Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the proportion of tyres procured in the last 12 months for (a) central government and (b) local government heavy vehicle fleets—including lorries, buses and refuse vehicles—were retreaded tyres; and whether the Government holds data on the volume of single-use imported tyres purchased for these fleets.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This information is not centrally held. Procurement and fleet management records are maintained by individual departments, agencies and local authorities.
Asked by: Gavin Williamson (Conservative - Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Varun Chandra has had (a) meetings, (b) correspondence and (c) formal communications with representatives of former clients of Hakluyt & Company since taking up his role as Special Adviser.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Information Commissioner decision notice of 29 October 2025, Ref IC-362303-N0J6, para 27, whether Lord Alli was on the list provided.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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.
Asked by: Euan Stainbank (Labour - Falkirk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to reduce spending on the Civil Service.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many families there were in each region in England and Wales with (a) one child, (b) two children, (c) three children, (d) four children, (e) five children, (f) six to eight children, (g) eight to 10 children and (h) more than 10 children in each year since 2019.
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 lady’s Parliamentary Question of the 2nd of December is attached.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office’s Capital Departmental Expenditure Limits (CDEL) as set out in the 2025 budget are:
£ billion (current prices) | Plans 2025-26 | Plans 2026-27 | Plans 2027-28 | Plans 2028-29 | Plans 2029-30 |
Cabinet Office | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.2 |
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.