Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has recused himself on matters relating to the regulation and taxation of landlords.

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. Any relevant ministerial interests are published in the quarterly ‘List of Ministers’ Interests’. All tax decisions are taken by the Chancellor.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what funding has been allocated to programmes relating to the UKs relationship with Europe in the (a) 2026-7, (b) 2028-9 and (c) 2029-30 financial years.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The European Union is the UK’s largest trading partner, and cooperation with our European partners is – among other issues – central to the Government’s work on trade, security, illegal migration, development and climate change, not to mention our support for Ukraine. In order to obtain an answer, the Hon Member may therefore wish to be more specific about the aspects of the UK’s relationship with Europe that he has in mind.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January to Question 100339 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, on what date was the invoice paid; and what is the transaction number for its entry in gov.uk transparency data.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The indicative cost of these works was up to £80,000, as was reported at the time of undertaking the work. The final cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Tim Allan has been recused on matters relating to (a) Sanctuary Counsel and (b) Thorndon Partners and (c) their clients.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Before joining the government, Mr Allan sought and received advice on his interests. He has followed every element of the advice received.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

For the last financial year, the total cost to the Cabinet Office of payments associated with settlement agreements is set out in Annual Report and Accounts. Please find attached link here

Figures for 2025/26 are not yet available as the analysis has not been conducted and the figures have not been audited. These will be published in the department's 2025/26 Annual Report and Accounts in September 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost will be to the public purse of delivering the National Leadership Forum 2026 including venue costs, external speakers, staffing costs and preparatory work.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The cost of the National Leadership Forum 2026 event has not been finalised. The event is in early design stages, and decisions have not been taken on the venues, speakers, and other costs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the title is of the Senior Responsible Owner leading on the (a) Home Defence Programme and (b) Resilience Action Plan.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Resilience Action Plan and Home Defence Programme are led by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security. Ministerial oversight is provided by the Security Minister.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what part of his Department is leading on the Home Defence programme.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Resilience Action Plan and Home Defence Programme are led by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security. Ministerial oversight is provided by the Security Minister.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, following the decision to disband the Resilience directorate in the Cabinet Office, who is responsible for implementing the Resilience Action Plan.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The COBR Directorate in the Cabinet Office is responsible for the coordination of resilience, civil contingencies planning, and crisis management across the system.

This brings together the former Resilience Directorate and the former COBR Unit, which will ensure that all phases of the crisis management cycle report to a single Director and is in line with the Cabinet Office vision for a specialist, smaller and more strategic centre.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value of a) grants and b) other forms of financial assistance to charities working in the immigration sector was in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government publishes data on grant funding annually in the Government grants register on gov.uk.

Grant funding for the period 2023/24 is publicly available. Grants funding data for 2024/25 will be published in March 2026. Grants funding data for 2025/26 is scheduled for publication in March 2027.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department about the potential impact of the extension of the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain on the success of the Child Poverty Strategy.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024.

Responsibility for the Child Poverty Strategy lies with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Secretary of State for Education, as co-chairs of the Child Poverty Taskforce.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025, to Question 93377, on Civil Service: Unpaid Work, who determines the main household earner in the case of an applicant with two different families where the parents have divorced or separated.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

We use an applicant’s response to determine socio-economic background, including the occupation of the ‘main household earner’ when the applicant was 14 years old. This is in line with the guidance from the ONS and Social Mobility Commission.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the total cost of facility time in the latest period for which reporting is available, across all organisations, broken down by organisation, where that cost is paid by the public purse.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The most recent public-sector trade union facility time data, broken down by organisation, for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 is published here on .gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the VIP International Flights privacy notice, published 2 January, whether the Cabinet Office holds information on the (1) number, (2) cost and (3) destination of VIP flights for (a) the Prime Minister, (b) Cabinet Office Ministers and (c) other Ministers.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Government is committed to transparency regarding official travel. Information relating to relevant ministerial travel is published on a quarterly basis and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications#2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants FTE work on the Home Defence Programme within the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Home Defence Programme (HDP) is led by the COBR Directorate in the Cabinet Office. COBR is responsible for coordinating preparedness and response to a range of risks facing the UK, including potential hostilities affecting the UK. For national security reasons, the government does not routinely comment publicly on the size of such teams.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the total expected value is of the media strategy, planning, and buying contract awarded to WPP Media; and what estimated cost savings will result from reducing the number of suppliers under the new agreement.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

WPP Media has been awarded a place on Lot 1 of the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) RM6364 Media and Creative Services agreement.

The agreement, managed by CCS, will play an important role in ensuring that the UK public receives clear, accurate, and authoritative information from the government. By uniting media planning and buying under a single agency, the government will streamline its work to reach target audiences more effectively across diverse platforms. This consolidation is designed to drive value, improve operational efficiency, and ensure more effective media buying for every pound of public money spent.

Spend and related savings will be determined by individual public sector bodies based on their specific requirements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 97 of the Government's document entitled Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, updated on 23 December 2025, when the new guidance to aid local authorities in their understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds will be issued.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy, Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty, was published on 5 December 2025. It sets out the steps this Government will take to reduce child poverty and to reverse the trend from 2010-2024.

The new guidance document designed to assist local authorities’ understanding of their statutory duties and interaction with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) will be published in the Spring.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what performance indicators will be used to evaluate WPP Media’s provision of media planning and buying services across Government; and how often performance will be reviewed.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Crown Commercial Service reviews framework-level performance on a quarterly basis, including pricing commitments, financial transparency, social value delivery, and client satisfaction.

Individual departments are responsible for managing day-to-day performance and specific service-level agreements for their own call-off contracts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to respond to correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot dated 16 December 2025 on an FOI relating to a request to search for and provide copies of documents then held by the private office of the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson relating to a meeting with Peter Thiel on 28 August 2019.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Cabinet Office responded to the hon. Member’s request on 8 January 2026, within the statutory time limit.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of UK students who will access the Erasmus scheme in 2027-28, 2028-29 and 2029-30.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

We have now concluded negotiations with the European Commission on association to Erasmus+ in 2027. Our commitment covers the 2027/28 academic year.

We will now work closely with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up, particularly among disadvantaged groups. We expect that over 100,000 people could benefit from mobility and partnership opportunities from Erasmus+ participation in 2027-28.

Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework will need to be agreed in the future, and be based on a fair and balanced contribution.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the unemployment rate of spouses of uniformed personnel in the armed forces.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2nd of January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what data his Department holds on the number of pubs that have closed in each of the last 5 years.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2nd of January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many a) Government Departments and b) arms length bodies are registered to sponsor visas.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold any data on public sector entities that are licensed to sponsor visas. A precise list of organisations licensed to sponsor workers on the Worker and Temporary Worker immigration routes can be found by searching the government’s register of licensed sponsors on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2025 to written question 81547, what proportion of those are aged 22 or over.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

In line with Civil Service reporting, age specific data was collected in age brackets so it’s not possible to confirm the proportion that were aged 22 or over. However, we can confirm 85% of 1,635 Level 7 apprentices across the Civil Service noted in the answer of 21 October 2025 to written question 81547 were aged 25 or above.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025, to Question 91376, and of 23 December 2025, to Question 99834, on Government Hospitality: Wines, and to the answer of 30 January 2025, to Question 26019, on Written Questions, if he will provide a relevant hyperlink to the transparency data for spending on Berry Bros since 4 July 2024 for (a) non-GPC transactions under £25,000 and (b) GPC transactions under £500, or otherwise place unpublished spending data in the Library.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Transparency publications are available and searchable here: https://www.gov.uk/government/government-efficiency-transparency-and-accountability

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) gifts and (b) hospitality he has received in a Ministerial capacity by Lord Alli have been (i) returned and (ii) refunded since July 2024.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 26 November 2025, Official Report, PQ 92005.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 December to Question 100721 on Boris Johnson and Peter Thiel, whether there is any (a) physical and (b) other form of record of the meeting between Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Mr Peter Thiel on 28 August 2019.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The meeting is listed in Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s diary, a hard copy of which is held by the Cabinet Office. This is the only physical record of the meeting that has been located.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has conducted internal analysis of the potential causes of recent trends in levels of public approval of the Government.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Listing the endless ways the government engages with the public and assesses its relationship with the public would be fruitless, since that is a basic principle behind everything the government does.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of trends in the level of public confidence in the Government since the General Election.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Listing the endless ways the government engages with the public and assesses its relationship with the public would be fruitless, since that is a basic principle behind everything the government does.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what metrics his Department uses to assess the level of public support for the Government’s policy programme.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Listing the endless ways the government engages with the public and assesses its relationship with the public would be fruitless, since that is a basic principle behind everything the government does.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on April 21 2026.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

It is right that as a country we reflect on Queen Elizabeth II’s legacy to mark her centenary on 21 April 2026. For more than 70 years, she was our greatest public servant, an anchor of stability in an ever-changing and often uncertain world.

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee was appointed by the Government and Royal Household to develop recommendations for the national commemoration of Queen Elizabeth, including a national memorial in St James’s Park, London and a UK-wide legacy programme.

The Committee will announce the final design for the national memorial alongside plans for the legacy programme on 21 April 2026, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s birth. More information about this announcement and associated events will be shared in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Dale Vince was invited to receptions at Downing Street in (a) November and (b) December 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of cyber attacks there have been on infrastructure in the last three years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Cyber attacks against the UK are increasing in scale and impact. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) categorises cyber incidents that have a substantial impact on the national security, the economy, or critical infrastructure as ‘nationally significant incidents’. In the 12 months to August 2023, 62 nationally significant incidents were recorded. This increased to 89 in 2024, and further rose to 204 in 2025. NCSC’s Annual Review provides further information on cyber incidents and trends.

On improving the cyber security of national infrastructure, I refer to my answer for UIN 906730, debated on 4 December 2025. The Government is committed to strengthening cyber security across the UK. The recently introduced Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services on which companies rely are secure.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to improve cyber security infrastructure.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Cyber attacks against the UK are increasing in scale and impact. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) categorises cyber incidents that have a substantial impact on the national security, the economy, or critical infrastructure as ‘nationally significant incidents’. In the 12 months to August 2023, 62 nationally significant incidents were recorded. This increased to 89 in 2024, and further rose to 204 in 2025. NCSC’s Annual Review provides further information on cyber incidents and trends.

On improving the cyber security of national infrastructure, I refer to my answer for UIN 906730, debated on 4 December 2025. The Government is committed to strengthening cyber security across the UK. The recently introduced Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services on which companies rely are secure.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the level of foreign state influence on UK political activity in the period surrounding the 2016 EU Referendum.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government takes issues of foreign interference or attempts to intervene in democratic processes very seriously.

Successive governments have not seen any evidence of successful foreign interference in the European Union referendum. The Electoral Commission’s report published in September 2016 on the referendum stated that the poll was delivered without any major issues and there was a clear and timely final result.

However, we recognise the enduring and significant threat that Russia poses to UK democracy and remain committed to defending the UK from all forms of foreign interference.

The Government’s Defending Democracy Taskforce regularly engages and works with devolved governments and parliaments on threats facing our democracy including foreign interference. The taskforce will be used to coordinate the delivery of the Government’s Counter Political Interference and Espionage Action Plan. This action plan will deliver a protective security campaign to support those at risk to recognise, resist and report attempts of foreign interference, strengthen existing legislation to mitigate the threat, and coordinate action to disrupt the use of proxy actors.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and I commissioned an independent review on 16 January into foreign financial interference in UK politics. This review will assess finance and bribery rules and how to reduce risk of foreign interference, building on new rules set out in the Elections Strategy announced in July 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which projects in Nigeria (a) receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund and (b) have ceased to receive funding from the Integrated Security Fund in the previous five financial years.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Since 1 April 2024 the cross-government Integrated Security Fund (ISF), and the previous Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) have funded projects in Nigeria led by several government departments.

The CSSF and ISF has funded projects supporting Nigeria’s security and resilience in line with our priorities identified through the UK–Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership Dialogue. This has included projects dedicated to security sector reform to better meet the security needs of communities in vulnerable areas, strengthen accountability, improve the inclusion of women and girls to advance peacebuilding efforts and improve regional and inter-agency coordination. The ISF also funds projects which improve Nigeria’s capability to counter terrorism, serious and organised crime and illicit finance which directly threaten the UK and our interests. Historically the CSSF and ISF have funded projects to enhance Nigeria’s cyber resilience and reduce the upstream drivers of illicit migration to the UK.

The ISF is an agile fund, which directs its funding towards projects focused on tackling the top national security threats to the UK, and therefore ceases funding projects which have achieved their objectives, or when funding can be better directed to address more pressing threats.

The Hon Member can find further details on Overseas Development Aid (ODA) programmes supported in Nigeria on the GOV.UK Development Tracker (https://devtracker.fcdo.gov.uk/).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve coordination between Government departments in the delivery of policy.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Prime Minister announced a number of changes to Cabinet committees in November to ensure decision-making structures are best able to deliver the Government’s priorities. The list of Cabinet committees can be found online here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Cabinet-level decision-making structures in delivering the Government’s priorities.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Prime Minister announced a number of changes to Cabinet committees in November to ensure decision-making structures are best able to deliver the Government’s priorities. The list of Cabinet committees can be found online here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to seek reciprocal visa-waiver arrangements with the EU and its member states.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

HMG officials and Ministers, including myself, regularly engage the EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The UK and the EU allow for visa-free, short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals.

The UK allows EU citizens visa-free travel for up to six months; the EU allows for visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period which is standard for third nationals travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate his Department has made of the number of premature deaths in (i) England and (ii) the UK attributable to (a) smoking, (b) air pollution, (c) alcoholism and (d) obesity in the last 12 months.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 5th of January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has a policy on access to (a) diary and (b) private secretaries for senior civil servants.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

It is up to each department to make their own policy. No such policy exists within the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

This data would be difficult to present, due to there being no definition of an in grade promotion and limited data on staff who go on promotion to another department. Collation and presentation of this data would require significant manual work and data linking across departments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings Varun Chandra has had with external organisations excluding senior media executives since his appointment.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

In line with longstanding process, relevant meetings are declared in the Special Advisor transparency publications.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

All CO staff members (in scope) are allocated a performance marking at both the mid (Oct) and end of year (April) points of the performance year as part of their performance reviews.

The below table sets out what proportion of staff in each grade were awarded an Exceeding marking for the 24/25 end of year process.

This data covers all performance markings which have been uploaded onto our central system (SOP).

The data will not include all agencies as many have their own dedicated systems to record this information and are not subject to the CO performance processes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77563,on Palantir, why the visit to the offices of Palantir Technologies in Washington with Lord Mandelson on 27 February 2025 was out of scope of the Prime Minister's transparency return of the publication Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP meetings, January to March 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 13 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 77563.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of retired civil servants that have been required to repay overpaid pension benefits due to administrative errors made by civil service pension providers in the last ten years; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of these instances on the people affected.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme is the responsibility of the Cabinet Office. While the scheme does not publicly report overpayments due to administrator errors, in the last ten years overpayments caused solely by ‘administrative errors’, resulted in a total of 381.

The scheme follows the HM Treasury guidance on “Managing Public Money” which requires the scheme, where possible, to recover any money that a member is not entitled to. Recognising that recovery of overpayments may cause distress we work closely with individual members to ensure that payment recovery plans are affordable, take account of hardship and minimise the impact for the member both in terms of finances and wellbeing. This usually includes setting payment plans to recover monies owed over a reasonable period of time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from conditions related to obesity in England in each year since 2021.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 6th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people died from alcoholism in England in each year since 2021.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 6th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, following the closure of Voluntary Repayment of COVID-19 Funding, if he will publish full data on which companies took Covid support, and which companies subsequently made repayments.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The details of many companies who received certain forms of Covid support have previously been published. However, the government does not intend to publish full data on the recipients of support across every Covid scheme.

Whether companies made repayment of Covid support, either through the Voluntary Repayment Scheme or through other means, will also remain confidential. We do not want to discourage repayment. Voluntary repayment does not necessarily indicate fraud.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths there were from cardiovascular causes in (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (j) England in each year since 2021 for which figures are available.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 6th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that digital identity would only be made a condition of access to employment, public services, or social security with Parliamentary approval.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Where legislation is required, Parliament will scrutinise this in the usual way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the number of pubs facing closure.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2nd January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how migration data is shared with the Office for National Statistics to inform population estimates.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of population estimates derived from the 2021 Census.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2025, to Question 100331, on Ministers: Official Cars, what is the estimated, non-granular aggregate expenditure by the Government Car Service on official cars for civil servants in the last 12 months.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles. GCS does not invoice separately for ministerial or civil servant use.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Our management section of the Cabinet Office website and further to his Department's document entitled Special advisers: code of conduct, updated on 6 November 2024, for what reason Jonathan Powell is listed in the management section.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The National Security Adviser sets direction – on behalf of the Prime Minister – for national security and foreign policy in the National Security Secretariat. Some leadership and corporate responsibilities – such as the line management of civil servants, accounting or matters affecting a civil servant’s career such as recruitment, promotion, reward and discipline – are not carried out by the National Security Adviser.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) terms of reference and (b) membership of the Undersea Infrastructure Security Oversight Board.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Undersea Infrastructure Security Oversight Board provides a joined-up function and sets strategic direction across government on undersea infrastructure security.

The core membership includes key government stakeholders with an interest in undersea infrastructure security. This includes representation from DSIT, DESNZ, MOD, Defra, DFT, Home Office, Royal Navy and others as required. It is chaired and convened by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Undersea Infrastructure Security (UIS) Oversight Board report to ministers in (a) his department, and (b) other government departments.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The senior official-level Undersea Infrastructure Security Oversight Board will escalate issues to Cabinet Office ministers and the National Security Council as required.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, of 30 October 2025, if he will establish a due-diligence process to ensure that ISF programmes scored as principal for gender equality are not used to advance ideological objectives.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Integrated Security Fund delivers programmes which align to UK national security and resilience priorities. Programmes promote gender equality where it is relevant and appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 100730, whether electronic messages held in the Private Office of the then Prime Minister on 28 August 2019 would ordinarily have been assigned subject classifications for meetings with external individuals.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The guidance in place in August 2019 has been published by the National Archives: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/popapersguidance2009.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 100332 on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, what was the source of the political activity data for 2024-25 contained within the 2024-25 annual report of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, page 41, published on 17 December 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Political activity information is collected from candidates as part of the public appointments digital service’s online application process. This was the source of the Commissioner’s data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the publication entitled Ministers' overseas travel and meetings: Publication Guidance, January 2025, and the paragraph 1(a) guidance on foreign meetings, whether a meeting with a foreign government with an external organisation would require the publication as attendees of (a) the name of the foreign government and the name of the external organisation or (b) just the name of the external organisation.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The same Publication Guidance the Hon Member quotes makes clear that in such scenarios, "the meeting should be declared including the names of these [external] organisations or individuals only”.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Total spend with our media buying and planning agency for the last three financial years is as follows:

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99828 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, what is the campaign or topic associated with (a) Government Digital and Data and (b) Great Futures.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Government Digital and Data is related to recruitment, and Great Futures forms part of the wider GREAT campaign which encourages international audiences to visit, study and do business with the UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 73325, on Armed Forces: Conferences, if he will place in the Library the equivalent Cabinet Office guidance for officials on contact with the media.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There are currently no plans to publish this guidance as the area remains subject to ongoing policy development.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) social media and (b) other media subscriptions his Department has paid for in the last 12 months.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Subscriptions are delegated to team level and not managed departmentally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates his Department has received Freedom of Information requests relating to the Downing Street flats since 4 July 2024; what information was requested; and what the substantive decision was in each case.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Requests made under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act (2000) are handled on a case by case basis. The relevant records are not structured in such a way that would provide an answer without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99825, on Tom Kibasi, whether he served the full two month secondment in Downing Street.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 2 January 2026, Official Report, PQ 99825.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that goods produced through forced labour are not purchased within the framework of government contracts.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Abhorrent practices such as forced labour and modern slavery have no place in government contracts or in wider society. This Government is determined to stamp this out.

The Procurement Act 2023 provides contracting authorities with stronger powers to exclude suppliers from public procurements where there is compelling evidence of modern slavery within their supply chains.

In February 2025, the Government updated Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 009 ‘Tackling Modern Slavery in Government Supply Chains’, advocating a risk based approach to identifying and managing modern slavery risks, and encourages departments to conduct due diligence using a range of tools, such as the Modern Slavery Assessment Tool (MSAT), and approaches to support decision making.

The MSAT is a modern slavery risk identification and management tool. This tool has been designed to help public sector organisations work in partnership with suppliers to improve protections and reduce the risk of exploitation of workers in their supply chains.

This government has also made the Anti-Slavery Risk Tiering Tool (ARTT) available for public sector buyers in October 2025. This tool enables faster risk assessments and clear next steps to mitigate modern slavery risks across the commercial lifecycle.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 2 January (HL13204), whether they expect the overall Civil Service headcount to decrease, stay the same, or increase between this year and 2030.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Departments are developing plans on the size and shape of their workforces as per the financial settlements that were agreed with HMT in the Spending Review and the priorities set by Ministers, including those set out in the Autumn Budget. These plans will take a whole workforce approach based on the cost of civil servants, Contingent Labour, Consultancy and Managed Services.

At an overall Civil Service level, we have set out plans to reduce back office costs by 16% over the next five years, delivering savings of over £2.2 billion a year by 2030 and targeting spending on front line services. The Civil Service is committed to publishing a Civil Service Strategic Workforce Plan this year, which will confirm more details about the plans for our workforce.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 2 January (HL13132), whether the arm's length bodies (ALB) review described as "recently completed" in paragraph 2.84 of the November 2025 Budget is a separate review to the one described as ongoing in this answer; and whether the decision to close NHS England, announced on 13 March 2025, was a result of either of these ALB reviews.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The reference in paragraph 2.84 of the November 2025 Budget refers to the arm's length body review that was launched on 6 April 2025. That review is ongoing. The decision to close NHS England, announced on 13 March 2025, predates the launch of the arm's length bodies (ALB) review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90240, on Cabinet Office: Secondment, if he will list the names of the organisations that have had Civil Servants seconded to them since July 2024, according to records centrally held through the secondments data commission.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service has seconded staff in from private, public and voluntary sector organisations and has also seconded staff out. Secondments remain a key route to utilising essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from within and outside the Civil Service to share critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.

The secondments data commission provides insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to improve the amount, detail and quality of the data available including names of organisations individuals have been seconded from or to, where this information is available. The limited number of records/ data sets can impact third party organisations and makes the data personally identifiable information, and therefore it will not be possible to publish this data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what datasets the Office for National Statistics collates and holds of the size of the population, and population growth, by religion, faith or belief, other than from the Census.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90240, on Cabinet Office: Secondment, if he will list the names of the organisations that have seconded staff into central government since July 2024, according to records centrally held through the secondments data commission.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service has seconded staff in from private, public and voluntary sector organisations and has also seconded staff out. Secondments remain a key route to utilising essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from within and outside the Civil Service to share critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.

The secondments data commission provides insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to improve the amount, detail and quality of the data available including names of organisations individuals have been seconded from or to, where this information is available. The limited number of records/ data sets can impact third party organisations and makes the data personally identifiable information, and therefore it will not be possible to publish this data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2025, to Question 65368, on Empty Property, how many dwellings are owned or managed by the Government Property Agency which are currently empty.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

There are currently 13 vacant properties within the Government Property Agency’s managed portfolio. This total includes sites that are in the process of being disposed of or have been vacated to facilitate ongoing refurbishment work with the aim to improve the overall condition and efficiency of the managed estate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender in full.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 8th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90245, on Admiralty House: Official Residences, which civil servants, and from which business unit, are allowed to stay in the Admiralty House official residences.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 20 November 2025, Official Report, PQ 90245.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when discussions with the European Union about UK participation in the Erasmus+ programme beyond 2028 will commence.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The UK and European Commission have reached an agreement in principle for the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. The Government’s immediate focus is to work to maximise take-up across all sectors so that the benefits of Erasmus+ association in 2027 can be fully realised.

Going forward, any continued UK participation in Erasmus+ under the next Multiannual Financial Framework will be informed by our experience of association in 2027 and will be based on a fair and balanced contribution. Discussions on any future association would commence closer to the time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason why the public statement on 6 January about the appointment of Axel Heitmueller as Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and Expert Adviser on Delivery does not include his (1) remuneration, or (2) expected end date, in line with paragraph 21 of Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, published October 2025.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

This information was published by the government on the new Direct Ministerial Appointments Announcements Portal.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what correspondence the Government has had with the Information Commissioner's Office on the data sharing pilot between HMRC and the Home Office.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In October 2025, the ICO Review Board observer submitted an inquiry to the DEA Secretariat regarding a news article pertaining to a data sharing arrangement between HMRC and the Home Office.

