Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) individuals and (b) organisations attended the first meeting of the Council of the Nations and Regions.

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

The inaugural Council of the Nations and Regions met on 11 October in Edinburgh to discuss growth and investment. On 17 October the UK Government published a communique for the meeting on gov.uk which sets out the attendees and their organisations. The government also published the terms of reference which include the names and roles of the standing invitees.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving public engagement with politics.

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

Following the general election, the Prime Minister was clear that he wanted national renewal and a return of politics to public service.

The Government is committed to ensuring the public has diverse opportunities to take part in our vibrant democracy. The Government is taking steps to ensure meaningful public involvement in the work of government, including as part of mission-driven government and the broader toolkit for policy development and public engagement.

In addition to regular national and local elections, the public can engage in our political system and the policy-making process through various avenues. These include writing to their MP or to a government department, attending constituency surgeries, signing a petition which may end up the subject of debate in Parliament, taking part in a consultation (see the GOV.UK website for current consultations) or a parliamentary call for evidence, and of course taking part in politics directly by, for example, standing for office. The public are also encouraged to come and visit the UK Parliament to meet with their representatives and see the work of politics in action.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made to the planned delivery date of the Rosa Renewal Project since inception.

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

The Rosa Renewal Project remains on track to complete by March 2025. It is an agile project planned to ensure the resilience of HMG’s existing shared service capability for working on very sensitive information, and managed under the Government Major Projects Portfolio.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to decolonise the (a) artwork and (b) heritage assets in (i) his Department and (ii) each of it's Arm's Length Bodies; and what the policy of the Government Property Agency is on this.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There has been no change in the Cabinet Office’s management of artwork or heritage assets since the previous administration.

As separate entities, the responsibility for creating policy and guidance for artwork sits with each individual Arm’s Length Body, rather than with the Department.

The Government Property Agency does not have a national policy on this topic and will follow any policy and/or guidance provided by relevant client departments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how their Department defines strategy.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The definition is detailed in the Functional Standards Common Glossary, which is published on the gov.uk website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics has made an assessment of the causes of reductions in levels of fertility; and which Department is responsible for Government policy relating to the (a) size and (b) demographics of the UK population.

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 26 November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of the UK population that have migrated to the UK in the last two 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 27 November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment the Office for National Statistics has made of the accuracy of UK resident population 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 27 November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has provided (a) media and (b) speech training to Ministers across government.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since July 2024, there has been no provision of media or speech training to Ministers from the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to support the third sector to deliver public services.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The recent announcement of the Civil Society Covenant marks a new era of partnership between Government and civil society that will drive forward plans to foster closer collaboration in tackling some of society’s most pressing issues. The Covenant, which will launch in the New Year, seeks to establish a new relationship with the third sector and will support the delivery of the Government’s missions as well as our ambitious project of reform to public services so they deliver for working people.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the National Audit Office's report entitled Managing conflicts of interest, HC 307, published on 22 November 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We are committed to restoring public confidence in government and ensuring that all those in public service are held to the highest standards.

We will consider carefully the National Audit Office’s recommendations in its recent report ‘Managing Conflicts of Interest’.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's advert for Second Permanent Secretary, European Union and International Economic Affairs, reference number 380316, if he will publish the panel members of that competition.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of the panel members will be confirmed and published in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Places for Growth Formative Evaluation Report, published on 30 October 2024, what steps his Department is taking to reach the targets of (a) 50% UK based Senior Civil Service outside of London and (b) reduced workforce in London to 75,000 by 2030.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Formative Evaluation report, commissioned by the previous Government, identified challenges they faced in delivering the SCS target and ambition to reduce the London workforce to 75 000 by 2030. We will tackle these challenges through a focus on a strong regional offer and UK-wide government presence. Our plans will be announced in due course, aligned with the upcoming Spending Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament; and on what items this was spent.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The total cost (excl. VAT) spent on refurbishments to ministerial private offices since the dissolution of the last Parliament is £2,954.67, of which £1,911.93 was for painting. The remainder was spent on television installations, three sets of coasters, and five standing mirrors. The majority of refurbishment costs were incurred before rooms were assigned to or occupied by current ministers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of Government Campus ministerial induction sessions since July 2024; and what the estimated cost is of future scheduled sessions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In July 2024, two ministerial induction events were held.

One event was in-person and incurred costs of £55.00 for refreshments. One was held online and incurred no specific costs. The cost of future events will depend on the format chosen for delivery, but will be based on an appropriate use of public money.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 4668 on Government Communication Service, for what reason the Government will not provide this information.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The audit contains the personal information of circa 6,500 communicators across government. Even if the data was anonymised, there is still a risk that individuals could be identified.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department renamed the Cross-Government Women’s Network as the Cross-Government Gender Network.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The network has been operating under this name since it was changed in July 2020, under the previous administration. The decision was made by the Cross-Government network itself, not by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans there are, if any, for (1) the asexual, and (2) the aromantic pride flags, to be displayed at 10 Downing Street.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There are currently no plans to display the asexual and aromantic pride flags at 10 Downing Street.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many farmers committed suicide in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024 to date.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - 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.

The Earl of Effingham

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 November 2024

Dear Lord Effingham,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking how many farmers committed suicide in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024 to date (HL2788).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales[1]; the latest available figures were published in August 2024 and covered calendar years up to 2023. Also published regularly are provisional statistics on suicide death registrations by quarter in England[2], the most recent of which were published in August 2024 and provided provisional death registrations up to Quarter 2 (April to June) 2024. The ONS holds death registrations for England and Wales only; separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland and are available from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)[4], respectively.

The ONS’ mortality statistics for England and Wales are compiled from information supplied when deaths are certified and registered as part of civil registration. Deaths caused by suicide are investigated by coroners, and due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, there is delay of around six to seven months between the date of death and the date of death registration. As such, deaths are presented by date of registration rather than date of occurrence. With the deaths statistics linked above and provided in Table 1, many of these will have occurred months or, in some cases, years previously.

