Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister’s speech entitled, Prime Minister’s remarks from the plenary session at the first UK-Ireland Summit: 6 March 2025, what steps the Government is taking to work more closely with the EU to (a) boost trade, (b) create jobs and (c) increase economic growth.

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

The Government is committed to improving the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU, by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade. The Prime Minister and President von der Leyen agreed to identify areas where we can strengthen cooperation for mutual benefit, such as the economy, energy, security and resilience. Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and I are taking this forward ahead of the first UK-EU summit in London on 19 May. The first UK-Ireland Summit saw the announcement of £185.5 million in new Irish investments, and creating 2540 jobs across the country.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to para 144 of the UK Government Response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report, CP1248, published in February 2025, what his planned timetable is for the publicly accessible record, and whether it will be hosted on gov.uk.

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

As confirmed in the government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation 25, the government will establish a record on GOV.UK of all recommendations made by public inquiries since 2024, and will consider making this an enduring legal requirement. We will update parliament about this in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 Report: Government response, published on 26 February 2025, what her planned timetable is for the publicly available record of public inquiry recommendations.

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

As confirmed in the government’s response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendation 25, the government will establish a record on GOV.UK of all recommendations made by public inquiries since 2024, and will consider making this an enduring legal requirement. We will update parliament about this in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the full membership of each Mission Board.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The membership of the Mission Boards - as outlined on gov.uk - is the lead Secretary of State as the chair of their respective Mission Board and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster as Deputy Chair; other Ministers will be invited according to the agenda.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the dates that each Mission board meets.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value was of (a) exports and (b) imports between the UK and Ireland in (i) 2019 and (ii) 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman or lady Parliamentary Question of 12th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many active businesses were registered in (a) Powys and (b) Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe constituency on the Companies House register in each of the last five financial years.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of policies aimed at increasing office attendance on civil service staff, including regional employees.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government renewed its commitment to the 60% office attendance expectation on 24 October, emphasising the importance of collaboration through face-to-face interactions. This decision is supported by a variety of studies highlighting the benefits of hybrid working.

By colocating departments and fostering great workplaces tailored to support local communities, Places for Growth is helping improve office attendance in regional areas. This strategic approach not only enhances collaboration among civil service staff but also strengthens ties within the local community, making the office a more attractive and supportive environment for employees.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24442 on 10 Downing Street: Furniture, if he will publish an itemised list of the furniture and fittings that have been purchased for 10-12 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Any associated costs relevant to the Cabinet Office would be detailed in its next Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of adults resident in the UK unable to (a) read and (b) write in English.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister's Office keeps minutes of calls for public affairs professionals.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk as part of the government’s transparency agenda.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14974 on Procurement: National Security, for what reason the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Northern Ireland Programme evaluation is exempt from publication.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The information related to this programme is exempt from publication, as it meets one or more of the seven reasons for exemption listed in the Freedom of Information Act.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14113 on Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee, whether the Permanent Secretaries on the Committee can influence their own salaries.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Permanent Secretary members of the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee have no influence on their own salaries. Proposals on the performance and pay of these members are made by the non-civil servant members of the Committee, and agreed by the Prime Minister.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 26 November 2024 to Question 14115 on House of Lords Appointments Commission ad to Question 14114 on the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, whether he plans to publish a framework document.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The consolidated Framework Document for the Independent Offices (covering the Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Commissioner for Public Appointments) was published on 18 February 2025.

There is not currently a Framework Document between HOLAC and the Cabinet Office. As with all independent advisory bodies, the Government keeps its arrangements with HOLAC under review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18209 on Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991, what progress she has made on her review of eligibility for ministerial severance payments based on time in office.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The review of ministerial severance payments under the terms of the Ministerial and Other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 is ongoing. An update will be provided in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 16512 on Government Communication Service, if he will provide a breakdown of the 6,500 communications staff employed by each individual public body.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon. Member to Question 1208, answered on the 31st July 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Prime Minister's specific duties are in his role as the Minister for the Union.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As Minister for the Union, the Prime Minister works to ensure that all of government is acting on behalf of the entire United Kingdom: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33871 on Government Departments: Digital Technology, whether these discussions included the digitalisation of Government.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As per the previous answer, the Cabinet Office regularly discusses Civil Service workforce matters with trade unions. These matters are wide ranging and include the use of new technology.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Answer to the Question from the hon. Member for Isle of Wight East of 6 March 2025, Official Report, if he will publish the letter.

Answered by Pat McFadden - Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster

Yes, please find the letter attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to improve national resilience to global events.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The first duty of the Government is to keep the country safe and we are working to strengthen our national resilience, including by working with international partners.

In April the UK Resilience Academy will be launched and will train over 4000 people a year and later this year we will undertake a full national pandemic response exercise.

The review of national resilience continues. Updates will be given in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the status is of the industrial action in the Office for National Statistics over workplace attendance.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Trade Unions PCS and Prospect are currently taking industrial action short of a strike with the Office for National Statistics.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes he is making through the Performance management framework for the Senior Civil Service for 2025-26.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Senior Civil Service (SCS) performance management framework for the 2025-26 performance year has been published and the changes have been set out within the document. They will take effect from the 1st April 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 17 February (HL4608), which ministerial department failed to produce a strategic asset management plan (SAMP) in 2024; what consequences or enforcement measures are in place for departments that do not produce such a plan; and which departments are included in the Government Property Agency’s office portfolio SAMP instead of having their own standalone plans.

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

Departments are responsible for their own SAMPs, and required to update these plans yearly. Guidance and tools are provided to ensure consistency and effectiveness.

In the event an updated asset plan is not produced,the Government Chief Property Officer can write to the Principal Accounting Officer alerting them to the requirement.

Last year, all ministerial departments produced an updated asset plan except the Department for Business & Trade (DBT), although plans for the offices occupied by DBT were set out in the Government Property Agency’s office portfolio SAMP. DBT will produce a plan for 2025.

By agreement, HM Treasury and Department for Education did not produce a 'stand alone' departmental asset plan but featured in the Government Property Agency's office portfolio SAMP as onboarded clients.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 20 February (HL4194), which of the Government Major Projects Portfolio projects have (1) increased in cost and by what percentage relative to their original budgets, (2) been delayed beyond their original delivery schedule and by how many months in each case, and (3) been reduced in scope.

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

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority publishes details on the estimated budgets and delivery timescales for each of the Government Major Projects Portfolio projects as part of its annual report, from which the change in cost and schedule between years for individual projects can be calculated.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate Great British Railways’ statistical outputs as official statistics.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the remit of the Procurement Review Unit includes oversight of subcontract awards under 'neutral vendor frameworks', 'managed service provider frameworks' and similar intermediary procurement models.

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

In accordance with section 10 of the Procurement Act 2023 ("the Act"), the Procurement Review Unit (“PRU”) only has oversight of the activities of contracting authorities under the Act.

Any procurement carried out under framework agreements managed under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 does not fall within the remit of the PRU.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2025 to Question 31697 on Department for Work and Pensions: Muslim Council of Britain, if the Prime Minister will have discussions with the Minister for Social Security and Disability on his attendance at that event.

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

Our policy on engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain has not changed. I refer the Hon Member to the answer of the Rt Hon Member for East Ham on 27 February 2025, Official Report, PQ 31697.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4855), given that the deed of variation amends Clause 1.1 of contract 2887470\5 to remove the UK-only restriction on training services, on what basis they consider that this modification does not materially change the contract’s scope; and if international training was already covered in the original tender, why it was necessary to amend Clause 1.1 to permit it.

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

The original Emergency Planning College Bidders’ Brief makes multiple references to international training and overseas markets and was subsequently covered within the initial contract.

The change within the deed of variation to amend the UK-only constraint was necessary to clarify that international training may require the delivery of face-to-face training at overseas locations, in order to fully meet the contractual requirements for international training.

The UK-only constraint continues to apply to services provided to the Authority under the contract.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4855), on what grounds they determined that the removal of the non-compete clause (Clause 65) from contract 2887470\5 did not constitute a material modification under regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, and whether an assessment was conducted to ensure that this change did not distort competition or provide the incumbent contractor with an unfair advantage.

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

The Cabinet Office concluded that the removal of the non-compete clause (Clause 65) from contract 2887470\5 did not constitute a material modification under regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations because it did not materially alter the nature of the contract or the obligations thereunder.

The Government recognises the value of competition in marketplaces and believes that removing the clause ensures that there is fair competition and supports equal treatment of market participants.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether individual subcontract awards made under 'neutral vendor frameworks', 'managed service provider frameworks', 'prime contractor procurement models' or similar intermediary procurement models are subject to the same transparency and reporting requirements as contracts directly procured by public bodies.

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

Many intermediary procurement models are straightforward public contracts where there is no requirement to publish subcontracts under either the Procurement Act 2023 or the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

Where contracting authorities are awarding contracts using frameworks awarded under the Procurement Act 2023, they will need to follow the Act’s noticing provisions. In the case of most Public Contracts this will normally include publication of both a Contract Award and then a Contract Details Notice on the Find a Tender platform, which is the publicly available portal for all transparency information on procurement. Furthermore, notices contain linking information that allows notices to be connected- enabling detailed data analysis on how frameworks are being used. All this information on public procurement is in the public domain and can be searched by the citizen, free of charge in an accessible way.

Where contracting authorities are awarding contracts using framework agreements awarded under the previous procurement regime, they are required to publish an Awarded Opportunity Notice on the Contracts Finder platform.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30825 on Ministers: Helicopters, if he will list all the providers that can provide helicopter transport under the terms of the Commercial Air Transport contract.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has a general travel contract in place provided by Corporate Travel Management (North) Ltd (CTM) that can arrange travel by various modes. CTM maintains a comprehensive database of pre-approved operators. Owing to security considerations, and the commercially sensitive nature of the contract, CTM is unable to provide details of individual operators.

This contract started in September 2022, under the previous administration. This contract has not been used for helicopter travel by this Government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on the new integrated transparency platform.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This Government is fully committed to transparency and ensuring information published is as useful as possible. For example, the Government introduced a central register of ministers’ gifts and hospitality on a monthly basis. These registers are published by the Cabinet Office and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality#:~:text=The%20Register%20details%20the%20gifts,available%20on%20departmental%20web%20pages.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Fujitsu has been awarded any Government contracts since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of all contracts valued above £12,000 and awarded by central government under the Public Contracts Regulation 2015 are published on Contracts Finder. The Procurement Act 2023 requires contracting authorities to publish more information on tenders and contracts let, and this will be stored on the central digital platform, Find a Tender, enabling greater transparency going forward.

In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of seven new Fujitsu contracts since July 2024. All of these contracts were with existing customers and in line with Fujitsu’s bid approach. Three of these contracts were direct awards of services that Fujitsu was already providing and were done to ensure continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon Inquiry concludes or with prior consultation and support from such new customers. Fujitsu also said it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has an existing relationship with them, or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Fujitsu's bid approach is detailed in this letter, deposited in Parliament. For more details, please see here.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the number of pubs in Wokingham constituency in January (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022, (e) 2023, (f) 2024 and (g) 2025; and which constituency in (a) England, (b) the South East and (c) Berkshire has the most pubs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to minimise disruption to government business during the security staff strike.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The hard work of security guards and other staff keeps the government running. The Government Property Agency has been working to ensure impacted buildings continue to operate safely and securely during the industrial action.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many children from (a) Guinea-Bissau and (b) Portugal have left the UK permanently since 2010.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff his Department has seconded from Palantir since July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Secondments are organised - and data is held - at Business Unit Level. Under the Plan for Change, the Cabinet Office is drawing together multi-disciplinary teams across the country including front line public service workers, policy officials and those with digital and data skills to pioneer public service reform. This does not currently include employees from Palantir.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to develop weightings for trade union (a) access and (b) recognition when (i) awarding public contracts and (ii) determining strategic suppliers.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Social Value Model has been updated to ensure that in-scope organisations can implement the government’s new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS). Procurement Policy Note 002: The Social Value Model sets out the government’s approach to social value.

