Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) name, (b) job title, (c) annual remuneration, (d) time commitment and (e) expected end date is for each direct ministerial appointment in his Department.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Details of each direct ministerial appointment currently in post can be found in the below table. Details of appointees renumeration have been included where they are paid for their work directly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, further to Table A.7 of the OBR, Economic and Fiscal Outlook, November 2025, CP1439, 26 November 2025, what is HM Treasury’s estimate of the cost of the EU financial settlement in each year from 2024-25 to 2030-31; and whether this includes any fiscal consequences of recent changes to the EU-UK relationship.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Please refer to The European Union Finances Statement 2024 (EUFS) for the most complete analysis of the Financial Settlement. The EUFS figures are prepared on a different basis to those published by the OBR. These differences are explained in Annexes A.4 and A.5 of the EUFS.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 20 October 2025 to Question 78296 on Public Sector: Pay, which departments or public bodies had senior pay cases rejected outright.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Between July 2024 and October 2025, three cases were rejected through the senior pay approvals process. Individual salaries of senior civil servants are available through the annual reports and accounts of their employing body.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Downing Street press release, "Appointment of Axel Heitmueller as Head of the Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit and Expert Adviser on Delivery", of 6 January 2026, what is (a) the time commitment expected of the role, (b) the expected end date of the appointment, (c) the monetary amount of his remuneration, and (d) his terms of reference.

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

Information about this role was published by the government on the new Direct Ministerial Appointments Announcements Portal: https://apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk/direct-ministerial-appointments-announcements.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the report by the Office for Value for Money entitled The OVfM report, published on 26 November 2025, if she will provide a breakdown and profile of the £14 billion of efficiency savings per year by 2028-29; and whether those savings are (a) in cash terms and (b) cumulative.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The full breakdown of the £14 billion in total annual efficiency gains by 2028-29 can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-efficiency-delivery-plans/departmental-efficiency-plans

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Spending Review has allocated funds for new payments to the European Union, over and above those commitments in treaties from the last Parliament.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Payments into the EU budget are governed by two treaties signed during the last Parliament, the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) and Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).

Payments under the Withdrawal Agreement (WA) are as classified as Annually Managed Expenditure and are therefore beyond the scope of Spending Review 2025 (SR25).

On 17 December 2025 the government announced the UK would join the Erasmus+ programme in 2027. As usual, any changes to Departmental Expenditure Limits will be included in a future OBR fiscal forecast.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason the requirement to provide work experience is a key performance indicator for the HMRC's Unity Programme Delivery Partner contract with Accenture.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

It is a requirement that social value should form a component of all central government major contracts, alongside a range of performance indicators. Under the Unity Delivery Partner contract, Accenture deliver a variety of social value initiatives including work experience opportunities for young people. In accordance with transparency reporting requirements, their performance in offering these opportunities is measured and published on GOV.uk.

Work experience placements can offer younger people an insight into employment and can help enhance their skills and future employability.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has accepted the recommendations in the report by the Office for Value for Money entitled The OVfM report, published on 26 November 2025.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The government has accepted the recommendations set out by the Office for Value for Money. This was set out in paragraph 1.7 of the OVfM report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-office-for-value-for-money-report.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025 to Question 88684 on Government Department: Cost Effectiveness, whether efficiency savings are reported to her Department.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Departments report efficiency savings to HM Treasury every quarter, as set out in the Government Efficiency Framework.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025, to Question 88682, on Civil Service: Redundancy Pay, whether departmental spending from the exit fund, and numbers of civil servants who will leave, have to be reported by departments to HM Treasury.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Information on how much departments have spent and the number of leavers resulting from exit schemes will be published in Department’s Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the National Audit Office report, Lessons learned: the government’s use of external consultants, HC: 1381, 21 November 2025, Figure 10, what specific data is collected on Government spending by (a) Oxygen Finance and (b) Jaggaer Spend.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since 2010, Central Government departments publish expenditure above £25,000 on a monthly basis. Oxygen Finance aggregates this transparency data to provide reports on spending by a particular department or category.