Occupation is reported at the time of death registration by the informant. Data on occupation is coded using the Standard Occupation Classification (SOC). For deaths registered from 2023 onwards SOC 2020[5] is used for coding, for deaths registered prior to 2023 it was SOC 2010[6]. The recorded occupation likely reflects the deceased’s main lifetime occupation or their occupation at the time of death.

The number of suicides by sex, country and occupation, deaths registered 2011 to 2021 can be found on the ONS website[7]. The numbers of suicides among farmers between 2022 and 2023 can be found in Table 1. Data for 2024 deaths registrations is not yet available.

Table 1: Number of suicides in farmers aged 20 to 64 years, in England and Wales combined, deaths registered between 2022 and 2023[8],[9],[10].

Farmers are identified by combining the following occupation groups: managers and proprietors in agriculture and horticulture (SOC code: 1211), farmers (SOC code: 5111), agricultural and fishing trades not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 5119), agricultural machinery drivers (SOC 2010 code: 8223), farm workers (SOC code: 9111) and fishing and other elementary agriculture occupations not elsewhere classified (SOC code: 9119).

Please note the numbers detailed here cannot be used to ascertain the risk of suicide among occupations, as relative suicide rates accounting for population size of occupation groups are not provided. Differences in numbers of deaths may merely reflect the underlying population structure as opposed to differences in risk.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/2001to2023registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter2aprtojune2024provisionaldata

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2023/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2020

[6]https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/standardoccupationalclassificationsoc/soc2010

[7]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/15043suicidebyoccupationenglandandwales2011to2021registrations

[8]Figures are based on the National Statistics definition of suicide for those aged 20 to 64 years; this includes deaths from intentional self-harm and deaths caused by injury or poisoning where the intent was undetermined.

[9]The area is based on the persons usual residence as provided by the informant upon registration. Figures for England and Wales combined (area code K04000001) include death of non-residents.

[10]Figures are for deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring in each calendar year. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, the deaths presented here may have occurred months, or even years, before they were registered.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question HL2359 on Ministers: Pay, which Minister is paid by the Labour Party; and whether they receive a Ministerial pension contribution.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Member for Lewisham West and East Dulwich is paid by the Labour Party for her position as party chair. She also serves as the Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office. She does not receive a salary under the provisions of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975, and therefore is not entitled to receive a ministerial pension contribution.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers are required to declare (a) spent and (b) unspent criminal convictions when they are formally appointed.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.

Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for which public appointments the Prime Minister is directly responsible.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Prime Minister is directly responsible for public appointments to 61 bodies and offices across government departments. Individual appointments made by the Prime Minister are publicly announced at the time of appointment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question 5121 on Employment, whether he has made an estimate of the potential cost to public authorities of the Government’s procurement reforms on (a) new social value requirements and (b) trade union recognition and access requirements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Employment Rights Bill was published in October along with a full Impact Assessment. The government will also publish a new National Procurement Policy Statement that will set how we will ensure that public procurement supports the Government’s missions, drives value for money and delivers social value.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, What guidance his Department issues on ministerial (a) authorisation and (b) approval of a decision to appoint a civil servant under one of the Recruitment Principles exceptions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Ministerial approval is not required to appoint a civil servant using an exception to the Recruitment Principles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has a policy on appointing Ministers of the Crown with (a) spent and (b) unspent criminal convictions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.

Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Government holds on how many Ministers have criminal convictions.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.

Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme, published on 28 November 2024, if he will list each (a) UK, (b) Welsh and (c) Scottish Government public body which was eligible for but did not order a free portrait.

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

Public authorities throughout the United Kingdom were given an opportunity to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty The King if they wanted to display it in their building. This was a voluntary scheme to mark the accession of His Majesty The King. The announcement was originally made on 1 April 2023 and the scheme was launched in November that year and closed for applications in August 2024.

As it was a voluntary scheme, there was no obligation for public authorities to apply for a portrait. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the list of individual authorities and institutions which did not order a free portrait.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty the King’s free portrait scheme, published on 28 November 2024, which local authorities did not request a portrait, excluding town and parish councils.

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

Public authorities throughout the United Kingdom were given an opportunity to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty The King if they wanted to display it in their building. This was a voluntary scheme to mark the accession of His Majesty The King. The announcement was originally made on 1 April 2023 and the scheme was launched in November that year and closed for applications in August 2024.

As it was a voluntary scheme, there was no obligation for public authorities to apply for a portrait. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the list of individual authorities and institutions which did not order a free portrait.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what processes his Department has in place for Parliamentary oversight of Government decisions in (a) a time of war and (b) circumstances where the House of Commons is not functional.

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

It is a long-standing convention that the Government notifies the House of Commons of significant military action, either before or after the event, and where appropriate, makes time for a debate on that action. In the event that the House of Commons is unable to meet or conduct its business, the Government is committed to restoring the functioning of democratic institutions at the earliest opportunity. Even in emergency scenarios it is vital that Government decisions are scrutinised appropriately.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how will industry investment play a role in the development of autonomous offensive and defensive cyber tooling for the purpose of (a) national security and (b) defence.

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

Investing in cyber security is critical to all sectors of the UK economy, enabling long-term, secure and resilient growth. The UK is an attractive destination for cyber investors, owing to its collaborative environment, access to talent and skills, world-class research, and support to innovation. The Government partners closely with industry to secure the UK in cyberspace.

In particular, the National Cyber Force delivers the UK’s national cyber effects capability. It works in partnership with industry and academia to achieve this, for example through the Lancashire Cyber Partnership, a strategic collaboration to facilitate and boost cyber-led economic growth across digital industries, technology supply chains, and broader disciplines. This is just one regional example of many where we encourage investment in the UK’s cyber sector.

The National Cyber Security Centre is also working with industry to better understand and mitigate the risks from increased use of Artificial Intelligence by cyber threat actors, including those targeting national security and defence.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's transparency data on meetings with senior media figures, whether (a) Meta, (b) X and (c) other social media organisations are classed as media.

