Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025, to Question 81325, on Baroness Shafik, and further to the revised Cabinet Office guidance on Direct Ministerial Appointments of October 2025, para 21, whether the remuneration of Direct Ministerial Appointments will be published.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In the new Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, which was published on 30 October 2025, it is stated that all Direct Ministerial Appointments announcements should include “remuneration details, where such is incurred”.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 91601 on Prime Minister: Climate Change Convention, on what basis possibility is assessed in respect of publishing offsetting data.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. This takes into account a range of factors. GBNI flights are carbon offset at the end of the financial year. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website, in line with the approach of successive administrations.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the presentations given at the cross-Government special advisers meeting in November 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It would not be appropriate to publish presentations provided at internal meetings.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2025, to Question 84247, on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, what communications has the Cabinet Office had with the Commissioner for Public Appointments in relation to previous political activity, which is outside the scope of the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies but in scope of the Governance Code for Public Appointments, not being publicly declared.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Governance Code on Public Appointments covers the processes departments should follow for recruiting public appointees, whereas the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies covers the behaviour of such appointees once they are in post. The codes set out processes for the publication of political activity for successful candidates and existing public appointees respectively.
Candidates for public appointment roles are asked to declare potential conflicts of interest in their applications - and are advised to err on the side of declaring if in doubt - so that the Advisory Assessment Panel can take a view on whether any actual or perceived conflicts can be appropriately managed. These wider declarations cover a full range of interests, including financial interests, and are for assessment as part of the recruitment process, not for publication. As mentioned above, the Governance Code sets out the political activity that needs to be published.
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 page 30 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, how the cross-government charges levied by his Department’s functional business units were calculated; and for what reason income rose to £1.29 billion in 2024–25.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Departmental income has steadily risen since 2020. This reflects an increase in the uptake of the Department’s services year on year.
The Cabinet Office's functional income arises principally from the services it provides across government. Under this model, certain government functions are headquartered in the Cabinet Office and departments pay to access and use them.
For instance, the GPA provides departments and ALBs with office space across the country. They have continued to onboard properties nationally, delivering a fully integrated property management service across government.
Another primary source of income that the Department generates is in relation to the Government People Group who provides specialist human resource services to Government.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff will receive a (a) performance and (b) Christmas bonus.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Special Advisers are not entitled to bonuses. Special Adviser remuneration is included in the Annual Report on Special Advisers, published on gov.uk.
Asked by: Chris Law (Scottish National Party - Dundee Central)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Government plans to respond to the correspondence of 24 October 2025 from the hon. Member for Dundee Central.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister has sent a response to the Honourable Member.
Asked by: Luke Taylor (Liberal Democrat - Sutton and Cheam)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when will the mandatory digital ID scheme be introduced.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government’s new digital ID scheme will be rolled out by the end of this Parliament.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pubs in England have closed in each month since 4 July 2024, broken down by (a) tied pubs, (b) managed houses and (c) freehold or free-of-tie pubs.
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 gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of the 2nd December is attached.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will make it his policy to appear before the Liaison Committee before Christmas recess.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the Liaison Committee's website, which has published that the Prime Minister is due to appear before the Committee on 15 December.