Strategic suppliers are selected based on the scale, scope and criticality of the services they provide.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of trade tariffs imposed on the EU by the United States on businesses in Northern Ireland.

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

We have a strong and proud tradition over centuries of free trade here in the United Kingdom, and we will continue to make the case for that. With regard to our specific trading relationship with the United States, after conversations between the Prime Minister and the President in the Oval Office in February, we wish to deepen our trading relationship with the United States. We will continue to monitor the impact of any such policy on Northern Ireland and I continue to regularly discuss issues with my European counterpart Maroš Šefčovič.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Intelligence and Security Committee report entitled: Russa HC 632 published 21 July 2020, if he will open an investigation into alleged Kremlin-linked interference in UK elections.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We are committed to ensuring we have robust systems in place to defend the UK from all forms of malign state interference in UK democratic processes.

The Defending Democracy Taskforce brings together Ministers from across Government, along with representatives from law enforcement and the intelligence community, to coordinate a programme of work that aims to protect UK political parties, elected officials and core electoral infrastructure.

As part of this, the Cabinet Office, together with MHCLG, runs the Joint Election Security and Preparedness Unit, which leads on coordinating cross-government preparedness on election security, including running an extensive exercising programme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to ensure that the new legal duty of candour established in response to Phase 2 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry will be applicable to past incidents.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government has committed to implement a ‘Hillsborough Law’ which will place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities. The details of this Bill will be announced in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government ministers have visited Huntingdon constituency since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Under transparency guidance, ministers are not required to publish details of ministerial visits in the UK. If, in the course of a ministerial visit, a minister has a meeting with an external stakeholder during which they discuss substantive government business, details of the meeting are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have undertaken an impact assessment or preparatory policy work ahead of their plans to introduce an EU–UK youth mobility scheme, and if so, whether they will publish them.

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

The Government set out clear priorities for the reset with the EU in the manifesto. There are no plans for a Youth Mobility Scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in the UK.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

To date the Government has not held information on where publicly procured food is sourced from.

Starting right away, for the first time ever, this government will review the food currently bought in the public sector to determine the standards that it is meeting, where it is bought from and look to introduce monitoring for transparency and accountability within those supply chains to ultimately get the best food for the consumer.

This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies as we want to help make it an equal playing field for British producers to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of times Capita has made overpayments in relation to (a) tax-free lump sums and (b) regular pension payments for people taking their pension benefits from the Royal Mail Statutory Pensions Scheme following a calculation error in each year since 2018.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Capita, the Royal Mail Statutory Pension Scheme administrator, has made the following overpayments:

Capita has carried out several data correction exercises which required member benefits to be rectified. These data exercises account for the increased number of overpayments in certain years.

The earliest data Capita holds is from March 2019.

In terms of support, Capita contacts all impacted members and provides a full update including the reason for the overpayment and the corrective action that will take place. All members are encouraged to contact the Capita team to discuss the error and agree on the appropriate recovery actions. Where possible a repayment timeline will be agreed directly with the member which will consider their personal circumstances and affordability. Members are also guided through the review process that they can follow and are kept informed of any decisions made during this process and the next steps that are available to them.

There is a robust process in place to manage the performance of this contract.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 11 February (HL4476), how many departments have implemented the Central Employee Identifier; which departments have yet to do so; and what is the expected timeline for full implementation across government.

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

Currently no departments have implemented the Central Employee Identifier. We will provide an update on implementation timescales in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have plans to exclude international students from the net migration statistics.

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

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

Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond | National Statistician

The Earl of Clancarty

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

4 March 2025

Dear Lord Clancarty,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether there are any plans to exclude international students from the net migration statistics (HL5079).

We are aware of stakeholder interest in an alternative measure of net international migration excluding students and are currently seeking user feedback on the requirement for this, as well as views on proposed options for how this could be estimated. We expect to report on the outcome of this process in early May 2025.

Currently, international students are included in official estimates of immigration if they meet the UN definition of a long-term international migrant, by residing in the UK for 12 months or more. Students staying long-term contribute to population change, as well as to society and the economy more broadly. Therefore, it is important to include them in the migration estimates as these feed into the calculation of official population estimates. Additionally, not all international students emigrate at the end of their studies, with many transferring into work or remaining in the UK for family or other reasons. Of the non-EU+ nationals who arrived in the UK on a study-related visa in the year ending June 2021, 48% had transitioned onto a different visa type by year ending June 2024.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

https://data.un.org/Glossary.aspx?q=long-term%20migrant

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number and value of government contracts awarded to companies with criminal convictions.

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

For contracts awarded under the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, this information is not collated centrally. Departments are responsible for making their own procurement decisions.

The Procurement Act 2023, which went live on 24 February, requires all suppliers bidding for public sector contracts to register via a central digital platform and declare any relevant convictions and exclusion information. The strengthened exclusions and new debarment provisions in the Act enable and, where appropriate, require the exclusion of suppliers convicted of relevant offences.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that the principles of the Windsor Framework are not compromised as a result of the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism.

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

We intend to apply UK CBAM across the UK including in NI. The EU's CBAM could only apply in Northern Ireland with the agreement of the UK and in line with the democratic safeguards of the Windsor Framework. The UK will continue to work with international partners, including the EU, to ensure our approach is implemented in a way that works for businesses.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following the withdrawal of the United States from the World Health Organization, what plans they have to ensure sufficient long-term resources for the National Biosurveillance Network to enhance the UK’s early warning systems and improve the biosurveillance evidence available for policy decisions.

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

Enhancing the UK’s early warning capabilities, including through scoping a National Biosurveillance Network (NBN), was a commitment in the 2023 UK Biological Security Strategy - adopted by this Government in October 2024. The Government will work to ensure that it has the capabilities it needs to protect the public from a spectrum of biological threats. Decisions on funding for future years will be made as part of the ongoing comprehensive Spending Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what investigatory powers for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to detect and investigate fraudulent claims they intend to establish under the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025; and how many full-time equivalent staff they intend to dedicate to fraud investigations.

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

The (draft) Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 do not confer any criminal investigatory powers on the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). However, a small team is being established to intervene where there are suspicious circumstances relating to a particular case, and IBCA will keep the size of that team under review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether it is their intention that overpayments to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will be treated solely as a civil debt under regulation 80(4) of the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025; whether the Infected Blood Compensation Authority has the power to escalate cases of deliberate fraudulent overpayment claims to criminal prosecution; and what policies and legal mechanisms exist to prosecute individuals who attempt to obtain payments unlawfully.

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

Regulation 80 (4) of the draft Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 sets out that for where an overpayment of compensation is made by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, the excess amount is recoverable as a civil debt. IBCA does not have any bespoke powers to prosecute suspected fraudulent claims, but will have the same tools as other public bodies to take action against fraudulent activity. The Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill, introduced to Parliament on 22 January 2025, proposes new powers granted to the Public Sector Fraud Authority, to be used upon referral of a case from a public body. This meets the Government’s commitment for the better recovery of money owed to the taxpayer where public money has been stolen or overpaid.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many social media accounts the Prime Minister's Office operates; and how much the Prime Minister's Office spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact.

The Prime Minister’s Office is a business unit of the Cabinet Office. The Prime Minister’s Office has not spent any money on social media subscriptions or advertising.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Arm's-Length Bodies there were (a) on 4 July 2024 and (b) as of 5 March 2025; and how many of the latter have an annual operating expenditure in excess of £5 million.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

On 4th July 2024, there were 307 Arm’s-Length Bodies. Of these, 135 had an annual operating expenditure (RDEL spend) in excess of £5 million in FY23/24.

The Cabinet Office commissions data around six months after the end of each financial year to allow for financial statements of each ALB to be finalised, meaning we will start collecting data for March 2025 later in 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Ministers have met with security staff workers and their representatives to discuss possible strikes.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office regularly discusses workforce matters with Civil Service trade unions. The Cabinet Office does not keep records of other departments’ ministers’ meetings.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information he holds on the number of workers who work full-time from home.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister plans to respond to the letter of 15 February 2025 from the Rt hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge on the Attorney General.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A response will be issued in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office on 6 February (HC Deb col 964), what is the breakdown by department of the "nearly 70 direct engagements" held between UK Ministers and their EU counterparts since July 2024.

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

Responsibility for UK-EU Relations lies with the Cabinet Office and the Paymaster General and Minister for the Constitution and EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds, who has spoken with his counterpart Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič seven times. The Prime Minister has spoken with Commission President von der Leyen seven times and with Council President Costa three. Ministers across Government also regularly engage with their EU counterparts, including meetings held by FCDO, DSIT, DBT, DESNZ, HMT, HO, DEFRA, DCMS and others.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of whether the Procurement Act includes adequate measures to limit the procurement of Chinese-made cellular IoT modules in UK critical national infrastructure.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Procurement Act 2023, which came into force on 24 February this year, introduces new powers to exclude, terminate or debar suppliers from public sector supply chains on a variety of grounds. In line with the Act, the Government will operate the new powers on a country-agnostic basis, with each supplier and type of technology examined individually. We remain committed to protecting our critical national infrastructure and will continue to keep under review the risks associated with internet-facing technologies and components on an ongoing basis, both where they fall in scope of the Procurement Act and through other levers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) China and (b) Chinese-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has had discussions with the Infected Blood Compensation Authority on the potential cost to the public purse of using external communications companies.

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

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is an operationally independent body. IBCA are working with external companies to help them develop their service and reach those who are eligible. For example, external companies will be used to support IBCA in building a digital service, storing data, offering legal and financial support to those claiming.

They will also be used to plan future communication work to reach all potential claimants, and especially those who are not already registered with a support service. All of these are requirements for IBCA to deliver compensation as swiftly and compassionately as possible.

Commercial contracts are necessary to progress this work and all contracts are awarded through fair and open competition using a tendering process. The budget for IBCA’s communications activity is separate from the funding for compensation itself.

As sponsor Minister, I am committed to working with IBCA to monitor its performance and ensure compensation is delivered to everyone who is eligible as quickly as possible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the UK Statistics Authority has made of the number of small businesses in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in each of the last five years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 3rd March is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) Iran and (b) Iranian-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much each Department has spent on legal costs in responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.

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

It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is independent of government and it is right that we allow the Chair to continue her important work. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work, and she has been clear in her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The Cabinet Office regularly publishes government costs, including legal costs, in responding to the Inquiry. These publications show that from the start of the 2023/24 financial year to the end of Q3 2024/25, the government has spent approximately £42.3m on legal costs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many cyber attacks were conducted by (a) Russia and (b) Russian-sponsored actors against (i) Government and (ii) Government-affiliated systems in the last 12 months.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many social media accounts their Department operates; and how much their Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact.