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

Guidance on ministers’, special advisers’, and senior officials’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK and includes details of who would be considered senior media figures for these purposes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Freedom of Information - FOI Clearing House Review, updated on 14 December 2023, if he will make it his policy to produce a regular digest of Round Robin lists.

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

Details of the FOI Round Robin process are published on GOV.UK at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.

As with the previous administration, this Government will continue to look into the possibility of producing a regular digest of Round Robin lists.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policies on departmental check-off arrangements of Supreme Court judgment [2024] UKSC 41 relating to (a) Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Public and Commercial Services Union [2023] UKSC 75; (b) Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Public and Commercial Services Union [2023] UKSC 76 and (c) Secretary of State for the Home Department v Public and Commercial Services Union [2024] UKSC 77.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments are responsible for the development of their own workforce policies, subject to the framework of instructions set out in the Civil Service Management Code. This includes the administration of check-off arrangements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to amend the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 (MoPSA) includes provision for severance payments to ministers and certain office-holders.

The Chancellor announced in July that ahead of the Spending Review she would review eligibility for ministerial severance payments based on time in office, as set out in MoPSA. This review is ongoing.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Civil Service Jobs advertisement reference 378636, why four positions are being recruited; whether they are new positions; and whether the former incumbents left since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The roles advertised are to support No10 buildings facilities team. They are replacement roles due to vacancies and upcoming retirement, which existed under the previous government – not new roles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has organised away days for Senior Civil Service officials since the dissolution of Parliament.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

From the dissolution of Parliament on 30 May 2024 until the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024, the Cabinet Office has not organised any away days for Senior Civil Servants (SCS). There have been two SCS Leadership Conferences since then, one on 23 July 2024 and another on 10 October 2024.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) templates and (b) guidance for (i) ministerial submissions, (ii) the write round process, (iii) post implementation reviews of legislation and (iv) the preparation of departmental business cases have been updated to refer to the environmental principles duty in section 19(1) of the Environment Act 2021.

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

Each Government department is responsible for its own ministerial submission templates and guidance. Departments have been advised to amend their submission templates to reflect the EPPS duty through the Defra-led Environmental Principles Working Group.

Ministers may seek collective agreement from the Cabinet or its committees through correspondence, or the ‘write round process’. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, including through correspondence, is not normally shared publicly.

In May 2024, the Department for Business & Trade published revised guidance, Producing post-implementation reviews: principles of best practice, which provides advice on the consideration of environmental impacts and specifies that departments should have due regard to the environmental principles policy statement when completing a post-implementation review of legislation.

It is mandatory for government departments to make proportionate use of the Green Book, and its supplementary business case guidance, when they develop spending proposals. Where the EPPS duty applies, it is relevant for appraisals that are conducted in line with the Green Book. This is made clear on the Green Book webpage and will be reflected in the Green Book when the document is next updated.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of variations in practice on the publication of Government Procurement Card and Electronic Purchasing Card transaction data by Government Departments.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The policy setting out the requirement to publish Government Procurement Card transactions over £500 remains in place. This is available to all government departments on gov.uk at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e8b402686650c18ce2cb541/Procurement_Cards_-_Pan_Government_Policy_V4_06042020.pdf

The policy clearly sets out the standard that departments must publish to, which includes transaction date, transaction reference, merchant name and the amount spent.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) he and (b) the Paymaster General has met the Ulster Farmers Union since the general election.

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

Details of official meetings held in a ministerial capacity with external organisations or individuals are published quarterly on GOV.UK

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of working from home on civil service productivity.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

We have reviewed the wide range of studies available on the benefits of hybrid working, which has been used to inform the expectation for 60% office attendance for Civil Servants. This expectation has not changed since the previous administration.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there are plans for 10 Downing Street to communicate via the Blue Sky social media channel.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government continues to look at ways to make sure the government’s digital communications better reflect the way the public now consumes information online.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers in 10 Downing Street cover foreign affairs.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Special adviser appointments are published annually.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister became aware of the previous fraud conviction of the former Transport Secretary, the Rt Hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the statements the Prime Minister has already made about the former Transport Secretary’s resignation at Prime Minister’s questions on 4 December.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's report entitled Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Scrutiny 2022–23, HC 198, published on 4 March 2024, if he will make it his policy to implement the recommendations of that report.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The previous Government formally responded to the report and its recommendations on 10 May 2024 (HC 774, published on 23 May 2024).

This Government continues to promote the PHSO complaint standards and support NHS England and NHS Resolution to further encourage the use of dispute resolution methods, including mediation, by the NHS.

The Government will consider the case for ombudsman reform alongside other policy and legislative priorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what resources and infrastructure they are investing in to defend against cyber warfare, with particular reference to artificial intelligence.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Last week, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster delivered a speech to the NATO Cyber Defence Conference in which he set out the Government's commitment to strengthening cyber resilience. We continue to work closely with allies to expose cyber attackers from across the world, whether that’s through public attributions, calling out hostile actors, or through sanctions. And we are constantly looking at where we can bolster our own digital defences here in the UK. In the King’s Speech, we announced that the Government would bring forward a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill, which will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences, and, working with industry, help make the UK the safest place to live and work online.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also announced a new Laboratory for AI Security Research at the University of Oxford (LASR), backed by £8.2 million of funding from the government’s Integrated Security Fund. The lab will bring together experts from government, industry and academia to seize the national security and economic opportunities of secure AI, underlining our commitment to stay one step ahead in this new AI arms race.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 15 November (HC11589), what involvement the Prime Minister has had with the policy development of the Football Governance Bill, or whether he has recused himself in the light of the value of the hospitality he has received from football clubs since becoming Prime Minister.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Football Governance Bill, and policy decision making in this area, is led by the Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the analysis of the implications of a nuclear attack, including a limited attack, on the United Kingdom set out in the Strath Report in 1955 has since been updated by a committee or body of equivalent standing; and if not, what consideration they have given to commissioning an update of that analysis in the light of current geopolitical circumstances.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The United Kingdom has well-developed contingency plans to respond to a wide range of eventualities, including nuclear attacks. The plans and supporting arrangements have been developed, refined and tested over many years.

