Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which catastrophic risk boards are co-chaired by his Department; what the remit is for each board; which other Government departments are involved; and how frequently they meet.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As outlined in the Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (the Amber Book), the Cabinet Office have taken a stronger and more directive role in planning for catastrophic risks. The Cabinet Office co-sponsors the planning phase of catastrophic risks with the Lead Government Department (LGD), including through co-chairing of catastrophic risk boards.
The Cabinet Office works with LGDs to agree which boards it would be appropriate to co-chair on a case by case basis. The Cabinet Office and LGDs work closely with representatives from the other relevant departments, agencies and, where appropriate, the Devolved Governments in preparing for catastrophic risks.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Government plans to (a) select and (b) appoint people to UK Resilience Academy independent panels on risk preparedness; what steps he plans to take to ensure that those panels can operate independently; and when he expects their findings to be published.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office will instruct the UK Resilience Academy to convene independently-chaired panels dedicated to reviewing specific whole-system risks. The panels will draw on leading independent experts from across sectors outside government to ensure impartial and credible assurance. Terms of Reference will underpin the panels, and a pilot study will test and refine this approach.
The Government's updates on its actions to improve resilience, including in response to the findings of the independent expert panels, will be set out in the Annual Statement to Parliament on risk and resilience.
Asked by: Johanna Baxter (Labour - Paisley and Renfrewshire South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to publish central operational response plans developed for each identified potential catastrophic risk; and whether he plans to make (a) plans and (b) summaries available to Parliament.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government published the updated Central Government Concept of Operations for Emergency Response and Recovery (the Amber Book) in April 2025 which codifies the leadership role the Cabinet Office plays for responding to catastrophic risks. The Cabinet Office also co-sponsors the planning phase of catastrophic risks with the Lead Government Department which owns the risk. Part of this planning is to develop the concept of operations for each catastrophic risk. These plans are internal and operational in nature, and there is currently no intent to publish these documents.
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 16 November 2023.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office spend approvals: October to December 2024, published 27 March 2025, what was the purpose of the spending on Great Campaigns HQ; what suppliers were contracted; and on what media channels.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Since 2011, the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Campaign has successfully encouraged an international audience to visit, trade, invest, live, work and study in the UK and has generated over £7 billion of returns to the UK economy. GREAT HQ’s activity targets cross-cutting drivers of growth. To deliver these campaigns, GREAT HQ works with several approved suppliers via government commercial frameworks, delivering mainly via targeted digital channels.
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 22 January 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a ministerial attendance list for the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet on 19 December 2023.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022
Asked by: Paul Foster (Labour - South Ribble)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Ministers attended the meeting of the Domestic and Economic Affairs Committee on 25 March 2024.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The standing membership of the Domestic and Economic Affairs committee was placed in the Parliamentary library by the previous Government on 3rd November 2022
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference his Department's transparency data entitled Government Procurement Card spend over £500 - April 2025 (Cabinet Office Core), updated on 26 June 2025, what the purpose was of the £979.20 spending with Manchester Pride.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As explained in the answer to PQ65788 on 15th July 2025 a maximum budget of £8,500 was approved for spend to support the Civil Service presence at a number of Pride events across the UK of which £7,395 has been spent. The £979.20 spend listed in the data published on 26 June 2025 related to fees for corporate participation in Manchester Pride and was part of the £7,395 spend referenced in that response to PQ65788.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of super-injunctions by the Government on the reputation of Government.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has been deeply concerned about the lack of transparency to Parliament and to the public as a result of the super-injunction about the data protection breach from February 2022 relating to the Afghan relocations and assistance policy.
As the Secretary of State for Defence stated to the House on 15 July, the super-injunction was unprecedented. The Government looks forward to engaging with any forthcoming select committee inquiries.