Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2025 to Question 98184, whether meetings held by the Prime Minister with external individuals are routinely assigned a subject classification for record-keeping purposes.

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

Guidance on management of records for official ministerial meetings is published on gov.uk, and available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-management-of-private-office-information-and-records/guidance-for-the-management-of-private-office-information-and-records-html.

The guidance in place in August 2019 is available in the National Archives: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/popapersguidance2009.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance was guidance in place in August 2019 on keeping a written record of meetings between the Prime Minister and external individuals where public policy, procurement, or government contracts were discussed.

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

Guidance on management of records for official ministerial meetings is published on gov.uk, and available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-management-of-private-office-information-and-records/guidance-for-the-management-of-private-office-information-and-records-html.

The guidance in place in August 2019 is available in the National Archives: https://cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/popapersguidance2009.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much has been spent on external contractors by the New Media Unit since its inception.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the New Media Unit is fully staffed, and if not, whether further recruitment is planned to the unit.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the grades of the employees of the New Media Unit.

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

Please refer to the table below for spend by the New Media Unit on third party suppliers, from 1 November 2024 to 13 November 2025.

The New Media unit includes employees from grade AO to SCS1 and the headcount is 28 FTE.

The New Media Unit is not currently recruiting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government (1) what the Civil Service headcount was in (a) 2023–24 and (b) 2024–2025; and; (2) what is the expected headcount for (a) 2025–26, (b) 2026–27, (c) 2027–28, (d) 2028–29, and (e) 2029–2030.

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

Please see the table below for 2024, 2025 and latest available figures on Civil Service employment sourced from ONS Public Sector Employment Statistics.

*latest available

Each department will take a decision on its future size and shape as per the financial settlements that were agreed with HM Treasury in the Spending Review. These plans will take a whole workforce approach based on the cost of civil servants, Contingent Labour, Consultancy and Managed Services, and will be finalised through the business planning process that is currently underway.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what work they plan to undertake to make arm's-length bodies and the arm's-length body landscape more effective, efficient and accountable.

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

As announced on 6th April 2025, the Government is conducting a full-scale review of arm's-length bodies in order to reduce the duplication of work by public bodies, improve efficiency, reduce unnecessary costs, and improve transparency. This review is ongoing, but some changes have already been announced such as the closure of NHS England to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of redundancy plans for civil servants working at grades (a) AA/AO, (b) EO, (c) HEO/SEO, (d) G6/G7 and (e) SCS in each Government department.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlements that have now been agreed with HMT in the Spending Review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether ice cream vans parked on red lines on Westminster Bridge are monitored by the Government Secure Zone control room.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare

The Government can confirm that vehicles are monitored within the Government Secure Zone. However, the Government does not comment in detail on security arrangements within the Government Secure Zone.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether the Prime Minister plans to issue a direction under section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 to give the Civil Service Commission new statutory functions relating to Business Appointment Rules.

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

The Minister for the Cabinet Office wrote to the First Civil Service Commissioner, Baroness Stuart, on behalf of the Prime Minister, on 9 July formally inviting the Civil Service Commission, under Section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, to take on responsibility for the administration and advice on applications from the most senior civil servants (and equivalent special advisers) under the business appointment rules system.

The First Civil Service Commissioner wrote back to the Minister on 11 July on behalf of the Commission to formally agree to take on these additional responsibilities.

The relevant correspondence is published on the Civil Service Commission website. These changes will apply from 13 October.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 3.16 of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, published on 16 June 2025, HC 951, by when he expects fixed (a) innovation and (b) digitalisation milestones to be provided.

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

The government expects fixed (a) innovation and (b) digitalisation targets to be provided when Capita submits its continuous improvement strategy and, for each contract year, an annual continuous improvement plan, once the services have gone live (post December 2025).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2025 to Question 82673 on Government Departments: Social Media, on which topics, campaigns and programmes social media influencers have been used by the two agencies since July 2024.

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

Please see below for the campaigns:

• Breakfast Clubs

• National Minimum and Living Wage

• Warm Home Discount

• GREAT Audacious Kingdom

• GREAT USA

Some work is not included given commercial and wider sensitivities.

These campaigns are used to raise awareness about government schemes and initiatives and promote the UK internationally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding between HMRC and the Cabinet Office has been updated since the introduction of the Data Protection Act 2018; and on what basis data transfers for honours probity checks continues.

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

As noted in our answer to PQ 92590, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cabinet Office and HMRC was last updated in 2023. The Memorandum of Understanding, which is published in full on gov.uk, sets out the legal and lawful basis by which data is transferred.

The 2023 Memorandum of Understanding is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sharing-hmrc-information-to-assist-honours-committees-recommendations/memorandum-of-understanding-accessing-hmrc-information-to-assist-honours-committees-in-making-recommendations-about-awarding-honours-to-individ

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2025 to Question 83803 on New Media Unit: Finance, what the estimated expenditure is by (a) his Department and (b) the New Media Unit on social media influencers through third party suppliers since 4 July 2024.

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

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer on 2 December 2025 (PQ 93743).

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many applications for the restoration of (a) honours and (b) medals have been received since February 2021; and how many have been granted.

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

Since 2021, there have been 24 applications received from, or on behalf of, LGBT Veterans who had forfeited medals. 9 of these cases were found to be eligible for restoration. There have been no applications for the restoration of honours.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the annual budget and target headcount for the Office for the Impact Economy.

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

The Prime Minister launched the Office for the Impact Economy in November in a decisive step towards partnering more effectively with the impact economy.

The Office is continuing to scale up, including working collaboratively with impact economy stakeholders and local areas to design its strategy, offer and priorities. This includes reviewing all the recommendations of the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group, as well as bringing in experts on secondment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 90252 on Cabinet Office: Lord-lieutenants, whether his Department handled complaints concerning Lord Lieutenants, Vice Lord Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants before 7 October 2025.

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

Complaints concerning Lord-Lieutenants have been handled by the Cabinet Office since the formal complaints procedure relating to the Lieutenancies was published in 2021. Complaints about Vice Lord Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants are handled by the relevant Lord-Lieutenant.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Palantir Technologies (b) other analytics contractors and (c) external data warehouses are being considered to support cross-departmental data matching under the digital ID initiative.

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

We expect the new digital ID to be designed, built and run by in-house Government teams, not outsourced to external suppliers. In the event any specialist external services or expertise are procured to support the delivery of new digital ID, this will be subject to all the usual competitive processes to ensure transparency, and value for the taxpayer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the Government Communications Service Inclusive communications template.

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

There are currently no plans to publish this template.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 75633,on Disinformation, whether the Storyzy service is used in the Resist 3 framework.

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

Storyzy is a tool that assists in the application of the RESIST 3 theoretical framework by identifying instances of mis- and disinformation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the model contract for senior civil servants.

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

I refer to my answer to 84232, answered on 31 October 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will outline the role of the Cabinet Secretary in relation to the civil service code.

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

As set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the Minister for the Civil Service (the Prime Minister) is responsible for the Civil Service Code. As Head of the Civil Service, the Cabinet Secretary is the Prime Minister’s most senior policy adviser, including in relation to the Civil Service Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to use the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to restrict Chinese ownership of companies in (a) water, (b) electricity, (c) gas, (d) telecoms, (e) data centres and (f) nuclear.

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

The Government has powers under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 to review and, where required, intervene in investments that may pose a risk to national security.

The NSI Act both facilitates investment into sensitive sectors with appropriate safeguards where needed, and provides powers to act in the interests of national security where necessary and proportionate.

Acquisitions considered under the NSI Act are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and the Government will not hesitate to use its powers where necessary.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025 to Question 90730 on Ministers: Official Cars, whether vehicles from the Government Car Service are routinely provided to any official in the Cabinet Office other than the Cabinet Secretary.

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

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles in line with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code, as appropriate. For security reasons the details of specific allocations are not released.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department provides guidance to civil servants on personal tax implications for the use of official cars provided by the Government Car Service.

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

The Government Car Service (GCS) does not provide tax guidance. Tax matters are the responsibility of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and individuals are expected to refer to HMRC guidance or seek independent advice as appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Freedom of Information response by the Cabinet Office, Ref: FOI2025/18068, published on 5 December 2025, what was the cost to the public purse of influencers for the (a) parent creators on Breakfast Clubs referenced in the guidance and (b) finance content creators on National Living and National Minimum Wage.

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

The cost of creators for these campaigns was £52,398.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 66 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether the Executive Committee affirmed and documented its understanding of the Department’s purpose and its own role and responsibilities in a board operating framework.

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

There is no requirement in the Corporate Governance Code for Executive Committees to have a Board Operating Framework and so the Executive Committee does not have a board operating framework.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025, to Question 90730, on Ministers: Official Cars, if he will provide equivalent figures for how much has been invoiced to each department in each month since July 2024 for non-Ministerial cars provided by the Government Car Service; and how much has been paid through an internal transfer for the Cabinet Office in each month since July 2024 for the same.

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

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer provided on Question 90730. Additionally, an invoice has been sent to the NCA for £9,694.47 for services rendered in October 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many times the Resilience and Security Committee met between April 2024 and March 2025; and what the attendance record of each member was.

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

It is a long-established precedent that information about Cabinet and its Committees, including the discussions that have taken place, how often they have met and attendance, is not normally shared publicly. The list of standing members of the National Security Council (Resilience) Committee can be accessed on GOV.UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the review of arm’s length bodies will conclude; whether they have begun to implement its recommendations; and when the expect the implementation of recommendations to be completed.

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

The Arm's Length Body Review, formally launched on 7th April 2025 is ongoing, its outcomes will be communicated in due course. Some changes have already been announced such as the closure of NHS England to reduce bureaucracy, make savings and empower NHS staff to deliver better care for patients. Additionally, closures of some ALBs such as the UK Space Agency and its repatriation into DSIT are already underway..

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they have made of the impact on social mobility of the UK's participants of the proposed Erasmus+ scheme, agreed with the European Union and commencing in 2027.

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

We have now concluded negotiations with the European Commission on association to Erasmus+ in 2027. The government remains committed to providing opportunities to study and work abroad, especially for those participants from disadvantaged backgrounds.

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

This iteration of Erasmus+ has a bigger focus on participants from disadvantaged backgrounds, and one of its objectives is inclusion and supporting people with fewer opportunities to participate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of his Department's (a) leased and (b) owned estate meets a BREEAM rating of A or above.

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

BREEAM ratings range from "Pass" to "Outstanding," reflecting performance across key areas such as energy, water, health, transport, and waste. Ratings are achieved by earning credits, with higher ratings indicating superior environmental performance.

In compliance with the Government Buying Standards, the Government Property Agency (GPA) aims to deliver retrofitting to a BREEAM Very Good standard and new capital projects to BREEAM Excellent.

Additionally, where the GPA manages commercial spaces, they aim to meet the Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard (MEES) regulations and produce Display Energy Certificates (DECs) and/or Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) where commercially relevant.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the guidance entitled Fast Stream and Emerging Talent (FSET) data privacy notice, updated on 13 November 2025, what questions are asked to ascertain an applicant's socio-economic background.

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

The Fast Stream asks the questions recommended by the Social Mobility Commission which are published on gov.uk. This approach is the same as under the previous administration.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the guidance entitled Fast Stream and Emerging Talent (FSET) data privacy notice, published on 13 November 2025, for what reason the Fast Stream data is collected by gender.

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

The Fast Stream collected data on applicant’s gender until November 2024. As of September 2025 we now collect data on an applicant’s sex. The references to gender remain in our privacy policy as we retain historical records of data in line with this agreement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are registered as coaches on the Internal Coaching Service platform.

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

The current number of coaches recorded on the coaching platform (as of 18/12/2025) is 281.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he has taken to help ensure that those who are waiting to have their pensions paid under the McCloud judgement are paid in a timely manner.

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

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

The Government is committed to implementing the remedy as quickly as possible. Capita took over responsibility of the Civil Service Pension Scheme from 1 December 2025, and Capita is currently preparing a delivery plan for undertaking all the outstanding Remedy work required.

Since October 2023 all members starting to receive their pension for the first time have been given their 2015 election options prior to their pension being put into payment.

From the Remedy group, there are c.70k members remaining (from the original 430k) requiring the issuing of a Remediable Service Statement and these are expected to be completed by March 2027. This will enable the member to either continue with their current benefits or opt for the alternative. It is important to note that all impacted members in receipt of a pension are already receiving benefits and that the remedy is an adjustment and the alternative scheme benefits will not automatically provide a member with a higher pension and lump sum. Where it does and the member makes an alternative scheme election, the difference between what has been paid and what is due, will be backdated to the original payment date and paid to the member inclusive of interest.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when those waiting for their pension repayments under the McCloud judgement will receive their payments.

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

The administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS), including the implementation of the 2015 Remedy (McCloud), is the responsibility of the Minister for the Cabinet Office.

Of the c.430,000 members subject to the McCloud judgment, all those retiring after 1 October 2023 have, or will, make a choice between their preferred pension options and no amendments need to be made to their pension in payment, as the work has been completed for this group.

Approximately 130,000 members who retired prior to October 2023, require an 'Immediate Choice' Remediable Service Statement, of which 44% (58,000) were issued before 31 March 2025 and members in this group (42,000) have confirmed their choice and their elections have been fully implemented. For the remaining 56% (c.70,000) of complex cases, the Cabinet Office has extended the delivery date to March 2027 both to prioritise accuracy for members and to protect wider services to all 1.7 million pension members. Capita, the new administrator from 1 December 2025 is drawing up plans and timelines for completion of this work.

It should be noted that many members who retired prior to October 2023, are not better off as a result of McCloud judgment and many choose to remain on the pension already in payment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Department has made of the total cost in staff time arising from the Internal Coaching Service, including the time spent by civil servants who act as coaches and the time spent by civil servants who receive coaching; and what assumptions underlie that estimate.

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

In July 2025 a centralised, internal coaching database became available to the whole of the Civil Service. Its primary purpose is to match coaches across the Civil Service to appropriate coaches but it also (for the first time) facilitates the capture of hours spent on coaching by civil servants across government. As of 18/12/2025, 866.7 coaching hours have been recorded on the database.

Participation in the coaching service often forms an additional work objective, and coaches are responsible for discussing their participation with their line managers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct in the past twelve months.

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

The Cabinet Office does not centrally hold detailed data on all discipline cases required to answer this question.

• Minor misconduct cases are managed within the line management chain and details are held at that level.

• Serious and gross misconduct cases are reported via a third party, Civil Service Casework, supplied by the MOJ Casework Team. This data relies on MOJ HR Case Manager manual entries which may be inaccurate and or incomplete.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.

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

Sickness absence data for the Civil Service, including departmental breakdowns is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence The next update will be for the year ending 31st March 2025.

Data on performance warnings related to sickness absence is not held centrally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of trends in the level of discrimination against civil servants not a member of a trade union in (a) employment and (b) promotion decisions.

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

No assessment has been made as information about trade union membership is not collected during the recruitment process. Decisions on permanent employment into and promotion within the Civil Service are made in accordance with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, which requires appointments to be made ‘on merit on the basis of fair and open competition’.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department checks the office attendance of individual civil servants.

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

The monitoring of office attendance remains the responsibility of individuals, line managers and business units. Line Managers are expected to be aware of, and ensure compliance with, the minimum 60% expectation for their direct reports.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2025, to Question 87336, on Alex Chisholm and Simon Case, whether Ministers in his Department (a) were consulted on and (b) approved the severance payment.

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

I refer to my answer for 87336. All payments were made in line with managing Public Money guidance and the approvals process outlined, with both being approved by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

We are concerned about reported efforts from China to influence democracy in the US, UK, Europe and elsewhere. We believe we must establish the depth and breadth of possible Chinese influence campaigns in the UK.

I want a legal safeguard in all digital-ID laws that guarantees no one can be denied work, healthcare, banking, housing, or any other service for not having a government digital ID. Use must remain voluntary, and non-digital alternatives must always be available to prevent exclusion or pressure..

Found: Letter from the Cabinet Office relating to the Legislative Reform (Disclosure of Adult Social Care Data

Found: Procurement In relation to public procurement contracts awarded to SMEs, the Cabinet Office, as the

Found: Once recruitment consultants are in place, the post will be readvertised on the Cabinet Office Public

Found: DEFRA and Cabinet Office convene team to tackle online disinformation which starts to spread amongst

Found: Letter from Cat Little CB, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary

Found: DCMS has initiated work with the Cabinet Office to clarify the policy regarding

Found: Department of Culture Media and Sport chaired cross-government meetings including No10, the Cabinet Office

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of staff in each grade in her Department were rated in the top performance category in the last year.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office introduced a no-rating performance management system for delegated grades in 2021 in line with external good practice. Therefore, the department cannot compare progression with performance markings / categories.

The performance management framework for Senior Civil Servants is a Cabinet Office policy, applied across the Civil Service departments including the Home Office.

In the last performance year, the proportion of staff rated in the top performance category (“Exceeding”) for Senior Civil Servants is 25.

• Senior Civil Service 1: 17 individuals (representing 6% of all SCS1 Home Office staff)

• Senior Civil Service 2: 6 individuals (representing 10% of all SCS2 Home Office staff)

• Senior Civil Service 3: <5 individuals (representing >20% of all SCS3 Home Office staff)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the level of the impact of digital ID on the number of undocumented workers in the grey economy.

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

Due to the hidden nature of illegal working, there is no reliable estimate on the scale of the issue.

The Digital ID programme is part of a broader strategy to tackle illegal immigration. By making it harder for people without the right to work to gain employment, the government plans to reduce incentives for unlawful entry.