The scale of these capabilities is driven by classified planning assumptions derived from the United Kingdom’s National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA), which is a classified assessment of the most serious risks that could cause a national emergency in the UK. An external publication, the National Risk Register, which excludes some security-related risks, was last published in 2023, but is based on the NSRA.

GOV.UK/prepare, the Government’s website for resilience and emergency planning, is designed to help people plan for potential hazards and equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and resources to respond effectively.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether Ministers approved the renaming the “Cross-Government Women’s Network” as the “Cross-Government Gender Network”; whether a public sector equality duty assessment was undertaken on the change; and how much diversity network time is now allocated to the Cross-Government Gender Network.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Cross Government Gender Network is a Civil Service wide forum made up of staff networks working towards advancing gender equality and parity in the Civil Service and across arms-length bodies. The change in name from the Cross-Government Women’s Network took place in 2020, under the previous administration. It does not represent any change in Government policy or activity and a public sector equality duty (PSED) assessment was not undertaken by the previous administration.

There are currently no centrally set time allocation limits for cross Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion networks.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the First Report of Session 2023–24 of the Liaison Committee, Promoting national strategy: How select committee scrutiny can improve strategic thinking in Whitehall, HC 31, published on 29 May 2024, whether his Department has taken recent steps to develop a cross-Whitehall lexicon.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is considering the Liaison Committee's report and looks forward to discussing it with the incoming Chair once elected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of paragraph 29 of the First Report of Session 2023–24 of the Liaison Committee, Promoting national strategy: How select committee scrutiny can improve strategic thinking in Whitehall, HC 31, published on 29 May 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is considering the Liaison Committee's report and looks forward to discussing it with the incoming Chair once elected.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross of 4 November (HL1812), whether they will place in the Library of the House a list of each artwork or portrait that has been (1) removed from, and (2) added to the Downing Street estate, including Number 9, Number 10, Number 11, Number 12 and the two official residences, since 5 July, including any Government Art Collection reference number, according to records held by the Government Art Collection.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

I refer the Noble Lord to the answer of the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, Minister Gould, 31 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 8943.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to keep monthly data on farmer, landowner and family business owner suicides and suicide attempts.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - 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.

The Lord Roborough

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

29 November 2024

Dear Lord Roborough,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking whether we plan to keep monthly data on farmer, landowner and family business owner suicides and suicide attempts (HL2859).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes annual suicide death registration statistics for England and Wales[1]. Also published regularly are provisional statistics on suicide death registrations by quarter in England[2]. As these statistics are based on death registrations, they do not inform us about suicide attempts. The ONS holds death registrations for England and Wales only; separate figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland and are available from the National Records of Scotland (NRS)[3] and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA)[4], respectively.

Suicide deaths are few enough in number that disaggregating them by age group or region in our quarterly provisional statistics for England presents very small numbers for some groups. Statistics such as change in rates of suicide deaths for small groups can therefore be volatile and uncertain. As such, while the ONS is committed to continuing its quarterly publication of suicide statistics and analysing suicide deaths by occupation using annual data[5], a more regular presentation of suicide deaths by occupation is not planned.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) produce a statistical report on near to real-time suspected suicide surveillance (nRTSSS) for England[6], which is revised monthly, but does not present suicides by occupation.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

[1]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/2023

[2]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/quarterlysuicidedeathregistrationsinengland/2001to2023registrationsandquarter1jantomartoquarter2aprtojune2024provisionaldata

[3]https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/publications/probable-suicides-2023/

[4]https://www.nisra.gov.uk/statistics/cause-death/suicide-deaths

[5]https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/adhocs/15043suicidebyoccupationenglandandwales2011to2021registrations

[6]https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england/statistical-report-near-to-real-time-suspected-suicide-surveillance-nrtsss-for-england-for-the-15-months-to-august-2023

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are negotiating on a draft text for a security partnership agreement with the European Union.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

On 14 October the Foreign Secretary attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council and agreed with the then High Representative, Borrell, to advance work towards a security partnership. They also agreed that the UK and EU will establish a biannual Foreign Policy Dialogue between the UK Foreign Secretary and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs to enable strategic cooperation on the highest priority issues, with the first meeting in early 2025. In addition, they also agreed to a number of regular UK-EU strategic consultations to sit underneath this on Russia/Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, the Western Balkans and Hybrid threats. We are exploring with the EEAS how we progress this work.

This follows the Prime Minister’s meeting with Commission President von der Leyen on 2 October where the leaders agreed on the importance of the unique relationship between the European Union and the United Kingdom and resolved to strengthen ambitiously our structured strategic cooperation on shared global challenges.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the mean full-time equivalent salary is of staff in the (a) Office for Equality and Opportunity, (b) Women’s Equality Unit, (c) Race Disparity Unit and (d) Disability Unit in the most recent period for which data is available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Salaries ranges for each civil servant grade are set by the Cabinet Office and are not at the discretion of the individual business units such as the Office for Equality and Opportunity. The mean full time equivalent salary of staff in the Office for Equality and Opportunity (which includes the sub-units of Women's Equality Unit, Race Disparity Unit and Disability Unit) is £54,400, rounded to the nearest £100.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s Corporate report entitled Public Bodies 2020, published on 15 July 2021, if he will update the data on non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and non-ministerial departments.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The last public bodies landscape, a publication showing spend and headcount data of arms length bodies, was last published for 2019/20. An updated version of this publication, covering data from 2022-23, will be published on gov.uk in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the size of (a) the UK population and (b) net immigration in each year to 2046.

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 27 November is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 6077 on Public Appointments, if the Prime Minister will list each individual Direct Ministerial Appointment which was signed off by 10 Downing Street according to records held by the No. 10 public appointments team since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 14 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 6091.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department's About Us web page lists the Government's priorities for 2021-22.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This page has been amended and will be updated further in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have signed new contracts or renewed existing contracts with Fujitsu this year.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search. In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of five services provided by Fujitsu, that have been extended through direct awards since January. These service extensions ensured continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.

