Cabinet Office

It is not routine to publish correspondence between the Prime Minister or former Prime Ministers, and any individual or organisation.

Details of official hospitality at Chequers are published on a quarterly basis and are available via gov.uk

The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework.

Information on how many civil servants were dismissed for poor performance is not available centrally.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 31 July 2024, Official Report, PQ 1251.

It is not appropriate to comment on individuals. The Model Contract for Special Advisors is published online.

There are no plans to amend the name of the Order of the British Empire.

Paragraph 20 sets out that where a special adviser wishes to undertake work for a political party, they may do this in their own time.

For management and staffing purposes the Prime Minister’s Office is part of the Cabinet Office. There are 235 permanent civil servants employed by the Cabinet Office and allocated to the Prime Minister’s Office. As was the case under the previous Administration, information about Special Adviser numbers will be published in the Annual report on Special Advisers, and party political appointments are not a matter for the Government.

The Government’s manifesto set out a number of commitments to reform of the House of Lords. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and had its first reading in the House of Lords on 13 November 2024.

This is the first step in reform of the House of Lords and it is right that the Government focuses on completing the passage of this Bill.

Article 730 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) negotiated between the UK and EU in 2021 provides that ‘Eurostat and the United Kingdom Statistics Authority may establish an arrangement that enables cooperation on relevant statistical matters’.

The 2024 Lievesley Review of the UK Statistics Authority included a recommendation to prioritise the establishment and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Eurostat in line with Article 730 of the TCA. The Government’s response, led by then Minister Baroness Neville Rolfe, was to agree and stated that: ‘The Cabinet Office supports these recommendations. Given the UKSA’s international standing there should be a continued emphasis on their role as a thought leader among our international peers.’

Following the July election Cabinet Office Ministers have received progress reports on activity to deliver against this recommendation and welcome the new arrangements that are now in place.

The publication of the text is a matter for the Office for National Statistics, which operates independently as a Non Ministerial Department.

The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee) which is the policy-making body for the honours system, last met on 19th November 2024.

The Cabinet Office, in collaboration with the Royal Household and the College of Arms, has developed and issued guidance on the use of all state symbols, including the royal cypher.

This guidance is intended for use by the entire public sector.

Guiding principles for ministers on accepting gifts and hospitality are set out in the Ministerial Code. The Code applies to all government ministers.

A list of all government ministers is on gov.uk at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers. This details whether ministers are paid or unpaid.

The Ministerial and other Salaries Act 1975 sets a statutory limit on the number of ministerial salaries of 109. There are currently 108 paid ministers, 1 minister paid by the Labour Party, and 10 unpaid ministers.

The Government continues to look at ways to make sure the government’s digital communications better reflect the way the public now consumes information online. The policy around the use of TikTok on government devices hasn’t changed.

All civil servants should follow the standards set out in the Civil Service Code and Civil Service Management Code if speaking at an external event.

Sanitary products are not available in male toilets on the Government Property Agency’s estate. They are provided in women’s, accessible and universal toilets at Birmingham, 23SS, Nottingham, Apex Court, London, 70 Whitehall and Coventry, Cheylesmore House.

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

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

11 November 2024

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking what are the latest figures for employee activity rates for (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland (HL2370).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The responses allow us to estimate how many people are in employment, and how many of those are in employment as employees, as opposed to other forms of employment such as self-employed.

Due to the current smaller sample sizes being achieved by the LFS, recent estimates are showing increased volatility and should be treated with additional caution.

The latest available estimates (June to August 2024) of the rates of employees for people aged 16 to 64 years, determined as the percentage of the population in employment as an employee, resident in each of the UK’s four nations, are presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Rates of employees, people aged 16 to 64 years, England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, not seasonally adjusted.

Source: Labour Force Survey

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

All statutory instruments are available publicly online. However, where explanatory memoranda have been produced on statutory instruments linked to the Framework, these will highlight the relevant legal basis. We will continue to implement the Windsor Framework in good faith and protect the UK internal market.

The process underpinning the Northern Ireland Assembly being notified of relevant regulations is provided for in Schedule 6B Northern Ireland Act 1998. These arrangements were further clarified by the letter from the then-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly on 2 February 2024.

The UK Government has made certain commitments to seek legislative consent from devolved legislatures ahead of introducing relevant legislation to Parliament. Commitments that may be engaged in giving effect to obligations under the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement are contained under the 2018 Intergovernmental Agreement on the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and the Establishment of Common Frameworks.

It has been the practice of successive governments not to comment, on grounds of both national security and staff safety, on the physical capacity or staffing numbers for individual buildings of the government estate.

The Cabinet Office has provided the information requested by the Civil Service Commission regarding their review of appointments made by exception at delegated grades.

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

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8th November is attached.

No staff in 10 Downing Street have the word ‘diversity’ in their job title.

There is currently ongoing activity to fill vacancies on 7 of the independent Honours Committees. New roles are advertised on the Public Appointments website and new appointments to the Honours Committees can be found on gov.uk.

The uptake of apprenticeships within the Civil Service (in England) fell under the previous administration from 7,007 starts in 2022/23 to 6,508 starts in 2023/24.

This Government is committed to apprenticeships as a means of removing barriers to opportunities and building the skills needed for the future workforce.

The Cabinet Office will consider the impact of changes to employment legislation on relevant special adviser terms and conditions.

I refer the Right Hon. Member to the answer of 10 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 7430.

As under previous Governments, party political receptions are not a matter for the Government. Details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.

The Senior Appointment Protocol is being updated and will be published in due course.

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

A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12 November is attached.

Civil Service Turnover data is published annually through the Civil Service statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024

Civil Service departments are responsible for managing their own workforces and ensuring they have the right skills to deliver the Government’s priorities. The Civil Service People Plan commits to ensuring the best people are working in Government, and that the Civil Service offers an enriching career path which rewards excellence in public service.

Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given to PQ6394.

The portrait of Horatio Nelson is currently with the Royal Museum Greenwich for frame conservation, and the portrait will be reinstated in 10 Downing Street once that work is complete.

The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee) has one sub-committee, the Advisory Military Sub-Committee. The terms of reference for this committee can be found on gov.uk.

Guidance on ministers’, special advisers’, and senior officials’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK and includes details of who would be considered senior media figures for these purposes.

The bodies and offices that are classified as regulated appointments are listed, by department, in Schedules 1 and 2 of the Public Appointments (No. 2) Order in Council 2023. Appointments to the Board of HM Revenue and Customs, as a non-ministerial department, are not classified as regulated public appointments.

As was the case under the last administration, of which the Right Honourable Lady was a member, the monthly average HQ building occupancy percentage statistics are based on the percentage of employees working in a departmental HQ building compared to its capacity.

Guidance on ministers’ and special advisers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK.

Ministers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf

Special Advisers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66041202e8c4420011220347/2024_04_02-Special-Advisers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf

The Civil Service Commission (CSC) requires that departments provide a quarterly return on their use of Exceptions at SCS2 and above. This information can be found on the CSC website.

Details of appointments below SCS2 are not published.

As was the case under previous administrations, in order to ensure effective oversight and scrutiny of public bodies central to delivering government objectives, the Prime Minister's Office is consulted by the relevant departments on some appointments, as is normal practice for high profile issues.