The DEA Secretariat subsequently contacted HMRC, who forwarded it to the ICO observer.

The minutes from the DEA Debt and Fraud Review Boards are also routinely published on GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the guidance entitled National Fraud Initiative: public-sector data specifications, updated on 11 November 2025, whether the council tax data matching will include the second homes council tax premium, where single person discount is not being claimed.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The National Fraud Initiative (NFI), as part of the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA), works closely with local authorities to help them identify and prevent fraud.

As part of this, the NFI is currently collaborating with local authorities to understand the fraud risks related to council tax second home premiums.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration has been made of requiring Digital ID to sign into social media accounts.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK, including on the possible range of uses of the digital credential.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 November 2025, to Question 84476, on Proof of Identity: Digital Technology, what the wider policy and guidance from the Cabinet Office is on whether departments should consider written consultation responses from individuals or organisations who are subject to a policy of non-engagement.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Cabinet Office has published consultation principles which set out how consultations should be conducted.

They are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consultation-principles-guidance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95883, on Visitor Levy, whether the Office for National Statistics intends to classify the overnight visitor levy as a tax for statistical purposes.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Rt. hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025, to Question, 90238, on Government Communications Service: Staff, if he will publish the number of (a) headcount and (b) FTE Government Communication Service staff in each government department, central public body and Arm’s Length Body, including NHS, according to information collated in the most recent Government Communications Service audit; and what are the aggregate figures.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Please see the table below that contains the full-time equivalent figures for departments. These figures incorporate the ALBs, which are grouped under their respective sponsoring organisations.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 100334 on Public Appointments: Social Class, and the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report of 2024-25 published in December 2025, on what date in 2024-25 did the Cabinet Office start to ask applicants for public appointments of their social class; and his Department provides guidance; and whether it is compulsory for applicants to provide this data.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Socio-economic background questions were added to the application process on the public appointments digital service in May 2024. All candidates are required to provide a response to these questions as part of their application, but they can state ‘prefer not to say’ if they wish. Guidance on completing diversity questions, including socio-economic background, is provided to candidates via the digital service.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99528 on Ministers: Corporate Hospitality and Official Gifts, whether Ministers are required to inform the Cabinet Office where a gift or hospitality is accepted by a Minister and the gift is subsequently returned, refunded or repaid.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Annex A, Paragraph 8 of the Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality: Publication Guidance, available on GOV.UK, outlines the process to be followed if the status of a gift changes at a later date.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report 2024-25, published December 2025, page 17, what is the timetable for the Cabinet Office publishing a Senior Independent Panel Member list.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Senior Independent Panel Member list referred to in the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report 2024-25 is not intended for public disclosure. The list, which is under development, will be an internal register available for departmental officials to access in the public appointments digital service, to support the efficient and effective running of public appointment campaigns.

The composition of an advisory assessment panel is provided in the advertisement for each campaign, including the Senior Independent Panel Member.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99536 on Ministers: Public Appointments, what is an internal desk note; and what legal or constitutional status do they hold.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There is no formal definition of what constitutes an internal desk note, but it is generally considered to mean a document containing internal procedural advice on the technical and policy considerations that should be taken into account by officials when implementing an area of policy. Such documents offer guidance on good practice, sometimes in interpreting legislative responsibilities, but do not in themselves hold any legal status.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99531, on Government Departments: Advertising, how much has been spent on (a) digital, (b) out of home, (c) press, (d) radio and (e) television since July 2024.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The total spend figures across central departments since July 2024 is £214,900,056.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2025, to Question 65368, on Empty Property, what records does the Office of Government Property’s Insite database hold on the number of (a) residential and (b) non-residential public sector properties which are vacant or empty.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Office of Government Property’s InSite database brings together property information provided by central government departments to support oversight of the government estate.

(a) Residential properties

InSite does not hold centrally validated records on the number of residential public sector properties that are vacant or empty. Responsibility for managing residential properties, including determining and recording vacancy status, rests with the individual owning departments. The Cabinet Office therefore does not hold a central record of vacant or empty residential public sector properties.

(b) Non-residential properties

InSite holds information on non-residential public sector properties that are vacant or surplus, based on information provided by departments to support cross-government estate oversight, with coverage continuing to develop as the system matures. This includes:

• Operational use; and

• a Vacant Space dataset, which records vacant spaces within non-residential buildings that remain in operational use.

Data drawn from InSite is also published on gov.uk at https://www.data.gov. uk/dataset/a3ad62cf-d8a2-4d3b-b3c6-24c35c5e0f71/the-government-property-estate-including-buildings-and-land to ensure continued transparency. These datasets relate to non-residential property only and reflect the information provided by departments at the time of publication.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99822, on Publications: Gender, on how many occasions since July 2024 has a publication or publisher failed a SAFE assessment.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There are currently 67 publishers who have been assessed but not included in the inclusion list. It is important to note that this may not completely prohibit use for government communications. A publisher may still be utilised for relevant campaigns, provided appropriate campaign-specific guardrails are implemented to mitigate potential risks.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to Permanent secretary model employment contract, deposited in the House of Commons Library on 4 December 2025 (DEP2025-0830), whether they will place the model contract for the Senior Civil Service in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

A copy of the model contract has been placed in the House Library.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in (1) the Cabinet Office, and (2) its Executive Agencies.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

39 Civil Servants are employed through Skilled Worker visas in (1) the Cabinet Office and 0 in its (2) Executive Agencies.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Commission for Public Appointments, Annual Report, 2024-25, p.41, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full dataset on the 67 individuals who declared political activity that is held by the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department is taking steps to provide small scale flower farmers with standard industrial classification codes; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on helping to (a) track economic activity, (b) track industry trends and (c) provide information to her Department on the contributions of ecology to the economy.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 12th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on (a) formally notifying and (b) engaging with Members of Parliament during significant environmental or public safety incidents affecting their constituencies.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The government issues a range of guidance on the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, its associated regulations and wider non-statutory arrangements for civil protection. This supports local responders, which includes Local Authorities, to understand how to fulfil their duties under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies taking place in the UK, including environmental and public safety incidents.

