Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
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), which central government organisations have submitted business cases for pay flexibility under the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance 2024–25, and which of those cases have been approved.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
For 2024/2025, Royal Fleet Auxiliary, Trinity House, and UK Atomic Energy Authority have had business cases for Pay Flexibility approved. HM Revenue and Customs and UK Health and Safety Authority were also approved to adopt the Government Digital and Data pay framework.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 18 February (HL4612), how many non-statutory public inquiries have been established since 2005; what were the names of each inquiry; what were the projected costs of each inquiry at the time of its establishment; and, for those that have concluded, what was the final cost of each inquiry upon its conclusion.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Since 2005, His Majesty’s Government has established 18 non-statutory inquiries.
The Cabinet Office collects data on the duration and cost of inquiries from departments, inquiries’ own reports, and other publicly available information. We do not centrally hold data on the projected costs of each inquiry as each Government Department is responsible for the inquiries they sponsor.
We have provided details on all non statutory inquiries established since 2005 in the table below. In the table below, “unknown” means that it is not known by Cabinet Office.
Inquiry | Legislative Basis | Year established | Duration in months (from announcement to publication of final report) | Reported final costs where publicly available |
Manston Inquiry | Non-Statutory | 2025 | Ongoing | Pending |
Cranston Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2023 | Ongoing | Pending |
Andrew Malkinson Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2023 | Ongoing | Pending |
Fuller Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2022 | Ongoing | Pending |
Angiolini Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2022 | Ongoing | Pending |
The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review | Non-statutory | 2018 | 29 | £1.7m |
Independent Inquiry into the issues raised by Ian Paterson | Non-statutory | 2018 | 26 | £1.9m |
Independent inquiry into the award of the Magnox decommissioning contract by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and its subsequent termination | Non-statutory | 2017 | 48 | Unknown |
Gosport Independent Panel | Non-statutory | 2014 | 42 | £13m |
Harris Review / Independent review of self-inflicted deaths of young adults in custody aged between 18 and 24 | Non-statutory | 2014 | 17 | £0.2m |
The Morecambe Bay Maternity and Neonatal Services Investigation | Non-statutory | 2013 | 18 | £1.1m |
Daniel Morgan Independent Panel | Non-statutory | 2013 | 97 | £17.6m |
The Detainee Inquiry | Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors) | 2010 | 45 | £2.3m (exc. VAT) |
The Hillsborough Independent Panel | Non-statutory | 2009 | 33 | Less than £5m |
Independent Inquiry into care provided by Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust January 2001 – March 2009 | Non-statutory | 2009 | 7 | Unknown |
The Iraq Inquiry / The Chilcot Inquiry | Non-statutory (Committee of Privy Counsellors) | 2009 | 85 | £13.1m |
Inquiry into Human Tissue Analysis in UK Nuclear Facilities / Redfern Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2007 | 43 | Unknown |
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry | Non-statutory | 2007 | 48 | £75k |
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) left their roles in the past financial year; of those, how many had formal exit interviews within the Cabinet Office, and what proportion of Cabinet Office SCS leavers this represents; and how many had formal exit interviews, and what proportion of total SCS leavers this figure represents.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The table below sets out the number of Senior Civil Servants (SCS) who left the Cabinet Office and turnover of Senior Civil Servants in the year to the dates shown.
| 31 March 2024 (FY 2023/24) |
SCS Leavers | 91 |
SCS Turnover % | 24% |
Number of completed exit interview / or completed an exit survey | 29* |
Proportion of SCS leavers with completed formal exit interviews | 31.9% |
*a record of the completed interview is not centrally held
**exit survey response only, therefore planned leavers
The SCS Exit survey was relaunched in April 2024 to encourage a better response rate. SCS leavers who resign or where the departure is unplanned - for example, when a member of staff resigns or moves to another government department - are expected to have an exit interview with their line manager or the HR Business Partner.
SCS leavers that are planned - for example, when a member of staff retires, their fixed term contract or loan ends - do not need to take part in an exit interview, although they are able to do so.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the guidance published on 21 October 2024, List of Cabinet Committees and their membership, what are the names of the secretariats who support those committees, and which committee each secretariat supports.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Cabinet committees are supported by the relevant Secretariat that sit across the Economic and Domestic Secretariat, the National Security Secretariat and the European and Global Issues Secretariat as most relevant according to the Terms of Reference of the committee.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they undertook to assess the material fiscal impact of the updated social value model in the Procurement Policy Note 002, published on 13 February.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Central government uses the same tool for assessing social value that has been used since 2021, where central government buyers select evaluation criteria from the options available in the social value model.
