Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the No10 press release entitled Appointment of Victoria Buhler as the Prime Minister’s Deputy Adviser on Business, Investment, and Trade and Hannah Bronwin as the Prime Minister’s Expert Adviser on Energy and Net Zero, of 2 February 2026, and and with reference to the Announcements: Direct Ministerial Appointments portal on gov.uk, what is the renumeration of Hannah Bronwin, and whether she has been seconded from a third party organisation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Details of Direct Ministerial Appointments are made available on gov.uk, alongside press releases announcing their appointments.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the No10 press release entitled Appointment of Victoria Buhler as the Prime Minister’s Deputy Adviser on Business, Investment, and Trade and Hannah Bronwin as the Prime Minister’s Expert Adviser on Energy and Net Zero, of 2 February 2026, whether each of them are (a) Tier 1 or (b) Tier 2 Direct Ministerial Appointments, as set out in the Cabinet Office guidance on direct ministerial appointments.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We do not routinely comment on individual HR matters.
Apr. 01 2026
Source Page: Spend controls frameworkApr. 01 2026
Source Page: Spend controls frameworkAsked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the new Cabinet Secretary is on a level transfer from her previous role.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service is the most senior role in the Civil service and a level transfer is not possible.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether advice on the (a) strengths and (b) weaknesses of individual appointable candidates were given to the Prime Minister by the Civil Service on the appointment of the (i) previous and (ii) current Cabinet Secretary.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer to my answer 115556, the Cabinet Manual sets out that the Cabinet Secretary is appointed directly by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister receives advice from the First Civil Service Commissioner, but is the final decision maker.
The announcement of the previous Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “this appointment was made following a full fair and open external competition, chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.”
The announcement of the current Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary. Once this process was complete, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that Dame Antonia Romeo is an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre, having run two of the largest operational departments in Government, and confirmed her track record makes her the right candidate for the role.
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 Cabinet Office news story entitled Dame Antonia Romeo appointed as first female Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service to drive change and implement the government’s agenda, published on 19 February 2026, if he will publish the recruitment process to select the Cabinet Secretary, including whether it was a open and fair competition.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer to my answer for 115556, following the departure of Sir Chris Wormald as Cabinet Secretary, the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to review recruitment practices in the public sector.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The public sector - healthcare, education, emergency services, and infrastructure - has delegated authority to determine their own recruitment needs, job roles and hires in line with organisational and industry guidelines.
With regard to the Civil Service, the Government is committed to ensuring it attracts, develops, and retains talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds. To support this, we are currently reviewing and implementing several measures.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help ensure that public services are coterminous.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to the effective delivery of public services through cross-departmental collaboration, including the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's focus on place-based approaches. The Prime Minister has established a Public Services Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister. The Committee is considering all matters related to improving the population’s experience of public services.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has approved an exit payment to the most recently departed Cabinet Secretary.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The necessary approvals were given, as set out in the Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments.