Andrew Snowden

Parliament complies with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, working through the Schedule 1 licence holder for peregrine falcons in close liaison with Natural England to ensure adherence to legal requirements relating to breeding and disturbance. The licence holder also works with those undertaking building activity across the Parliamentary Estate.

All works have been reviewed by the licence holder and Natural England and, where required, mitigation measures have been implemented to prevent disturbance.

The House of Commons Catering Service does not accept halal slaughtered meat unless it is specifically requested and only then from animals that have been pre-stunned prior to slaughter. Such requests for halal slaughtered meats are rare. The Commission has no plans to change its approach to purchasing meat products.

There are 31 domestic suppliers to the catering department with a contract value greater than £10,000, based in 30 different constituencies as shown in the list below. Data for suppliers with a contract value of less than £10,000 is not available.

Under current legislation and guidance, specifying the origin of goods or services is only permitted if it is necessary to do so in order for our requirements to be understood. Where possible and appropriate Parliament will endeavour to purchase British goods and support domestic supply chains.

The vast majority of fresh products are sourced from within the UK when in season. The catering team are committed to showcasing seasonal produce and championing local producers.

The Procedure Committee takes the lead in the monitoring of Government responses to written parliamentary questions, including the timeliness of responses to named day questions. The Committee is currently analysing departments’ performance in responding to written parliamentary questions during the current session and will publish its report containing the relevant data in due course.

The Education Team ran a pilot during May half-term 2025 which offered schools the opportunity to visit Parliament. Some schools took up this opportunity but not at the same level as during term time. The interest mainly came from schools with different school holiday dates such as the Devolved Nations.

Offering educational tours during holiday periods on a permanent basis would incur additional budget to ensure that the tours can be staffed. There would be a potential impact on visitor experience commercial tours, which have priority in the recess periods.

The Visitor Experience team currently run one day of Inside UK Parliament tours per week in recess (c.500 tickets per week), available to all UK residents free of charge. These slots are usually fully booked. The remaining days are prioritised for commercial days.

The Commission will receive an update at its June meeting on the availability of Democratic Access and Education related tours during the parliamentary recess and school holiday periods so that it can consider whether any changes are required.

The EHRC has revised its Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations following the consultation and submitted it to the Minister for Women and Equalities.

The Code will provide guidance to duty bearers, including single-sex service providers, which would cover charities and volunteer-led organisations, on how to comply with their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

The Government is considering the updated draft Code and, if the decision is taken to approve it, the Code will be laid before Parliament for a 40 day period.

The tabling of questions is driven by demand from Members and it is therefore difficult to predict peak periods of activity. The Chamber and Participation Team keeps under review appropriate staffing levels for the procedural offices, taking account of Member demand and the fact that the House Administration is undertaking a Savings and Improvement Programme.

There are currently no plans to review staffing levels for the Table Office. The Chamber and Participation Team keeps under review appropriate staffing levels for the procedural offices, taking account of Member demand but mindful of the fact that the House Administration is undertaking a Savings and Improvement Programme.

The Women’s Business Council was established to advise the government on maximising women’s contribution to economic growth. The Council’s members are senior business people and entrepreneurs who are leaders on gender equality in the workplace.

This Government is committed to strong regional membership - which can drive opportunities for growth right across the country. Current members are based in the north west, south west and the south east and we will continue to look for inspirational leaders from across the UK as the Council’s work progresses.

All guidance issued to Crown Prosecutors to assist their decision making is available here: Prosecution guidance | The Crown Prosecution Service. The overarching Code for Crown Prosecutors issued by the Director for Public Prosecutions provides guidance on how to apply the Public Interest Test in all cases that are referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Cases involving freedom of expression issues can come in many forms, and so the relevant guidance will be followed by prosecutors depending on the facts and circumstances of the alleged conduct and the relevant statutory provisions.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.

The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

All factual matters material to a criminal sentence must be admitted by the offender or proven in a court to the criminal standard using admissible evidence. By definition, the recording of a previous incident as “non-crime” is unlikely to meet that standard.

The Code for Crown Prosecutors sets out the general principles a prosecutor must apply when making a decision as to whether there is sufficient evidence, and whether it is in the public interest, to authorise criminal charges against a suspect. The Crown Prosecution Service has published guidance on bail, the focus of which is on ensuring that the Court is provided with the relevant information to enable it to come to a proper decision as to whether or not to grant bail, with or without conditions. This will be fact specific to the circumstances of the alleged offence and the defendant. The administrative police recording of an earlier incident or allegation, which has previously been determined not to have been a crime, is unlikely to have any relevance to the question of bail.

