Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial pensions in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Each government department discloses their ministerial pension benefits in their own Annual Report and Accounts.
Pension benefits of Cabinet Office Ministers for 2024-25 is disclosed on page 90 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/690e1f38896fad804b050fba/36.17_CO_ARA_24-25_00-Book_v17_WEB.pdf
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64583, if his Department will publish the assessment they made to inform the GREAT Campaign’s focus for 2025-26.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Evaluation results for the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign have not yet been finalised for financial year 2024/25. We expect initial economic returns generated by the campaign in 2024/25 to have been assessed and validated before the end of the year, and will be published via the GREAT website when appropriate.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64200, when he expects to publish the evaluation results for 2024-25.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Evaluation results for the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign have not yet been finalised for financial year 2024/25. We expect initial economic returns generated by the campaign in 2024/25 to have been assessed and validated before the end of the year, and will be published via the GREAT website when appropriate.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projects, published on 16 June 2025, if he will publish an impact assessment for that policy.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to supporting British jobs and industry. As part of this, we have consulted on further reforms to public procurement. If appropriate, impact assessments will be undertaken following our response to the consultation, in accordance with the Better Regulations Framework.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of levels of wage growth in the (a) public sector and (b) private sector since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th November is attached.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55254 on Public Bodies: Reviews, how many civil servants are involved in the review by grade.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As of 31st October 2025, the Cabinet Office maintains 1 Deputy Director, 1 Grade 7 and 1 HEO to staff the ALB Review. Information on departmental staffing levels for the ALB Review is not held centrally.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial severance packages between 1 September and 8 September 2025.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Departments are responsible for making salary and loss of office payments to their Ministers. This information would only be held by individual departments.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants are employed on Level 7 apprenticeships.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As of 31 December 2024, there were 1,635 Level 7 apprentices across the Civil Service. This government remains committed to apprenticeships as one pathway to break down barriers to opportunity.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of Ministerial pensions in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
MPs and Ministers have membership to the Parliamentary Contributions Pension Fund (PCPF) of which the ministerial share is typically around 8% of the total exchequer contribution.
In 2023/24, the Exchequer paid contributions totalling £7,693,885 into the fund and the Ministerial share was £643,123.98.
The total contribution information is available in the PCPF 2023-24 accounts (p45) using the link below:
The 2024-25 figures will be published by the PCPF Trustees in October 2025.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the number of Civil Service employees who possess a Level 7 Apprenticeship qualification.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The Cabinet Office does not hold this information. We are committed to apprenticeships as a route to improving the skills of our workforce and opening up careers in the civil service around the UK.