Charlie Dewhirst

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles.

The arrangements relating to the using of vehicles in the Government Car Service is set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

There has been no change in this policy since the general election.

All costs relating to the Cabinet Office's annual expenditure are outlined from page 165 onwards, which includes spending by the Government Property Agency as an agency of the Cabinet Office. The report does not enter into granular building level accounts, as has been the case under successive administrations.

I refer the Honourable Member to 73315 which has since been corrected.

The Government Property Agency holds records on the costs of works, fittings and fixtures relating to ministerial residences of Admiralty House only.

I refer the Honourable Member to 73315 which has since been corrected.

The following sets out the key individuals and groups that made up the governance structure for One Big Thing 2024, including their roles:

No conflicts of interest were recorded. The Expert Advisory Group had representation from external experts from the private sector and academia. Their role was limited to providing subject matter expertise, with no decision-making/ sign-off authority or involvement with delivery.

We are unable to publish the minutes of meetings, as requested, as the effective design of One Big Thing is reliant upon these being internal forums for free and frank discussions, with attendees often providing informal opinions or preliminary views.

Opinions and statements are assessed against relevant legislation and policy to assess suitability.

As was the case under successive administrations, an itemised list is not routinely published.

This notice relates to the development of the Central Digital Platform for procurement. Goaco Group Ltd sought permission from the Cabinet Office to engage the Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) to undertake independent data quality analysis, so that the continuous improvement of the Platform is supported by the highest level of expertise available. OCP is an independent non-profit charity and has a presence in Spain and Canada. All development work related to this contract remains onshore in the UK.

As is the long-standing practice, the Cabinet Office as the contracting authority has given notice of amendment to the Goaco Contract to facilitate this work.

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. Details of any payments are published in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68fb37aec18f97edd2b63756/36.17_CO_ARA_24-25_00-Book_v16A_WEB.pdf

Guidance on managing public money effectively is issued by HMT Treasury and it sets out rules and responsibilities, as well as best practice to achieve value for money. This guidance details the circumstances in which severance is payable. All special severance payments are approved by HMT.

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. Details of any payments are published in the Cabinet Office annual report and accounts

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68fb37aec18f97edd2b63756/36.17_CO_ARA_24-25_00-Book_v16A_WEB.pdf).

Guidance on managing public money effectively is issued by HMT Treasury and it sets out rules and responsibilities, as well as best practice to achieve value for money. This guidance details the circumstances in which severance is payable. All special severance payments are approved by HMT.

In compliance with the Business Appointment Rules (BARs) the Cabinet Office is transparent in the advice given to individual applications from senior staff, including special advisers. Advice given to senior civil servants regarding specific business appointments is published quarterly on GOV.UK as part of our ongoing transparency obligations.

We do not comment on specific individuals or BARs applications.

The gender pay gap for Special Advisers is published annually on GOV.UK as part of the Cabinet Office Gender Pay Gap Report.

The next annual report, covering the most recent period, will be published in due course.

In 2024-25, the Cabinet Office spend fell well below the recommended 0.1% maximum spend laid out in the facility time framework guidance.

Trade Union representatives have a statutory right to be granted reasonable paid time off to undertake trade union duties and reasonable unpaid time to undertake trade union activities. The facility time guidance sets out the requirement to monitor and report on facility time spend in the Cabinet Office.

Pursuant to the previous answer, all details of any payments made to Permanent Secretaries are available in the appropriate Departmental Annual Report and Account for the financial year, or will be published in the annual reports for the upcoming financial year.

The Cabinet Office Annual Report and Account 2024-25 was laid on 23 October 2025. Departments seek to lay their 2024-25 annual reports as soon as they are able to do so before the statutory deadline of 31 January 2026.

This publication is in line with those of previous years, and comes earlier than the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Account 2023-24, published in December 2024.

Please see below the data items as recorded on the notification forms to the Information Commissioner’s Office for the eight incidents referred to on page 58 of the Cabinet Office annual reports and accounts 2024-25:

Incident 1 - Health, name, contact details, date of birth

Incident 2 - Name, account numbers and sort codes

Incident 3 - Names, addresses, dates of birth and medical information

Incident 4 - Name, date of birth, home address and brief medical history

Incident 5 - Names, work email addresses, job roles/grade

Incident 6 - Name, Address, National Insurance Number, economic and financial data

Incident 7 - Name, Address, National Insurance Number, economic and financial data

Incident 8 - Name, allegations of improper conduct

In the majority of the above reported incidents either individual or very small numbers of data subjects were affected by the breach.

Regarding the Capita incident, the types of personal data recorded in the Information Commissioner’s Office notification are as follows:

• Name

• Contact details

• Account numbers and sort codes

• Health data

• Economic and financial data, e.g. credit card numbers, bank details

• Copies of official documents, e.g. driving licences

The Government Car Service (GCS) provides vehicles to departments as a shared resource and does not record the use of the vehicle on an individual basis. In relation to the specific greenhouse gas emissions of GCS reported for 2024-25, GCS was transferred from the Department for Transport to the Cabinet Office in April 2025. The Cabinet Office does not, therefore, hold information on GCS prior to this date.