Jaggaer Spend relies on data generated by payments processed through public sector procurement systems, as opposed to published invoice data.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has determined the source of the leak of the policies within the Autumn Budget 2025 to the media.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As the Chancellor set out to the Treasury Select Committee on 10/12/25, a leak inquiry is underway. In addition, the Permanent Secretary of the Treasury is conducting a wider review of Budget security, which he aims to conclude in advance of the Spring Statement.

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Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Business appointment rules return - September 2025, published on 16 December 2025, for what reason the former Director of Financial Services was given a six month lobbying ban.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Business Appointment rules are designed to uphold the core values in the Civil Service Code. The aim of the rules is that when a civil servant takes up an outside appointment or employment there should be no cause for justified public concern, criticism, or misinterpretation. These aims were considered in this case, and appropriate mitigations were put in place in line with standard HM Treasury practice and in accordance with the Business Appointment rules.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 2.1.2 of her Department’s policy paper entitled UK Government Green Financing Framework, published on 26 November 2025, for what reason facilities intended for the production of weapons grade nuclear material or for other primarily military uses are excluded; and what assessment she has made with the Secretary of State for Defence of the potential impact of this exclusion on the level of private sector participation in the Trident renewal programme.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Green Financing Framework, updated in 2025, explains how proceeds from green gilts and NS&I’s retail Green Savings Bonds will finance public expenditures that have the goal of delivering a direct and positive environmental impact.

Eligible expenditures are assessed on the basis of their contribution to the government’s climate and environmental objectives. Military nuclear spending, including the Trident renewal programme, is primarily for national defence purposes and as such is not eligible to be financed under the Framework. This exclusion is in line with international norms for green bond frameworks and enables the UK’s green gilts to be accessible to the greatest possible pool of investors, improving value-for-money.

The Green Financing Framework only applies to public expenditures and does not apply to private investment. Eligible expenditures are drawn from departments’ confirmed Spending Review settlements. There has been no rationale for HM Treasury and the Ministry of Defence to assess the potential impact on private sector participation in the Trident renewal programme.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will ask the Financial Conduct Authority to make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) security and (b) stability of monies invested in the Tether cryptocurrency.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government recognises that stablecoins stand to drive important innovation in payments and settlement, but like other financial instruments they also have the potential to cause consumer harm, especially if not properly regulated.

That is why the UK has worked closed with international partners through the Financial Stability Board to develop global standards for cryptoassets and stablecoin. It is also why the government is creating a comprehensive UK regulatory regime under the Financial Conduct Authority for cryptoassets, including to regulate the issuance of stablecoin.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 95649 on Inflation, whether any public body undertakes assessments of the adequacy of GDP deflator forecasts.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

Forecasts for the UK economy, including assessments of the impact of policy decisions, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).

The OBR publishes its forecast in the Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO). The OBR’s latest EFO can be found here: Economic and fiscal outlook – November 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility. The OBR’s EFO includes a forecast of the GDP deflator.

The OBR is required to produce a Forecast Evaluation Report (FER) each year under the Budget Responsibility and National Audit Act (2011). The OBR is required to explain reasons for divergence between its forecasts and subsequent outturns, to support future forecast improvements.

The latest Forecast Evaluation Report can be found here: Forecast evaluation report 2025 - Office for Budget Responsibility . Evaluation of the GDP deflator can be found on pages 29-30.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people subscribed to (a) cash and (b) stocks and shares ISAs; and how many subscribed the maximum £20,000 in the latest year for which data is available.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

In the 2022 to 2023 tax year, 7.12 million people subscribed to a Cash ISA only, and 3.07 million people subscribed to a Stocks and Shares ISA only. 1.46 million individuals subscribed the full £20,000 to Cash ISAs, while 0.84 million individuals subscribed the maximum £20,000 to Stocks and Shares ISAs.

In 2022 to 2023, there were 0.74 million people who subscribed to both Cash and S&S ISAs, and 0.19 million of these dual‑subscribers subscribed the maximum £20,000.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 94022, on Katie Martin, what her salary and grade is in the new role.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The position is unpaid.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HMRC’s apps and website are accessible via the One Login system.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC customers currently access digital services via the GOV.UK website or via the HMRC app by logging in with their Government Gateway credentials.