Below is the Cabinet Office advertising spend through the GCS Framework. Subscriptions are delegated to team level and not centrally managed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's National Procurement Policy Statement published on 13 February 2025, whether he has made an estimate of compliance costs for contracting authorities in implementing the (a) updated statement and (b) the Employment Rights Bill.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities must have regard to the NPPS when undertaking their procurement activities, as set out in the Procurement Act 2023. An Impact Assessment in relation to the Procurement Act was published in May 2022 and can be found at https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/46429/documents/1767. Impact assessments for the Employment Rights Bill led by the Department for Business and Trade can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Procurement Policy Statement published on 13 February 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) the updated statement and (b) the Employment Rights Bill on public sector procurement timelines.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities must have regard to the NPPS when undertaking their procurement activities, as set out in the Procurement Act 2023. An Impact Assessment in relation to the Procurement Act was published in May 2022 and can be found at https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/46429/documents/1767. Impact assessments for the Employment Rights Bill led by the Department for Business and Trade can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what training programmes his Department has put in place to help procurement officials navigate the (a) recently updated National Procurement Policy Statement and the (b) Employment Rights Bill.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Contracting authorities must have regard to the NPPS when undertaking their procurement activities, as set out in the Procurement Act 2023. An Impact Assessment in relation to the Procurement Act was published in May 2022 and can be found at https://bills.parliament.uk/publications/46429/documents/1767. Impact assessments for the Employment Rights Bill led by the Department for Business and Trade can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/employment-rights-bill-impact-assessments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) air miles and (b) flights the Prime Minister has completed since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Data on ministers’ travel is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-overseas-travel-and-meetings-july-to-september-2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made an assessment of the suitability of adopting similar international government models including the (a) US Office of Management and Budget and (b) Department for Government Efficiency in the UK.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments have agreed a 2% productivity, efficiency and savings target in the first phase of the Spending Review and have been set a stretching 5% target in the second phase. This target is to be delivered via efficiencies and savings from innovative technology-driven approaches, such as Artificial Intelligence; more effectively joining up services; and a more strategic approach to government processes, including procurement.

The Chief Secretary to the Treasury has also asked each department to carry out a line-by-line review of existing day-to-day budgets to identify where spending is no longer aligned with this government’s priorities or is poor value for money.

The Office for Value for Money, led by an independent Chair, will work with departments to assess where and how to root out waste and inefficiency, including agreeing plans to deliver technical efficiencies through the Spending Review period. It will also develop recommendations for system reform, informed by lessons learned from the past, international best practice, and the views of external organisations. This will underpin a ruthless focus within government on realising benefits from every pound of public spending.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Armstrong Memorandum remains extant.

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

The Civil Service ‘About us’ page on Gov.uk was inaccurate and has been updated.

The Armstrong memorandum of 1985 set out that “it is the duty of civil servants to serve their Ministers with integrity and to the best of their ability”, and that “the British civil service is a non-political and disciplined career service”. This was codified in 1996 with the creation of the Civil Service Code, a document that governs the conduct of civil servants to this day.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, for each of the last five years, how many individuals have been appointed to the Senior Civil Service in the Propriety and Constitution Group; and of these (1) what was their grade on appointment, (2) how many were appointed through external competition, cross-government competition, intra-departmental competition, or managed moves, (3) how many were recruited from outside the Civil Service, and (4) how many were made on a temporary basis.

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

The Cabinet Office’s Propriety and Constitution Group was created in 2022/23 from parts of three separate business units; the Cabinet Secretary’s Group, Union and Constitution Group, and the Inquiries BU. We have therefore included data from 2022 to present.

Our central data does not record managed moves so we are unable to include information on these.

There were no intra-departmental competitions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Civil Service is independent of His Majesty's Government; and whether the statement that civil servants are independent of Government on the Civil Service ‘About us’ page on Gov.uk is compatible with (1) the Carltona principle, (2) the Civil Service Code, (3) the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, and (4) the Prime minister’s role as Minister for the Civil Service.

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

The Civil Service ‘About us’ page on Gov.uk was inaccurate and has been updated.

The Armstrong memorandum of 1985 set out that “it is the duty of civil servants to serve their Ministers with integrity and to the best of their ability”, and that “the British civil service is a non-political and disciplined career service”. This was codified in 1996 with the creation of the Civil Service Code, a document that governs the conduct of civil servants to this day.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 February (HL4743), whether they continue to adhere to the guidance set out in Chapter 1 of the Public Inquiries Handbook (Guidance for Sponsor Departments), as published on the House of Lords Select Committee on the Inquiries Act 2005 website as it was on 8 August 2012, which advises that Permanent Secretaries should, under certain circumstances, issue written assurances that no information officials provide to an inquiry will be used against them in later disciplinary proceedings; and, whether they will lay a copy of the current version in the Library of the House.

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

The position on written assurances is as set out in the previous answer (HL4743).

In our response to the recommendations of the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee, published on 10 February, the Government has committed to publish guidance on inquiries.

Apolitical in ideology, and pragmatic in its expression, 'Talk Up Britain', aims to:

- Foster national pride and a collective identity
- Showcase the countries world-renowned capabilities
- Promote investment across the country and in education

To improve confidence and growth in the U.K.

