Baroness Finn

This guidance is currently under development in a live policy area. Premature release of this information would inhibit the free and frank provision of advice for policy development.

We require candidates to list the ‘main household earner’ using the ONS definition. In cases where a candidate had multiple households we advise candidates to use the ‘main householder earner’ in the household that best reflects their circumstances.

All Government departments must follow the Mobile Device Management policy. This directs that no third-party mobile application can be downloaded onto Government devices, unless security requirements can be met and there is a business case for doing so.

I refer the Noble Lady to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February (Hansard Volume 853, Column 364), the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day (HLWS1344), and the Oral Statement on the 23 February (repeated on 24th February, Hansard Volume 853, Column 494), which sets out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

The guidance is part of routine internal government communications and administrative advice. Its release could inhibit the free and frank provision of internal advice and exchange of views within government.

Responsibility for decisions and due diligence around who departments engage with sits with those departments and the appropriate policy areas. It is for individual government departments to decide to use these principles, or their own due diligence processes around engagement.

I refer the Noble Lady to PQ HC105789:

Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he will take steps to prevent organisations with which the Government has a policy of non-engagement from submitting written evidence to (a) ministers, (b) officials and (c) public consultations.

Answer: The government does not and will not engage with organisations with whom they have a policy of non-engagement.

The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of Ministers and how they discharge their duties, including meeting with any external organisations.

Any external engagement by special advisers must adhere to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. Similarly, any external engagement undertaken by civil servants must adhere to the Civil Service Code.

Guidance on the declaration and publication of external engagement undertaken by ministers, senior officials and special advisers is available on gov.uk at the following links:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696fa38cf6aa424b452e339a/2024_04_02-Special-Advisers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/696fa4ac2b64f0e8c32e33b2/2024_04_02-Senior-Officials-Transparency-Guidance.pdf.

Political activity information is collected from candidates as part of the public appointments digital service’s online application process. Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which meant it could not be extracted in a usable format for reporting. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and political activity data will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

I also refer the Noble Baroness back to PQ HL13974 and PQ HL13979:

Questions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 January (HL13419), what was the title and grade of the most senior official who approved the removal or omission of political impartiality data from the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25, published on 2 December 2025.

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Swansea on 19 January (HL13419), whether Ministers were informed or consulted on the decision not to include political activity data in the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Data Report 2024–25; and for what reason the headline political activity data published in the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s Annual Report of 17 December was not included in the Cabinet Office report of 2 December.

Combined answer:

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments, as the independent regulator, decided to include the limited data for 2024-25 in his own reporting.

The Cabinet Office did not publish a data report in either 2022-23 or 2023-24, so political activity data was also not published in a collated form for these years.

Political activity information is collected from candidates as part of the public appointments digital service’s online application process. Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which meant it could not be extracted in a usable format for reporting. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and political activity data will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

I also refer the Noble Baroness back to PQ HL13974 and PQ HL13979:

Questions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 19 January (HL13419), what was the title and grade of the most senior official who approved the removal or omission of political impartiality data from the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25, published on 2 December 2025.

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Swansea on 19 January (HL13419), whether Ministers were informed or consulted on the decision not to include political activity data in the Cabinet Office Public Appointments Data Report 2024–25; and for what reason the headline political activity data published in the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s Annual Report of 17 December was not included in the Cabinet Office report of 2 December.

Combined answer:

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments, as the independent regulator, decided to include the limited data for 2024-25 in his own reporting.

The Cabinet Office did not publish a data report in either 2022-23 or 2023-24, so political activity data was also not published in a collated form for these years.

I refer the Noble Lady to the Prime Minister’s letter to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards of 12 November which states that in Autumn 2024 the Prime Minister agreed to recuse himself from decisions relating to the Football Governance Bill.

To clarify, it was not a meeting, and so minutes were not taken, therefore no reward was made.

There are currently no plans to publish this guidance as the area remains subject to ongoing policy development.

The Cabinet Office uses self-certification for the socio-economic data of applicants and we expect the highest levels of integrity from all Civil Servants. This is the same approach taken under the programme's predecessor - the Summer Diversity Internship Programme - from 2010 to 2023.

Any candidate who is found to have misrepresented their circumstances in their application will face a disciplinary investigation.

We will be assessing the impact of our changes at the end of this year's programme as part of our test and learn approach.

The Code of Conduct for Special Advisers states that special advisers 'convey to officials ministers’ views, instructions and priorities' and that they may 'hold meetings with officials to discuss the advice being put to ministers'. In line with the Code, the National Security Adviser does not line manage civil servants.

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments, as the independent regulator, decided to include the limited data for 2024-25 in his own reporting.

The Cabinet Office did not publish a data report in either 2022-23 or 2023-24, so political activity data was also not published in a collated form for these years.

As was the case under previous governments, and in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, the political activity of successful candidates is published by government departments as part of the public announcement regarding the appointment.

The last government did not publish a data report after 2021-22, but under this administration, the government has restarted publishing these reports in order to provide transparency.

Political activity data was not included in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available. The data collection issue has now been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments, as the independent regulator, decided to include the limited data for 2024-25 in his own reporting.

The Cabinet Office did not publish a data report in either 2022-23 or 2023-24, so political activity data was also not published in a collated form for these years.

This information was published by the government on the new Direct Ministerial Appointments Announcements Portal.

A copy of the model contract has been placed in the House Library.

The decision not to include political activity data in the Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 was taken by officials, due to a data collection issue which limited the data that was available.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments sources data from the Cabinet Office. As an independent regulator, he reports separately to the government and decided to include this limited data.

The data collection issue has been rectified, and this information will be considered for inclusion in the 2025-26 data report. In the meantime, information about the political activity of individual public appointees is available on the announcement page of the public appointment digital service.

There are no such cases.

The Cabinet Office wrote to departments when the Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments was published, highlighting the contents of the guidance. As the guidance sets out, the responsibility for the publication of information about direct ministerial appointments rests with individual departments.

The Cabinet Office holds information on 21 incumbents who were appointed under a direct ministerial appointments process and are recorded on the Cabinet Office's departmental list as of the 30 January 2026. A full list of current appointments is provided below. Information relating to their terms of reference, remuneration and end dates are updated regularly on the Public Appointments webpage.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

This was not a decision taken by ministers. The Public Appointments Data Report 2024-25 did not include information on the political activity of public appointees due to the transition to the public appointments digital service in 2023.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments Annual Report 2024-25 was published on 17 December. For appointments made during the reporting period, the report provides the percentage of appointees who declared political activity. It does not provide a breakdown of political activity by party for the reason stated above.

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.

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

It would not be appropriate to comment on staffing matters or individuals' remits and responsibilities.

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.

The Government's policy is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement. Further details will be shared with Parliament in due course.

Line management for the secretariat of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - which will be established as the Ethics and Integrity Commission - and for the Independent Adviser Secretariat sits in the Propriety and Constitution Group of the Cabinet Office. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

The EIC, as with CSPL, will remain an independent Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of the Cabinet Office, led by its Chair and other officeholders. The Independent Adviser remains an independent office-holder, as set out in the role's existing terms of reference.

Line management for the secretariat of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - which will be established as the Ethics and Integrity Commission - and for the Independent Adviser Secretariat sits in the Propriety and Constitution Group of the Cabinet Office. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

The EIC, as with CSPL, will remain an independent Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of the Cabinet Office, led by its Chair and other officeholders. The Independent Adviser remains an independent office-holder, as set out in the role's existing terms of reference.

Civil Service governance structures and fora were reorganised in January 2025.

Current Civil Service committees that exercise management functions in relation to the Civil Service are:

• Heads of Department
• People Board
• Operations Board
• Senior Leadership Committee

There have been a number of changes to the composition of these Civil Service boards and committees (for example due to the appointment of new permanent secretaries). Once these changes are complete the details of the new arrangements and membership will be published on Gov.uk.

The Business Appointment Rules set out the expectations on publication which will continue to apply once the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ functions are transferred to the Civil Service Commission and Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments will continue to process and provide advice on applications it receives from former ministers until its closure. Advice on applications after the Committee closes will be provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

The Special Adviser Code of Conduct sets out that Special Advisers are subject to the Business Appointment Rules for civil servants. Special advisers that currently submit applications to ACOBA will, following the transfer of functions, submit applications to the Civil Service Commission. All other Special Advisers will follow their usual process as set out in the Business Appointment Rules guidance.

The Ministerial Code is clear that the Business Appointment Rules apply to former ministers after they leave office.

Ministers will also be expected to sign waivers to confirm that they will repay their severance payment in the event they are found to have seriously breached the Business Appointment Rules.

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

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.

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.

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/

The Cabinet Office does not hold a central record of information on this topic.