Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Civil Service recruitment is governed by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which requires that all appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit on the basis of fair and open competition.
The Cabinet Office does not recruit candidates on the basis of protected characteristics. All appointments are made on merit, in line with the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. Compliance with these principles is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their response to the Humble Address on 4 February regarding Lord Mandelson will make redactions on grounds other than matters likely to prejudice international relations or national security; whether other exemptions similar to those under the Freedom of Information Act will be applied; and whether there is guidance to officials which sets out what information is and is not in scope of the response to the Humble Address.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
I refer the Noble Lady to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February (Hansard Volume 853, Column 364), the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day (HLWS1344), and the Oral Statement on the 23 February (repeated on 24th February, Hansard Volume 853, Column 494), which sets out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 27 January (HL13589), what was the rationale for removing the former Duke of York from the Roll of the Peerage and not Lord Mandelson.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was removed from the Roll of the Peerage on 5 November 2025 and his title is no longer used officially. The Government supports this decision taken by His Majesty The King.
The Prime Minister has been clear that Peter Mandelson should not be a member of the House of Lords or use the title. Bespoke legislation is currently required to remove a peerage but the Prime Minister has announced that the Government will create a mechanism to remove peerages from disgraced peers; this work is continuing.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on how many days in 2025 did the Pride Flag fly on the main Whitehall building operated by his Department.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Pride Flag was displayed for the following dates across the following building.
70 Whitehall – 30.06.25 – 05.07.25 (6 Days)
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to provide an answer to Question 111938.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the honourable gentleman to the answer to PQ 111938.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the material to be disclosed pursuant to Humble Address of 4 February 2026 relating to Lord Mandelson will include internal communications conducted via (a) Signal, (b) Telegraph, (c) Microsoft Teams, including chat messages, group chats, channel conversations, private messages, meeting chat logs and associated message histories.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, and the Written Ministerial Statement, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to which public inquiries his Department has submitted (a) documents and (b) other communications created between June 2007 and May 2010.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This information is not centrally held. Over 40 statutory public inquiries have been announced since 2006. The question potentially brings into scope all public inquiries that have taken place since June 2007. However, there is no centrally held data on documents or other communications created over the period specified and submitted to public inquiries by the Cabinet Office. Unfortunately, the cost to the public purse of accurately determining this information to would significantly exceed the current disproportionate cost threshold for answering written parliamentary questions set out in the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry during the Urgent Question on Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts of 10 February 2026, Official Report, column 691, whether the publication of files relating to Peter Mandelson will include reference to his visit to Palantir headquarters in Washington DC on 27 February 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, updated 16 January 2026, paragraph 8, what steps are taken if the National Security Vetting raises concerns about an appointee after the individual has been appointed.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments sets out the processes departments should follow when national security vetting is required. The final decision on whether to proceed with an appointment rests with the appointing minister.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if will he publish a list of all (a) current and (b) former Parliamentarians that have been named in the Epstein files.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are no plans to publish such a list.