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Found: Alex Burghart, then Cabinet Office Parliamentary Secretary, contended in response to Richard Burgon’

Found: establishment of the Digital Inter- Ministerial Group with representation from DSIT, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office

Found: I look foruard to engaging with the Cabinet Office, where appropriate, on the new diversity action plan

Found: The government should consider whether the Cabinet Office should play an enhanced coordinating role,

Found: - As noted below the Cabinet Office should appoint a Deputy Director whose role is to track and promote

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Found: This is with Cabinet Office and Treasury, but I do not anticipate them saying that this is inappropriate

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Found: Recent engagements included the Minister for the Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon Nick Thomas- Symonds MP

Found: soon as it did following the General Election with its announcements around the transfer of Cabinet Office

Found: Central Digital and Data Office and Incubator for Artificial Intelligence would move from the Cabinet Office

Found: They have typically been found in central departments (in Cabinet Office, Treasury, or attached to No

Found: within DSIT is an improvement over the prior state where responsibility for policy was with Cabinet Office

Found: certain central government bodies to pre-agree pay frameworks for crucial AI roles with the Cabinet Office

Found: collaboration with governance oversight from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Cabinet Office

Found: horticultural working group stems from an initial interaction between HTA and its members, and the Cabinet Office

Found: Ukrainian Government’s strategic communication representatives and the relevant FCDO and the Cabinet Office

Found: Justice, Education, Defence, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and central HM Treasury, No.10, Cabinet Office

Found: What we have also been doing is working closely with the Cabinet Office, because one of the best ways

Found: support from the Department for Transport and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and Cabinet Office

Found: Cabinet Office, Cabinet Office, Cabinet Office, and Cabinet Office Oral Evidence

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has held with industry on social value models since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. As part of the Government’s primary mission to grow the economy and spread the benefits to every region and nation in the UK, this will include supporting policy areas such as innovation, skills and international trade.

The Cabinet Office have released an updated Social Value Model that is aligned to the Government’s missions. The Defence Industrial Strategy will include measures that supplement this with action to reform procurement, reduce waste, leverage inward investment and boost sovereign defence industrial capacity to create good jobs and grow UK exports.

The Cabinet Office Social Value Model is mandated for all competitive-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts that are in-scope of the Procurement Act 2023, excluding defence and security contracts and exempt procurements. MOD policy is that Social Value Model criteria can still be included in defence and security and exempt contracts where relevant and appropriate, at the discretion of delivery teams and considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach will be kept under review as the Defence Industrial Strategy is developed.

MOD delivery teams currently have the option to apply either the previous or updated (as of March 2025) Cabinet Office Social Value Model, as part of a transition period until October 2025 when the new model will be mandated for procurements to which it is applied.

The Defence Industrial Strategy is being developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia and international partners. Ministers have held a number of roundtables and bilateral engagements with industry. The MOD has released communications on the recent National Procurement Policy Statement and what this means for the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model in MOD procurements via a range of standard channels of communication and engagement routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what method his Department plans to use for applying social value into defence procurement in the future.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. As part of the Government’s primary mission to grow the economy and spread the benefits to every region and nation in the UK, this will include supporting policy areas such as innovation, skills and international trade.

The Cabinet Office have released an updated Social Value Model that is aligned to the Government’s missions. The Defence Industrial Strategy will include measures that supplement this with action to reform procurement, reduce waste, leverage inward investment and boost sovereign defence industrial capacity to create good jobs and grow UK exports.

The Cabinet Office Social Value Model is mandated for all competitive-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts that are in-scope of the Procurement Act 2023, excluding defence and security contracts and exempt procurements. MOD policy is that Social Value Model criteria can still be included in defence and security and exempt contracts where relevant and appropriate, at the discretion of delivery teams and considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach will be kept under review as the Defence Industrial Strategy is developed.

MOD delivery teams currently have the option to apply either the previous or updated (as of March 2025) Cabinet Office Social Value Model, as part of a transition period until October 2025 when the new model will be mandated for procurements to which it is applied.

The Defence Industrial Strategy is being developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia and international partners. Ministers have held a number of roundtables and bilateral engagements with industry. The MOD has released communications on the recent National Procurement Policy Statement and what this means for the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model in MOD procurements via a range of standard channels of communication and engagement routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is planning to publish a new defence social value model as part of the Defence Industrial Strategy.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. As part of the Government’s primary mission to grow the economy and spread the benefits to every region and nation in the UK, this will include supporting policy areas such as innovation, skills and international trade.

The Cabinet Office have released an updated Social Value Model that is aligned to the Government’s missions. The Defence Industrial Strategy will include measures that supplement this with action to reform procurement, reduce waste, leverage inward investment and boost sovereign defence industrial capacity to create good jobs and grow UK exports.

The Cabinet Office Social Value Model is mandated for all competitive-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts that are in-scope of the Procurement Act 2023, excluding defence and security contracts and exempt procurements. MOD policy is that Social Value Model criteria can still be included in defence and security and exempt contracts where relevant and appropriate, at the discretion of delivery teams and considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach will be kept under review as the Defence Industrial Strategy is developed.

MOD delivery teams currently have the option to apply either the previous or updated (as of March 2025) Cabinet Office Social Value Model, as part of a transition period until October 2025 when the new model will be mandated for procurements to which it is applied.

The Defence Industrial Strategy is being developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia and international partners. Ministers have held a number of roundtables and bilateral engagements with industry. The MOD has released communications on the recent National Procurement Policy Statement and what this means for the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model in MOD procurements via a range of standard channels of communication and engagement routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what model his Department uses for applying social value into defence procurement.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. As part of the Government’s primary mission to grow the economy and spread the benefits to every region and nation in the UK, this will include supporting policy areas such as innovation, skills and international trade.

The Cabinet Office have released an updated Social Value Model that is aligned to the Government’s missions. The Defence Industrial Strategy will include measures that supplement this with action to reform procurement, reduce waste, leverage inward investment and boost sovereign defence industrial capacity to create good jobs and grow UK exports.

The Cabinet Office Social Value Model is mandated for all competitive-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts that are in-scope of the Procurement Act 2023, excluding defence and security contracts and exempt procurements. MOD policy is that Social Value Model criteria can still be included in defence and security and exempt contracts where relevant and appropriate, at the discretion of delivery teams and considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach will be kept under review as the Defence Industrial Strategy is developed.

MOD delivery teams currently have the option to apply either the previous or updated (as of March 2025) Cabinet Office Social Value Model, as part of a transition period until October 2025 when the new model will be mandated for procurements to which it is applied.

The Defence Industrial Strategy is being developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia and international partners. Ministers have held a number of roundtables and bilateral engagements with industry. The MOD has released communications on the recent National Procurement Policy Statement and what this means for the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model in MOD procurements via a range of standard channels of communication and engagement routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to consult industry on a new defence social value model.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

This Government is committed to bringing forward a Defence Industrial Strategy which ensures the imperatives of national security and a high-growth economy are aligned. As part of the Government’s primary mission to grow the economy and spread the benefits to every region and nation in the UK, this will include supporting policy areas such as innovation, skills and international trade.

The Cabinet Office have released an updated Social Value Model that is aligned to the Government’s missions. The Defence Industrial Strategy will include measures that supplement this with action to reform procurement, reduce waste, leverage inward investment and boost sovereign defence industrial capacity to create good jobs and grow UK exports.

The Cabinet Office Social Value Model is mandated for all competitive-based Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracts that are in-scope of the Procurement Act 2023, excluding defence and security contracts and exempt procurements. MOD policy is that Social Value Model criteria can still be included in defence and security and exempt contracts where relevant and appropriate, at the discretion of delivery teams and considered on a case-by-case basis. This approach will be kept under review as the Defence Industrial Strategy is developed.

MOD delivery teams currently have the option to apply either the previous or updated (as of March 2025) Cabinet Office Social Value Model, as part of a transition period until October 2025 when the new model will be mandated for procurements to which it is applied.

The Defence Industrial Strategy is being developed through consultation with a wide range of stakeholders including industry, academia and international partners. Ministers have held a number of roundtables and bilateral engagements with industry. The MOD has released communications on the recent National Procurement Policy Statement and what this means for the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model in MOD procurements via a range of standard channels of communication and engagement routes.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time taken was for the issuing of security clearances by his Department for businesses in the defence sector in the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

UKSV (Cabinet Office) is the sole provider of National Security Vetting and is responsible for issuing security clearances. Ministry of Defence (MOD), including Defence suppliers accredited by MOD to act as a sponsor for National Security Vetting, is a customer of UKSV.

There have been no changes to the process of issuing security clearances to representatives of Defence businesses since 5 July 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there have been any changes to the process of issuing security clearances to representatives of defence businesses by his Department since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

UKSV (Cabinet Office) is the sole provider of National Security Vetting and is responsible for issuing security clearances. Ministry of Defence (MOD), including Defence suppliers accredited by MOD to act as a sponsor for National Security Vetting, is a customer of UKSV.

There have been no changes to the process of issuing security clearances to representatives of Defence businesses since 5 July 2024.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to produce a National Defence Plan.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Defence is supporting the Cabinet Office on the design and implementation of an internal-to-government Home Defence Programme. This will further enhance UK national security and resilience through bolstering civilian-military coordination and HMG’s overall preparedness.

The upcoming Strategic Defence Review will reflect the importance of strengthening national resilience and reinforcing the UK’s homeland security to keep the country safe and protect its citizens.

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 27 February 2025 to Question 31042 on MHCLG: Trade Union Officials, whether the level of facility time provided to the trade unions in her Department has increased since 4 July 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Paid facility time is captured and published in line with the Cabinet Office guidance on statutory reporting requirements Public-sector trade union facility time data - GOV.UK. Facility time for 2024 to 2025 will be published in line with this at the end of the reporting period.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans she has to reduce (a) headcount and (a) payroll costs in her Department, in the context of Cabinet Office guidance on this matter.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Spending Review 2025 Phase 2 will set the future budgets for HM Treasury. The Spending Review has not yet concluded, so it is not possible to say what the specific headcount and payroll plans are for the department.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on infected blood compensation payments.

Answered by Ian Murray - Secretary of State for Scotland

The UK Government is working closely with devolved governments and existing support schemes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Minister for the Cabinet Office met the Scottish Minister for Public Health on 3 March 2025 to discuss compensation payments for victims of the infected blood scandal, and he is committed to engaging further with the Scottish Government as we progress this work.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much (a) his Department and (b) each of its arm’s length bodies has spent on external communications through (i) Crown Commercial Service agreement RM6125 and (ii) other agreements since 5 July 2024; and which firms have received funding.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The total MOD, including DE&S, spends since 5 July 2024 against RM6125 Framework via call off contracts is: £3,550,081.59. The suppliers are Identity events Management Limited and Occam Group LTD.

The MOD, including DE&S, total spends since 5 July 2024 for external communications, not against RM6125 Framework via call off contract is: £32,702,226.04. The suppliers are listed in the table below.

The MOD ALB contractual data is not captured centrally on the Contracting Purchasing & Finance (CP&F) system.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 34447 on Military Aircraft: Helicopters, what estimate he has made of the annual cost of operating the new helicopter service for (a) Ministers and (b) senior (i) officials and (ii) military personnel.

Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The cost to the Ministry of Defence for use of the Cabinet Office provided helicopter transport service depends on the usage. Entitlelment to use rotary wing air transportation has been tightened significantly by the Defence Secretary to reduce usage.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps British International Investment is taking to align investment decisions with the Government’s (a) missions and (b) development objectives.

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

British International Investment's (BII) investment decisions are taken within a framework agreed and aligned with the Government's mission and development objectives. BII is delivering on the Government's ambitions on growth, accelerating the clean energy transition, and unlocking private capital for development impact. In 2023 alone, BII-backed businesses operating in developing countries provided jobs for over one million people, paid $2.4 billion in taxes in partner countries, and generated 59 TWh of electricity.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and BII ensure this strategic alignment through governance arrangements that follow best practice guidance from Cabinet Office and HM Treasury with robust lines of accountability between FCDO and BII. We will continue to work with BII to focus and maximise the impact of its work in line with our missions and the wider geopolitical situation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she plans to publish the assessment made by her Department with the Cabinet Office of prison maintenance undertaken in 2023.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

The assessment carried out in partnership with the Cabinet Office in 2023, was conducted in line with Cabinet Office guidance and was consistent with the options appraisal approach prescribed by HM Treasury.

