Christian Matheson Portrait

Christian Matheson

Independent - Former Member for City of Chester

First elected: 7th May 2015


Pension Dashboards (Prohibition of Indemnification) Bill
19th Oct 2022 - 25th Oct 2022
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
21st Jan 2020 - 21st Oct 2022
Shadow Minister (Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
10th Apr 2020 - 4th Dec 2021
Shadow Minister (Cabinet Office)
12th Jan 2018 - 10th Apr 2020
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 23rd Jul 2018
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport
11th Sep 2017 - 23rd Jul 2018
Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee
11th Sep 2017 - 23rd Jul 2018
Culture, Media and Sport Committee
8th Jul 2015 - 3rd May 2017


Division Voting information

Christian Matheson has voted in 1131 divisions, and 2 times against the majority of their Party.

27 Mar 2019 - EU: Withdrawal and Future Relationship Votes - View Vote Context
Christian Matheson voted No - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 42 Labour No votes vs 143 Labour Aye votes
Tally: Ayes - 188 Noes - 283
20 Apr 2016 - Record Copies of Acts - View Vote Context
Christian Matheson voted Aye - against a party majority and in line with the House
One of 23 Labour Aye votes vs 23 Labour No votes
Tally: Ayes - 117 Noes - 38
View All Christian Matheson Division Votes

All Debates

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Chloe Smith (Conservative)
(60 debate interactions)
John Bercow (Speaker)
(50 debate interactions)
Boris Johnson (Conservative)
(38 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Cabinet Office
(346 debate contributions)
HM Treasury
(80 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all Christian Matheson's debates

City of Chester Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

Petition Debates Contributed

We demand the Government restore England’s publicly funded, publicly provided NHS by reversing all privatising legislation, ending ongoing PFI contracts, and scrapping plans for Integrated Care Systems and for-profit US-style ‘managed care’.

Removing them will only penalize the poorest old age pensioners, many who rely on their television for company and their main source of entertainment.

The impartiality of the BBC is in question and needs addressing so as to protect its charter

The quality of BBC programmes do not reflect the price of the TV license. It is far too expensive for the majority of people and should be abolished.

Hi I'm Natasha, I am making this petition because I want to make a difference to all woman living in the UK.

I am 30 years old and I have metastatic cervical cancer. I believe that the age of screening should be lowered to age 18 to enable all woman to detect cell changes and prevent cancer.

The House of Lords is a place of patronage where unelected and unaccountable individuals hold a disproportionate amount of influence and power which can be used to frustrate the elected representatives of the people

The TV Licence is no longer fit for purpose and should be abolished. It is unfair that one should hold one to watch Freeview channels or indeed subscription TV. The BBC should look at alternative methods of funding particularly as it is commonly felt there is a high level of bias.


Latest EDMs signed by Christian Matheson

22nd June 2021
Christian Matheson signed this EDM on Wednesday 23rd June 2021

GKN Automotive alternative plan

Tabled by: Jack Dromey (Labour - Birmingham, Erdington)
That this House is alarmed by GKN Automotive’s decision to close its Birmingham factory next year, with the loss of over 500 highly skilled jobs and work transferred to continental Europe; notes that GKN’s origins trace back to the industrial revolution, with over 260 years of history that include making …
68 signatures
(Most recent: 27 Apr 2022)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 60
Independent: 5
Democratic Unionist Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
Alba Party: 1
20th May 2021
Christian Matheson signed this EDM on Monday 24th May 2021

Fire and rehire

Tabled by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
That this House notes with alarm the growing number of employers who are dismissing and re-engaging staff on worse pay and terms and conditions, a practice commonly known as fire and rehire; agrees with the Government that such tactics represent an unacceptable abuse of power by rogue bosses, many of …
50 signatures
(Most recent: 21 Oct 2021)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 35
Independent: 5
Plaid Cymru: 3
Alba Party: 2
Liberal Democrat: 2
Alliance: 1
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 1
Green Party: 1
Scottish National Party: 1
View All Christian Matheson's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Christian Matheson, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


Christian Matheson has not been granted any Urgent Questions

Christian Matheson has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

1 Bill introduced by Christian Matheson


The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to establish an independent regulator of football clubs; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Wednesday 26th June 2019
(Read Debate)

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
15 Other Department Questions
13th Dec 2017
To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, how many (a) members, (b) members' staff and (c) other pass holders have been reported to the Serjeant at Arms by security officers or police officers for failure to wear or failure to present on request their Palace of Westminster Security Pass in each of the last five years.

The Serjeant at Arms Office does receive emails and phone calls on the subject of failure to wear a Security Pass but the Office does not make a record of these or hold statistics.

5th Sep 2017
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what the Government's policy is on conversion therapy.