Cabinet Office guidance, including the ‘Emergency Response and Recovery’ guidance and ‘National Resilience Standards for Local Resilience Forums’ guidance, provides information on protocols that local responders should have for ensuring appropriate political involvement in the management of emergencies, particularly in the recovery phase. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also issued ‘Local authorities’ preparedness for civil emergencies: a good practice guide for chief executives’ guidance which provides assistance to chief executives of local authorities to make sure they are well-prepared to respond and recover from emergencies. This includes the need to provide clear information to politicians on what is happening during an emergency.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2025, to Question 99534, on Census: Costs, and the letter from the Permanent Secretary of 17 December 2025, whether there is a working estimate of the potential total cost of the 2031 Census programme in England and Wales; and what statistics UKSA or ONS hold on the outturn total cost of the 2021 Census in (a) England and Wales and (b) the United Kingdom, including the delayed Scottish Census.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 6th of January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector in each month since June 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on changes in the number of pawn shops in England and Wales since 2010.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8th January is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to WPQ 69365, if he will publish a list of the changes made between the previous published version of the framework and the new version published on 16 June 2025.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

We do not routinely publish the list of changes made to the document, as the most up to date version is the one we are measuring the performance of the function against.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlement.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme are awaiting retirement quotations or commencement of pension payments beyond expected timescales.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The administration transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and the first payroll ran successfully in the same month.

At this time Capita has not provided this information to the Cabinet Office. The focus is on working with the Cabinet Office in order to resolve queries and delays and to move to a stable service as quickly as possible.

We acknowledge and recognise that there are delays and are working closely with Capita in order to move to the expected service levels as quickly as possible. This includes providing additional support to Capita, increasing staffing by c50% over and above the number that transferred from MyCSP. It is also prioritising urgent cases.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to reform public procurement.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since coming into office, this Government has published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) setting out our vision for public procurement aligned with the priorities in the Plan for Change.

To support the implementation of the NPPS in central government we introduced new measures including an updated and streamlined social value model. This includes new ‘fair work’ criteria to support our Make Work Pay agenda, and measures to support SMEs and VCSEs such as the publication of direct spend targets and regular spot-checks to enforce 30-day payment requirements.

Building on these actions, in Summer 2025, this Government consulted on further procurement reforms that aim to deliver economic growth and support local communities by driving better procurement outcomes, supporting British businesses, and creating good quality jobs. We will set out our response to the consultation in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2025, to Question HL6032, on Arms Length Bodies, whether there is an updated list of the new Arms Length bodies that have been announced since July 2024.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Since July 2024, 10 Arms Length Bodies have been announced to deliver the manifesto the Government was elected on.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what requirements Ministers have to declare details of overseas visits in government transparency returns, when meeting external organisations which are not foreign governments, when undertaking official travel overseas.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Ministers' Overseas Travel and Meetings: Publication Guidance, is available on GOV.UK

It states that departments should include official meetings with external organisations held by ministers in the course of visits, including visits overseas (generally visits on their own are not included).

Such guidance has been in place for successive administrations.

Found: education with DfE and devolved administrations;  Public-sector leadership and integrity with the Cabinet Office

Found: Establish Cross Departmental Coordination DBT could play a convening role with DWP, DHSC, the Cabinet Office

Found: Mandate a Policy Review for the Public Sector: Recommend that the Minister for the Cabinet Office and

Found: structures are fragmented and so we advocate either a coherence within a single department (Cabinet Office

Found: framework means maintaining the 11 Consultation on the NSI Act Notifiable Acquisition Regulations, Cabinet Office

Found: Current structures are fragmented and so we advocate either a coherence within a single department (Cabinet Office

Found: as a priority within that, not just by the Department for Business and Trade but also by the Cabinet Office

Found: and media policy), ● CMA (DMCCA enforcement), ● Ofcom (Online Safety Act context), ● and the Cabinet Office

Found: cross-government authority: A Minister for Small Business Digitalisation and Productivity, ideally in the Cabinet Office

Found: Cover how the Department for Business and Trade, working with DfT, Cabinet Office and the Treasury,

Found: sector pipelines, starting within 12 months. [10][15] 7.2 Regulatory service standards (Owner: Cabinet Office

Found: [3][1] HMT / Cabinet Office 8.

Found: We have the usual ministerial or Cabinet Office committees that we will use for escalation, such as

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: MyCSP administers the Scheme on behalf of the Cabinet Office under a contract that was first agreed

Found: Cabinet Office Minister Minoru Kiuchi (responsible for IP and AI strategy) announced that the government

Found: Integrate high-value datasets: Establish a central authority (e.g., within the Cabinet Office or PSFA

Found: To Cabinet Office: How will GovS 013 and the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill strengthen

Found: Cross-government assurance standard for fraud and error analytics 2.1 Scope and applicability 2.1.1 The Cabinet Office

Found: Current State of Fraud and Error in Public Spending 2.1 Scale of the Problem According to the Cabinet Office

Found: . 3 The Department for Work and Pensions is the UK’s largest public service department. 4 The Cabinet Office

Found: Nothing material has changed since the 2019 “thought paper” when the Cabinet Office estimated their

Found: piece around accountability, which is a joint effort between ourselves, the Treasury and the Cabinet Office

Found: As the Minister for the Cabinet Office stated in his speech on the 27 August, the Government will consider

Found: 2025 Advertising strategy for the campaign for The Pensions Regulator Chair: We engaged with the Cabinet Office

Found: I am copying this letter to the Minister for the Cabinet Office, the Minister of State for Care, and

Found: Committee, I am consulting you, as Chair, on the proposed selection process in line with the Cabinet Office

Found: legacy space—this goes to the recommendations of the Kenova report—my suggestion was that the Cabinet Office

Found: Government should establish a single specific team responsible for soft power, sitting in the Cabinet Office

Found: Establish a ‘Central Soft Power Unit’ in the Cabinet Office to drive implementation of Government strategy

Found: Westminster departments and teams which have a responsibility for exploiting it including The Cabinet Office

Found: of the luxury, cultural and creative sectors abroad through the GREAT campaign – based in the Cabinet Office

Found: four arms of government with regard to our international work - the FCDO, DCMS, DBT and the Cabinet Office

Found: The Cabinet Office has withdrawn its guidance on the use of Project Bank Ac- counts.