The information contained within the assessment is commercially sensitive and as such there is no intention to publish the assessment as this may prejudice future procurement exercises.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the comments of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Newsnight on 29 July 2024, what the evidential basis is for the claim that the Government Communication Service spent hundreds of millions of pounds on filming content for Conservative ministers’ social media channels.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government has taken decisive action to reduce wasteful spend, In Fixing the Foundations, the Chancellor identified £100m of savings from non-essential spending on government communications across 2024-25 and 2025-26.

Cabinet Office provided estimates of comms spending during the Public Spending Audit, announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July 2024. Estimates were based on internal Government Communication Service data on campaigns planned by Departments and arm's length bodies at the time of commissioning. These indicate that UK Government was expected to spend £449m on communications campaigns during 24/25. This includes communications considered operationally critical, for example, required to fulfil a statutory duty, life-saving, or required for the efficient functioning of a public service. At Autumn Budget 2024, the Chancellor announced that the Government Communications Service is expecting to save £50m in 2024-25 and £85 million from reducing unnecessary communications spend in 2025-26 – exceeding the £100 million target set out in July.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many social media accounts her Department operates; and how much her Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department uses social media to connect directly and speak with the public on the issues and areas of interest they care most deeply about.

It operates 25 live social media accounts incorporating campaigns and supporting agencies.

The department spends no money on social media platform subscriptions.

The department undertook communications activity across its remit in line with the government’s published communications plans for each year. All spend complies with Cabinet Office spending controls to ensure that, where taxpayer money is being spent on government communications, it is cost-effective, coordinated and reflects functional standards and professional best practices. Activity included delivering joined up, national campaigns to increase supply and demand for technical qualifications, including apprenticeships and T Levels, and skills offers; inspiring more people to teach in schools and colleges; encouraging take up of government-funded childcare; and inspiring more people to become childcare professionals. As part of these campaigns, the department spent the following on paid-for advertising on each social media platform in each complete financial year:

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has included mandatory commitments to equality, diversity and inclusion training in contracts awarded since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

In accordance with government commercial policy, the department uses centrally maintained frameworks provided by the Crown Commercial Service and otherwise uses the suite of standard contracts maintained by Cabinet Office, for the majority of its contracts. These terms and conditions require the supplier to perform its obligations under the contract in accordance with equality law, but do not include a requirement to undertake mandatory training.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, how many social media accounts her Department operates; and how much her Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.

Answered by Lucy Powell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the response provided by the Cabinet Office (35133).

The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons currently operates three social media accounts, with no subscription or advertisement cost.

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Found: ’s second reading on 18 November 2022, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then minister of state at the Cabinet Office

Found: People Until no later than 4.40 pm Tuesday 25 February Department for Work and Pensions; Cabinet Office

Found: (2), this Act comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State or the Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: BEHALF OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES CHAPTER 1 KEY CONCEPTS 1 Core functions of the Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: BEHALF OF PUBLIC AUTHORITIES CHAPTER 1 KEY CONCEPTS 1 Core functions of the Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: (2), this Act comes into force on such day as the Secretary of State or the Minister for the Cabinet Office

Found: People Until no later than 4.40 pm Tuesday 25 February Department for Work and Pensions; Cabinet Office

Found: People Until no later than 4.40 pm Tuesday 25 February Department for Work and Pensions; Cabinet Office

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Found: ’s second reading on 18 November 2022, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, then minister of state at the Cabinet Office

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Found: the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), the results of which are published by the Cabinet Office

Found: the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), the results of which are published by the Cabinet Office

Found: the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), the results of which are published by the Cabinet Office

Found: the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), the results of which are published by the Cabinet Office

Found: the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), the results of which are published by the Cabinet Office

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Found: Perelman, Elizabeth - Director General for Public Service Reform and Efficiency, Cabinet Office - ACOBA

Found: Perelman, Elizabeth - Director General for Public Service Reform and Efficiency, Cabinet Office - ACOBA

Found: Perelman, Elizabeth - Director General for Public Service Reform and Efficiency, Cabinet Office - ACOBA

Found: The Rules are set by the government, with the policy owned by the Cabinet Office.

Found: This letter will be copied to the Cabinet Office, as the owner of the Rules; ACOBA’s letter to the

Found: Get emails about this page Documents Correspondence from ACOBA to the Cabinet Office

Found: This letter will be copied to the Cabinet Office, as the owner of the Rules; ACOBA’s letter to the

Found: The Rules are set by the government, with the policy owned by the Cabinet Office.

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Found: WORLDWIDE LTD 13/02/2025 IS Licenses AP Expense Accrual (Oracle AP control a/c) 30016.00 3851337 CABINET OFFICE

Found: Pension Scheme as at 31 March 2020.15 You can also find details in the resource accounts of the Cabinet Office

Found: Pension Scheme as at 31 March 2020.15 You can also find details in the resource accounts of the Cabinet Office

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Found: If you have any complaints or comments about the consultation process you should contact the Cabinet Office

Found: isability pay gap reporting G overnment consultationC P 1288A c onsultation produced by the Cabinet Office

Found: disability pay gap reporting Government consultation C P  1288 A consultation produced by the Cabinet Office

Found: ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting Government consultation A consultation produced by the Cabinet Office

Found: You can write t o us at this address Cabinet Office 70 Whitehall London SW1A 2AS Or phone us on this

Found: from all backgrounds to do well in life.”Who we are and what this booklet is about We are the Cabinet Office

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