The updates made to the social value model have streamlined the content, aligning it to the government's missions. This ensures social value reinforces policy delivery and does not add additional requirements.
When in scope contracting authorities are choosing evaluation criteria from the model they must ensure the criteria are proportionate and relevant to the contract in question. Suppliers then have the flexibility to choose solutions that suit them. The updated guidance emphasises the importance of pre-market engagement to ensure the criteria selected are appropriate for the contract.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how ethical concerns raised by civil servants are escalated (1) within departments, and (2) to the Cabinet Office; and what factors determine when the Propriety and Ethics Team or the Cabinet Secretary are involved.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Concerns regarding the Civil Service, Ministerial or Special Adviser Codes should be escalated via line management chains, and to the Permanent Secretary’s (or Head of Department’s) office where necessary. Concerns can then be escalated to the Cabinet Office where the Department considers it necessary.
As set out in the Civil Service Code, concerns in relation to that Code can also be raised with the relevant department's nominated officers who have been appointed to advise staff on the code.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in the Procurement Review Unit, and how this compares to the number of full-time equivalent roles allocated to the unit.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Procurement Review Unit has 13 permanent full time equivalent roles in the unit. The unit is supported by a flexible resource model where additional resources can be allocated to the unit as required. Currently the team is being supported by 4 flexible members of staff.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 April 2025
Dear Lord Agnew,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).
The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.
The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.
The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.
Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.
The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.
During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 April 2025
Dear Lord Agnew,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).
The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.
The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.
The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.
Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.
The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.
During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.
Asked by: Lord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority.
The Lord Agnew of Oulton DL
House of Lords
London
SW1A 0PW
1 April 2025
Dear Lord Agnew,
As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your following Parliamentary Questions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made, based on the latest approved business case, of the average cost per user of the Integrated Data Service, including a breakdown of how this cost is calculated (HL6020).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of successive Senior Responsible Owners of the Integrated Data Programme having been appointed for 35 per cent and 50 per cent of their time, given its whole life cost of £525 million and "red" delivery confidence assessment rating; and what evidence they hold to show that this approach is appropriate for projects of this scale and complexity. (HL6094).
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether to continue to fund the Integrated Data Programme at its whole life cost of £525 million, given its "red" delivery confidence assessment rating and the 26 per cent reduction in forecast monetised benefits between 2022–23 and 2023–24 (HL6095).
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the Office for National Statistics’ Integrated Data Service has undergone an accreditation assessment or audit under the Digital Economy Act 2017 since 2020, and what the results of such assessments or audits have been (HL6096).
The Integrated Data Programme (IDP) Business Case is being reviewed as part of Spending Review 2025. From when the Integrated Data Service (IDS) is fully operational, the current estimate of the average gross cost per user accessing the IDS is approximately £4,645 per year over the financial years 2026/2027 to 2028/2029. This cost is calculated by including the service support costs for users, the IT licensing and usage costs, and the platform operational management costs.
The current Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) has dedicated substantially more than 50% of their time to the Integrated Data Programme. The "red" delivery confidence assessment rating primarily relates to obtaining data owner permission for analysis, as highlighted in numerous other reports . Significant progress is being made in unblocking data flows, however senior sponsorship is still required to fully realise the benefits of mission delivery. We’re now making good progress in obtaining that sponsorship.
The annual cost of the service is now low. The majority of the expenditure has been invested in building infrastructure that is also used for other core ONS business and it is now ready for use.
Future funding of the IDP is under consideration as part of Spending Review 2025, the outcome of which will not be announced until 11 June 2025. All Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP) programmes are subject to an Accounting Officer assessment as part of established governance procedures.
The IDS was accredited under the Digital Economy Act (2017) in September 2023. The accreditation of the IDS under the DEA was reviewed after 12 months, in September 2024.
During the development of the platform prior to September 2023, the IDS was audited by the UKSA Research Accreditation Panel to establish the readiness of the IDS for DEA accreditation. These audits occurred in February 2023 and June 2023.
Yours sincerely,
Professor Sir Ian Diamond
1For further details, you can refer to the Independent Review of the UK Statistics Authority by Professor Denise Lievesley CBE and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base report.