In the year to December 2024 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised the charging of a total of 11,777 suspects in hate crime flagged cases with 87.4% of legal decisions resulting in a suspect being charged.

The below table provides a breakdown of the monthly charge volumes and rate for 2024.

Over the same period the CPS has prosecuted 14,657 defendants of which 12,614 were convicted, giving a conviction rate of 86.1% for the 2024 calendar year.

The below table provides a breakdown of the monthly completed prosecutions and convictions for 2024.

The volume of prosecution outcomes for a period differs from the volume of pre charge decisions for the same period. Where the pre charge decision is to bring charges many cases will only reach a conclusion in a later period. This will vary according to the outcome type: for example, the legal process is longer where a case is contested or sent to the Crown Court and tried by jury.

Further information can be found in quarterly data published on the CPS website: CPS quarterly data summaries | The Crown Prosecution Service.

Enforcement of drug driving legislation and how available resources are deployed is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to determine in conjunction with local crime and policing plans, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutes cases that are referred to it by the police.

The Government has announced more than half a billion pounds of additional central government funding for policing next year to support the Government’s Safer Streets Mission.

Section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988, introduced in 2015, aligned enforcement of drug driving with that of drink driving by introducing a strict liability offence to avoid the need to prove impairment. CPS management information shows that in the financial year 2023/2024, 25,559 offences were charged under this section which proceeded to a first hearing in the magistrates’ courts.

As part of their roles, Ministers in the Cabinet Office are issued standard Official Windows or MacBook Laptops and a standard iPhone or Android Official device. In some circumstances a tablet device may also be requested. These devices are managed by the internal Cabinet Office Digital teams, who are also responsible for maintaining the assets & inventory of all end user issued devices.

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones.

Capita has systematically defaulted on its major operational recovery commitments. They failed to meet critical transition milestones, including the end of April 2026 target to clear inherited payment arrears, the end of May 2026 milestone to bring approximately 2,200 sensitive divorce cases within contractual service levels, and the critical milestone of a complete return to standard contractual service levels by the end of June 2026.

Capita submitted a formal Rectification Plan in July 2026, and the Remedial Advisor Grant Thornton was appointed shortly thereafter at Capita’s expense. Their work will assist the Cabinet Office to test the validity and deliverability of the Plan, and to conduct a technical systems review. We expect to receive this audit information in early October, which will inform the Government's decision on next steps by mid-to-late October.

Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.

On additional costs, regarding a) additional civil servants deployed, total projected Cabinet Office Pensions Recovery Taskforce and surge support operational costs up to the end of Financial Year 2026-27 stand at £12.5 million.

Costs relating to (b) external advisers, (c) contractors and (d) other costs, are subject to a formal commercial reconciliation exercise that is actively underway to recover Government surge team costs directly from Capita, and the Government has already withheld £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones.

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and this Government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones.

Capita has systematically defaulted on its major operational recovery commitments. They failed to meet critical transition milestones, including the end of April 2026 target to clear inherited payment arrears, the end of May 2026 milestone to bring approximately 2,200 sensitive divorce cases within contractual service levels, and the critical milestone of a complete return to standard contractual service levels by the end of June 2026.

Capita submitted a formal Rectification Plan in July 2026, and the Remedial Advisor Grant Thornton was appointed shortly thereafter at Capita’s expense. Their work will assist the Cabinet Office to test the validity and deliverability of the Plan, and to conduct a technical systems review. We expect to receive this audit information in early October, which will inform the Government's decision on next steps by mid-to-late October.

Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.

On additional costs, regarding a) additional civil servants deployed, total projected Cabinet Office Pensions Recovery Taskforce and surge support operational costs up to the end of Financial Year 2026-27 stand at £12.5 million.

Costs relating to (b) external advisers, (c) contractors and (d) other costs, are subject to a formal commercial reconciliation exercise that is actively underway to recover Government surge team costs directly from Capita, and the Government has already withheld £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones.

The Cabinet Office does not hold this information.

Alongside Written Ministerial Statements on Wednesday 1st July, the Terms of Reference for the Review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service (“the Review”) were published on gov.uk

They are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service

As the Terms of Reference set out, the Review will consider the wide range of activities undertaken by the Civil Service. The Review will culminate in a report setting out a vision for the future Civil Service as a world class institution, to deliver for Ministers and the public.

