Cabinet Office

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, and the Written Ministerial Statement, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Visitor information for 10 Downing Street is not retained for the time period specified.

Applicants for the UKIC Summer Internship state their ethnicity as part of the application process. We do not comment on what checks are conducted by UKIC during the recruitment process.

Modern vehicles – including cars and buses – are increasingly using software to support safer driving, to improve diagnostics and to provide a host of other services such as navigation and entertainment.

The Government takes national security extremely seriously and recognises the systemic challenges of increased connectivity and the cyber security implications for almost every area of government policy, including vehicles. The National Cyber Security Centre has published guidance to help organisations understand and manage the associated risks, ensuring that system connectivity is approached in a way that balances security with the significant benefits it provides.

The Department for Transport introduced two new regulations: one to strengthen vehicle cybersecurity and one on software updates (UN Reg 155 and UN Reg 156). The cybersecurity regulation sets out requirements to mitigate potential threats in vehicle construction, to monitor emerging threats and to respond to cyber-attacks.

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd March is attached.

I refer to PQ 105699, answered on 21 January, 2026. We have been unable to identify any such central Civil Service initiative.

There are no plans to publish internal-facing guidance to the public domain, as it constitutes HR-to-HR guidance designed for departments to integrate into their respective policies and processes.

Departments facility time data publications, were based on Schedule 2 of the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017, which specified what data needed to be collected and reported.

This did not include a specific category for the collection and reporting of time spent by trade union representatives on diversity matters. The Regulations were repealed under Section 66 of the Employment Rights Act 2025.

The data for Death Benefit Nominations (DBNs) was successfully migrated from the previous administrator (MyCSP) Compendia solution to the current Hartlink system managed by the current administrator, Capita. While the vast majority of records were digital, any legacy exceptions originally held on paper were maintained as scanned images within the Electronic Document Management system; these images were also fully transitioned to Capita alongside all other member documentation.

Although a functional issue with Capita’s online pension portal at the point of go-live briefly prevented DBNs from displaying correctly to users, this technical matter has been resolved. Members are now able to view their existing nominations through the online system, with the full functionality to amend, delete, or add new nominations as required.

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

The delays faced by pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable.

We recognise the significant pressure on surviving spouses, particularly in cases involving a prior ill-health retirement. Capita has prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

This prioritisation extends to the surviving spouses of these members; once an ill-health retirement is processed, any subsequent survivor benefit claims are fast-tracked within the highest priority recovery stream to ensure payments reach the bereaved without further undue delay.

We have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita and restoring normal service as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.

Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February.

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

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

The issues and delays facing civil servants and pension scheme members in accessing their pensions is unacceptable. In response, we have set up a dedicated team to work urgently with Capita, with 650 full time staff across Government and Capita. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. It includes specific commitments to restore service levels as soon as possible. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Capita has prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. A similar position will be reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

Alongside these arrangements, Capita has prioritised payment of tax-free pension lump sums for members who had received quotations but were not in receipt of their benefits, with the vast majority of these having been paid in February.

On a) 1 December 2025, Capita inherited 86,000 CSPS cases, which included 15,000 unread emails from the previous provider; they have since opened and assessed all of these emails. We do not yet have the data for the position as of 1 March 2026.

The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

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

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

The delays faced by pension scheme members in accessing their pensions are unacceptable.

In response to the issues raised during the Westminster Hall debate on 4 February 2026, the Government’s immediate priority remains working with Capita towards the full restoration of service standards.

While the current focus is on efforts to stabilise the service through the intensive recovery plan;, we have deployed additional resources, and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

The Cabinet Office considers all options for future contracts. Any future procurement exercise will be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Procurement Act 2023. Existing KPIs have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver tighter performance expectations and higher penalties for severe failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita’s performance with recent issues and delays in administering the CS Pensions Scheme.

Additionally, we have currently withheld transition milestone payments for work that has not been completed to the required standard. These payments will remain withheld until the milestones are fully delivered.

It is long-standing practice that UK Security Vetting, the body responsible for National Security Vetting across government does not disclose information provided by the security and intelligence services.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 23 October 2025, Official Report, column 1087.

I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer to PQ 111938.

I refer the Hon Member to the former Cabinet Secretary’s letter to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of 30 October 2025, which sets out the information that was considered as part of the due diligence exercise.

There are no plans to publish such a list.

This information is not centrally held. Over 40 statutory public inquiries have been announced since 2006. The question potentially brings into scope all public inquiries that have taken place since June 2007. However, there is no centrally held data on documents or other communications created over the period specified and submitted to public inquiries by the Cabinet Office. Unfortunately, the cost to the public purse of accurately determining this information to would significantly exceed the current disproportionate cost threshold for answering written parliamentary questions set out in the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).

The Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments sets out the processes departments should follow when national security vetting is required. The final decision on whether to proceed with an appointment rests with the appointing minister.

The recommendations from the Cabinet Office leak inquiry have been published and are included in the HM Treasury Budget Information Security Review.

Cabinet Office Officials regularly attend meetings to discuss matters of national security, defence and resilience as well as the associated public communications required to deliver these lines of efforts. The conversation on National Defence was a recommendation in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which the Government accepted. The Ministry of Defence is the lead department for delivering the SDR, with support from the Cabinet Office, and particularly from the National Security Secretariat.

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year, cross-departmental effort designed to deliver on the whole-of-society approach to national security and defence. This allows the Government, the private sector and public to play their part in strengthening the UK’s resilience to any potential future shocks. This work addresses the risks and threats the UK faces, including those above and below the threshold of an armed attack.

The Cabinet Office is actively leading and coordinating this work through the Home Defence Programme owned by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security.

As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security arrangements.

As per the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles, where a competition identifies more appointable candidates than there are available vacancies, a reserve list may be created. This can be used for up to 12 months to fill the same role or other similar roles with closely matching essential criteria. With approval from the Commission, a reserve list can be extended by up to eight weeks.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

The current version of the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments is found on the Gov.uk website and was published on 30 October 2025.

NSV is, of course, kept under constant review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

I refer the Hon Member back to the answer given in UIN 103308.

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

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 10th March 2026, Official Report, PQ 112839.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 10th March 2026, Official Report, PQ 112839.

Unlimited was acquired by Accenture. Accenture is now the agency responsible for delivering comprehensive, end-to-end campaign solutions for public service campaigns.

The requirements for the Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer contract (ref: C19SF08RF25) can be found at Annex 2 – Specification of the redacted Short Form Contract attached to the Contracts Finder notice. Annex 2 states the requirements as being an independent and expert opinion on...Labour Market Inequality and the Welfare System, and Macroeconomic Policy and Public Finances and the contract involves the analysis and input of 2 expert witnesses.

The Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer contract (ref: C19SF08RF25) was not procured via competitive tendering and instead via a below threshold direct award. The direct award was made in accordance with the Procurement Rules and associated policies.

We have set out our expectation that all duty bearers, including Departments and arm’s-length bodies, follow the law as clarified by the Supreme Court ruling and seek specialist legal advice where necessary. The Prime Minister has underlined this recently.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has submitted a draft Code of Practice on services, public functions and associations to Ministers, and we are reviewing it with the care it deserves. This will provide further guidance to duty bearers.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, and the Written Ministerial Statement, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

The Government takes the function of the Cabinet Manual seriously and we will keep it under review.

The government published its Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6902476e3650bacb01af7091/Guidance_on_Making_Direct_Ministerial_Appointments__October_2025_.pdf.

There is precedent from previous administrations for Direct Ministerial Appointments to work on secondment. Remuneration arrangements are at the discretion of and with the agreement of the relevant Accounting Officer.

I refer the Hon. Member to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, and the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers requires special advisers to declare details of hospitality received.

The Special Advisers’ Transparency Guidance available on GOV.UK provides further details of requirements for reporting of gifts, hospitality, and meetings with senior media figures.

The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers requires special advisers to declare details of hospitality received.

The Special Advisers’ Transparency Guidance available on GOV.UK provides further details of requirements for reporting of gifts, hospitality, and meetings with senior media figures.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 4th March, Official Report, PQ 111932.