HMRC will be transitioning its customers (individuals, agents and organisations) to GOV.UK One Login.

Once HMRC customers have transitioned to GOV.UK One Login they will be able to access their digital HMRC services in the same way they currently do (via the GOV.UK website or the HMRC app) using their GOV.UK One Login credential instead of Government Gateway.

More details on HMRC’s plans to transition to GOV.UK One Login can be found in HMRC’s Transformation Roadmap, published in July 2025: HMRC's Transformation Roadmap - GOV.UK

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the names of the members of the Council of Economic Advisers, and state whether they are (a) civil servants, (b) special advisers or (c) direct ministerial appointments; and which are (i) paid and (ii) unpaid.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor’s Council of Economic Advisers consists of three paid Special Advisers — Neil Amin-Smith, Spencer Thompson and Emily Fry — and one paid direct ministerial appointee, David Sturrock.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the potential financial impact on overseas residents of the removal of Class 2 National Insurance Contributions in relation to their UK state pension entitlement.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The previous rules around voluntary National Insurance Contributions (NICs) allow those with a limited connection to the UK to build UK State Pension entitlement at a very cheap rate.

At Budget 2025 the Government took two immediate steps to fix the most unfair elements of these rules. From April 2026 we are removing most access to Class 2 voluntary NICs for periods abroad. This will prevent thousands of people who are not in the UK from building entitlement to a UK State Pension far more cheaply than working people here. Secondly, we are strengthening the link a person needs to have to the UK before they can build their National Insurance record abroad. A person will now need to have spent 10 years living or building their NI record in the UK, up from three years.

A Tax Information and Impact Note for these changes will be published alongside the introduction of legislation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025, to Question 96894, on Treasury: Public Appointments, and pursuant to the Answer of 9 December 2025, to Question 94701, on Baroness Shafik, in relation to the publication of remuneration details, if she will publish the remuneration of each of the seven direct ministerial appointments.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Further to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 96894, the annual remuneration of the paid direct ministerial appointments is:

• Alex Depledge, Entrepreneurship Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer – a daily rate of £565.50 for two days per week.
• David Sturrock, Economic Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and member of the Council of Economic Advisers – £117,362 per annum, full time.

All other direct ministerial appointments listed are unpaid.

Direct ministerial appointments are temporary appointments made to provide time limited advice and support to Ministers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2025, to Question 96894, on Treasury: Public Appointments, if she will publish the annual remuneration of each of the direct ministerial appointments listed.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Further to the Answer of 8 December 2025 to Question 96894, the annual remuneration of the paid direct ministerial appointments is:

• Alex Depledge, Entrepreneurship Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer – a daily rate of £565.50 for two days per week.
• David Sturrock, Economic Adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and member of the Council of Economic Advisers – £117,362 per annum, full time.

All other direct ministerial appointments listed are unpaid.

Direct ministerial appointments are temporary appointments made to provide time limited advice and support to Ministers.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what methodology is used by HMRC to determine a “low”, “medium” or “high” probity risk rating in the honours vetting process.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HMRC’s role in the honours system is advisory and not decision making – it provides an advisory low, medium or high risk rating which is considered by the Honours Committees, alongside information from other departments, in their decision making.

The probity risk rating is based on information held at the time of the check. HMRC does not disclose taxpayer details. The legal basis for disclosure of the rating is set out in published Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with other government departments (see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmrc-awards-and-appointments) and the criteria for determining ratings are set out at Annex C of the MOUs. Senior HMRC officials receive reports of nominee’s tax behaviour and apply the published Risk Rating Matrix in the MoU to arrive at a rating. HMRC has been providing advisory risk ratings under this framework since 2023.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS staff receive employer pension contributions on dates on which they are on strike.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Contributions to the NHS Pension scheme are based on pensionable earnings. If staff participate in strike action and do not receive pay for those days, there is no pensionable pay for that period, so neither employee nor employer contributions are made.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, further to the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report 2024-25, published December 2025, Appendix: direct appointments, what the business case was for appointing Climate Change Committee members for three years without open and fair competition; and if he will publish relevant correspondence to and from the Public Appointments Commissioner.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Professor Swenja Surminski was appointed to the CCC's Adaptation Committee in 2022 following a fair and open competition. She was subsequently appointed as a member of the Climate Change Committee to enhance collaboration between the two Committees, as allowed for under the Climate Change Act 2008. The Commissioner for Public Appointments was consulted, in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether staff at the National Energy System Operator are permitted to own shares in National Grid.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

New employees at the National Energy System Operator (NESO) are required to divest any holding of energy sector shares, including in National Grid plc.