The review will report before summer 2027, and the report will be made available to the public. The final report will include a set of recommendations to reform the Civil Service. The Government will decide whether and how to implement the recommendations.

We are proud that the Civil Service Fast Stream is the number one graduate employer in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employer (2025) rankings. Fast Stream numbers are dictated by strategic workforce planning and departmental capacity needs. The programme will align with the findings on the size, shape and structure of the future Service within the Review into the Organisation, Performance, and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service to ensure it continues to attract and develop future leaders for the Civil Service.

Alongside Written Ministerial Statements on Wednesday 1st July, the Terms of Reference for the Review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service (“the Review”) were published on gov.uk

They are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service

As the Terms of Reference set out, the Review will consider the wide range of activities undertaken by the Civil Service. The Review will culminate in a report setting out a vision for the future Civil Service as a world class institution, to deliver for Ministers and the public.

Alongside Written Ministerial Statements on Wednesday 1st July, the Terms of Reference for the Review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service (“the Review”) were published on gov.uk

They are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service/review-into-the-organisation-performance-and-transformation-of-the-permanent-civil-service

As the Terms of Reference set out, the Review will consider the wide range of activities undertaken by the Civil Service. The Review will culminate in a report setting out a vision for the future Civil Service as a world class institution, to deliver for Ministers and the public.

Manchester Digital Campus (MDC) will bring together approximately 8,800 civil servants from multiple government departments, with a focus on digital delivery. A significant proportion will create new roles in the region.

As a centre of digital expertise, MDC will integrate Government Digital, drive innovation and skills and support economic growth. The campus will galvanise collaboration across the Civil Service and is aligned with the Places for Growth (PfG) Strategy for the North-West region. MDC will act as a hub supporting the PfG vision, benefitting civil servants across the North-West. A number of successful workshops have already taken place involving civil servants from across the wider North-West region, not just those destined for MDC.

This Government is determined to ensure procurement policy benefits British industry and opens doors for small businesses, start-ups, and charities.

We recently implemented measures under the Procurement Act 2023 to enable local authorities to reserve lower-value contracts for SMEs or local suppliers and to establish a "tell us once" central digital platform so SMEs only have to upload their core data once to use across all future bids.

Under new measures announced on 26 March 2026, the Government is also introducing Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to streamline procurement workflows to save bidders hours of time and cut back unnecessary duplication. Our recent National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) also instructs contracting authorities to maximise spend with small businesses, and requires central government departments to set stretching three-year targets for direct spend with SMEs and publish their progress annually. These targets will collectively drive over £7.4 billion of procurement to SMEs by 2028.

Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 025: 'Protecting the UK’s national security through public procurement' was published on 19 June 2026.

The PPN can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ppn-025-protecting-the-uks-national-security-through-public-procurement

This Labour Government is committed to delivering the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation, ending outsourcing by default.

Contracting authorities will develop their insourcing strategies from 2027/28. We expect this to form part of an organisation's existing strategy setting process.

This government believes that insourcing of public services can maximise value for money for the taxpayer and deliver the highest quality public services possible.

Contracting authorities will be responsible for ensuring that the delivery model they adopt represents value for money and is affordable within existing budgets in the usual way.

In conducting a Public Interest Test, contracting authorities will need to consider the impact of their approach on economic growth and relevant markets. At present, no such assessment has been made at constituency level.

This Labour Government is committed to delivering the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation, ending outsourcing by default.

On 17 June, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and I introduced a new Public Interest Test. From April 2027, departments will assess whether a service can be better delivered in-house before any outsourcing decision is made. This will apply to service contracts of £1 million and above with some limited exceptions for specific types of contracts. Departments will also publish insourcing strategies setting out their medium term plans to deliver services in-house.

The Cabinet Office has not made an assessment of the number of government contracts held by businesses in Lancashire that may be subject to a Public Interest Test.

To ensure transparency of decision-making, results of the Public Interest Test will be published centrally.

The Government is working tirelessly to improve the cyber resilience of our most critical services and systems, including the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure. The Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill will update the existing Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018 to tackle the evolving cyber threats we face. It will protect more essential and digital services from cyber attacks, enable cyber regulators to be more effective, and provide the Government with the flexibility to respond to new threats in the cyber landscape. The Bill has completed its passage through the House of Commons and will move to Second Reading in the House of Lords when parliamentary time allows.