Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the salary outcomes, promotion rates and role progression of (a) participants in the Future Leaders Scheme and (b) civil servants who did not participate; and whether his Department has undertaken cost benefit analysis of that scheme including average time to promotion, changes in performance markings, retention rates and the financial return on investment.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A comprehensive assessment of salary outcomes, promotion rates, and role progression for Future Leaders Scheme (FLS) participants against a control group (or formal cost-benefit analysis) is not currently feasible.

Two separate evaluations are underway for the FLS: an implementation and process evaluation, and an impact evaluation. Both are due to complete in Autumn 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards’ review into Labour Together is being assisted by the Propriety and Ethics Team.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Prime Minister asked officials in the Cabinet Office to establish the facts in relation to allegations about the conduct of the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State jointly in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Cabinet Office, Josh Simons MP. Following completion of that work, the matter was referred to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. The Independent Adviser’s subsequent advice to the Prime Minister is published on gov.uk.

The Independent Adviser is independent of government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Deputy Director of the Constitution Group remains (a) on a fixed term contract and (b) with that job title.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In line with data protection obligations, the Cabinet Office cannot disclose the personal contractual arrangements of individual members of staff

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's Ministerial direction of 16 February 2026, what the value of the special severance payment was.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of any payments made to the previous Cabinet Secretary will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual report and Accounts for 2025-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's Service Level Agreement with Capita regarding the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office maintains rigorous oversight of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) administration contract with Capita. While the Department does not publish the full, granular Service Level Agreement (SLA) documents as these contain commercially sensitive metrics and proprietary service modelling information, the core requirements regarding payment accuracy, timeliness of processing, and complaint resolution are outlined within the contract’s Statement of Requirements to ensure transparency.

These standards are designed to ensure members receive a high-quality service, with financial deductions (service credits) applied should the provider fail to meet these thresholds.

Further information regarding the contract's scope and performance expectations can be found on GOV.UK Contracts Finder at the following link:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/f91f69a7-6120-4918-8220-2757e7e51ded?origin=SearchResults&p=2

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 120628, whether any Government department or agency holds documents released to the media in March 2025 in relation to the employment tribunal involving the Drax whistleblower.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold any documents released to the media in March 2025 in relation to the employment tribunal involving the Drax whistleblower. As this matter related to an employment tribunal at a private company, it is not a matter in which the Department was involved.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential security breach following the theft of the mobile phone of the former Chief Advisor to the Prime Minister, Morgan McSweeney in October 2024.

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

The Government takes matters of national security very seriously, including cyber security, and has robust procedures in place to prevent the loss of sensitive information. However the Government does not routinely comment on the specifics on matters relating to national security.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of women who are employed by companies with more than 250 employees.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95641 on Permanent Secretaries: Contracts, if he will publish the model Permanent Secretary contract in operation in 2012.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Individual permanent secretary contracts were based on the SCS model contract up until 2013. In relation to answer 88716, the permanent secretary model contract placed in the House Library has been in force since July 2013.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that net migration statistics clarify the distinction between (a) new entrants, (b) visa extensions and (c) visa category switches.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon lady Parliamentary Question of 17th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to change the law or guidance around Freedom of Information requests.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is committed to Freedom of Information (“FOI”) and continues to monitor the performance and implementation of the FOI Act to ensure it is operating as intended by Parliament.

Any changes to FOI legislation will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Cabinet Office policy is on the backup and retention of messages on official mobile devices.

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

Civil Servants and ministers are required to follow the Non-Corporate Communications Channels (NCCCs) Guidance when using WhatsApp or similar messaging systems on their mobile device. This can be found on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to uprate Freedom of Information Act cost thresholds.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The cost thresholds above which public authorities are not obliged to comply with a Freedom of Information request are set out in secondary legislation. Any changes to FOI legislation will be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of Global Counsel in helping their clients to access Government contracts.

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

Departments are responsible for making their own procurement decisions including conducting supplier due diligence and assessment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the comments of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on LBC on 22 March 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the theft of the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff’s mobile phone on national security.

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

The Government takes matters of national security very seriously, including cyber security, and has robust procedures in place to prevent the loss of sensitive information. However, the Government does not routinely comment on the specifics on matters relating to national security.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2026, to Question 120612, on Government Departments: Vetting, whether individuals joining the Civil Service are advised on giving false or misleading information in any other part of their application and vetting process.

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

Civil Servants applying for NSV Security Vetting (NSV) are advised of their responsibilities throughout the process and through the guidance published on gov.uk. This includes the need for full and complete disclosure.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance to special advisers on speaking to the police about stolen Government property.

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

Cabinet Office's Security Breach Policy requires individuals, including SpAds, to follow directions from Cabinet Office Security when there is a security breach, such as theft of Government property. As part of its standard operating procedures Cabinet Office Security will direct individuals to report any stolen Government property to the police and request a crime reference number.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Freedom of Information policy team has given guidance to departments on the use of the mosaic justification.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has not issued Freedom of Information guidance to government departments on the ‘mosaic effect’.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2026, to Question 119062, on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, what were the specific (a) Freedom of Information Act and (b) UK GDPR exemptions that were applied to exempt the information from publication.

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

Minor redactions were made to the temporarily withdrawn file, which contained references to a number of individuals, to comply with the following Freedom of Information Act exemptions: section 37(1)(a); section 37(1)(aa); section 37(1)(ab); section 40(2) and section 41.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 March 2026 to Question 121096 on Cabinet Office: Email, whether Lord Mandelson was copied into any of those emails.

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

Lord Mandelson was a copy recipient of some of the emails, one of a number of officials and advisers copied into the emails.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the comments of the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on LBC on 22 March 2026, on what date the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff reported the theft of his mobile phone to the Cabinet Secretary.

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

The former Chief of Staff’s phone was stolen, and he reported it at the time to the police and relevant teams in No10. This was before the Humble Address that was passed in February. The Government is committed to complying with the Humble Address in full, while continuing to support the Metropolitan Police with their investigation. I refer the Hon Member to the statement provided by the Metropolitan Police on 25 March and publication of the transcript confirming that the theft was reported.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government will make payments to the European Union to participate in the Youth Mobility Scheme.

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

We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. This will provide a valuable form of cultural exchange for young Brits and EU citizens with the opportunity to travel, work, study and experience other cultures.

We have agreed that any scheme will be capped, subject to a visa requirement, as well as time-limited. We have been clear that the scheme should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes, such as Australia and New Zealand, but the exact parameters are subject to ongoing negotiation. This will not include financial contributions to the European Union - that is not how youth mobility schemes operate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2026, to Question 119321, on Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information, what is the timetable of the revisions to the Honours Handbook to be completed.

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

The handbook is currently being updated. An updated version with relevant redactions will be laid in the House Library as soon as is practicable.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on locksmiths in each of the last five years.

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

The GPA note that for Cabinet Office sites (where the GPA provides services) across the years noted locksmith services cost £58.41.

The GPA does not hold information in respect of Cabinet Office locations that are contained within HMRC Hubs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the backlog of cases at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

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

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and reports directly to Parliament. The PHSO has confirmed that their unallocated queue of complaints at the end of March 2026 was 3,428.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Morgan McSweeney has been paid a severance payment, or payment in lieu of notice, following his departure as a special adviser.

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

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. The Model Contract for Special Advisers is published online and details the specific circumstances in which payments are payable.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's policy paper, EM on Level Playing Field for Open Competition (COM(2026)89), published on 24 March 2026, how will the UK panellists be selected; and whether they will be regulated public appointments.

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

The UK panellists were selected via a public expression of interest campaign, with applications scrutinised against criteria set out in [Article 409 of] the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The panellists are not public appointments, but the process for their selection was conducted in line with the same proprietary and ethics standards.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Buckinghamshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Staffordshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his expected timeline is for concluding all claims to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, including those with registered intent.

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

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) Framework Document, published in March 2025, sets out the timelines agreed between IBCA and Cabinet Office; namely for the bulk of infected people to be paid no later than the end of 2027 and the bulk of affected people to be paid no later than the end of 2029.

I have been absolutely clear that these dates should not be viewed as targets for delivery, but rather ‘backstops’. These timescales have been agreed with IBCA, to ensure that the door is kept open for those who have not yet identified themselves as being infected or affected.

The Government fully supports IBCA in its commitment to move forward as swiftly as possible, and it is a positive step that all registered infected people have now been contacted to begin their claim, and that IBCA has started the first claims from all eligible groups.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring all elected representatives and candidates to declare any meetings with foreign government representatives and agents.

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

There are no plans to introduce such a requirement. As always, security requirements are kept under continuous review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Yorkshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Newcastle-under-Lyme in each year between 2019 and 2024.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the formula and methodology used to calculate the severance payment of the former Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald.

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

Details of payments made to the former Cabinet Secretary will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts for Cabinet Office for the financial year in which the payment was made.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Berkshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Cornwall in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Essex in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Nottinghamshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Co. Tyrone in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Co. Armagh in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Derbyshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government why the severance payment to the former Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald required a Ministerial Direction but the severance payment to his predecessor Lord Case did not; and whether this was due to the amount paid.

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

Details of any payments made to the previous Cabinet Secretary will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual report and Accounts for 2025-26.

The necessary approvals were given for payments made to Sir Chris Wormald and Lord Case, as set out in the Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister intends to acknowledge receipt of, and reply to, the letter sent on 18 February by Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws and other current and former members of Parliament who have been sanctioned by the government of China.

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

The Foreign Secretary has responded to the letter on behalf of the Prime Minister. Both the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have offered meetings with the signatories to the letter.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Co. Londonderry in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Pembrokeshire in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Co. Antrim in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Co. Down in each of the last five years; and what the level of each award was.

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

Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists

The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.

Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had recent discussions with the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament on providing independent resourcing to the Committee, separate from the Cabinet Office.

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

Cabinet Office officials engage routinely and constructively with the Committee and will continue to do so. The Cabinet Office has agreed to the Committee’s requested uplift on budgeting and resourcing, which should help it to continue to undertake its critical role effectively. Cabinet Office officials are also working with the ISC to identify the best operating model for the future.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the National Security Council Sub-Committee (Resilience) has met since July 2024.

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

It is a long-established precedent that information about Cabinet and its Committees, including the discussions that have taken place, how often they have met and attendance, is not normally shared publicly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his planned timetable is for determining the spending that will count towards the 1.5% of GDP to be spent on resilience and security.

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

NATO has already agreed the definition of 1.5% as spend “to inter alia protect critical infrastructure, defend networks, ensure civil preparedness and resilience, innovate, and strengthen the defence industrial base”. Officials are currently working through proposals and plans for meeting our obligations will be set out in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 23 March (HC120374), what assessment they have made of any potential conflict of interest of Cabinet Office staff who produced briefing or advised on the due diligence regarding Lord Mandelson's appointment being involved in the selection, scoping and redaction of documentation released to Parliament for the Humble Address of 4 February; and who advises the Propriety and Constitution Group about the mitigation of any conflicts of interests about the actions of the group.

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

Staff from across the Cabinet Office including but not limited to the Public Inquiry Response Unit and the Propriety and Constitution Group are involved in compliance with the Humble Address motion as necessary, under the leadership of the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary.

As set out in the Civil Service Code, all civil servants are expected to carry out their roles with dedication and a commitment to core values of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the the State Council of the People's Republic of China's press release entitled, China's top diplomat holds talks with British prime minister's national security adviser, published on 15 July 2025, whether Jonathan Powell discussed the Chagos Islands with the Chinese Government at this meeting.

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

The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the National Security Advisor has been requested to appear in front of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy since his appointment.

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

The National Security Adviser appeared in front of the Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy in a private session in November 2025 and has offered to do so again. As the Government has said, the longstanding practice is that Special Advisers currently in post do not give public evidence to Select Committees and this is done instead by Ministers or Officials.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2026, to Question 116771, on Vetting, whether Lord Mandelson’s Developed Vetting considered his links to Jeffery Epstein.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the National Security Council Sub-Committee (Nuclear) has met since July 2024.

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

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the Summer Intelligence Internship page on sis.gov.uk, whether the requirement for applicants to be an ethnic minority, such as White Other, includes White Irish in that definition.

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

Information regarding eligibility for this scheme can be found on the SIS website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the former cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of his settlement agreement with the Cabinet Office.

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

Sir Chris Wormald has entered a settlement agreement with the Cabinet Office, and this does not include a non-disclosure agreement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the consultation entitled Making public services work for you with your digital identity, of 10 March 2026, CP1498, whether there are circumstances in which private companies would have access to individual citizen’s data for payment of a fee.