Found: The Cabinet Office has withdrawn its guidance on the use of Project Bank Accounts.

Found: The Rt Hon Nick Thomas-Symonds MP Minister for the Constitution and European Union Relations Cabinet Office

Found: managed through various other UK Government departments depending on policy area; usually the Cabinet Office

Found: - SENSITIVE OFFICIAL - SENSITIVE MoJ governance in September 2025 and subsequently received Cabinet Office

Found: should say that we are now getting good engagement on the Northern Ireland piece through the Cabinet Office

Found: School should protect British secrets, and that was done through the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office

Found: School should protect British secrets, and that was done through the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office

Found: School should protect British secrets, and that was done through the Prime Minister and the Cabinet Office

Found: you are kind enough to raise this in public, it enables me to go to my opposite numbers in the Cabinet Office

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements. We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The scope of the digital identification scheme is still in development, therefore detailed design, implementation, and operational information is not available.

The Cabinet Office will soon launch a public consultation to give everyone the opportunity to learn more and share their views.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

Digital identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this spending review period will be met within the existing spending review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Delivery of the National Digital ID scheme is currently being led by the Cabinet Office, with input from Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, the Home Office and other government departments.

The Cabinet Office, in collaboration with the Home Office and other government departments, is currently in the process of working through the policy and design decisions that will underpin the Digital ID. Whilst this activity is underway, it is not currently possible to finalise cost estimations and the impact these will have on the Home Office’s budget.

The Cabinet Office will launch a public consultation and has already started engaging key groups. The eventual total cost will also depend on the outcomes of this exercise.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals. Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements. We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Solicitor General, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Cabinet Office are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation, including the level of any contribution from the Department for Business and Trade’s budgets towards the scheme.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals. Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Written Statement of 1 December 2025 on UK–EU Relations, HCWS1114, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for UK national security of not reaching agreement on enhanced UK participation in the SAFE instrument; and what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate capability and interoperability gaps with EU partners.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The matters raised by the Rt Hon Member are primarily for the Cabinet Office who were responsible for the written statement to which her questions refer, and the Ministry of Defence who are the responsible department for defence industrial matters.

We however continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with the EU on a range of related matters - including in tackling hybrid threats - via our new Security and Defence Partnership. Our relationships through NATO of course remain the bedrock of our security and defence.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to HCWS1114 on 1 December 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of limiting UK defence industrial content to 35 per cent of SAFE-funded projects on (a) sovereign capability, (b) export competitiveness and (c) supply-chain resilience across the UK defence sector.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The matters raised by the Rt Hon Member are primarily for the Cabinet Office who were responsible for the written statement to which her questions refer, and the Ministry of Defence who are the responsible department for defence industrial matters.

We however continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with the EU on a range of related matters - including in tackling hybrid threats - via our new Security and Defence Partnership. Our relationships through NATO of course remain the bedrock of our security and defence.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Security and Defence Partnership outlined in HCWS1114 on 1 December 2025, how the Government intends to ensure that cooperation on tackling hybrid threats, supporting Ukraine, and promoting stability in the Western Balkans will be maintained and strengthened without a bilateral SAFE agreement.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The matters raised by the Rt Hon Member are primarily for the Cabinet Office who were responsible for the written statement to which her questions refer, and the Ministry of Defence who are the responsible department for defence industrial matters.

We however continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with the EU on a range of related matters - including in tackling hybrid threats - via our new Security and Defence Partnership. Our relationships through NATO of course remain the bedrock of our security and defence.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with NATO allies on ensuring that UK–EU defence cooperation, including through the Security and Defence Partnership referenced in HCWS1114 on 1 December 2025, complements NATO planning, procurement and capability development.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The matters raised by the Rt Hon Member are primarily for the Cabinet Office who were responsible for the written statement to which her questions refer, and the Ministry of Defence who are the responsible department for defence industrial matters.

We however continue to deepen and strengthen our cooperation with the EU on a range of related matters - including in tackling hybrid threats - via our new Security and Defence Partnership. Our relationships through NATO of course remain the bedrock of our security and defence.

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Jo Stevens - Secretary of State for Wales

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.

Answered by Samantha Dixon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.

Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements. We will draw on a shared, cross‑government approach when determining how to help meet any new funding requirements.

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 93747, on Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what the date, title, location and purpose of the cross-government event related to the public expenditure on TasteThatLove are.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

See answer to WPQ 93747. The purpose of the event was to encourage collaboration between government departments, academia and the private sector.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy to use his Best Value powers to stop local authorities boycotting or divesting in companies based in, or which trade with, Israel.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Cabinet Office Procurement Policy Note 01/16 remains in force which prohibits procurement boycotts by public authorities against Israeli firms and firms which trade with Israel, unless formal government sanctions are in place Under the Local Government Act 1999, local authorities have a statutory Best Value duty to secure continuous improvement in how they exercise their functions, having regard to economy, efficiency, and effectiveness. The Secretary of State may intervene where there is significant, systemic, and extensive failure to meet this duty, based on a holistic assessment of all relevant information. The government has published guidance for local authorities on meeting the Best Value duty and on intervention.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, for what reason employment and wage costs have increased at the Intellectual Property Office since April 2017.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is an executive agency of the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), with delegated responsibility for operational matters including salaries. Salary costs have increased since 2017 due to two main factors. Headcount has increased over this period, driven both by a sustained increase in demand for IP Services plus investment in a Transformation programme aimed at delivering better digital services to our customers and internal frontline staff. The second reason is the application of the annual pay awards. IPO complies fully with the Cabinet Office annual pay remit guidance and annual pay cases are approved by HMT through a rigorous business case process.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, for what reason wage and salary costs have increased at the Committee on Climate Change since April 2017.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Pay arrangements for the CCC’s permanent staff are governed by the Cabinet Office pay remit guidance and process. The CCC has a vital role providing independent, expert advice on reducing emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change, and staff numbers have risen to manage the increased demands from the CCC's work programme.

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2025 to Question 96800, on what dates each HS2 environmental assessment published since 4 July 2024 was published, and to provide a link to each document, in accordance with the Cabinet Office guidance on transparency.

Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)

HS2 Environmental Assessments published since 4 July 2024 are available on www.gov.uk alongside their corresponding publication dates here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-environmental-sustainability-progress-report

- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sei-reports-for-new-significant-environmental-effects-on-the-hs2-phase-one-route

- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2-2025

- https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/monitoring-the-environmental-effects-of-hs2-2024

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Government has established thresholds for dangerous weapons-related capabilities in frontier AI models.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has policy responsibility for promoting responsible AI innovation and uptake. Risks related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons (and other dangerous weapons), including defining thresholds for harm in these domains, are managed by a combination of the Home Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Defence. DSIT does not set thresholds for dangerous capabilities in risk domains owned by other departments.

The AI Security Institute (AISI), as part of DSIT, focuses on researching emerging AI risks with serious security implications, such as the potential for AI to help users develop chemical and biological weapons. AISI works with a broad range of experts and leading AI companies to understand the capabilities of advanced AI and advise on technical mitigations. AISI’s research supports other government departments in taking evidence-based action to mitigate risks whilst ensuring AI delivers on its potential for growth. AISI’s Frontier AI Trends Report, published in December 2025, outlines how frontier AI risks are expected to develop in the future.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Government has established a defined threshold of dangerous capability in frontier AI models, including capabilities relating to chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear weapons, which would trigger Government action.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has policy responsibility for promoting responsible AI innovation and uptake. Risks related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear weapons (and other dangerous weapons), including defining thresholds for harm in these domains, are managed by a combination of the Home Office, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Cabinet Office, and the Ministry of Defence. DSIT does not set thresholds for dangerous capabilities in risk domains owned by other departments.

The AI Security Institute (AISI), as part of DSIT, focuses on researching emerging AI risks with serious security implications, such as the potential for AI to help users develop chemical and biological weapons. AISI works with a broad range of experts and leading AI companies to understand the capabilities of advanced AI and advise on technical mitigations. AISI’s research supports other government departments in taking evidence-based action to mitigate risks whilst ensuring AI delivers on its potential for growth. AISI’s Frontier AI Trends Report, published in December 2025, outlines how frontier AI risks are expected to develop in the future.

Found: the Department of Health & Social Care (DHSC) and NHS England (NHSE) T o HM Treasury (HMT) T o Cabinet Office

Found: review of ALBs A cross-government review of ALBs, including those in DCMS, was launched by the Cabinet Office

Found: https://www.gov.uk/https://www.gov.uk/ guidance/contact-the-cabinet-officeguidance/contact-the-cabinet-office

Found: https://www.gov.uk/https://www.gov.uk/ guidance/contact-the-cabinet-officeguidance/contact-the-cabinet-office

Found: government to embed international education into the priorities of departments including DSIT, Cabinet Office

Found: ground ceremony today, January 16, led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, together with Cabinet Office

Found: On behalf of the United Kingdom: The UK National Security Authority, Cabinet Office

Found: InformationCommand Paper No: 1487IntroductionThis explanatory memorandum has been prepared by the Cabinet Office

Found: Location Removed 11750/10 Dame Barbara Hepworth Two Opposing Forms; Opposing Forms Deinstalled from Cabinet Office

Found: Opposing Forms; Opposing Forms

Found: Works of art removed from Cabinet Office and His Majesty’s Treasury from 4 July 2024 until 13 January

Found: Vendor 05/03/2025 Faststream - Full Cost Desnz - Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources

Found: Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources

Found: Vendor 28/02/2025 Faststream - Full Cost Desnz - Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: 2024 Recruitment Advice And Services Ics - Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources

Found: Corporate Services - Desnz - Legal Services

Found: Legal Opinion & Parliamentary Counsel Service Desnz - Corporate Services - Desnz - Legal Services Cabinet Office

Found: & Supply - Desnz - Strategy Directorate

Found: Non Procurement Spend Desnz - Energy Markets & Supply - Desnz - Strategy Directorate Cabinet Office 633037

Found: Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources

Found: 2025 Recruitment Advice And Services Ics - Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Operations

Found: Non Procurement Spend Ics - Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Operations Cabinet Office 648902 65223.9

Found: Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources

Found: 2025 Training And Development Expenditure Desnz - Corporate Services - Desnz - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources

Found: 2025 Recruitment Advice And Services Ics - Integrated Corporate Services - Ics - Human Resources Cabinet Office

Found: ANALYTICAL RESPONSE IMPROVEMENT AND SUPPORT

Found: The MAC has been administratively classified by the Cabinet Office as an independent, non- statutory,

Found: reporting methods used in MOD's Annual Report and Accounts. note 63 This table uses standard Cabinet Office

Found: Housing, Communities & Local Government PINS 01/12/2025 Specialist Technical Support People Unit CABINET OFFICE

Found:

Found: We have published our spend in line with Cabinet Office guidelines which allow for data protection of

Found: All decisions are made in accordance with the Senior Civil Service Pay Guidance issued by the Cabinet Office

Found: Altlaw Ediscovery 6252 44,916.18 Y 02/07/2025 Case Costs - Other Departmental Security Office Cabinet Office

Found: career choice and maintaining permissions for permanent recruitment from HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office

Found: career choice and maintaining permissions for permanent recruitment from HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office

Found: ground ceremony today, January 16, led by Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, together with Cabinet Office

Found: human judgement involved) and automated assisted decision-making (assisting human judgement)” (Cabinet Office

Found: Recent analyses (led by The Cabinet Office) of the chronic risks facing this country are sobering.

Found: governance requirements as the Judicial Office under Managing Public Money principles issued by the Cabinet Office

Found: There is full compliance with all Ministerial and Cabinet Office spending controls and approvals procedures

Found: Scotland and other UK Government departments will be covered by guidance to be issued by the Cabinet Office

Found: Cabinet Office Leadership ...........................................................................

Found: (b)] REDACTED [* s.38(1)(b)] REDACTED [* s.38(1)(b)] National Ocean Policy Secretariat, Cabinet Office

Found: Douglas Alexander MP Minister of State for Trade Policy and Economic Security and Minister at the Cabinet Office

Found: Paul has also held senior roles at HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office, and a local authority.

Found: forms of assessment such as psychological testing are required under standards set by the UK Cabinet Office

Found: Welsh Government and Honours Although the UK Honours process is managed by the Cabinet Office in London

Found: Recommendation 2: Cabinet Office leadership for whole-system civil emergencies in the UK.