Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how long it took for the National Security Advisor to be vetted after his appointment.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Individuals appointed as National Security Adviser go through an extensive process which includes National Security Vetting (NSV). National Security Vetting for the current National Security Adviser was conducted to the usual standard set for Developed Vetting.
It is long-standing practice that the government does not comment on individual vetting cases.
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 31 March 2025 to Question 40911 on Government Departments: Social Media, if he will update the guidance to require Ministers to declare (a) hospitality and (b) other meetings with senior media executives from (i) X, (ii) Meta and (iii) Tiktok.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
I refer the Hon Member to my previous answers [41868 and 40911]. Details of ministers’ official meetings with all external individuals and organisations are published on a quarterly basis.The Cabinet Office also publishes a monthly register of all gifts and hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity. There are no current plans to include representatives of social media companies under the guidance for senior media figures.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) the Government Car Service have issued to Ministers on the provision of official cars for travel inside London.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The arrangements relating to the usage of vehicles in the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he intends to respond to Question 111829 tabled by the hon. Member for Clapham and Brixton Hill.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer on 5th March (PQ 111829).
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether 10 Downing Street had discussions with representatives of Global Counsel over the visit of the Prime Minister to the offices of Palantir with Lord Mandelson.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Government contracts were discussed with Palantir at the Prime Minister's meeting at Palantir's offices in Washington on 27 February 2025.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister discussed UK defence procurement of services from Palantir during his visit in February 2025.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.
Asked by: Claire Coutinho (Conservative - East Surrey)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113919 on Equality: Gender Recognition, in which month the Cabinet Office began the review of the model Gender Identity and Intersex Policy Package.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
All model policies provided by the Cabinet Office for departmental use are kept under continuous review. Any review of the model Gender Identity and Intersex Policy will be impacted by factors such as the Supreme Court Ruling in the For Women Scotland case.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Procurement Act 2023 on the (a) number and (b) total value of public procurement contracts awarded to small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is determined to ensure the £400 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually delivers economic growth and supports British businesses, especially SMEs.
We are starting to see more opportunities for SMEs and VCSEs as the Procurement Act 2023 is implemented and embedded across the public sector. Initial trends show that the proportion of PA23 tender lots with a planning, tender, transparency or dynamic markets notice tagged as suitable for SMEs has increased to around two thirds of all requirements.
To continue to build on this positive trend, this Government has also published a new, more ambitious, National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), which requires contracting authorities to consider ways to increase procurement spend with SMEs and Voluntary, Community, and Social Enterprises (VCSEs).
We have also introduced changes allowing local councils to reserve over one billion pounds worth of lower value contracts to suppliers based locally or within the UK which has recently become law, a step strongly supported by SMEs.
We will set out further reforms, including the response to the recent public procurement consultation, in due course. These reforms will further support British SMEs to bid for contracts.
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 13 October 2025 to Question 77563 on Palantir, whether there is a record of who the Prime Minister (a) met and (b) spoke to during that visit.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.
In December 2025, the MOD signed an extension to the Enterprise Agreement with Palantir that had been initially awarded in November 2022, by the previous Government, and via a direct award. This extension covered existing services and ensured there was no drop-off in MOD capability in critical areas.
This contract - and all other contracts for any firm - go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.