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

The new digital ID system will help to personalise and join up public services. The UK has a strong set of data protection laws that will apply to this system, and robust enforcement of those laws. We won't be watering them down for this system and there are no circumstances in which the Government will sell the public’s digital ID data to private companies.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 94697, on House of Commons Director General: Public Appointments, whether the permanent Director General of the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution Group will be publicly advertised on the public version of the Civil Service Jobs website.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The recruitment campaign is still currently in planning stages and details will be released in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 18 March 2026 to Question 119321 and of 2 June 2025 to Question 54277 on Cabinet Office: Freedom of Information, if he will place in the Library the version of the handbook released under Freedom of Information Act request reference FOI2025/05759, dated 16 May 2025.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As stated in the response to PQ 116510, the Honours Committee handbook released through this request is a version from January 2023 which is no longer accurate. The current handbook is currently being updated. An updated version with relevant redactions will be laid in the House Library as soon as is practicable.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many whistleblowing complaints were submitted by civil servants in each of the last five years.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The table below provides the total number of Whistleblowing cases raised to Civil Service organisations who responded to annual Whistleblowing (Raising a Concern) data commission.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on whether party political events held in Ministerial diaries are held for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has not issued guidance on whether party political events held in Ministerial diaries are held for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the written statement, HCWS1456, on UK Government Response to Covid-19 Inquiry Module 2 Report, of 25 March 2026, what his planned timetable is for the proposed commencement of the socio-economic duty; and whether he plans to respond to the Equality law call for evidence, published on 7 April 2025.

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

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background, can thrive. Therefore, as set out in our response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 2 report, we agree with the recommendation that commencement of the socio-economic duty could drive the routine consideration of the impact decisions might have on those most at risk in an emergency.

The Government is giving careful consideration to responses to the equality law call for evidence as we consider next steps. We will publish a summary of responses and a Government response in due course on: https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/equality-law-call-for-evidence.

The socio-economic duty will require specified public bodies to actively consider how their strategic decisions might help to reduce the inequalities of outcome associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

We are now taking forward work to make sure that commencement of the duty in England is as effective as possible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration is given to disqualifying companies fined for non compliance for paying the national minimum wage when awarding Government contracts.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Non compliance with paying the national minimum wage is unacceptable and has no place in government contracts or in wider society.

The Procurement Act 2023 provides contracting authorities with strong powers to exclude suppliers from public procurements where an exclusion ground applies, including where they have breached existing labour laws.

Where the circumstances that cause an exclusion ground to apply are continuing or likely to reoccur, contracting authorities must exclude suppliers subject to mandatory exclusion grounds.

Such grounds could include where a supplier is convicted of the offences of refusing or wilfully neglecting to pay the national minimum wage, or of failing to comply with a labour market enforcement order (which can relate to offences under the National Minimum Wage Act 1998). Where a discretionary exclusion ground applies, such as if a labour market enforcement order is made against the supplier, contracting authorities can choose whether to exclude them.

The Debarment Review Service can also carry out investigations in accordance with the Act to establish whether a supplier can be added to the debarment list.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in (1) promoting the accountability of government and public authorities, and (2) encouraging public confidence in democratic politics.

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

The Government is committed to Freedom of Information and continues to monitor the performance and implementation of the Act to ensure it is operating as intended by Parliament.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason Simon Case and Alex Chisholm were given differing exit payments.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer to 108238, as set out in the Cabinet Office accounts (page 86), the payment for the former Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case, was a severance payment, with the value calculated using the Civil Service Compensation Scheme tariff.

In answer to the second part of your question, I refer to my answer to 112182. The Business Appointment Rules for Crown Servants set out that Permanent Secretaries are required to observe a three month waiting period, and the Rules set out that it may be appropriate to pay former civil servants who are required to observe a waiting period before taking up an external role.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will respond to Question 109579 tabled on 29 January 2026.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will respond to Question 109580 tabled on 29 January 2026.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Dame Antonia Romeo appointed as first female Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service to drive change and implement the government’s agenda, of 19 February 2026, if he will publish the guidance on the new enhanced due diligence process.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are no plans to publish the guidance on the due diligence process followed during the appointment of the Cabinet Secretary.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the cost limit for freedom of information requests; and what assessment they have made of the impacts of doing so on civil liberties and press freedom.

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

The cost thresholds above which public authorities are not obliged to comply with a Freedom of Information request are set out in secondary legislation. Any changes to FOI legislation would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) No10 security team and (b) Government Security Group contacted the Metropolitan Police over the theft of the phone of the Prime Minister's chief of staff on 20 October 2025.

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

There are long established and robust processes to manage information security following the theft of No10 work devices and those processes were followed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department took to track Morgan McSweeney’s lost Government phone, including the use of cell site analysis data.

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

There are long established and robust processes to manage information security following the theft of No10 work devices and those processes were followed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question HL15096 on Labour Together, whether the Cabinet Office has a policy of non-engagement with Labour Together.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided for HL15096 which details the Government's policy on engagement with external stakeholders.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on clearing the backlog of overdue pension payments for retired civil servants.

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

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,747 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the use of public sector procurement in supporting the growth of UK-based AI companies, and (2) the impact of that procurement on the development of domestic technology capabilities.

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

As outlined in the AI Opportunities Action Plan, this Government is committed to supporting growth of the UK AI sector. This commitment is underpinned by the establishment of 5 AI Growth Zones across the UK, which provide the sovereign processing power and the required energy security for homegrown firms to scale and secure our national digital resilience.

Furthermore, the Government will publish new guidance for central government organisations procuring from the AI, steel, shipbuilding and energy infrastructure sectors regarding the appropriate use of national security exemptions. This will help to ensure we maintain sovereign supply chain resilience when it is a critical factor in supporting national security.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that organisations critical to national security and critical national infrastructure have secure and resilient digital processes and platforms.

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

The government is working tirelessly to improve the cyber resilience of our most critical services and systems, including the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure (CNI).

The Resilience Action Plan, published in July 2025, sets out a strategic ‘all hazards approach’ to building national resilience for the whole of society. The Action Plan includes specific pledges to improve cyber resilience levels of our CNI.

The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill, currently going through Parliament, will also strengthen the UK’s cyber defences and ensure that the essential and digital services that the public relies upon are more secure.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason did National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell meet with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on 23 March 2026.

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

The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, by when will his department answer question 113290, published on 12 February 2026.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer question 113304, published on 12 February 2026.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 117004, whether those provisions applied to the recent Cabinet Secretary recruitment process.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer 115556, the Cabinet Manual sets out that the Cabinet Secretary is appointed directly by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister receives advice from the First Civil Service Commissioner, but is the final decision maker.

The announcement (here) explained that “this appointment was made following a full fair and open external competition, chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.”

The announcement of the current Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary. Once this process was complete, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that Dame Antonia Romeo is an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre, having run two of the largest operational departments in Government, and confirmed her track record makes her the right candidate for the role.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's guidance on Mutually Agreed Exits.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Guidance on the use of Mutually Agreed Exits is available on the Civil Service Pensions website. This is applicable to all employers who use the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

This document, and others, are included in the CSCS Employers page on the Civil Service Pensions Scheme website here https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/employerhub/employer-responsibilities/member-support/civil-service-compensation-scheme-cscs/

The Annex 6F document is published on the CSPS website here https://www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk/annex-6f

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer written question 115846, submitted on 24 February 2026.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response has been issued here.

Found: The creation of the National Situation Centre within the Cabinet Office drew upon lessons from the Covid

Found: Expectations are not explicit nor 1 Cabinet Office (2025) UK Government Resilience Action Plan, p.17

Found: defined, individuals and organisations may be less confident to act beyond formal mandates (Cabinet Office

Found: Other communities are less able to respond, struggle with everyday life, and therefore 3 Cabinet Office

Found: Designating clear ministerial accountability for national resilience delivery, with a dedicated Cabinet Office

Found: The second role I have is that I am the Cabinet Office permanent secretary and the chief operating officer

Found: and Cooperation Agreement, including at its meeting of 4 October 2023.52 50 Q278 51 Q278 52 Cabinet Office

Found: involves pre- appointment scrutiny from a House of Commons Select Committee, as set out in the Cabinet Office

Found: Chancellor and relevant Secretary of State, advised by a panel including HM Treasury, NISTA and Cabinet Office

Found: all its regular mandatory workforce transparency requirements and data returns set out by the Cabinet Office

Found: The first operates through regulatory competition, with 1 Cabinet Office, UK-EU Summit: Common Understanding

Found: However, the decision- making authority would lie with “an independent arbitration panel” (Cabinet Office

Found: CABINET OFFICE Catherine Little CB Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet

Found: zig-zag careers, please note that national security vetting is an HMG-wide process owned by the Cabinet Office

Found: In some ways, I think whether you follow a lead Department model, or whether it is a central Cabinet Office

Found: Who in the Cabinet Office? Do you know? Sir Oliver Robbins: I don’t know for sure.