Cabinet Office has reviewed cases for supplier service extensions in line with the commercial spend controls process in order to ensure continuity of public services.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for new work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract 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 His Majesty's Government which Government Departments have contracts with Fujitsu and what is the value of each contract.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Details of central government contracts where the contract value is above £12,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search. In addition to extensions available under Fujitsu’s existing contracts, Contracts Finder provides details of five services provided by Fujitsu, that have been extended through direct awards since January. These service extensions ensured continuity of public services, whilst competitive procurements are being set up, as appropriate.

Cabinet Office has reviewed cases for supplier service extensions in line with the commercial spend controls process in order to ensure continuity of public services.

In January 2024, Fujitsu said it would withdraw from bidding for contracts for new work with new Government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes – it would only bid for work with existing Government customers where it already has a contract 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 his Department has made of the number of people on zero-hours contracts in High Peak constituency.

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 December is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in how many years the ONS estimates on immigration to the UK been revised upwards in each of the last 20 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 2 December is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the constitutional implications of the reforms in the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill for (1) the continued validity of the Salisbury-Addison Convention, and (2) the conventions of the House of Lords in not rejecting secondary legislation.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The conventions of the House are unaffected by the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. The Bill fulfills a manifesto commitment to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. As such, the Bill clearly engages the Salisbury-Addison convention.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when applications for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme will open to those infected after the cut-off date of 1991.

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

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2024, approved by Parliament in October, do not set out hard cut-off dates for determining whether a person is eligible for compensation based on when their infection was acquired. However, the evidence requirements will be higher where a person was infected after the introduction of screening of blood, blood products and tissue. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority opened the compensation scheme to a small number of people in October to allow the Authority to test the service, with further invitations, as part of this testing approach, to be sent between now and January. The claim service for compensation is being designed and delivered now, starting small and scaling up as quickly as possible, to make payments. Dates for the roll out of the service to larger numbers of people will be determined and communicated by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason he has maintained the cut-off dates for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

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

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme does not have hard cut-off dates for determining whether a person is eligible for compensation based on when their infection was acquired. However, the evidence requirements will be higher where a person was infected after the introduction of screening of blood, blood products and tissue. The dates for the introduction of screening are November 1985 for HIV infection, September 1991 for Hepatitis C infection and December 1972 for Hepatitis B infection. Those whose infection fell outside of these date ranges would still be eligible as long as they can satisfy the Infected Blood Compensation Authority that the infected blood treatment caused the person to become infected with that infection. It is intended that the Authority’s approach to applications will be to be as proactive and sympathetic as possible, and consistent with appropriate and proportionate safeguarding of the integrity of the scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a department for government efficiency.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are currently no plans for a Department for Government Efficiency. The Budget set out plans for an Office for Value for Money which will work alongside other reforms such as the 2% Efficiency target aimed at improving savings, efficiency and productivity for all government departments by using technology more effectively and joining up services. Together, these reforms will deliver change for working people.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to update the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 in the light of the threat from Russia.

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

The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) 2004 and the associated Regulations deliver a single framework for civil protection in the UK. The legislation is deliberately broad ranging and sets out the requirements to consider all emergencies that threaten serious damage to human welfare in the UK; the environment of a place in the UK; or war, or terrorism, which threatens serious damage to the security of the UK.

The Government keeps this legislation under review. The Cabinet Office has a legal obligation to review the CCA every five years. The most recent review was published in March 2022 and concluded that the Act continues to achieve its stated objectives. It did set out recommendations to strengthen the system and its planning which are being considered as part of the Resilience Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers, and (c) officials in (i) the Cabinet Office and (ii) 10 Downing Street have had with the Muslim Council of Britain since 5 July.

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

There has been no change to HMG policy on engagement with the Muslim Council of Britain.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on awarding contracts to companies responsible for the 2017 Grenfell fire.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office is undertaking a review of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s findings for evidence of supplier failures, and is identifying if organisations involved in the tragedy are still in government supply chains as subcontractors. The government will support action on these findings, which could include issuing guidance on exclusions to the public sector where appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary was of each civil service grade in each Department in each year since 2010.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office publishes data annually on civil servants’ median pay by department and grade. The relevant data for the years between 2010 and 2024 are available via the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether club memberships are paid for from the public purse for (a) staff, (b) contractors and (c) other employees.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not pay for staff membership fees for any clubs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what priorities on what timelines he has issued to the National Resilience Academy.

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

The UK Resilience Academy (UKRA) will be established in April 2025 to ensure that all those who work on resilience have the capability, knowledge and skills they need to play their part in making resilience a ‘whole of society’ endeavour.

In his statement to the House of Commons on 19 July 2024, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster confirmed that the UK Resilience Academy is being established to increase and improve the training of ministers, MPs, civil servants and all those in civil society who respond to crises.

In the same statement, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster also committed to undertaking a review of long-term resilience. The review seeks to identify what should be kept, changed or improved from previous resilience commitments, to ensure we are best prepared now and into the future. Evidence from the review will inform decisions on future priorities for the UKRA.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle regional inequalities in community resilience in the national resilience review.

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

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster committed to undertaking a review of UK national resilience in his statement to the House of Commons on 19 July, in response to the Covid-19 Inquiry’s Module 1 report. The review is expected to conclude in Spring 2025. It will be informed by the voices of local leaders, the Four Nations, businesses, voluntary and community sector representatives and academics. It will also consider recommendations from public inquiries into Covid-19 and the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

As part of this review I recently met with representatives of those disproportionately impacted during crises, faith groups, businesses and charities who support a range of communities, and earlier in the year convened a roundtable of 11 Northern Local Resilience Forum representatives during a recent visit to the North East.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to use evidence-based measures of community resilience for funding decisions.

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

The UK’s long standing resilience architecture is based upon the concept of subsidiarity, where local responders are best placed to identify the risks in their areas, understand the needs of their communities and to put appropriate plans and capability in place to respond to those risks.

The Government has commenced a review of resilience, which includes considering how we can help Local Resilience Forums strengthen resilience throughout their communities. Treasury guidance already sets out requirements for policymakers to consider the appraisal and evaluation of policies and programmes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government records the details of meetings Ministers have at party conferences.

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

Ministers’ meetings with external organisations at party conferences will generally be in a political capacity so there is no need to normally declare these, unless a senior media figure was also present. Annex D of the Ministerial Transparency Guidance, which is published on GOV.UK, states that ministers’ meetings with external organisations at party conferences will generally be in a political capacity so there is no need to normally declare these, unless a senior media figure was also present. However, if ministers exceptionally hold meetings in the margins of Party conferences in an official ministerial capacity, then these should be recorded and published in the normal way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what use Cabinet Office Ministers, including the Prime Minister, have made of Lord Alli’s house in London since 5 July.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

Any hospitality received by Ministers is declared in accordance with the Ministerial Code. The Cabinet Office publishes details of ministers’ hospitality on a quarterly basis, and this will move to a monthly basis in future. Hospitality received by ministers in a non-ministerial capacity is published on the parliamentary registers in line with the parliamentary codes of conduct.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Establishing the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme in Regulations, published on 23 August 2024, what his planned timetable is to publish the second set of regulations to provide for the payment of compensation to affected persons; and whether a target date has been set for when compensation payments will begin.

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

Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Government is aiming for the second set of Regulations to be in place by 31 March 2025 to support our intention that people who are affected can start receiving payment next year.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government which cross-government diversity network represents the interests of biological women.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Cross Government Gender Network is a Civil Service wide forum made up of gender related staff networks, including women’s networks, working towards advancing gender equality and parity in the Civil Service and across arms-length bodies. Other networks are available which also represent the broader interests of women.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 19 November (HL2370), what are the latest figures for employee activity rates for the regions of England.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - 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.

The Rt Hon. the Lord Wigley

House of Lords

London

SW1A 0PW

4 December 2024

Dear Lord Wigley,

As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Twycross on 19 November (HL2370), what are the latest figures for employee activity rates for the regions of England (HL3125).

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) collects information on the labour market status of individuals through the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which is a survey of people resident in households in the UK. The responses allow us to estimate how many people are in employment, and how many of those are in employment as employees, as opposed to other forms of employment such as self-employed.

Due to the current smaller sample sizes being achieved by the LFS, recent estimates are showing increased volatility and should be treated with additional caution.

The latest available estimates (July to September 2024) of the rates of employees for people aged 16 to 64 years, determined as the percentage of the population in employment as an employee, resident in each of England’s nine regions, are presented in Table 1.

Table 1: Rates of employees, people aged 16 to 64 years, regions in England, not seasonally adjusted.

Source: Labour Force Survey

Yours sincerely,

Professor Sir Ian Diamond

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans are in place to ensure those areas in England without mayors and not part of a combined authority will be represented in the Council of the Nations and the Regions to enable them to contribute and participate.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The membership of the Council of the Nations and Regions is drawn from the directly elected leaders of central, devolved and local government across the UK with additional devolved powers. On 16 July 2024 the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all areas that do not have a devolution deal to invite them to come forward with a proposal. New Mayors established through this process would also be eligible to sit on the Council of the Nations and Regions. The Government is committed to working productively with local government and has established the Leaders Council to bring together other local government leaders and Ministers to identify and tackle the strategic challenges facing local government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the target date for the completion of payments to all those identified as victims of infected blood.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Our priority is to pay compensation as quickly as possible. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is working to put in place a claim service that is simple and secure. We expect the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to begin making payments to people who are infected by the end of this year.

For people diagnosed with an eligible infection before 1 April 2025, the Scheme will remain open to applications until 31 March 2031. For people diagnosed after 1 April 2025, the Scheme will remain open to applications for 6 years from the person’s date of diagnosis.

We call on the Government to not allow any ministers or members of Parliament to engage with the World Economic Forum.

Pass a new act which I believe could help define and protect lawful, non-violent, free speech from censorship by the state or tech companies in a broader, more detailed way than existing laws.

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Submit Evidence (by 7 Feb 2025)

Governments have created Public Bodies when it is felt that certain functions are best conducted outside the normal departmental structures and at some distance from direct ministerial control. There are currently around 500, though classification can be vague. They vary hugely in terms of their size, governance arrangements, and the types of roles they perform. They are ‘owned’ by their sponsoring department but subject to Cabinet Office and HM Treasury guidance. This states that that they should only be created and continue to operate as a last resort and when:

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what leadership training is routinely provided to officers moving up the ranks in the Prison Service.

Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Officers have a wide range of leadership training available to them as they progress through the ranks.

All Ministry of Justice staff have access to a wide suite of cross-government training products available via Government Campus (part of Cabinet Office). These product topics include Coaching, Building your Team, and Career Development.

All Ministry of Justice staff also have access to two, four-day, intensive Leadership Schools per annum, focused on unlocking the potential to improve and transform their leadership capabilities. Leadership School provides keynote speeches, expert-led workshops, and in-depth peer reflection sessions, to ensure that leaders are equipped to use new capabilities in their roles.

In addition, MoJ HQ has developed a new HMPPS Leadership and Management Offer specifically for HMPPS staff (elements of this include the HMPPS People Manager Handbook and HMPPS People Manager Essentials Programme). HMPPS staff also have access to a wealth of free online resources on the myLearning Learning Management System.

There are several funded Leadership apprenticeships on offer for HMPPS staff, and a small number of leadership training interventions for HMPPS are provided by external providers.

The Spark Custodial scheme is an operational fast-track scheme for Public Sector Prisons, open to Operational Bands 2-4 and Non-Operational up to and including Band 6, that enables them to progress to Head of Function. The scheme lasts around 30 months for operational participants and 36 months for non-operational participants.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff at what grades are reviewing engagement with the EU through PESCO.

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

As part of the Cabinet Office-led UK-EU reset, teams in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are working closely with teams across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to work collaboratively to build our defence relationship with the EU including consultations on respective defence initiatives and defence industry matters, including advancing work towards a Security and Defence Partnership.

There are currently no staff solely dedicated to reviewing engagement with the EU through PESCO. However, teams in MOD are working to assess PESCO as part of their broader remits to consider international cooperation and UK interests, including through work to develop a UK-EU Security Partnership.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, when she plans to update the Cabinet Office Guide to Making Legislation to provide guidance on the environmental principles duty in section 19(1) of the Environment Act 2021.

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

The Guide to Making Legislation will be updated shortly and will include references to environmental principles. Leading up to the commencement of the statutory duties contained within the Environment Act 2021, guidance was circulated to all Whitehall departments. This guidance related to both sections 19 and 20 of that Act.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has imposed (a) financial penalties and (b) adjustments to contract terms with General Dynamics in relation to the delay of the MORPHEUS project within the Land Environment Tactical Communication and Information Systems programme.

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

The MORPHEUS Evolve to Open Transition Partner (EvO TP) contract with General Dynamics Missions Systems (UK) (GDMS(UK)), which was focused on evolving the proprietary Bowman system, was concluded in December 2023. Commercial confidentiality precludes providing the specific details of the arrangements made, however the Department can provide assurance that these arrangements have been verified by both HM Treasury and Cabinet Office as representing the best value for money approach for the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of domestic cybersecurity risks on food biosecurity.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra assesses the potential impacts of cybersecurity risks along with other risks to the food supply chain as outlined in the National Risk Register (NRR) and supporting assessment. Defra works with the Cabinet Office, as leads for the NRR, and Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, as the Lead Government Department for cybersecurity, to ensure the range of potential impacts on the food system from these types of risks are included in their assessment.

To inform this, Defra engages with external stakeholders to understand how they prepare for cybersecurity risks whilst promoting vigilance and improvements to resilience.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask His Majesty's Government what targets the Treasury have for the time to respond to letters from parliamentarians specifically addressed to Treasury ministers; and what percentage of such correspondence is answered within that timeframe.

Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)

In line with Cabinet Office guidance, HM Treasury aims to respond to ministerial correspondence from parliamentarians within 20 working days. Correspondence performance data is published within HM Treasury’s Annual Report and Accounts. The 2023-24 Report noted that 62% of replies to parliamentarians were answered within the timeframe.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will publish the (a) minutes and (b) list of attendees for the first inter-ministerial group for ending homelessness.

Answered by Rushanara Ali - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Inter-Ministerial Group, chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, includes ministers from across government and is focused on developing a long-term strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness. This includes ministers from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, Home Office, Department for Education, Department for Work and Pensions, Department for Health and Social Care, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office, and His Majesty’s Treasury.

In line with the practice of successive administrations, detailed minutes of ministerial meetings - even those that are declared publicly - are not normally disclosed.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of remuneration recently offered to recruit a chief technology officer for the army by comparison to roles of equivalent seniority and experience in the private sector, and what assessment they have made of the implications for the security of the UK.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

Over the past twelve months, the British Army has undertaken civil service recruitment for two Chief Technology Officers. Both roles were advertised with salaries aligned with centrally approved remuneration frameworks, set by the Cabinet Office. This includes applicable allowances for the Digital, Data, and Technology (DDaT) profession, which remain under constant review.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on the (i) development and (ii) procurement of digital capabilities for national security.

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

The Ministry of Defence routinely works with colleagues in the National Security community, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and Cabinet Office on the development and procurement of digital capabilities for National Security. All of which is fully consistent and aligns with the Government’s approach to transforming for a Digital Future.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many international (a) air miles and (b) flights have been completed by (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in their Department since 5 July 2024.

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

Information about use of international flights for official overseas Ministerial and senior officials travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Data from 5 July 2024 will be published in due course.

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 14 October 2024 to Question 6190 on Permitted Development Rights, whether her Department has made an assessment of the extent to which that consultation met the Cabinet Office’s consultation principles guidance.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

While we cannot comment on the actions of the previous government, the consultation document sets out how it was planned to adhere to the consultation principles issued by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the One Login project is on (a) budget and (b) schedule.

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

The GOV.UK One Login programme is on budget and on schedule. It operates under the controls outlined in its Full Business Case, including Cabinet Office and HM Treasury spend controls, and independent assurance reviews conducted by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA). The IPA’s most recent review concluded that the programme is delivering effectively despite operating in an inherently complex environment, and remains on schedule.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her oral statement on Border Security and Asylum of 22 July 2024, Official Report, column 384, what assessment her Department has made of the cost effectiveness of (a) Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre and (b) other immigration removal centres for tackling illegal migration.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Detention plays a key role in maintaining effective immigration controls and securing the UK’s borders, particularly in connection with the removal of people who have no right to remain in the UK but who refuse to leave voluntarily.

The immigration removal estate is kept under review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for those men and women it is necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.

We are increasing detention spaces to support a higher pace of removals, including reopening Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). This increase will ensure there is additional capacity to facilitate higher levels of enforcement and returns so that rules are properly respected.

Development of Campsfield is being undertaken in two phases. A competition for the Phase 1 constructor was conducted between suppliers, using the Strategic Alliance framework, on a “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” basis, which considers both quality and costs. As part of the contracting process, tenders were reviewed by subject matter experts to assess quality, and the costs of the contract were assured by a third-party cost consultant appointed by the Home Office and independent of the constructor.

The commercial arrangements also underwent scrutiny via a multi stage approval process including the Home Office’s Commercial Assurance Board, Migration and Borders Transformation Programme Board, and departmental Investment Committee, with final approval by Cabinet Office Spend Controls.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites, and costs are refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded. The Home Office does not comment on service provider procurement exercises, which are commercially sensitive. However, contracts are published upon the Contracts Finder website, once awarded.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15154 on Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, what review process was undertaken by her Department on the commercial agreement with Galliford Try for Phase 1 of the Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre design and build arrangement, signed on 29 May 2024.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Detention plays a key role in maintaining effective immigration controls and securing the UK’s borders, particularly in connection with the removal of people who have no right to remain in the UK but who refuse to leave voluntarily.

