Baroness Finn

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments, as the independent regulator, decided to include the limited data for 2024-25 in his own reporting.

The Cabinet Office did not publish a data report in either 2022-23 or 2023-24, so political activity data was also not published in a collated form for these years.

This information was published by the government on the new Direct Ministerial Appointments Announcements Portal.

A copy of the model contract has been placed in the House Library.

The decision not to include political activity data in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 was taken by officials, due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments sources data from the Cabinet Office. As an independent regulator, he reports separately to the government and decided to include this limited data.

The data collection issue has been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report. In the meantime, information about the political activity of individual public appointees is available on the announcement page of the public appointment digital service.

There are no such cases.

The Cabinet Office wrote to departments when the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments was published, highlighting the contents of the guidance. As the guidance sets out, the responsibility for the publication of information about direct ministerial appointments rests with individual departments.

The Cabinet Office holds information on 21 incumbents who were appointed under a direct ministerial appointments process and are recorded on the Cabinet Office's departmental list as of the 30 January 2026. A full list of current appointments is provided below. Information relating to their terms of reference, remuneration and end dates are updated regularly on the Public Appointments webpage.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom for security reasons. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.

Details of gifts and hospitality received by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a ministerial capacity have been declared in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and Cabinet Office guidance.

In line with these requirements, the Cabinet Office publishes a Register of Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality each month, which can be found, alongside the publication guidance, at the following address -

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality

It would not be appropriate to comment on staffing matters or individuals' remits and responsibilities.

Data on the number of officials in the Cabinet Office is published monthly at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-workforce-management-data-2023-to-2024 and Business Unit level data including for Business Units in Number 10 Downing Street is published quarterly at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ff76be1f-4f37-4bef-beb7-32b259413be1/organogram-cabinet-office

As was the case under the previous Administration, information about Special Adviser numbers is published in the Annual report on Special Advisers.

The Government's policy is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement. Further details will be shared with Parliament in due course.

Line management for the secretariat of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - which will be established as the Ethics and Integrity Commission - and for the Independent Adviser Secretariat sits in the Propriety and Constitution Group of the Cabinet Office. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

The EIC, as with CSPL, will remain an independent Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of the Cabinet Office, led by its Chair and other officeholders. The Independent Adviser remains an independent office-holder, as set out in the role's existing terms of reference.

Line management for the secretariat of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - which will be established as the Ethics and Integrity Commission - and for the Independent Adviser Secretariat sits in the Propriety and Constitution Group of the Cabinet Office. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

The EIC, as with CSPL, will remain an independent Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of the Cabinet Office, led by its Chair and other officeholders. The Independent Adviser remains an independent office-holder, as set out in the role's existing terms of reference.

Civil Service governance structures and fora were reorganised in January 2025.

Current Civil Service committees that exercise management functions in relation to the Civil Service are:

• Heads of Department
• People Board
• Operations Board
• Senior Leadership Committee

There have been a number of changes to the composition of these Civil Service boards and committees (for example due to the appointment of new permanent secretaries). Once these changes are complete the details of the new arrangements and membership will be published on Gov.uk.

The Business Appointment Rules set out the expectations on publication which will continue to apply once the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ functions are transferred to the Civil Service Commission and Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments will continue to process and provide advice on applications it receives from former ministers until its closure. Advice on applications after the Committee closes will be provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

The Special Adviser Code of Conduct sets out that Special Advisers are subject to the Business Appointment Rules for civil servants. Special advisers that currently submit applications to ACOBA will, following the transfer of functions, submit applications to the Civil Service Commission. All other Special Advisers will follow their usual process as set out in the Business Appointment Rules guidance.

The Ministerial Code is clear that the Business Appointment Rules apply to former ministers after they leave office.

Ministers will also be expected to sign waivers to confirm that they will repay their severance payment in the event they are found to have seriously breached the Business Appointment Rules.

Yes. This is laid out in correspondence between the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/correspondence-between-the-minister-for-the- cabinet-office-and-the-chair-cspl-on-the-ethics-and-integrity-commission

Independent appointments to the Commission will be subject to the Public Appointments Order in Council. Cabinet Office Ministers will be responsible for the appointment of members to the Commission.

The Civil Service Management Code will be updated in due course to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments' functions to the Civil Service Commission.

The Rt. Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and His Majesty’s Paymaster General, on behalf of the Prime Minister, exchanged letters with Baroness Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, in July 2025 to confirm the Commission’s agreement to accept new functions under section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. This correspondence can be found here: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/first-civil-service-commissioner-responds-to-the-minister-for-the-cabinet-office-on-proposed-changes-to-the-role-of-the-civil-service-commission/

The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of information on this topic.

Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the Investment Committee met 12 times. The current membership of the Cabinet Office Investment Committee is:

• Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (Chair);

• Cabinet Office Chief Finance Officer;

• Cabinet Office Commercial Director;

• Cabinet Office Chief People Officer;

• Cabinet Office Strategy Director; and

• Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer.

Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the People and Operations Committee met 10 times. The current membership of the People and Operations Committee is:

• Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (co-Chair)

• Government Chief Property Officer (co-Chair)

• Cabinet Office Chief People Officer;

• Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer;

• Director, Modernisation and Reform;

• SCS Diversity and Inclusion Champion;

• SCS Race Champion;

• SCS Gender Champion;

• SCS Disability Champion;

• SCS Social Mobility Champion;

• Professional Head of Intelligence Analysis, Joint Intelligence Organisation;

• Director, Functional Strategy, Performance and Capability, Government People Group;

• Director, Defence and Nuclear, National Security Secretariat;

• Cabinet Office Strategy Director;

• Head of Cabinet Office and Civil Service Communications; and

• Representative from Cabinet Office Race Equality Network (associate member).

Between 8 July 2024 and 7 July 2025, the Resilience and Security committee met 4 times. The current membership of the Resilience and Security Committee is:

• Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer (co-chair);

• Director General, Propriety and Constitution Group (co-chair);

• Government Chief Security Officer;

• Cabinet Office Chief Digital Information Officer;

• Cabinet Office Chief Financial Officer;

• Cabinet Office Chief Information Security Officer, Government Digital Service;

• Chief Operating Officer, Government Property Agency;

• Cabinet Office Commercial Director;

• Director, Intelligence and Security, National Security Secretariat;

• Professional Head of Intelligence Analysis, Joint Intelligence Organisation;

• Director, Propriety and Ethics, Propriety and Constitution Group;

• Deputy Director, Corporate Services at No 10 and Cabinet Office; and

• Chief Digital Information Officer, Crown Commercial Service.

The Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out the role of Advisory Assessment Panels and includes guidance on their composition. The only prerequisites for the composition of individual panels are that there should be a departmental representative and an independent member. It is for ministers to agree on the composition of all Advisory Assessment Panels, including deciding the appropriate mix of knowledge and experience amongst panel members, based upon the requirements of each individual campaign. There has been no change since under the previous administration.

The Main Honours Committee is made up of the chairpeople of all ten independent honours committees, as well as an official chairperson who is appointed by the Cabinet Secretary and ex officio members, as set out here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/honours-committees.

Honours committee quoracy is set by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (HD Committee). It states that the independent membership must be higher than the number of officials on the Committee. There is no maximum number of independent members.

For the Health and Social Care Committee, the quoracy stands at four independent members. There are currently six independent members. There is no live recruitment campaign.

The Civil Service Board has ceased operation. Its last meeting took place on 29 January 2025.

The Director General of the Cabinet Office's Propriety and Constitution Group (previously Director General of Propriety and Ethics), since taking up the role in March 2021, has served as a member of an Advisory Assessment Panel on seven (7) public appointment recruitment campaigns.

The Governance Code on Public Appointments has a rigorous and well established process for assessing and managing potential conflicts of interest in all regulated public appointments processes, which has been in effect across a number of administrations. The process covers potential personal and professional conflicts of interest for both independent panel members and the departmental or sponsor body representatives. As per the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ministers must agree the composition of all Advisory Assessment Panels.

We do not release location data of Ministers.

As has been the practice in previous administrations, the arrangements for performance-related pay for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are published in annual SCS pay practitioner guidance. The 2025-26 guidance, including the controls on performance related pay, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-the-senior-civil-service-pay-award-202526

For grades below the SCS, departments have delegated authority to determine their own performance-related pay arrangements.

Meetings with external organisations and individuals are declared quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include official meetings with trade unions, subject to any exemptions listed in the Guidance.

The National Security Adviser is not a member of any Cabinet committees. The full list of Cabinet committees and their membership is available on Gov.uk. Officials and advisers may attend committees with agreement of the Chair.

All special advisers are employees of their appointing minister's department in line with the terms of the Model Contract for Special Advisers.

Special advisers have the same legal rights as other employees regarding the possibility of undertaking industrial action.

I refer the Noble Lady to my answer of 20 January 2025, Official Report, PQ HL3881:

On 8th January 2025 Baroness Finn asked: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 27 November 2024 (HC14966), whether the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals advises the Prime Minister or the Sovereign directly; and whether the Prime Minister can veto decisions by the Committee.

To which Baroness Twycross responded: The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals advises the Sovereign directly.

As noted in our answer to HC 14966, the Prime Minister’s Principal Private Secretary is a member of the committee. This is the mechanism by which the Prime Minister is able to feed into decisions taken by the committee, and the view of the PPS carries equal weight to all other committee members.

The visit in question was initially designated as an official event. It was subsequently rescheduled and redesignated as a political event. No further support was provided by permanent civil servants after this point.

During the life of contract C2980 with KPMG there are no contractual guarantees relating to spend or service volumes and no exclusivity arrangements. Furthermore, there have been no written assurances, side letters or informal undertakings relating to the continuation of work, future procurements or eligibility for subsequent frameworks.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has started to make payments to claimants using the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) payment capabilities. This is to facilitate the high volume and speed at which IBCA and this government wants to make payments to compensation recipients. The Cabinet Office has to transfer funding to DWP, via a payment service request, so they can make the compensation payments on behalf of IBCA.