Found: Who in the Cabinet Office? Do you know? Sir Oliver Robbins: I don’t know for sure.

Found: Secretary of the Foreign Office in The Hague and Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s and Cabinet Office

Found: R7: HM Treasury and the Cabinet Office should develop cross-government guidance on establishing statutory

Found: Any government compensation schemes should be overseen by Cabinet Office led or independent commissions

Found: Letter from the Minister for the Cabinet Office to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee relating

Found: appointments, not least because we are bound by the code on public appointments, which the Cabinet Office

Found: accountability, and comprise senior officials and ministers from all relevant departments—including the Cabinet Office

Found: We are working closely with the Cabinet Office and the Intelligence and Security Committee to ensure

Found: Within the Whitehall system, the move of EU management functions back to the Cabinet Office has been

Found: References + Annex A References [1] Cabinet Office (2025) UK-EU Summit - Common Understanding.

Found: Owner: Cabinet Office. Cadence: quarterly.

Found: Sovereign AI 35 Cabinet Office, ‘Find out how algorithmic tools are used in public organisations’, Gov.uk

Found: The Cabinet Office Briefing Rooms (COBR) architecture must be permanently staffed for complex emergencies

Found: NCSR) Available at: National Consortium for Societal Resilience [UK+] | AMBS | Alliance MBS Cabinet Office

Found: ministerial response was received in April 2025 from Abena Oppong- Asare MP, Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office

Found: Some witnesses suggested that the Cabinet Office may be a more appropriate location for the Overseas

Found: Amendment) Regulations 2026 Instruments not reported 6 Annex 6 Appendix 1: Memorandum from the Cabinet Office

Found: These include Cabinet Office, HM Treasury, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the

Found: This includes mandatory Modern Slavery Risk Assessments and ongoing risk review in line with Cabinet Office

Found: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 3.8.2 Whitehall and Cabinet Office

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

Found: department intends to launch a fair and open competition, in line with the Governance Code and Cabinet Office

Found: Seema Malhotra MP Minister for Equalities Cabinet Office

Found: I asked him, speaking for the Cabinet Office, whether he thought it was acceptable.

Found: Letter from the Chair to Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for the Constitution at the Cabinet Office, Treaty

Found: In addition, the Cabinet Office provides scrutiny of UK Government response capabilities through the

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of replicating the Australian policy of permitting those non-nationals living in the United Kingdom the opportunity to apply for service in the military after one year of residency in the country.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Armed Forces already accept applications from some nationalities if they are a dual national of a permitted nationality.

Eligible applicants must be either a British Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British Overseas Territory Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen, British Protected Person, British Subject, Irish Citizen or a Citizen of a Commonwealth member country, which includes Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. This can be as a sole or dual national. The British Army also has the Brigade of Gurkhas who are from Nepal.

There is no UK residency requirement for those who are not British or Irish citizens to be eligible to apply to join the Royal Navy or the British Army, but the Royal Air Force normally require eligible candidates to have lived in the UK for between five and ten years prior to application. Members of the Armed Forces are subject to the National Security Vetting process owned by the Cabinet Office, and clearance levels depend on the rank, role and Service applied for. UK (Great Britain and Northern Ireland) residency and nationality are an integral part of that process, and each application is risk assessed. There are no current plans to change nationality or residency requirements.

Question

To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether House of Commons officials have used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting legislation in the past 12 months.

Answered by Nick Smith

Government bills are drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, which is part of the Cabinet Office, and secondary legislation is generally drafted by the relevant government department.