For employees transferring from National Grid Energy System Operator there are legacy arrangements in place. They have been allowed to keep their existing shares in the energy sector to prevent any individuals unfairly losing out in the NESO transaction.

Employees are required to disclose shareholdings, seek approval for any share sales, and cannot purchase new shares.

The board and Executive team cannot acquire new energy sector shares and have to divest all existing holdings over time.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, further to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published by Cabinet Office on 25 December 2025, for what reason the requirement to reduce dependency on advisory services based in the Global North is a key performance indicator in the contract with DAI Global UK.

Answered by Katie White - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

This KPI relates to a contract with DAI Global UK for the delivery of an overseas development assistance (ODA) funded programme to strengthen institutional capacity in developing countries. The KPI aims to encourage delivery through downstream partners based in developing countries in order to build local leadership and expertise, reducing long-term reliance on UK aid. The headline contract was competitively tendered and awarded to a UK-based supplier.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to paragraph 9 of the document entitled Outcome of the exploratory discussions on the possible participation of the United Kingdom in the European Union’s internal electricity market, published on 22 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential of the environmental protection clause on costs for consumers.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

An electricity agreement with the EU will cut the cost of trading electricity with the EU - this means lower wholesale costs and ultimately lower bills. Any agreement will naturally involve a balance of rights and obligations to ensure a level playing field in the trade of electricity between the Parties. The detail of environmental commitments in this agreement, as with other areas, is a matter for negotiations.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, which pension provider maintains the staff pension scheme for the National Energy System Operator; and whether staff are offered (a) defined benefit and (b) defined contribution pensions.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The employees of the National Energy System Operator (NESO) are not civil servants and are not part of civil service pension schemes.

As noted in NESO’s latest annual report and accounts, Legal & General administer the company’s defined contribution pension scheme. There is a legacy defined benefit scheme, transferred as part of the acquisition by government, however this scheme is closed to new members/employees.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much HMRC has spent on social media influencers through (a) Pablo in partnership with the Unlimited Group and (b) OmniGov since July 2024.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Spend since July 2024 totals £436,700 through Pablo/Unlimited Group (excluding agency fees) and £85,719 through OmniGov. This expenditure has primarily been directed at campaigns promoting digital channels for interacting with HMRC. In 2025, this activity generated an additional 4.2 million HMRC app downloads, taking total users during this period to over 7 million.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any gifts or hospitality given to the Chancellor of the Exchequer in a Ministerial capacity since July 2024 by Lord Alli have been returned or refunded.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Chancellor has not received any gifts or hospitality from Lord Alli since July 2024.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 86245 on Alex Chisholm and Simon Case, what was the business case for the approval of the severance payment for Simon Case in March 2025.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The severance payment for Simon Case was made in line with his contract of employment, and guidance concerning special severance payments as defined in HM Treasury’s Managing Public Money.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the National Wealth Fund spent on trade union facility time in the 2024-25 financial year; how many FTE staff were funded by facility time, and if this included paid time for trade union activities.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

As set out in the National Wealth Fund’s Annual Report and Accounts for the 2024-25 financial year, no expenditure was incurred.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 48 of the Autumn Budget HC1492, published on 26 November 2025, if she will publish the monetary savings in each year on which the 16% back-office administrative costs figure is based.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

These are published in Table 1.1 of the Spending Review 2025 (page 13).

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Box 2.D of the Autumn Budget 2025, HC1492, published on 26 November 2025, what information will Departments’ published delivery plans include.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

Departmental Efficiency Plans were published alongside the Spending Review 2025 on 11 June 2025 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/departmental-efficiency-delivery-plans/departmental-efficiency-plans

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Mr Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Juliet Campbell; Charlie Dewhirst