing best practice to help landlords improve their complaint handling. A transformation programme launched at the start of 2025-26 also aims to drive further efficiencies from processes and systems.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78283 on Councillors: Misconduct, and with reference to the Cabinet Office consultation principles, for what reason the Government has not yet published its response to the December 2024 consultation.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government response to the Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England consultation was published on 11 November.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Answer of 23 February 2024 to Question 13812 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many staff in the Equality Hub have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The Office for Equality and Opportunity (formerly the Equality Hub) currently has 180 staff members. The Office for Equality and Opportunity leads on Government policy in these areas and is organised into sub-teams. The sub-team names themselves include some of the requested keywords, though individual job titles are generic. The relevant sub-teams and headcounts are:

Some of the keywords (equality, gender, LGBT and race) are contained within some of the sub-team names but not all staff members will have a job title which contains one of the defined keywords. Please also note that the Office for Equality and Opportunity does not lead on Civil Service or Cabinet Office diversity and inclusion matters and so these words are not included in job titles.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of (a) the Planning Inspectorate and (b) Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project processes to safeguard against national security risks from investment by (i) inappropriate or (ii) hostile overseas sources.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

National security risk assessments are matters for the Investment Security Unit within the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an estimate of the redundancy costs for the decision to close the UK Space Agency.

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

UK Space Agency employees will move Department under the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice on Staff Transfers in the Public Sector (COSOP), either into DSIT or our service providers. The integration brings together teams already working closely, creating a single unit with a clear line from strategy through policy to delivery. This approach, completing by April 2026, will strengthen our space sector support whilst building on the firm foundations both organisations have established, including developing cutting-edge missions and attracting significant investment.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many civil servants in his Department are working on the Independent commission into adult social care; whether any (a) Commissioners and (b) other external appointees have been (i) appointed and (ii) assigned to support the work of the Commission; and what the budget for the Commission is in the current financial year.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

There is a total of ten officials assigned to work on the Independent Commission into adult social care (the Commission). Eight are employed by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), and two by the Cabinet Office. There are a further four officials working in the Commission’s sponsorship function based in DHSC.

There are currently no Commissioners appointed, and one external individual has been hired as contingent labour to support the work of the Commission.

As the Commission is independent, the secretariat may expand as it carries out its work, and as Baroness Casey considers what further skills and expertise she needs.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department collates information on which local authorities have introduced (a) boycotts, (b) divestment or (c) sanctions against firms which (i) trade or (ii) are based in (A) Israel or (B) the Occupied Territories.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department does not collate information on which local authorities have introduced boycotts, divestment or sanctions against firms trading with or based in Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

The Cabinet Office has published guidance to public authorities prohibiting procurement boycotts against Israeli firms and firms which trade with Israel.

Found: Controls], 28 March 2025 64 Procurement Act 2023, s26-28, s57 and schedules 6 and 7, s77; see Cabinet Office

Found: The Cabinet Office published a TCA implementation report in September 2025 covering the period from

Found: Several government bodies (including the IPA, Cabinet Office, the Government Internal Audit Agency (

Found: Several government bodies (including the IPA, Cabinet Office, the Government Internal Audit Agency (

Found: December 2023, a Quarterly Transparency Guidance6 was published on the Government website by the Cabinet Office

Found: inform New IS Software Solution (NISSS) Programme which is classified a CAT A Programme under Cabinet Office

Found: Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, equivalent statutory transfer schemes, or the Cabinet Office

Found: [b2] In February 2025, the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) moved from the Cabinet Office to the MOD

Found: response rate of 70%, as advised by the European Human Rights Commission (and endorsed by the Cabinet Office

Found: response rate of 70%, as advised by the European Human Rights Commission (and endorsed by the Cabinet Office

Found: Language English language Evidence published in other languages In line with Cabinet Office best practice13

Found: We worked with the Central Digital and Data Office at the Cabinet Office (CO) to implement programmes

Found: This consultation process was conducted in line with the Cabinet Office consultation principles

Found: We are in discussions with Cabinet Office regarding the Care Leavers scheme.

Found:

Found: 4,228.02 Housing, Communities & Local Government PINS 01/10/2025 Office Supplies People Unit CABINET OFFICE

Found:

Found: 4,228.02 Housing, Communities & Local Government PINS 01/10/2025 Office Supplies People Unit CABINET OFFICE

Found: The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds, Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, said:  I am really

Found: Helen previously worked in the Cabinet Office where she was Director of the Office for Civil Society

Found: In Mallon v (1) Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy and (2) the Cabinet Office all

Found: Action 3.4 Workforce criteria in HMG Procurement and Social Value Model: DESNZ will work with the Cabinet Office

Found: Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, Nick Thomas-Symonds, set out these changes today

Found: Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006, equivalent statutory transfer schemes, or the Cabinet Office

Found: staff applications through the National Security Vetting Portal (NSVP), which is managed by the Cabinet Office

Found: In this Schedule: COSOP means the Cabinet Office Statement of Practice Staff Transfers in the Public

Found: included:  Nick Thomas–Symonds MP as Minister for the Constitution and European Relations in the Cabinet Office

Found: relations In November, the UK Government advertised for a Second Permanent Secretary post in the Cabinet Office

Found: Former Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Cabinet Office – Rebecca Evans MS (answered on

Found: January, the UK Government appointed Michael Ellam as Second Permanent Secretary post in the Cabinet Office