The House of Commons Public Bill Office (PBO) provides support to individual Members in the drafting of private Members’ bills and of amendments to bills. These are specialised tasks and a range of online resources, training and guidance is available to staff in the PBO. This includes access to Microsoft’s Copilot Chat tool, which is available to all parliamentary account holders. No record is kept of whether or when Copilot is used.

Where a draft Private Members Bill (PMB) or amendment is produced for a Member, the Member concerned ultimately takes responsibility for it by presenting or tabling it.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Defence Diplomacy Strategy, Keeping Britain Safe: secure at home and strong abroad, page 30, what are the complementary International Security Fund programmes.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

All of Defence's international security programmes are deliberately designed to be complementary, mutually supportive, and burden sharing, whether funded by the Ministry of Defence or cross-government funding, such as the Integrated Security Fund.

The Cabinet Office publishes the Integrated Security Fund's Annual Reports on the Government's website in which further details can be found.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that publicly funded electric bus procurement schemes support domestic manufacturing supply chains.

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

DBT works closely with DfT, the Cabinet Office and Crown Commercial Service to ensure publicly funded electric bus procurement supports UK manufacturing where possible, within procurement and trade rules. This includes through setting up the DfT UK Bus Manufacturing Expert Panel, the recent publication of a zero emission bus order pipeline and promoting stronger, more consistent use of social value to reflect UK jobs, skills and supply chain resilience.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made an assessment of the potential risk of interference by the US in UK elections.

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

The UK Government takes attempts by any country to intervene in democratic processes very seriously. It is, and always will be, an absolute priority to protect our democratic and electoral processes. The Government has renewed the mandate of the Defending Democracy Taskforce (DDTF), which brings together Government Ministers, representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate work to protect our democratic institutions and processes from threats, including foreign interference.

In April 2023, DDTF created the Joint Election Security and Preparedness (JESP) Unit, which sits jointly between Cabinet Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, as a permanent function dedicated to protecting UK elections and referendums and coordinating work across government to respond to issues of protective security, cyber threats and mis and disinformation, including foreign interference.

In December 2025, the Secretary of State commissioned former permanent secretary Philip Rycroft to lead an independent review into foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics. The review was published on 25 March 2026 and can be found here.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the costs arising from his role as Deputy Prime Minister are being met from the department’s budget.

Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip

As outlined on gov.uk, the Deputy Prime Minister acts on behalf of the department and also deputises for the Prime Minister. Engagements completed on the Prime Minister's behalf, including international visits, are generally paid for by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the advice they received from the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution team in the Cabinet Office before launching the Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns consultation on 5 March, in line with the Cabinet Office's 2018 Consultation Principles.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office did not receive any advice from the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution team in the Cabinet Office prior to launching the Family Returns: Reforming Asylum Support and Enforcing Family Returns consultation on 5 March. This team provides advice on the interpretation of the Consultation Principles, but not on how to run specific consultations.

The consultation was developed and launched in line with the Cabinet Office’s Consultation Principles, including ensuring clarity of scope, openness to a wide range of views and appropriate duration. The consultation document sets out clearly the proposals under consideration, the questions on which views are sought and how responses will be used.

As no such advice was received, there are no plans to publish it.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding was provided by her Department to the London Borough of Hillingdon for asylum support in 2024-25.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Cabinet Office publish annual grant funding data (Government Grants Data and Statistics) where you can find details of grant levels by local authority area broken down per year. The Home Office does not publish any additional information.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the United Kingdom’s defence capabilities and improve national readiness.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my noble Friend, the Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence (Lord Coaker), on 8 April 2026 to Question HL15983 in the House of Lords.

Defence plays an integral role in the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme. This coordinates civil and military preparations across the whole of Government and society for some of the most serious risks we could face, including communicating, empowering and engaging with all tiers of resilience actors to ensure that all sectors are prepared for and able to respond to the most catastrophic of risks. Alongside this, defence is refreshing our own homeland defence plan as a priority for 2026

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what dates the An NHS Fit for the Future Mission Board met since it ceased to be a Cabinet committee in November 2025.

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

Mission Boards ceased to be Cabinet Office committees at the end of last year. Since then, my ministerial colleagues and I have continued to engage stakeholders through a variety of fora to take forward the 10-Year Health Plan, through which we are delivering our Health Mission. Oversight is maintained by the Departmental Board, chaired by My Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, details of which can be found on the GOV.UK website.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, the average time taken for an SME to obtain security clearance to (a) bid for and (b) deliver a defence contract.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

In most instances, it is not necessary for a company or individual to hold security clearance prior to commencing the bidding process for a government contract.

