Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what the cost to her Department was of ministerial severance payments in each year from 19 December 2019 to 30 May 2024; which Ministers received a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.
Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. member to the response to be provided by the Cabinet Office (3029).
Asked by: Kit Malthouse (Conservative - North West Hampshire)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory direct ministerial appointments excluding special advisers she has made; and (i) who the appointee was and (ii) what the (A) remuneration, (B) title and (C) terms of reference was for each appointment.
Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
I have not made any statutory or non-statutory direct ministerial appointments since being appointed as Leader of the House of Commons.
Asked by: John Glen (Conservative - Salisbury)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, whether she plans to amend the Restoration and Renewal (a) budget, (b) timetable and (c) decant policy.
Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
The Restoration and Renewal Programme is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Client Board agreed the strategic direction of the Programme in February and expect costed proposals for three options (including full decant, continued presence and enhanced maintenance and improvement) to be put to members in 2025, enabling the Programme to progress.
Asked by: Richard Tice (Reform UK - Boston and Skegness)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, if she make it her policy that the resolution restricting short money for parties with fewer than five hon. Members should be amended to only apply to parties with fewer than three hon. Members.
Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
Short Money is allocated on the basis of the number of seats won by each opposition party at the previous general election. The House of Commons Members Estimate Committee is responsible for modifying the provisions of the Resolutions relating to Short money as it considers “necessary or desirable in the interests of clarity, consistency, accountability and effective administration, and conformity with current circumstances” (Standing Order No. 152D (3)(c)) .
We should acknowledge that public money underpins the political system in respect of the Opposition as well as the Government, but we must always be conscious of the cost to the taxpayer. Further consideration of this policy is rightly a matter for the House.
Asked by: Thérèse Coffey (Conservative - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2024 to Question 21019 on Transport, if she will make time for a debate on the National Transport Strategy.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
As Leader of the House I am committed to providing time in the Chamber to the Backbench Business Committee in line with the requirements of Standing Orders and I would encourage the Hon. Member to apply for such a debate through the Committee on this occasion. The Hon. Member will appreciate that there is a significant amount of legislation planned in this session and there is, as always, pressure on the Government’s timetable.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what steps she is taking to ensure that secretariats of All-Party Parliamentary Groups do not pass sensitive information to foreign governments.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The regulation of All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPGs) is a matter for Parliament. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is responsible for monitoring the Register for APPGs and may investigate alleged breaches of the rules.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, how many Privy Council Office staff have left that organisation in each year since 2015.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Privy Council Office is part of the Cabinet Office. Some of the information requested is held centrally.
As far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics for the Cabinet Office available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) transport, (b) venue hire and accommodation, (c) printed materials including backdrops, (d) security, (e) staffing, (f) filming and photography and (g) other costs of each public meeting since her appointment.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is a business unit of the Cabinet Office and, as such, its administrative costs are part of the Cabinet Office’s wider administrative costs.
Information for 2022-23 can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Information for the last financial year will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 in due course.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, what the administration costs of her office were in each year since her appointment.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is a business unit of the Cabinet Office and, as such, its administrative costs are part of the Cabinet Office’s wider administrative costs.
Information for 2022-23 can be found in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23 (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-annual-report-and-accounts-2022-23), copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
Information for the last financial year will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24 in due course.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Leader of the House:
To ask the Leader of the House, how many staff left her Office in each year since 2015.
Answered by Penny Mordaunt
The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. Some of the information requested is held centrally.
As far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics for the Cabinet Office available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics