Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, whether participation in the people’s panel will require participants to (a) use and (b) test a digital identity system.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The People’s Panel will debate how a digital ID can work for everyone. As part of this process, participants will engage with what a digital ID might look like to meet the guiding principles of trusted, useful and inclusive.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, whether the names of organisations responsible for recruiting or facilitating the People’s Panel will be published.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As per my response to PQ 119980, the People’s Panel is being delivered in partnership with Ipsos UK and their partners at the Sortition Foundation.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what criteria will be used to ensure that the membership of the People’s Panel reflects the (a) demographic composition and (b) geographical distribution of the UK.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
I refer to my response to PQ 120739.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what proportion of (a) DVLA, (b) DEFRA and (c) HMRC traditional correspondence will be eliminated within five years by a move to digital ID.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The "Government by App" approach intends to modernise public services by reducing reliance on paper forms, traditional correspondence, and manual payment systems. By digitising these interactions, the Government will create a user experience that is more efficient for the public while freeing up traditional routes for those who need them.
The digitisation of government services could potentially save up to £45 billion annually. The open consultation on digital identity will directly inform the design and delivery of these services to ensure they are useful, inclusive, and secure.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what the cost will be of running the People’s Panel.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We need to make sure digital ID works for everyone, and that’s why we’re establishing a People’s Panel on digital ID and running inclusive engagement alongside a traditional consultation.
As part of a multi-faceted consultation approach, the People’s Panel will bring together a diverse group of people - selected to be broadly representative of the population of the UK - to consider different perspectives and debate trade-offs. The People’s Panel will cost approximately £630,000.This will be covered under a pre-existing contract with Ipsos signed in March 2024.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether NHS data will be integrated into the Digital ID database.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No. There will be no new single central database storing all government data on a person in one place. We will design the digital ID system to be secure, with only the minimum amount of data collected and stored.
Data will primarily remain securely in the parts of the system where it already exists. For instance, data about someone’s health will remain with the National Health Service.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what coordination exists between departments including the Department for Work and Pensions and HM Revenue and Customs in investigating suspected identity theft involving government digital services.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This government takes identity theft, and the harm it can cause victims, seriously.
It is the responsibility of individual departments as to how they coordinate their policy and operational approaches in relation to identity theft involving government digital services.
The Public Sector Fraud Authority’s (PSFA) remit is to work with departments and public bodies to understand, prevent and reduce the impact of fraud. This is achieved by supporting public bodies to have the basics in place, build counter fraud capability and embed financial targets.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 3 March 2026 to Question 114873 on Home Office: Redundancy Pay, whether exit payments made to the last two Cabinet Secretaries were eligible for the £30,000 tax-free allowance.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individual employment matters. The guidance on tax on severance payments is here: https://www.gov.uk/termination-payments-and-tax-when-you-leave-a-job/what-you-pay-tax-and-national-insurance-on
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, who will convene and manage the People’s Panel.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The People’s Panel is being delivered in partnership with Ipsos UK, which is the primary vendor, under a pre-existing contract signed in March 2024.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Government launches consultation on making public services quicker, easier and more secure to access with digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, what procurement process was used to appoint contractors involved in delivering the people’s panel.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
As per my response to PQ 119980, the People’s Panel is being delivered in partnership with Ipsos UK and their partners at the Sortition Foundation. This is part of a GCS call-off contract.