The immigration removal estate is kept under review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for those men and women it is necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.

We are increasing detention spaces to support a higher pace of removals, including reopening Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). This increase will ensure there is additional capacity to facilitate higher levels of enforcement and returns so that rules are properly respected.

Development of Campsfield is being undertaken in two phases. A competition for the Phase 1 constructor was conducted between suppliers, using the Strategic Alliance framework, on a “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” basis, which considers both quality and costs. As part of the contracting process, tenders were reviewed by subject matter experts to assess quality, and the costs of the contract were assured by a third-party cost consultant appointed by the Home Office and independent of the constructor.

The commercial arrangements also underwent scrutiny via a multi stage approval process including the Home Office’s Commercial Assurance Board, Migration and Borders Transformation Programme Board, and departmental Investment Committee, with final approval by Cabinet Office Spend Controls.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites, and costs are refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded. The Home Office does not comment on service provider procurement exercises, which are commercially sensitive. However, contracts are published upon the Contracts Finder website, once awarded.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question 15050 on Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre, what assessment her Department has made of the cost-effectiveness of (a) Campsfield House and (b) other immigration removal centres.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Home Office)

Detention plays a key role in maintaining effective immigration controls and securing the UK’s borders, particularly in connection with the removal of people who have no right to remain in the UK but who refuse to leave voluntarily.

The immigration removal estate is kept under review to ensure that the Home Office has sufficient resilience, geographical footprint and capacity for those men and women it is necessary to detain for the purposes of removal, while providing value for money.

We are increasing detention spaces to support a higher pace of removals, including reopening Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC). This increase will ensure there is additional capacity to facilitate higher levels of enforcement and returns so that rules are properly respected.

Development of Campsfield is being undertaken in two phases. A competition for the Phase 1 constructor was conducted between suppliers, using the Strategic Alliance framework, on a “Most Economically Advantageous Tender” basis, which considers both quality and costs. As part of the contracting process, tenders were reviewed by subject matter experts to assess quality, and the costs of the contract were assured by a third-party cost consultant appointed by the Home Office and independent of the constructor.

The commercial arrangements also underwent scrutiny via a multi stage approval process including the Home Office’s Commercial Assurance Board, Migration and Borders Transformation Programme Board, and departmental Investment Committee, with final approval by Cabinet Office Spend Controls.

The Home Office is committed to ensuring value for money on all IRC sites, and costs are refined during the planning process and once contractors have been onboarded. The Home Office does not comment on service provider procurement exercises, which are commercially sensitive. However, contracts are published upon the Contracts Finder website, once awarded.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) substantive information requested and (b) decision was for each (i) Freedom of Information Act and (ii) Environmental Information Regulation request received by her Department since the general election; and what exemption was used to (A) refuse and (B) part-refuse each request.

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

The Cabinet Office has responsibility for Freedom of Information policy in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and publishes information on the handling of requests at this link: Freedom of Information statistics - GOV.UK.

Statistics for the period requested are attached. We have annexed the information you requested to this response.

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Found: The Minister for the Cabinet Office has in exercise of the power conferred by section 49(1) of this Act

Found: 59 Water (Special Measures) Bill [HL] 60 Defra, Explanatory Notes (PDF), 4 September 2024; Cabinet Office

Found: promptly raise any operational problems , informing the Windsor Framework Taskforce in the Cabinet Office

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Found: 59 Water (Special Measures) Bill [HL] 60 Defra, Explanatory Notes (PDF), 4 September 2024; Cabinet Office

Found: line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ ‘Principles of public appointments’ and Cabinet Office

Found: line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ ‘Principles of public appointments’ and Cabinet Office

Found: conform to Part 4 of the Section 45 Freedom of Information Code of Practice, issued by the Cabinet Office

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Found: Markets Authority CMC Capacity Management Centre CNI Critical National Infrastructure CO Cabinet Office

Found: The Committee operates within the parameters set by the Cabinet Office and in light of the government

Found: This consultation is being conducted in line with the Cabinet Office consultation principles published

Found: Appointments and Reappointments comply with the Cabinet Office Governance Code on Public Appointments

Found: This research programme has been funded by the Cabinet Office Evaluation Task Force Evaluati on Accelerator

Found: Our performance is measured and reported on by the Cabinet Office as part of DSIT’s performance.

Found: increased by £12 million, including £9 million for the one-off cost of living payments that Cabinet Office

Found: Functional standards The Cabinet Office publishes a suite of functional standards that set expectations

Found: Cabinet Office

Found: Local government pensions 3 25 28 Cabinet Office formula: annual pension multiplied by the number

Found: Other contributors of data included the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department for Education

Found: and between local government, the NHS and government departments such as the Home Office and Cabinet Office

Found: The Commission also received data from the Cabinet Office, the Home Office, the Department for Work and

Found: From: Cabinet Office and Public Sector Fraud Authority Published 20 March 2015 Last updated

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Found: Last but by no means least, I am grateful to the Cabinet Office for securing the transfer of my NFI

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Found: This could provide scope for the NFI to assist:  the NFA and the Cabinet Office in their development

Found: Counter Fraud, Bribery and Corruption The CNPA follows the Cabinet Office Counter Fraud Functional

Found: Framework Task Force and supporting the government’s desire to reset relations with the EU (Cabinet Office

Found: and other instructions and guidance issued from time to time by MHCLG, the Treasury and the Cabinet Office

Found: Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative, Cabinet Office

Found: Ministerial accountability to Parliament for the CSSF lay with the Cabinet Office.

Found: We can confirm that the SFO are updating products according to the principles set out by the Cabinet Office

Found: The Committee agreed with the Cabinet Office that there are a number of mitigating factors that help

Found: From: Evaluation Task Force, Cabinet Office and HM Treasury Published 15 May 2024 Last updated

Found: Business cases are further scrutinised and approved by HMT and the Cabinet Office.

Found: framework and standards (Sourcing Playbook (May 2021) and will continue to be approved by the Board, Cabinet Office

Found: Further discussions will take place on this matter with UKG Officials.We understand that the Cabinet Office

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