Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 17 February (HL4611), what are the 11 central government organisations that submitted business cases for pay flexibility under the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance 2024–25, published on 29 July 2024; and which of those businesses cases (1) have been approved, (2) have been rejected, or (3) are still under consideration.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

For 2024/2025, the Cabinet Office has now received 12 business cases. Of these, four have been approved to date, one has been rejected, and seven are ongoing.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), why data on senior civil servants registering for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted 12 months after the initiative ended given that the technical report on the evaluation states on page 17 that data would be securely stored for three years before being destroyed.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The privacy statement for the One Big Thing 2023 online platform stated that all personal data collected via the online platform would be deleted within 12 months of the initiative ending. The definition of personal data included the grades of individuals who registered to the Platform. The reference on data storage on page 17 in the technical report was therefore an error, which we will seek to correct.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5301), (1) on what date the data on senior civil servants who registered for One Big Thing 2023 was deleted, (2) whether any data was retained beyond the stated 12-month period, and (3) how the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report, published on 30 January, included detailed registration figures by department if the data had been deleted before that point.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Data collected via the One Big Thing 2023 online platform was deleted by 31 December 2024, in line with the platform’s privacy statement. Beyond 31 December 2024, we retained aggregated data on overall registrations and % registrations by department.

The analysis reported in the Evaluating One Big Thing 2023 report was completed before the data was deleted but publication was delayed due to various factors including the General Election.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 March (HL5055), how many other commitments in the Civil Service People Plan 2024–27 that are due for completion by the end of March have not yet been met; which specific commitments have not been delayed, downgraded or abandoned; what governance and accountability mechanisms have been used to track delivery; whether any funding allocated to undelivered commitments has been reallocated or returned to the Treasury; and what the revised implementation timelines are for each unmet commitment.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

As committed to in the Civil Service People Plan, an Annual Review has been conducted to monitor its progress and to ensure effective delivery. We intend to publish the key findings of the review in due course.

Quarterly progress reports are also provided to the Cabinet Secretary and to the Civil Service People Board to ensure senior level oversight and scrutiny.

We are taking steps to ensure the Plan remains aligned to the government’s priorities and meets the evolving needs of the Civil Service.

Found: Conservative but later an independent MP for Blackpool South, and in the House of Lords by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

Found: Intergovernmental relations and workings Research BriefingOn 27 November 2024, UK Government Whip, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on- Trent