The digital ID will build on the existing digital right to work checks for foreign nationals where eVisa share codes are currently used, further streamlining the process. Digital IDs will:

o Make it easier for employers to comply by standardising and simplifying right to work checks

o Make it easier for British citizens to demonstrate a right to work.

o Remove the reliance on physical documents in the UK, making it harder for forged documents to be used as proof of right to work.

The Cabinet Office will launch a public consultation in the coming weeks and has already started engaging key groups.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.

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

DWP’s absence data is publicly available in the https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence., which includes the average working days lost. The Cabinet Office collates sickness absence data from DWP on a quarterly basis, and this management information is published annually.

Data for the year ending 31st March 2025 was published on 16th December 2025.

In the past year, 1,649 formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absences exceeded departmental triggers. However, because of the way data are recorded, the Department cannot confirm whether in each case the warning was specifically due to absences exceeding those triggers. As of November 2025, the total DWP headcount stands at 95,164.

DWP has one executive agency, Skills England however their HR functions is provided by Department for Education, therefore sick absence data for Skills England will not be included DWP figures.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has issued guidance to police forces on issuing contracts for live facial recognition technology.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office has not issued guidance to police forces on issuing contracts for live facial recognition technology. However, the Live Facial Recognition Commercial Framework produced by BlueLight Commercial is available to support police forces making procurement decisions before they issue contracts.

Decisions on the contracting of live facial recognition technology are for individual police forces and other relevant authorities. Procurement decisions by police forces must comply with UK procurement law, including the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Procurement Act 2023, and relevant Cabinet Office guidance on supply chain risk. They are also expected to follow the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice issued under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the (a) effectiveness of the role of BBC Radio 4 in national emergency communications and (b) the resilience of its transmission network to power loss.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure that at least one UK-wide emergency radio service remains accessible to the public during extended power outages.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what contingency arrangements exist if local radio transmission infrastructure becomes unavailable during a national emergency.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the availability and duration of backup power supplies for radio broadcast transmission sites during prolonged power outages.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of radio broadcast transmission masts are equipped with on-site backup power capable of operating for more than (a) 12 hours, (b) 24 hours and (c) 72 hours without mains electricity.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of difference in emergency radio broadcast resilience between urban areas and rural or remote communities.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent testing has been undertaken of emergency power systems at radio broadcast transmission sites; and what the results of that testing were.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department holds data on the loss of radio broadcast coverage during recent power outages in the Highlands and Islands.

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

The BBC has specific requirements under its Framework Agreement in relation to broadcast security and resilience, and works closely with DCMS in ensuring its networks are able to support emergency communications. DCMS has full oversight of these plans and works with Cabinet Office and other lead Government Departments to ensure BBC’s capabilities are integrated into wider resilience planning.

Detailed planning and preparations for a range of risks including power outages is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC has informed the Government that its plan for maintaining emergency communications to the public in an extended national power outage includes a detailed assessment of back up power generation capacity and capabilities at key BBC sites and transmitter sites operated by third-party providers. The plan for this risk is designed to maintain broadcasts of key BBC radio channels nationally to both urban and rural communities. The BBC regularly tests its plan and procedures including live tests of its broadcast systems.

The loss of broadcast coverage to a specific geographic area is an operational matter for the BBC. The BBC collects and holds detailed information about the disruption of its radio services from individual transmitters.

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Found: Cabinet Office will keep the published version up to date.

Found: Model Services Contract for contracts over £20 million or where the complexity requires the Cabinet Office

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Found: information provided in your Tender.Digital SpendThe Government Digital Service (GDS), on behalf of Cabinet Office

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Found: A copy of the evaluation must be sent to the Cabinet Office.

Found: Member - Role Specification Background The Evaluation Task Force (ETF) is a joint Cabinet Office

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

Found: Limited 08/10/2025 Office Equipment AP Expense Accrual (Oracle AP control a/c) 7342.02 CAB_4832 CABINET OFFICE

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

Found: of NDA unless specifically agreed with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Cabinet Office

Found: ="govuk-table__cell">Unity Business Services

Found: services Corporate Baringa Partners LLP 157466.4 5100002541 14/11/2025 Secondment Costs Corporate CABINET OFFICE

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Found: all goods and services in compliance with the relevant requirements in Managing Public Money, Cabinet Office

Found: It has been administratively classified by the Cabinet Office as a non- departmental public body (NDPB

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Found: Welsh Government and: • Home Office • Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities • Cabinet Office