Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Intelligence and Security Committee has authority to publish unredacted information from the Government response to the Humble Address if it disagrees with the Government’s proposed redactions.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23rd February and 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.
The Government continues to work with the Intelligence and Security Committee and is grateful for its assistance on this matter.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the No10 private office uses disappearing messages on its corporate (a) WhatsApp and (b) Signal messaging.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
All official business should be conducted using official systems wherever possible. Where official information is created or received on non corporate communication devices, it must be handled in accordance with records management requirements, as set out on gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business/using-non-corporate-communication-channels-eg-whatsapp-private-email-sms-for-government-business-html
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 19 March 2026 to Question 116770 on Public Appointments: Internet, whether departments have a deadline for adding Direct Ministerial Appointments to the portal.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As set out in the preceding question (116770), the responsibility for the publication of information on Direct Ministerial Appointments rests with individual sponsor departments. The Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments states that it is for individual departments to decide the most appropriate processes to strategically manage the DMAs that they make, which will include adding existing DMAs to the portal.
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 9 April 2025, to Question 43463, on Prime Minister: Email, what steps have been taken to ensure that Downing Street emails in scope of the Humble Address do not automatically delete after 90 days and are retained.
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 the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister’s Office takes to retain information relating to Ministerial submissions; and whether Prime Ministerial feedback on a submission is copied to and recorded on the internal PMPost system.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As has been the case under successive administrations, there are a range of different ways that ministers respond to advice, and long- established processes for those responses to be recorded.
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 16 March 2026 to Question 118530 on Baroness Limb, what discussions (a) 10 Downing Street and (b) the Cabinet Office has had with Baroness Limb on whether she intends to take up her seat and receive the Writ of Summons.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It would not be appropriate to comment on whether there have been any private discussions.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers are allowed to engage with the Muslim Council of Britain in a (a) Parliamentary or (b) political capacity.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 17 March 2026, Official Report, PQ 118753.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to process claims made in a timely manner.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As of 10 March, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has paid over £2 billion in compensation. As of 1 October 2025, IBCA had asked every living infected person who is registered with a support scheme to come forward and start their claim. IBCA has now opened the service for the first claims from infected people who were never compensated, deceased infected people, and living affected people. This met the Government’s targets for compensation delivery in 2025.
With each new cohort, IBCA are starting small, allowing them to learn what additions to the claim service are needed. This will allow them to open their service to more people as the service is built around specific needs. Whilst the roll out of the Scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, the Government fully supports their commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible.
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 9 April 2025, to Question 43463,on Prime Minister: Email, whether emails which are removed from staff inboxes after 90 days remain accessible on the Microsoft server by the Downing Street IT department.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 12 May 2025, Official Report, PQ 49752.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Infected Blood Compensation scheme claimants, with a prognosis of less than 12 months life expectancy, are having their claims and registered intent notifications prioritised.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Based on community feedback, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) are prioritising claims for people who have been told by a medical professional that they may have 12 months or less to live. This is regardless of whether they are infected, affected, a beneficiary of an estate of a deceased infected person, or registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme. IBCA collect information regarding this via their registration service, allowing them to prioritise claims appropriately.
The delivery of compensation is a matter for the IBCA as an operationally independent body. IBCA publishes regular updates on its website of the progress made in delivering compensation, including how many individuals have received compensation payments across all groups.