Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Prime Minister is taking to improve trust between ministers and the Civil Service.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Prime Minister is clear on the vital importance of the relationship between politicians and officials. Ministers and officials continue to work closely on delivering the Prime Minister’s priorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish in full the initial view or opinion that the Cabinet Office Propriety and Ethics Team gave to the Hon Member for Makerfield on the Ministerial Code, before the matter was referred to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, on which the WhatsApp message by the Hon Member was informed.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to PQ 2085.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the PCS trade union press release, of 6 May 2026, on Improved Cabinet Office guidance on time off for union reps secured, if he will publish the (a) updated Facility Time Framework and (b) revised trade union facility time terms.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A copy of the updated Facility Time Framework will be deposited in the House Library shortly.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 113590 on Erasmus+ Programme: Finance, what the planned timetable is for the negotiation of the next Multiannual Financial Framework.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

We have successfully finalised the UK’s association to Erasmus+ in 2027. This agreement explicitly recognises that any future agreement into the next Multiannual Financial Framework must also reflect a fair balance of financial contributions and be informed by the experience of participation in 2027.

We will need to agree specific terms for the 2028-2024 Multiannual Financial Framework in due course. Our immediate focus is to continue to work with institutions and our young people to maximise take-up across all sectors, so that the benefits of Erasmus+ association in 2027 can be fully realised.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to the Prime Minister of 27 February 2026 relating to the conduct of the hon. Member for Makerfield, whether any substantive (a) letters and (b) representations were received by (i) his Department and (ii) the Independent Adviser secretariat but not read by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards is independent of Government.

The work undertaken by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards in relation to the former Member for Makerfield is set out in his advice to the Prime Minister of 27th February 2026 which is published on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish expanded terms of reference for the Special Reviewer on Global Finance and Cooperation work on HM Treasury.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the press releases published on gov.uk, outlining the roles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish expanded terms of reference for the Prime Minister's Adviser on Women and Girls.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the press releases published on gov.uk, outlining the roles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary to the Hon Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 April 2026, section 2, what was the reason why the Prime Minister's readout from the submission to appoint Lord Mandelson was not recorded, or the decision is not otherwise retained for the official record.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20th April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21st April, 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.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 22 December 2025, to Question 99535, on List of Ministerial Responsibilities, what is the reason the updated list of Ministerial Responsibilities following the September 2025 reshuffle has not been published.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

An updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities is still in production due to a number of further ministerial changes announced on 12 and 14 May 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a copy of each resignation letter from Ministers and Parliamentary Private Secretaries who have resigned in the last month, and a copy of the Prime Minister’s reply in each case, that have not otherwise already been published on gov.uk.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

No.The exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and the former Health Secretary is available on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has signed any international agreements, including with supranational organisations, that do not have the formal legal status of treaties since July 2024.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office, on behalf of HMG, have entered into various arrangements with international partners and supranational organisations since July 2024, to facilitate cooperation on shared priorities. Since July 2024, for example, the Government has signed three decisions of the Partnership Council of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (which can be found on Gov.uk - see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/trade-and-cooperation-agreement-governance#partnership-council-decisions) and three decisions of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee (which can be found on Gov.uk- see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/withdrawal-agreement-joint-committee#decisions).

In line with long-standing practice under successive administrations, these arrangements are not routinely laid before Parliament or published in the UK Treaty Series, as they do not create obligations under international law. However, the Cabinet Office remains committed to transparency and ensures that significant policy commitments are communicated to Parliament through relevant updates or published policy papers where appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will amend legislation to make the Ministerial Pension Scheme subject to forfeiture proceedings in cases where a Minister of the Crown is found to have broken the law in relation to their Ministerial duties.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The government does not currently have any plans to amend the Ministerial Pension Scheme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, If she will list the names of the organisations that have (a) had departmental Civil Servants seconded to them since July 2024 and (b) seconded organisational staff to her Department.

Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Secondments support the effective delivery of government priorities by enabling the exchange of skills and expertise between the Civil Service and external organisations, strengthening capability in the national interest. All individuals on secondment to the UK Government are required to adhere to the Civil Service Code and its principles of integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

The organisations that the department has seconded staff to are:

• Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
• Australian Treasury
• Bank of England
• BEAMA
• British Business Bank
• European Bank of Reconstruction & Development
• Flood Re
• Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (agency of)
• Genomics England Ltd
• German Finance Ministry
• Institute for Fiscal Studies
• Ministry of Defence (agency of)
• National Wealth Fund
• NHS
• Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development
• French Government
• The Government of the Republic of South Africa
• UK Government Investments
• UK Mission to the European Union
• US Treasury, Washington

The organisations that the department has seconded staff from are:

• Aviva
• Bank of England
• Better Society Capital
• Financial Conduct Authority
• French Government
• German Finance Ministry
• Lloyds
• London School of Economics and Political Science
• Ministry of Defence (agency of)
• National Audit Office
• National Highways Agency
• Oliver Wyman
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Sellafield Ltd
• TheCityUK
• UK Government Investments
• US Treasury, Washington

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 11 March 2026 to Question 117539, on Revenue and Customs: Social Media, who was the specialist agency used to hire the social media influencers for HMRC; and how much was spent on influencers.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC is working with Pablo/ Unlimited Group as its specialist agency to support engagement with social media influencers. Between July 2024 and 31 March 2026, HMRC spent £436,700 on influencer activity, exclusive of agency fees. On average, HMRC’s influencer activities achieve two times investment in earned media value, with up to 400 per cent return on investment across campaigns.

