Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2025, to Question 89453, on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, what was the monetary value of the council tax bill issued to the Government by Westminster City Council in March 2025 for payment from 1 April 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Admiralty House sits within Council Tax Band H and details of the bands, current Council Tax charges, additional premiums and published notices about Council Tax can be found at the following page: https://www.westminster.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-band-and-charges
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department measures its contribution to British vehicle manufacturing and skilled jobs through procurement.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to ensuring public procurement drives growth and creates jobs, skills and opportunities across the country.
We have consulted on procurement reforms to further boost domestic supply chains and create more opportunities for businesses across the UK, including across the vehicle manufacturing sector. We will be publishing the consultation outcome - and legislative proposals - soon.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to include training on the implementation of the duty in section 19 of the Environment Act 2021 to have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement in the new cycle of the Statutory Instrument Capability Programme due to launch in November.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Training is available to all civil servants on the environmental principles duty. The Statutory Instrument Capability Programme is a series of monthly seminars designed to advise civil servants on the management of Statutory Instruments, including the role of Impact Assessments.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to update (a) digital systems and (b) guidance to reflect Northern Ireland’s trading position under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market and help Northern Ireland boost trade with Great Britain.
A comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service will help businesses trade across the UK and EU markets and benefit from Northern Ireland’s unique dual market access. The service will provide tailored advice to businesses on the rules they need to follow and the facilitations available to them.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans the Government has to update digital systems and guidance to reflect Northern Ireland’s trading position under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government has announced £16.6 million to strengthen the UK internal market and help Northern Ireland boost trade with Great Britain.
A comprehensive ‘one stop shop’ regulatory support service will help businesses trade across the UK and EU markets and benefit from Northern Ireland’s unique dual market access. The service will provide tailored advice to businesses on the rules they need to follow and the facilitations available to them.
Asked by: Baroness Deech (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the findings of the report published on 20 November by the UK COVID-19 Inquiry, Module 2, 2A, 2B, 2C Report: Core decision-making and political governance, what assessment they have made of the advisability of lockdowns in a future pandemic.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government remains committed to learning the lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and to better prepare the country for future pandemics.
The Government will consider the findings and recommendations in the Module 2 report in detail and respond in due course.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of people who were employed in the automotive manufacturing sector in each month since July 2024 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.
Answered by Josh Simons - 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 the 2nd of December is attached.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help make the House of Lords more representative of nations and regions; and whether he plans to conduct a comprehensive review on replacing the House of Lords with an alternative model.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As the Prime Minister set out in his statement of 19 June 2025 (HCWS718), the House of Lords works best when there is a diversity of perspectives represented, including from all the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. The Government believes party leaders should consider this when making nominations to ensure the second chamber better reflects the country it serves.
The Government’s manifesto included a commitment to replace the House of Lords with an alternative second chamber that is more representative of the regions and nations. The Government will consult on proposals, seeking the input of the British public on how politics can best serve them.
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 21 October 2025, to Question 76829, on Arms Length Bodies: Equality, whether any assessment has been made of the level of compliance by Arms Length Bodies with the May 2024 EDI spending control guidance.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As part of the requirements of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Expenditure Guidance, external EDI expenditure must be reported to the Cabinet Office by departments and Arms Length Bodies who employ civil servants. There is no additional assessment on compliance by ALB’s and reported expenditure is published annually.
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 15 September 2025 to Question 74665 on Civil Service: Workplace Pensions, whether civil servants who are members of Classic, Classic Plus and Premium are able to (a) claim those pensions at 60 and (b) accrue pensionable contributions from Alpha whilst they remain in Crown service; and whether Nuvos members can do the same at 65.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Members of Classic, Classic Plus, Premium and Nuvos can claim their pensions on partial retirement (subject to them reducing their pensionable earnings by 20% by working less hours or at a lower grade) and continue in service accruing Alpha benefits (on that new lower salary). The pension they claim will be reduced (abated) if, when added to their new salary, the total exceeds their pay before partial retirement.