Should access to sensitive information or assets be required either during the bidding phase or for the delivery of the contract, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) project team is responsible for initiating the vetting procedure. Security vetting is conducted by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV), which operates under the Cabinet Office.

The duration of the security vetting process can differ on a case-by-case basis, due to the multiple checks conducted by various agencies. As a result, there is no standard timeframe applicable to all cases.

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) continues to meet its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across each product type. UKSV KPIs are set and regularly reviewed in consultation with customer groups, governed by ministerial oversight, to ensure demand is balanced whilst maintaining assurance in national security safeguards. In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the accuracy of (a) benchmarking, (b) validation methods and (c) error rates of AI tools used in asylum casework.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

There are two AI tools in use in asylum casework currently; Asylum Case Summarisation (ACS) and Asylum Policy Search (APS).

Bench Marking & Validation - Both evaluations used a mixed-methods approach to collect primary data during and after the pilots. All participants in the test and comparison groups were asked to log information for each case undertaken. For the Asylum Case Summarisation pilot, the logging exercise captured data on 334 cases in the test group and 95 cases in the comparison group. For the Asylum Policy Search pilot, the logging exercise captured data on 270 cases in the test group and 214 cases in the comparison group.

The following published research note provides more detail on both pilots and the findings we documented - Evaluation of AI trials in the asylum decision making process - GOV.UK.

Error Rates - Technical specialists reviewed all summaries created by the Asylum Case Summarisation tool for accuracy prior to use in the pilot. A small proportion of summaries produced (9%) were deemed to be inaccurate or had missing information and were therefore removed from the pilot and these cases progressed in the business-as-usual way. Of the summaries that progressed in the pilot, 23% of users reported they were not fully confident in the summary information and would warrant further exploration in a full roll out. The Asylum Case Summarisation Tool has not yet been rolled out operationally.

The methodologies used in the evaluation of our Asylum AI tools were reviewed by and agreed with the Cabinet Office Evaluation Taskforce, and apply to both ACS and APS.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, further to the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) action plan: 2025 to 2028, published on 24 March 2026, whether his Department will be publishing an SME Action Plan.

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

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published its Small and Medium sized Enterprises Action Plan 2025 to 2028 on 24 March 2026, the same day as the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury published their cross government Small and Medium sized Enterprises Action Plan.

The Action Plan is publicly available on gov.uk here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2026, to Question 117886, on Election: Campaigns, whether sectarianism is being monitored by the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit.

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

The Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP), led by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the Cabinet Office is an enduring election security function, dedicated to coordinating a collective effort across Government to safeguard our elections against the range of threats we face.

Before an election takes place, an ‘Election Cell’ is set up by the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit (JESP). This brings together government departments, the police, the intelligence agencies, the Devolved Governments, and external partners to monitor and respond to any emerging issues across candidate, cyber and information security. MHCLG's Community Cohesion Unit is also a core part of JESP’s Election Cell; the Community Cohesion Unit works closely during election campaigns with local partners, including the police and local councils to monitor and address issues related to cohesion.

Harassment and intimidation of voters, electoral staff, candidates and campaigners, both online and in person, is totally unacceptable, whatever the driving cause, and has a profoundly detrimental impact on our democratic process.

Government is also working closely with the Electoral Commission to develop an updated Code of Conduct for campaigning to set clear expectations for behaviour during election campaigns. Ahead of the updated Code of Conduct, the Electoral Commission has recently published a set of principles for campaigning respectfully and safely, which are welcomed by this Government.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of Freedom of Information requests received by his Department were responded to (a) within the statutory 20 working day deadline, (b) between 21 and 40 working days, (c) between 41 and 60 working days, and (d) after 60 working days, in each of the last three calendar years.

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

The Cabinet Office publishes official Freedom of Information (FOI) statistics for all monitored central government bodies, including the Department for Business and Trade, as part of its regular Government FOI Statistics series. These statistics are available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics.

FOI statistics for 2023 and 2024 are currently available online through this collection. The 2025 FOI statistics are scheduled to be published in April 2026.

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