All paid marketing campaigns are assessed by the Government Communication Service (GCS) to ensure they deliver value for money and support efficient public service delivery.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the expected annual cost to the public purse of commitments to the European Commission further to new agreements negotiated since July 2024 for each of the next five years.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The total estimated cost of agreements concluded with the EU since 2024 over the next five years is around £570m, the overwhelming majority of which represents Erasmus+ association costs which will be paid in 2027. UK participation in Erasmus+ beyond 2027 will be subject to further negotiations.

Negotiations with the European Commission are ongoing in other areas. Following the conclusion of negotiations, the associated costs will be reported to Parliament in the usual way.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the King's Speech 2026: background briefing notes on the European Partnership Bill, published 13 May 2026, what steps he is taking to facilitate Parliamentary scrutiny of proposed secondary legislation on EU matters.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Any legislation made under the powers in the European Partnership Bill will be scrutinised by Parliament in the usual way.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether a severance payment has been approved for Oliver Robbins.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Based on the long-standing practices in place under successive governments, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely comment on the individual terms and conditions of employment, or other personnel matters, relating to individual civil servants.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any (a) exemptions and (b) licences have been given by the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation for the provision of (i) public relations and (ii) public affairs services to (A) sanctioned individuals and (B0 organisations in each of the last three years.

Answered by Rachel Blake - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) can only issue licences where specific licensing grounds exist within the relevant sanctions regime and where the conditions of those grounds have been met.

Licensing of professional services of this kind may be permissible under one of a number of licensing purposes. Depending on the facts of any particular application, such as: basic needs, extraordinary expenses, prior obligations, or the routine holding and maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources. It would be for the applicant to demonstrate that the criteria of any licensing purpose were met in their particular circumstances.

It should also be noted that since 10 October 2024, the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) has been responsible for trade sanctions licensing of standalone services prohibited under the UK's trade sanctions, including professional and business services under the Russia sanctions regime covering areas such as: accounting, auditing, engineering, management consulting, and public relations, as well as energy-related, infrastructure, interception, and shipping services across a range of other sanctions regimes.

It is not possible for OFSI to give a breakdown into granular service categories of previously issued licences. Information on the number of licences issued by financial year is available in OFSI’s Annual Review documents, which are published here: OFSI Annual Reviews - GOV.UK

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Five Non-Executive Directors appointed to the Independent Football Regulator, of 19 February 2026, whether the Prime Minister was consulted on those board member appointments.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Under the legislation, these appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The No 10 appointment unit was consulted in the usual way. The Prime Minister was not consulted on the appointments and has previously recused himself from decisions relating to the Football Governance Bill.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 108749, on Government Actuary’s Department, if she will place in the Library a copy of the full specification of the commission to the Government Actuary’s Department on the calculations on the cost of the Chagos Treaty.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Full details of the proposed payments have already been published in the Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the Treaty. These have been debated at length in both Houses.

These figures draw on long-established methodology to account for long-term projects.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the Cabinet Secretary to the Hon Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 April 2026, section 3, what was the reason for the delay between the passing of the Humble Address resolution by the House on 4 February 2026, and the (a) the letter by the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary of 23 February asking for searches on both official and personal devices and (b) the letter of 13 March specifying that all relevant non-corporate communications should be shared; and if he will place both letters in the Library.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 27 April 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. As the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister told the House on 19th May, the Government will publish a second tranche of material after the Whitsun recess to give the House sufficient time to review the material.

The Cabinet Office requested information from across government on several occasions in relation to the Humble Address. All relevant individuals have been instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they hold that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the total value of spending commitments is that have been made by the Government outside the current Spending Review period.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

I refer the hon.Member to the answer given to Question UIN 125535 on 16 April 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 4.10 of the OBR's report entitled Economic and fiscal outlook, published on 3 March 2026, whether funding has been allocated for the Erasmus+ programme beyond the 2027-28 financial year.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As reported in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook of March 2026, £0.6 billion has been allocated in 2027-28 to Erasmus+ programme in 2027 only.

Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework will need to be agreed in the future and be subject to negotiation and a future Government spending decision.

Energy Conservation

Found: Alex Burghart, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State No relevant interests 14List of Ministers’ Interests

Found: Alex Burghart MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State 7.