Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria his Department plans to use to determine proposed (a) national security and (b) international relation redactions in the context of the Government’s response to the humble Address laid before the House on 4 February.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, 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, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 116167 on Peers, whether a sitting peer removed from the Roll of the Peerage is eligible to be receive a Writ of Summons from the Lord Chancellor to Parliament.

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

The Roll of the Peerage is an officially compiled and maintained list, intended to contain the names of all living peers. If a title has been removed from the Roll of the Peerage, it can no longer be used in official documents. Removal would not affect an individual’s membership of the House of Lords, where relevant, and an individual would still be entitled to receive a writ of summons if already eligible.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many documents due to be disclosed in the Government’s response to the Humble Address will not be disclosed until after the legal proceedings being investigated by the Metropolitan Police.

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

As per the statement from the Metropolitan Police on 4th February 2026, they are asking us to refrain from publishing any relevant documents that could prejudice their investigation. We do not comment on ongoing police investigations. The Government stands ready to support the police in whatever way it can.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment was made of the potential impact of Lord Mandelson's shareholdings in Global Counsel on his suitability to be appointed as UK Ambassador to the United States prior to that appointment being made.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11 March, 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson was investigated for misconduct under the Civil Servant Code.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11 March, 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 Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the Part of a Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 4 February 2026 relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as HM Ambassador to Washington, Volume 1, HC1774-I, 11 March 2026, whether the Permanent Under-Secretary had discussions with Lord Mandelson, when Ambassador to the United States, about the Epstein files released by the United States Department of Justice.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11 March, 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 his oral contribution of 23 February 2026 on Labour Together and APCO Worldwide: Cabinet Office Review, Official Report, Columns 28 and 29, whether the Independent Adviser will consider the conduct of the hon. Member for Makerfield before he became a Minister.

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

The advice and the exchange of letters between the Prime Minister and Josh Simons MP are on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Parliamentary Secretary is scheduled to end her maternity leave.

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

Satvir Kaur MP was on maternity leave from her role as Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office from 7 September 2025 until 22 February 2026, with a phased return from January 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office of 12 February 2026, Official Report, Columns 929 and 932, on Lord Mandelson: Government Response to Humble Address Motion, if he will publish guidance given to Ministers on releasing their communications and the managed process which Ministers must abide by.

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, 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, pursuant to the answer of 9 March 2026, to Question 115872, on Peerages, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the removal of Sir Ian Horobin from the peerage in 1962.

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

Sir Ian Horobin’s life peerage was announced on 29th March 1962 and he subsequently withdrew his acceptance voluntarily before Letters Patent were sealed and dated. His peerage was therefore never created nor subsequently removed. There is no established precedent of the Government withdrawing a peerage nomination after it has been announced.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to pages 106 and 107 of the Part of a Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 4 February 2026 relating to the appointment of Lord Mandelson as HM Ambassador to Washington, Volume 1, HC1774-I, 11 March 2026 and with reference to paragraph 3.1 of her Department's document entitled Guidance on Public Sector Exit Payments, published in November 2025, and Annex A4.13 of her Department's document entitled Managing Public Money, published in June 2025, what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Developments Affairs on whether the Special Severance Payment was paid to Lord Mandelson because it was (a) exceptional, (b) novel, (c) contentious and (d) repercussive.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The Chancellor did not have any discussions with the Foreign Secretary on this issue.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Intelligence and Security Committee will have access to independent legal advice for the consideration of the redaction of the material to be released in response to the Humble Address of 4 February 2026.

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, 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, whether he has provided guidance to Cabinet colleagues on recording overlay advice to Ministers.

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

The term “overlay advice” is not in general use, so no such guidance has been issued.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to help avoid conflicts of interest for civil servants working on ISC oversight of his Department’s response to the Humble Address of 4 February 2026.

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, 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.

Civil Servants remain bound by the Civil Service Code at all times, and by their departmental policies on managing conflicts of interest.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Cabinet Office Legal Advisers and (b) the National Security Adviser will have a role in the redaction of the material to be released in response to the Humble Address of 4 February 2026.

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, 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, whether the Propriety and Ethics Team who produced the due diligence on Lord Mandelson were involved in the substantive response to the Humble Address motion of 4 February 2026.

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

Staff from across the Cabinet Office including but not limited to the Public Inquiry Response Unit and the Propriety and Constitution Group are involved in compliance with the Humble Address motion as necessary.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the information Lord Mandelson provided as part of the vetting process for his appointment to UK Ambassador to the United States impacted his dismissal from that role.

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, 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, whether he considers papers relating to Global Counsel to be in scope of the response to the Humble Address of 4 February 2026.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, 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, who was interviewed by the General Counsel to the Prime Minister in his fact-finding exercise in the context of the return to the Humble Address; and how many people were interviewed.

