Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government for what reason the Prime Minister has an active TikTok account in the light of the TikTok ban on government electronic devices.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
All Government departments must follow the Mobile Device Management policy. This directs that no third-party mobile application can be downloaded onto Government devices, unless security requirements can be met and there is a business case for doing so.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on whether Government Departments have sought advice from Labour Together on policy development.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This information is not held centrally.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the direct ministerial appointments portal will be updated to include (1) all appointments to date, and (2) the full terms of reference of appointments, including any allowances paid.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, the Cabinet Office has recently made changes to its public appointments digital platform to allow departments to record and track their data on Direct Ministerial Appointments. The Direct Ministerial Appointments announcement portal, which draws data from the digital platform and went live in December 2025, brings together public announcements for these appointments from across government. Departments should also add all existing DMAs to the portal.
Appointing ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the appointments they make and the responsibility for the publication of information about Direct Ministerial Appointments rests with individual departments. As such, all appointing ministers are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information published on the appointments that they make.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government which minister is responsible for overseeing the accuracy of the portal for direct minister appointments.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As set out in the published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, the Cabinet Office has recently made changes to its public appointments digital platform to allow departments to record and track their data on Direct Ministerial Appointments. The Direct Ministerial Appointments announcement portal, which draws data from the digital platform and went live in December 2025, brings together public announcements for these appointments from across government. Departments should also add all existing DMAs to the portal.
Appointing ministers are responsible and accountable to Parliament for the appointments they make and the responsibility for the publication of information about Direct Ministerial Appointments rests with individual departments. As such, all appointing ministers are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information published on the appointments that they make.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Consultation principles: guidance, last updated March 2018, what supplementary advice or guidance has been given by the Cabinet Office to departments on whether consultations should give any material weight to responses from organisations or individuals which are deemed extremist or otherwise, or which are subject to a policy of non-engagement under the Government’s engagement principles; and what is the Cabinet Office’s departmental policy on this.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Responsibility for decisions and due diligence around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas. It is for individual government departments to decide to use these principles, or their own due diligence processes around engagement.
I refer the Noble Lady to PQ HC105789:
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he will take steps to prevent organisations with which the Government has a policy of non-engagement from submitting written evidence to (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) public consultations.
Answer: The government does not and will not engage with organisations with whom they have a policy of non-engagement.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will take steps to (a) review all existing contract with Palantir and (b) suspend any further engagement with company until the investigations into Peter Mandelson are completed.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
All contracts for any firm go through rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers. Contracts procured by Government departments are done so in line with procurement law. This was the case with all contracts to Palantir.
We utilise a range of suppliers based on operational requirements, value for money, and compliance with our security and legal obligations, with all suppliers subject to rigorous due diligence. There are robust processes in place to ensure government contracts are awarded fairly and transparently.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if his Department will review the suitability of UK Government contracts with Palantir.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
All contracts for any firm go through rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers. Contracts procured by Government departments are done so in line with procurement law. This was the case with all contracts to Palantir.
We utilise a range of suppliers based on operational requirements, value for money, and compliance with our security and legal obligations, with all suppliers subject to rigorous due diligence. There are robust processes in place to ensure government contracts are awarded fairly and transparently.
Mar. 18 2026
Source Page: UK Public Preparedness Survey 2025: Sociodemographic Analyses