Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many complaints concerning (a) Lord-Lieutenants, (b) Vice Lord-Lieutenants and (c) Deputy Lieutenants have been received under the new Cabinet Office procedure since its introduction; and what the outcomes of those complaints have been.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There have been no complaints since the Cabinet Office guidance was updated on 7th October 2025.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what matters the Prime Minister has recused himself.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This Government has strengthened the Ministerial Code. Decisions relating to recusals are made with advice from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by staff themselves rather than the department. The Civil Service Network Policy was launched in September 2025 to ensure that networks can continue to support staff in a number of areas as well as ensuring that they support a productive working environment and their activities remain within the Civil Service Code. This will be adopted in full by the Cabinet Office.
Events are organised by staff themselves, not the department.
We are aware of the following events networks listed below, organised in 2024 & 2025.
LGBT+ Network
CO LGBT Network - Network Listening Circle, 13 May 2025
CO LGBT+ Network - Network Committee Meeting, 20 May 2025
CO LGBT+ Network - Network Listening Circle, 28 May 2025
Carers Network
Parent Carer drop in session, 04 December 2024
CO Carers Network: Virtual Coffee December, 17 December 2024
Parent Carer drop in session, January 2025 (no specific date provided)
CO Carers Network: Virtual Coffee, 21 January 2025
CO Carers Network: Virtual Coffee, February 2025 (no specific date provided)
Carer drop-in session, March 2025 (no specific date provided)
Parent Carer drop in session International Women's Day, March 2025 (no specific date provided)
Parent Carer drop in (caring for children with complex needs), 9 April 2025,
Carer Drop in session, 15 April 2025
CO Carers Network - Virtual Coffee, 20 May 2025
Parent Carer drop in (caring for children with complex needs), May, June. July, August, September, October and November 2025 (no specific date provided)
Carer Drop in session, 17 June 2025
Carer Drop in session, 15 July 2025
Carer Drop in session, 19 August 2025
Carer Drop in session, 16 September 2025
Carer Drop in session, 21 Oct 2025
Menopause Network
Menopause support group run monthly since 29 July 2024
Cabinet Office RACE network
Virtual Coffee breaks, 7th & 14th April 2025
Weekly Coffee breaks - Weekly on Mondays
Social Mobility network
Overcoming Barriers Social Mobility Workshop in Glasgow - An interactive workshop specifically addressing real barriers faced by real people, 1st June 2025
CO Disability network (ABLE)
ABLE drop in session, 21st May 2025
Faith and Belief Network (FAB)
Building bridges over troubled waters: the work of the Jewish Muslim Women’s Network Nisa-Nashim, Tuesday 17 December 2024
Age Network
Civil Service pensions - an understanding, 16 Oct 2025
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether people who join the Senior Civil Service are required or recommended to attend workshops run by the Parliamentary Capability Team; and, if attendance is recommended, what proportion of those joining the Senior Civil Service have attended those workshops since 1 September 2024.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Parliamentary Capability Team runs an ongoing programme of training and events for all Civil Servants. Senior Civil Servants are encouraged to attend these, but it is not mandatory. Between 1 September 2024 and 5 November 2025, a total of 275 Senior Civil Servants have attended events arranged by the Parliamentary Capability Team. Data is not held on when those attendees started working at Senior Civil Servant level.
Nov. 17 2025
Source Page: New members appointed to Infected Blood Memorial CommitteeAsked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff in his Department (a) did not retain employment following the completion of their probationary period and (b) had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office’s probation policy and guidance advises managers on the steps to take to assess a new employee’s suitability for the post and to provide support to enable them to succeed. It also advises on the steps to take where performance, attendance or conduct are not satisfactory. This can include exiting the employee or extending their probation to provide further evidence for a final decision on their suitability.
In Cabinet Office, data on staff who are discharged from their probation is collated centrally, however information on those who have had their probationary period extended in each of the last five years is not held.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its main Whitehall building.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office’s main Whitehall building, 70 Whitehall, has 39 single sex cubicles, 14 urinals and 14 non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). This is in addition to 14 wheelchair accessible toilets.
70 Whitehall does not have any gender neutral toilets (i.e. toilets where users, of any gender, share a single space containing toilet cubicles, urinal facilities and shared hand washing facilities).
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff left his Department by grade in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Information on the number of civil servants leaving each government department and organisation by responsibility level for the years 2021 to 2025 is published annually through the ‘Civil Service data browser’ as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Information can be accessed through the Civil Service data browser for 2021 through 2025 at the following web address:
https://civil-service-statistics.jdac.service.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what support his Department is providing to members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme that have experienced financial hardship following the time taken to implement the McCloud remedy.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (often referred to as the 'McCloud remedy'), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
The Government is committed to implementing the remedy as quickly as possible, and the scheme administrator (MyCSP) has established processes to manage the implementation and support members in line with the scheme's formal governance and service standards. This support will continue once Capita takes over the scheme administration in December 2025.
Since October 2023 all members starting to receive their pension for the first time have been given their 2015 election options prior to their pension being put into payment.
From the Remedy group, there are just 70k members remaining (from the original 430k) requiring the issuing of a Remediable Service Statement. This will enable the member to either continue with their current benefits or opt for the alternative. It is important to note that all impacted members in receipt of a pension are already receiving benefits and that the remedy is an adjustment and the alternative scheme benefits will not automatically provide a member with a higher pension and lump sum. Where it does and the member makes an alternative scheme election, the difference between what has been paid and what is due, will be backdated to the original payment date and paid to the member inclusive of interest.