The responsibility of the Gresham Estate was transferred to the Office of Government Property (OGP) in 2018. This is an annuity payment which dates back to an Act of Parliament in 1768, when Lord Gresham gave the site to the Crown to use. The Act said he would be paid £500 per annum, and this liability passed to the Gresham Trust when he died, and this is now managed by the Mercers’ Company.

Westminster City Council’s single person discount can only apply to residences that are your sole or main residence, therefore, the Admiralty House residences are currently ineligible for the discount and a discount was not claimed for or applied to the former DPM’s tenure.

As the property was a second residence, the Government was responsible for paying the Council Tax on Admiralty House, not the former Deputy Prime Minister - in line with long-standing precedent under successive governments.

As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government Property Agency is responsible for liaising with Westminster City Council for matters concerning residency at Admiralty House.

Following the introduction of the second homes premium, this has been paid in full in a one-off full payment in July 2025. This payment was made on the date the invoice was received from Westminster City Council.

Greg Jackson was appointed before the Summer Recess on 21 July to allow for the onboarding process, including conducting security checks, to be completed over the recess period. The announcement was made on 19 August, following fact checking and clearances as part of the onboarding process.

The Rosa Renewal Project was subject to the appropriate National Infrastructure Service Transformation Authority oversight, with the project coming to a formal close in March 2025. The project achieved a GREEN Delivery Confidence Assessment as part of its final Gate 5 assessment. Delivery of the specific products set out in the business case was achieved and, therefore, has now formally closed but evaluation and lessons learned activity continue under the Rosa Service Organisation’s business as usual governance.

The government is undertaking a comprehensive review of the entire Arm's Length Body (ALB) landscape, as announced on 6 April 2025, and is a core part of creating a productive and agile state. The review is ongoing, and outcomes will be communicated in due course.

The National Security Adviser meets with a range of individuals and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.

I refer the honourable member to PQ 69874 where the FOI information sought is disclosed.

The Ethics and Integrity Commission will be established on 13 October 2025 by the Government strengthening and reforming the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL).

The appointment of independent members to the Ethics and Integrity Commission will continue to be subject to the Governance Code for Public Appointments and regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, as has been the case with CSPL.

As an Arm's Length Body of the Cabinet Office, appointments to the Ethics and Integrity Commission will be the responsibility of Cabinet Office Ministers.

The Cabinet Office does not issue guidance on the re-use and/or disposal of branded goods and signage made obsolete as a result of Machinery of Government changes. It is the responsibility of individual departments to ensure their branded assets are managed appropriately following changes in government structures.

Under the Governance Code on Public Appointments, departments must notify the Commissioner for Public Appointments of “exceptional reappointments or extensions”. An exceptional reappointment or extension is one that requires a postholder to serve for more than two terms or ten years.

On 10 July 2025, Pippa Greenslade’s appointment to the Senior Salaries Review Body was extended for 12 months. This is not considered an “exceptional extension” and therefore the Commissioner for Public Appointments was not notified.

There have been no secondments from non-Civil Service organisations to Downing Street since July 2024.

Issues that arise under the Ministerial Code are handled on a case by case basis. From 13 October 2025, if a minister leaves office having been found to have seriously breached the Ministerial Code, they will be expected to forgo a ministerial severance payment.

Official receptions in 10 Downing Street are hosted by Ministers across Government, with details published each quarter as part of the Government's transparency returns. The cost of hospitality in 10 Downing Street is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.

No funding has been provided to DigiGov Expo 2025 by either the Crown Commercial Service or the Cabinet Office.

Costs relating to the Government Property Agency are included in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts. A detailed breakdown of refurbishment, fixtures and fittings relating to the Former Deputy Prime Minister’s residence in Admiralty House has been provided in response to FOI2025/12565, which is in the public domain. I will arrange for a copy of this response to be deposited in the Commons Library.

The Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee (PPS Committee) is one of ten specialist honours committees which assess honours nominations put forward by members of the public, government departments and professional bodies.

Honours committees are made up of individuals with considerable experience of the area covered by the committee. The PPS Committee considers candidates for honours from the UK Parliament, the Devolved Legislatures, the staff of Westminster and other Assemblies, the staff of bodies which report to them, Party workers, councillors and others working for local government.

The current membership of the PPS Committee comprises four independent members, appointed through a public appointments process, and three official members who are the incumbent chief whips from the three largest political parties in the House of Commons. The process to appoint the new independent Chair of the PPS Committee is ongoing and an announcement will be made in due course. The full composition of each honours committee can be found on gov.uk.

Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an Accredited Official Statistics release. Civil Service Statistics 2025 is due to be published on 30 July 2025.

The Airbus A321-253NX with registration G-OATW is not used by the Cabinet Office for official travel.

Since assuming the registration G-OATW in October 2023, the aircraft has been chartered under various contracts with other government departments, to support their official business.