The Government does not recognise ‘gay conversion therapy’ as a legitimate treatment. We have already worked with the main registration and accreditation bodies for psychotherapy and counselling practitioners, including the UK Council for Psychotherapy, to develop a Memorandum of Understanding to end this practice.

The Government are not aware of widespread instances of gay conversion therapy happening in the UK but we want to develop a better understanding of the extent to which it is being practised. That is why we included questions on this topic in our national LGBT survey, which was launched this summer.

We will publish the survey results and our response in the new year.

11th Jan 2016
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what progress the Government is making on negotiating the removal of VAT on women's sanitary products.

I have written to the European Commission and other Member States setting out our strong view that Member States should have full discretion over what rate of VAT they can apply to sanitary products, and that this should be considered in the context of the Commission’s Action Plan on VAT, which is now expected to be published in March 2016.

7th Jan 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what initial assessment she has made of the implications of the incident at Porter Ranch, California, for safety and engineering procedures and standards in the UK onshore unconventional gas extraction sector.

In the UK, we have an entirely different regulatory system to the US.

We have over 50 years of experience in safely conducting surface activities and constructing onshore gas wells, regulated by the Health & Safety Executive and Environment Agency.


Our tough regulations ensure on-site safety, prevent water contamination, mitigate seismic activity and air pollution. To reinforce our already robust regulations, the Infrastructure Act 2015 introduced a range of further requirements that must be met before an operator can carry out hydraulic fracturing in a responsible, sustainable and safe manner. These include the assessment of environmental impacts, groundwater monitoring, community benefits and prohibiting hydraulic fracturing in specified protected areas.


The UK has one of the best track records in the world when it comes to protecting our environment while also developing our industries – and we’ve brought that experience to bear on the shale gas protections.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Jan 2016
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what export licences have been granted to UK manufacturers since 2010 to export (a) military and (b) police-related equipment to Israel.

Information on arms export licences are published as Official Statistics (from January 2015) in the Annual and Quarterly Reports on Strategic Export Controls. These reports contain detailed information on export licences issued, refused or revoked, by destination, including the overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. They are available to view at GOV.UK.

The most recently published information covers the period until 30 June 2015.

All export licences are issued in strict accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria.


2nd Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what estimate her Department has made of the change in the number of jobs in the energy efficiency, solar and low-carbon heating industries during 2015 to date; what estimate it has made of the equivalent change in 2016; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse will be of support packages provided by the Government to people who have lost or will lose their jobs in those industries.

In March 2015, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a report on 'The size and performance of the UK low carbon economy’ which contains estimates for the number of jobs supported by various low carbon sectors. The latest data is for 2013 and suggests that in the UK there were 54,400 directly employed in the energy efficiency products sector, 20,300 directly employed in the solar photovoltaic sector and 19,300 directly employed in the low carbon heating sector (excluding use of biomass). Further employment occurs in the supply chains to these sectors.


Information is not available to robustly estimate the potential cost to the public purse of the changes. However a Government consultation has been run on the changes to the financial support for solar PV within the Renewable Obligationfrom 22 July to2 September and a consultation on the feed-in tariff review from 27 August to 23 October. We welcomed evidence from the sector during these consultations and we will respond in due course. The government is committed to reducing emissions from heating and improving energy efficiency, including a goal to install one million more energy efficiency measures before the end of this Parliament.


Figures quoted above have been rounded to the nearest hundred. The full report and data can be found at the following link:


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/low-carbon-economy-size-and-performance.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what estimate his Department has made of the number of jobs lost in the steel industry in 2015 to date; what estimate it has made of how many jobs in that industry will be lost in 2016; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of Government support packages to help people who have lost or are likely to lose their jobs in that industry.

Statistics from the Iron and Steel Statistics Bureau show that between 1997 to 2010, 16,300 jobs were lost in the UK steel industry.

These statistics also show in the last parliament, UK steel jobs remained stable at 18,900.

In 2015, 2,100 direct jobs were lost as a result of the closure of the SSI plant at Redcar on 12th October 2015. On 30th October 2015, 452 immediate redundancies were announced by the Caparo Group. In addition since 16th July Tata Steel has announced proposals for up to 1,920 job losses across its Long Products and Speciality and Bar businesses subject to consultation and business review.

We have not made any estimate of how many jobs will be lost in the steel industry in 2016.

The Government is committed to supporting those made redundant move quickly into new jobs, for example through Jobcentre Plus’ Rapid Response Service. In addition, in view of the exceptional circumstances surrounding SSI’s closure in Redcar, Government announced a support package, worth up to £80 million, to help those affected and invest in the future of the Tees Valley more broadly. We have also committed up to £9m, jointly with Tata, to support Scunthorpe steel workers and the local economy. In both cases, we are working closely with local Task Forces to deliver support that will have the greatest long-term impact.

2nd Nov 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what meetings he has had with (a) business and (b) trade union representatives on job losses in the (i) steel and (ii) energy efficiency, solar and low carbon heating industries since his appointment to his current position.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Ministers have held a number of discussions with UK steel companies, industry representatives and trade unions about the current challenges facing the sector.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), her Ministers, and DECC officials have had a number of regular meetings and roundtables with external organisations within the energy sector, and will continue to do so, on a wide range of subjects including jobs and growth across different sectors.

29th Oct 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many responses she has received to the recent consultation on proposed cuts to the feed-in tariff; how long she plans for her Department to spend on evaluating those responses; and when she plans to make public the Government's proposed next steps on this matter.

The Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) scheme review consultation closed on 23 October and we are currently evaluating the responses received. We have received nearly 55,000 responses to the consultation and we currently estimate that just over 2,600 are unique and detailed responses; the rest are briefer and more uniform responses, generated by campaigns.


We expect to publish a Government response in due course.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
9th Oct 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with which trade associations he has met since his appointment.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=Ministers&publication.

Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course across Government in the usual way.

9th Oct 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will make it his policy to use the Charity Research Support Fund as a means to secure investment from the charitable sector into universities.

The Government recognises the significant contribution made by charitable funders of research. The charity support element of Quality Related research funding, provided through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), has provided £198m per year over the period 2011-16 to support institutions leveraging funding from the charitable sector.

Decisions on any funding beyond 2015-16 will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review later this year.

9th Oct 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many meetings he has held with businesses or industry associations in the (a) aerospace, (b) pharmaceutical, (c) automotive, (d) chemical and (e) financial services sectors since May 2015.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations are published up to 31 March 2015 and can be accessed on Gov.uk at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?keywords=Ministers&publication.

Further publications of Ministerial meetings will be published in due course across Government in the usual way.

9th Oct 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the existing system for dual support for research in providing stability for research infrastructure and supporting competition of research grants; and what plans he has to review that system's use.

The Government’s Productivity plan – “Fixing the foundations: Creating a more prosperous nation” - reiterated our commitment to excellence in science and research, facilitated through a dual support system.

In 2013 the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills published a review of the dual funding system and research income across universities, including analysis of the ways in which UK academics can maximise their impact (available on Gov.uk).

17th Jun 2015
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, how many applications her Department has received for licences for unconventional gas extraction since 2010; how many such applications were approved; how many applications her Department has received for onshore wind generation facilities since 2010; and how many such applications were approved.

Petroleum Exploration and Development Licences (PEDLs) grant exclusive rights to extract hydrocarbons within a particular onshore area. These rights include, but are not exclusive to, unconventional gas. A further consent is required before any extraction can take place. No PEDLs have been issued since 2008. Applications for PEDLs under the 14th Onshore Licensing Round are currently being considered – 95 applications for 295 licence blocks have been made.

Since 2010 DECC has received 3 planning applications for onshore windfarms above 50MW and the Planning Inspectorate has received 1 further application for examination. 6 onshore wind applications above 50MW have been approved by the Secretary of State in the period. In addition, at the end of March 2015, five years after the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff scheme, 6,830 sub 5MW installations totalling 396MW had been registered on the scheme. The Renewables Obligation was introduced in 2002 to support large scale renewable electricity in the UK and since 2010 Ofgem have accredited 415 onshore wind stations totalling 4.28 GW under the scheme.

Andrea Leadsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
8th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many external guests attended the Downing Street social event on 18 December 2020.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

8th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of attendees of the Downing Street social event on 18 December 2020.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

8th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister attended the Downing Street staff social event on 18 December 2020.

I refer the Hon Member to the answers given by my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions on 8 December and those given by me in the House on 9 December. Copies of the terms of reference for the Cabinet Secretary’s investigations have been placed in the Libraries of the House and are also available on the GOV.UK website.

27th May 2021
What plans the Government has to review the scope of electoral law.

The Government is committed to keeping our elections secure and fit for the modern age. We keep electoral law, and the role and powers of the Electoral Commission, under review to ensure the effective operation of, and public confidence in, an electoral system that is secure, fair, modern and transparent.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
23rd Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the recent appointments process for the position of Cabinet Secretary, how many expressions of interest for that position were received from (a) women applicants and (b) applicants from a BAME background.

I refer the hon. Member to my answer to PQ116528 on 23 November.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
17th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 12 November 2020 to Question 111564 on Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants, if he will specify how many expressions of interest were received for the vacant position of Cabinet Secretary.

As with all competitions for Permanent Secretary roles, details, including the number and names of applicants, are not disclosed.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
11th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 3 November 2020 to Question 102103, what mechanism was used to invite expressions of interest for the vacant position of Cabinet Secretary.