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, 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 his statement on Lord Mandelson: Response to Humble Address Motion of 11 March 2026, Official Report, Column 360, which document had a limited redaction.

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, 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 HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department has had discussions with the Bank of England on the potential impact of the removal of historic British figures from the new series of banknotes on British national identity.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes. HM Treasury has not discussed the change of design with the Bank of England.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his oral contribution of 23 February 2026 on Labour Together and APCO Worldwide: Cabinet Office Review, Official Report, Column 27, if he will place a copy in the Library of the (a) referral letter and (b) terms of reference to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Ministerial Code sets out processes for the investigation of alleged breaches of the Code by ministers serving in the Government and is published on gov.uk.

Paragraph 2.6a of the Code states: “If there is an allegation about a breach of the Code and the Prime Minister, having consulted the Cabinet Secretary, feels that it warrants further investigation, the Prime Minister may ask the Cabinet Office to investigate the facts of the case and/or refer the matter to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards”.

These processes, and further detail on the role of the Independent Adviser, are also included in the Terms of Reference of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, which forms part of the Ministerial Code at Annex A.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to his oral contribution of 23 February 2026 on Labour Together and APCO Worldwide: Cabinet Office Review, Official Report, Column 29, whether a Minister can be investigated by the Independent Adviser whilst having their specific Ministerial portfolio temporarily removed.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Ministerial Code applies to serving Ministers. If a Minister is removed from office, there would be no avenue for the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to investigate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse has been for the recruitment and deployment of reconciliation teams from other Departments to assist Capita in managing the backlog of pension queries; and whether this cost will be recovered from Capita through contractual clawback provisions.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery.

For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication to ensure members receive the support they deserve. While the immediate focus remains on stabilising the service through this intensive recovery plan, we are committed to ensuring all staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Furthermore, any service failures attract penalties which reduce the overall cost of the contract. While the specific financial values of commercial transactions remain confidential, the Cabinet Office has already withheld significant transition milestone payments due to missed deliverables and continues to apply the full mechanism of service credits for performance failures. Capita also remains responsible for any additional expenses incited. The Cabinet Office will continue to use all available commercial levers to hold Capita to account and ensure they deliver the contractual service levels.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Cabinet Office consultation paper on Digital ID, 10 March 2026, CP1498, whether the People’s Panel for Digital ID participants will be paid; what is the minimum page to participate on the panel; and what is the database that will be used for the civic lottery/sortition process to select the members.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Participants will be recruited through a process called sortition. This is a random postcode lottery. It is a way of selecting individuals to take part in deliberative processes, where everyone is given an equal chance to be invited. No individual can buy their way in or simply turn up at the event. All participants must be 18 or over to join the People’s Panel.

Participants are paid in line with industry standards. Payment recognises the time that people are giving up to take part and ensures that a diverse range of participants (e.g. including those on low-incomes, unemployed, with caring responsibilities, etc.) can participate. Payments are aligned to each workshop they attend, so may vary depending on attendance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the consultation paper on Digital ID, published on 10 March 2026, CP1498, which company will be administering the People’s Panel for Digital ID; and what cost the cost will be.

Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We need to make sure digital ID works for everyone, and that’s why we’re establishing a People’s Panel on digital ID, which brings together a diverse group of people - selected to be broadly representative of the population of the UK - to consider different perspectives and debate trade-offs.

The People’s Panel will cost approximately £630,000 This will be covered under a pre-existing contract with Ipsos, which is the primary vendor, signed in March 2024. The vendor is a significant long-term government contractor, including under the last administration.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025 to Question 94697, whether the temporary promotion to the Director General position was made via full and open competition.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As set out in the Recruitment Principles, temporary promotions are an exception to the requirement for fair and open competition.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2026, to Question 107710, Erasmus+ Programme: Flags, whether UK (a) schools, (b) teacher training and (c) universities will participate in Jean Monnet Actions programme, including (i) learning about the history of the European Union, (ii) promoting a shared EU identity and (iii) the 2026 thematic theme of "A resilient Single Market to boost EU enlargement as a catalyst for progress competitiveness”.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Under the Erasmus+ Regulation, and as set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the same EU communication and visibility requirements apply to Jean Monnet Actions. Jean Monnet Actions are open to any eligible institution that chooses to apply for a Jean Monnet project and is successful in securing funding.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 10 February 2026, to Question 107710, Erasmus+ Programme: Flags, whether separate EU communication and visibility rules apply to the Jean Monnet Actions programme.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Under the Erasmus+ Regulation, and as set out in the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, the same EU communication and visibility requirements apply to Jean Monnet Actions. Jean Monnet Actions are open to any eligible institution that chooses to apply for a Jean Monnet project and is successful in securing funding.