Asked by: John McDonnell (Labour - Hayes and Harlington)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of compensating people who were unable to pay (a) mortgages, (b) credit card bills and (c) other household bills due to delays in payments from the Civil Service Pensions Scheme.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023.
The delays facing scheme members are unacceptable, and no former civil servant should face financial hardship as a result. There is a robust recovery plan in place to ensure normal service can resume as soon as possible.
Arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans of up to £5,000 (and up to £10,000 in exceptional cases) to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members.
Interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members. In addition, the existing statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial losses, as well as distress and inconvenience caused, on a case-by-case basis to determine whether compensation is due. This ensures that any retiree who provides evidence of extra costs, such as bank penalties or interest charges caused by the delay, is fairly assessed. This process is run in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman. The Cabinet Office is working with Capita to ensure this process is applied as efficiently as possible.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the written statement of 19 January 2026 entitled A roadmap for modern digital government 2025-2030, HCWS1249, what estimate he has made of expected take-up of the proposed national digital identity scheme by 2030; whether any public services will require its use; what non-digital alternatives will remain available; and how the scheme will interact with existing identity verification systems used by local authorities and the NHS.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The scope of the digital ID scheme is still in development and we are inviting the public to have their say in the consultation as we develop an inclusive, trusted and useful system.
This Government recognises that around 1.5 million people in the UK are digitally excluded. That’s why we will deliver an ambitious inclusion programme working closely with employers, trade unions, civil society groups, the devolved governments, and other stakeholders.
Wider inclusion work is already underway - we set out a range of first steps in the Digital Inclusion Action Plan published in February last year and are working across government to reduce exclusion. There are no plans to make the national digital ID a requirement to access public services.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance has the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) Civil Service People Group given to the Civil Service and Whitehall Departments on the potential implications of the Employment Tribunal decision of Renowden v Office for National Statistics of February 2019 on the use of temporary promotions without open and fair competition.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to help deliver on our priorities.
Neither the Cabinet Office or Government People Group has given additional guidance to Departments in relation to the use of temporary appointments. Decisions on the use of temporary recruitment are delegated to departments.
Asked by: James Cleverly (Conservative - Braintree)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 108091 on MHCLG: Repairs and Maintenance, on what date the PFI contract for 2 Marsham Street expires; and which organisation will own the building on expiry.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The PFI expiry date is 2nd April 2031. It is anticipated an option will be called to allow the property to revert to His Majesty’s Government ownership from that date.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any current Ministers were involved in the vetting process for Peter Mandelson to become UK ambassador to the US.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 88 of the policy paper entitled UK Government Resilience Action Plan, published on 14 July 2025, how many meetings have been attended by civil servants within their Department in relation to the Home Defence Programme; which directorate in the Department owns the Departmental contribution to the Home Defence Programme; and what the job title is of the civil servant leading and cohering the Departmental contribution to the Home Defence Programme.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Resilience Action Plan sets out the Government’s strategic approach to how we will strengthen our domestic resilience and invest to protect the nation. Cabinet Office officials regularly attend meetings to discuss the implementation of the Resilience Action Plan as well as matters of national security and defence.
The Cabinet Office coordinates the Home Defence Programme working closely with the MoD and other departments. This is led by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which public body holds the registered legal title of the Ministerial residences in (a) 11 Downing Street, (b) Admiralty House and (c) 1 Carlton Gardens.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Information on property registered in England and Wales is available to the public by following the following link to HM Land Registry undertaking a search and paying the necessary fees - Search for land and property information
https://www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry
The Government Property Agency (GPA), an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, holds Admiralty House following an administrative transfer in April 2018, and is responsible for the administration and payment of any tax liabilities.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to Question 104623, on Cabinet Office: Proof of Identity, whether his department will be required to make savings to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The public consultation is now open and I encourage you and your constituents to respond.
The design and delivery of digital ID are subject to the consultation outcomes. The feedback from the consultation will inform our final approach and enable a more accurate assessment of costs.
As the Government has stated previously, any costs in this Spending Review period will be met within existing settlements.
Asked by: Paul Holmes (Conservative - Hamble Valley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether digital ID will be provided to 16 and 17 year olds.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has now launched a public consultation on the digital ID where we want to hear as wide a range of views as possible.
The scope of the digital ID system is still in development and we are inviting the public to have their say in the consultation as we develop a useful, inclusive and trusted system.
Through this consultation we are asking the public what age they think is appropriate to have digital ID.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests were received by central Government departments in each of the last three years.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Freedom of Information statistics for all central government departments and other monitored bodies are published on a quarterly and annual basis on Gov.UK at www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics