Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the use of leverage tactics by trade unions during industrial disputes; and what assessment they have made of the impact of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016 on the frequency of the use of leverage tactics.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Industrial action must be a last resort in response to industrial disputes. The government encourages unions, employers and workers to engage and negotiate where disputes arise.
Leverage tactics are subject to the same legal framework as all trade union activity. The existing provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, including the prohibition on secondary action and limits on picketing, remain in place alongside the general law on intimidation, harassment and interference with business.
The Government published an impact assessment on 21 October 2024, assessing the expected impacts of repealing the Trade Union Act 2016.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality: Publication Guidance, published on 30 January, whether ministerial gifts and hospitality which were accepted and subsequently reimbursed or repaid to the donor by (1) the Prime Minister, (2) the Deputy Prime Minister, (3) the Chancellor of the Exchequer, are (a) included, or (b) omitted, from the Register of Ministers’ Gifts and Hospitality.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office on 6 June (HC53886), how many domestic flights in total were travelled by the Prime Minister on official business since 5 July 2024, counting each one-way journey as one flight.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 14 October 2024 (HC7020), whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer is provided with an official car outside of the provision of the Government Car Service by (1) the Metropolitan Police, or (2) a private contractor.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
We do not comment on the specific arrangements in place for the Chancellor for security reasons.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government when Tom Kibasi (1) began, and (2) finished, working at 10 Downing Street; and what salary he was paid for his role.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It would not be appropriate to comment on staffing matters or individuals' remits and responsibilities.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish an organisational chart of the current structure, including the decision-making hierarchy, of those working in the Prime Minister's Office and the division of their responsibilities.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether the Prime Minister has issued, or intends to issue, a direction or agreement under section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 to give the Civil Service Commission new statutory functions relating to the Business Appointment Rules.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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/
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether they intend to retain political members nominated by opposition parties on the Committee on Standards in Public Life, as under current arrangements.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether appointments to the new Ethics and Integrity Commission will be made under a Public Appointments Order in Council; and which Minister will be responsible for approving those appointments.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.
Asked by: Baroness Finn (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether the Civil Service management code or Civil Service code will be amended to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ functions to the Civil Service Commission.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
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.