Cabinet Office

A launch date for the Partnership Contingent Decision route cannot be confirmed at this time. The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements.

The administration of this work will now be picked up by Capita who took over the CSPS contract on 1 December. Planning work has started to define the process and timeline.

We do not have any specific neurodiversity training available to all Civil Service departments. Civil Service Expectations is an e-learning course for all civil servants which explains why inclusion, diversity and equality is important to the Civil Service and the citizens it serves. We do not actively monitor the training of other departments and departments have delegated authority to develop learning that aligns to their organisational requirements.

Yes. The UK’s constitutional arrangements require an immediate transition of power the day after a general election. A list of individuals is provided to the Cabinet Secretary’s Office by political parties, so that the incoming Prime Minister has the ability to begin work immediately.

This Government is relentlessly targeting waste and driving efficiencies to deliver a leaner Civil Service. At the Autumn Budget the Government announced that back-office administration costs will be reduced by 16% by 2029-30, to save money and focus resources on frontline services.

Examples of these departmental savings include DSIT’s use of AI and automation to free up staff from administrative tasks, which will deliver £7m of efficiencies by 2028-29. Additionally, the MOD will deliver £905m of technical efficiencies by 2028-29 through digitisation and modernisation, acquisition reform, and sustainability initiatives.

Additional, cross-government examples include cutting government credit card spending by £25 million in the first four months since new rules were introduced by the Cabinet Office in March. In addition, the Plan for London, part of the Places for Growth programme, was launched in May this year and will involve the closure of no fewer than 11 buildings by 2030, delivering annual savings of £94 million. Most notably, 102 Petty France, Caxton House and 39 Victoria Street will all be closed during the programme, as it consolidates the central London estate.

There is an established system in place for the declaration and management of special advisers' interests. As has been the case under successive administrations, interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office.

This information is not centrally held. Procurement and fleet management records are maintained by individual departments, agencies and local authorities.

The Cabinet Office’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits (CDEL) as set out in the 2025 budget are:

All future years CDEL allocations are subject to business planning. Key capital projects funded during SR25 include reducing the government’s London office estate.

As per the Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, the Department will identify around 5% of allocated DEL that could be reprioritised to fund unforeseen pressures.

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of the 2nd of December is attached.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 5th of December is attached.

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the responses given on 27 November 2025 to PQs 93373 and 92997.

I refer the Rt Hon Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge to my answer on the 9th of December (PQ96652/3/4).

Developing plans for civilian assistance to the military in a time of conflict is a key component of the Cabinet Office's Home Defence Programme. The Cabinet Office is working closely with the MoD and other Whitehall departments to set a baseline understanding of the support requirements for defence and how positions and roles may need to be backfilled in a conflict scenario. This work is ongoing.

The Government Car Service (GCS) provides secure transport for Government Ministers and senior officials. There are currently no GCS vehicles declared as being off the road with a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN). Some other departments operate their own fleets of vehicles, about which the Cabinet Office does not hold information.

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the response given on 10 December to PQ 96655.

The 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy (BSS) sets out how the country is strengthening resilience to a spectrum of biological threats. As part of the BSS, DSIT is ensuring the UK is a world leader in responsible innovation in engineering biology – working closely with academia and industry to improve shared awareness of security risks, and ensuring any measures to mitigate risks (including those related to genomic data) remain proportionate.

All organisations holding health data (including genomics data) must comply with GDPR. To comply with GDPR, DSIT and DHSC require safeguards to be in place when health data is transferred outside the UK, including a risk assessment for countries not recognised as offering an equivalent level of data protection by the UK.

On behalf of DSIT, the National Protective Security Authority (NPSA), with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), have developed the Trusted Research campaign to advise academia on international collaborations, by informing them of the threat and helping them make decisions about research and research partners. NPSA and NCSC have also developed the Secure Innovation campaign to help new start-ups in the emerging and critical technology sectors think carefully about their partners and investment.

Alongside this work, DSIT’s Research Collaboration Advice Team offers the research sector tailored advice on managing the risks of international research collaboration. DSIT also engages in a two-way dialogue with policymakers, academia and industry on the responsible use of engineering biology and life sciences, through the Responsible Innovation Advisory Panel.

In line with other large employers, The Cabinet Office utilises LinkedIn subscriptions for business purposes including recruitment across government and managing the wider Civil Service talent pipeline.

It is not possible to provide a definitive figure for subscriptions for the last financial year (and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.) Heads of Business Units review all subscriptions and other internal expenditure to ensure value for tax payer money.

The Permanent Secretary model contract sets out the contractual detail on compensation payments for all Permanent Secretaries. This applies to the Cabinet Secretary and there is no separate internal guidance. A copy of the model contract has been placed in the House Library.

The Cabinet Office Facility Time Framework, issued to Civil Service departments, provides guidance on the granting of time off for trade union facility time for civil servants who are trade union representatives. Civil Service staff network activity is separate to trade union activities and duties carried out by trade union representatives in the Civil Service. The Staff Network Policy covers the allocation of time for specific staff network roles and duties.

The Staff Network Policy is an internal Civil Service staff policy. It is not in the public domain and as such a copy will not be placed in the Library.

The property occupied by the Department for Education on Great Smith Street, London is known as Sanctuary Buildings. GPA, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, holds the leasehold interest in the property and pays the rent. The freehold interest is held by Legal and General Assurance (Pensions Management) Limited.

Information on property registered in England and Wales is available to the public by following the following link to HM Land Registry - Search for land and property information

https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

I refer to my answer to 88716, where I confirm a copy of the model contract has been placed in the House Library.

The Cabinet Office provided this information to the National Audit Office. This information was already held under the Redundancy and Compensation Control process.

The £7,395 covered in the response to Question 69278 was part of the £8,500 budget referred to in Question 65788 asked by the same MP on 8 July 2025. Under EDI Expenditure rules that budget was listed in the data published on 30 May 2025 and was the maximum approved budget, a ceiling rather than actual spend. Expenditure within this budget facilitated a presence on behalf of the Civil Service at 26 Pride events across the UK.

Itemising spend across all supplier organisations may breach commercial agreements between the department and suppliers.

As of Monday 1 December, MyCSP is no longer the contracted administrator for the Civil Service pension scheme. The new contract was awarded to Capita. To support the transition, Capita has employed an additional 194 staff over and above the workforce transferred from MyCSP. This has seen a 60% increase in the capacity of the customer contact centre.

The Cabinet Office has secured a robust contract containing strict performance levers; this includes financial penalties should Capita fail to answer calls within agreed timescales. A comprehensive governance structure is fully operational and reporting via oversight groups to ensure performance remains consistent with these contractual requirements.

Before the Second Home premium was introduced in Westminster, the Cabinet Office were aware that the former Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) was occupying Admiralty House (AH) as a second home and that council tax would therefore be payable by Government. In line with long standing precedent under successive administrations, as the property was a second residence the Government was responsible for paying the Council Tax on Admiralty House, not the former DPM. Similarly, the Cabinet Office is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council (WCC) for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House.

WCC were notified at the beginning of May that the former DPM was occupying AH as a second home for council tax purposes, and details were provided for WCC to issue a bill accordingly.

The Government Property Agency wrote to WCC in June to confirm that the second home's premium applied. WCC issued an invoice in July which was paid the same day.

This year there are 114 deputy directors taking part in the Senior Leadership Programme established in 2018. The programme is 14 months’ long and costs a total of £1,373,401.91.

The Procurement Act 2023 allows the Government to investigate and, where appropriate, add suppliers to a centrally managed debarment list. Addition to the list impacts on a supplier’s eligibility for public contracts. These decisions can be taken on multiple grounds, including national security. The Government does not routinely comment on debarment investigations under the Procurement Act.

Any suppliers subject to debarment will be listed on gov.uk.

The Procurement Act 2023 allows the Government to investigate and, where appropriate, add suppliers to a centrally managed debarment list. Addition to the list impacts on a supplier’s eligibility for public contracts. These decisions can be taken on multiple grounds, including national security. The Government does not routinely comment on debarment investigations under the Procurement Act.

Any suppliers subject to debarment will be listed on gov.uk.

The Procurement Act 2023 allows the Government to investigate and, where appropriate, add suppliers to a centrally managed debarment list. Addition to the list impacts on a supplier’s eligibility for public contracts. These decisions can be taken on multiple grounds, including national security. The Government does not routinely comment on debarment investigations under the Procurement Act.

Any suppliers subject to debarment will be listed on gov.uk.

This Government is committed to ensuring public procurement drives growth across the UK and supports British businesses.

We have consulted on procurement reforms to further boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses across the UK, including across the vehicle manufacturing sector. We will be publishing the consultation outcome - and legislative proposals - soon.

Data on the number of British and non-British made vehicles procured across the Government and its agencies is not held centrally.

The Government is focused on negotiation and implementation of the commitments from the UK-EU Summit. We do not expect an expansive programme of work on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement review clause.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 1st of December is attached.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 1st of December is attached.

There are two additional flats in Admiralty House which can be allocated to ministers as official residences at the Prime Minister’s discretion. Neither flat has been allocated to a minister under the current administration.

The Procurement Act 2023 allows contracting authorities the flexibility to include considerations such as locally and sustainably sourced building materials in contracts. Any criteria adopted must be relevant and proportionate to the contract.

We have consulted on procurement reforms to further boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses, in particular SMEs, across the UK. We will be publishing the consultation outcome - and legislative proposals - soon.

I refer the Hon Member to the response provided for PQ 92419 for the headcount size of the Government Communication Service.

Information regarding Civil Service staff working in communications functions who are not part of the Government Communication Service is not held centrally.

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) delivers National Security Vetting services to departments and agencies across government, police and industry. UKSV’s workforce planning is driven by the demand forecasting and operational employment requirements of these departments and agencies. The resourcing of UKSV includes a diverse range of staffing contracts to meet forecast demand.

Since April 2024, United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) has consistently met its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPI), across each product type.

With the appropriate Ministerial oversight, UKSV works closely with the departments and decision-making authorities they serve to understand their forecasted demand for the provision of vetting services.

The requested information is not held centrally or in the specific categories outlined in the question.

Please refer to departmental transparency data.

It is the responsibility of individual sponsor departments to publish details of the direct ministerial appointments that they make, including their terms of reference. Information about managing conflicts of interest and the public announcements that should be made for Direct Ministerial Appointments is set out in the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments.

I refer to Hon Member to the answer of 2 December 2025, Official Report, PQ 92608.

I refer the Hon Member to the Liaison Committee's website, which has published that the Prime Minister is due to appear before the Committee on 15 December.

The 2025 data collection is complete.

Any costs in this Spending Review period will be met within existing settlements. The Government will run a public consultation in the new year.