I refer the hon. member to the answer given to PQ111564, I have nothing further to add.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Nov 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2020 to Question 102103 on Cabinet Office: Senior Civil Servants, how many expressions of interest were received for the position of Cabinet Secretary.

As stated in my answer of 3 November 2020, in line with previous such appointments, the process was overseen by the First Civil Service Commissioner.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Oct 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, who sat on the recent appointment panel for the position of Cabinet Secretary.

The Minister for the Civil Service appointed Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, following an expressions of interest process. This is in line with the process used for previous such appointments, and was overseen by the First Civil Service Commissioner. Details of candidates for internal positions are not normally disclosed.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
12th Oct 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many applications were received for the recently vacant position of Cabinet Secretary.

The Minister for the Civil Service appointed Simon Case as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, following an expressions of interest process. This is in line with the process used for previous such appointments, and was overseen by the First Civil Service Commissioner. Details of candidates for internal positions are not normally disclosed.

Julia Lopez
Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
4th Sep 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to introduce a framework of compensation for the (a) victims and (b) families of the contaminated blood scandal.

This government remains committed to considering a framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the UK.

Cabinet Office officials are working with their colleagues in HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care, and health departments in the devolved administrations to take this forward. I will update the House and the Inquiry, and those infected and affected as soon as these considerations have been concluded.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
4th Sep 2020
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when a framework of compensation for the (a) victims and (b) families of the contaminated blood scandal is planned to be introduced.

This government remains committed to considering a framework for compensation, as well as actions to address disparities in financial and non-financial support for people infected and affected across the UK.

Cabinet Office officials are working with their colleagues in HM Treasury, the Department of Health and Social Care, and health departments in the devolved administrations to take this forward. I will update the House and the Inquiry, and those infected and affected as soon as these considerations have been concluded.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
13th May 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, if he will list all newspaper print and online titles that as at 11 May 2020 received Government-funded advertising on covid-19 arising from the Government programme to support news media.

In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.

To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. Importantly, all these titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level and are verified by our media auditors.

A list of publications involved in the partnership will be placed in the Commons Library.

12th May 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to Answer of 11 May 2020 to Question 40655, what criteria his Department used for selecting the (a) print and (b) online news publications that received government-funded advertising on covid-19.

In light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public. As part of this, we have partnered with the newspaper industry to help amplify public information on critical coronavirus messaging and ensure it reaches all communities.

To date, the partnership includes over 600 national, regional and local press and online titles including 47 BAME publications. These titles have been selected by our media buying agency (OMNIGOV) on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.

27th Apr 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 27 April 2020 to Questions 37724 and 37725, which newspaper titles have received Government-funded advertising arising from the national campaign to provide information on covid-19.

Further to the answers given to PQs 37724 and 37725 on 27 April 2020, in light of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has developed a national campaign to provide information, guidance and reassurance to the public.

The campaign spans owned, earned and paid-for channels, including local radio and TV, to maximise reach and engagement. We are constantly reviewing our use of each of these channels and amending campaign activity accordingly to ensure our messaging reaches as many people as possible.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) national, (b) regional and (c) local newspapers were selected to publish the Government's messages on covid-19 in April 2020.

The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.

As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.

20th Apr 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria were used to select the (a) national and (b) regional or local newspapers that carried Government's coronavirus crisis advertising wraparound in April 2020.

The Government has developed a strong national campaign to provide information and reassurance to the public about COVID-19. As part of this, we have utilised advertising in over 600 national, regional and local titles across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, reaching 49 million people a month.

As with any media planning approach, titles are selected on their ability to engage with audiences at a national, regional and local level.

16th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the payment of compensation to people in Northern Ireland affected by the contaminated blood scandal before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

The Government believes that we should wait until the Inquiry reports before considering compensation. The Inquiry cannot make a finding of legal liability, but it could make a recommendation that the Government fundamentally increases what it pays to the infected and affected, and that it does so on a different basis. Government will act on the Inquiry's recommendations with the utmost urgency, when it reports.

In the meantime, we are working with our partners in the devolved nations, including Northern Ireland, and other relevant Government departments to improve the parity of financial support for those infected by the infected blood scandal, across the United Kingdom.

The Department of Health NI was allocated £1.03 million in January 2020 monitoring, ringfenced for the specific purpose of providing financial support to the infected and affected.

Of this £610,780 was committed in the interim payments announced on 27 January and has been paid out. Therefore £419,220 remains, which the NI Health Minister committed to allocating before the end of this financial year.

9th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of staff employed by No. 10 Downing Street (a) were educated at a private school, (b) are from an ethnic minority group, (c) are women and (d) are apprentices.

The Prime Minister’s Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.

Information about Cabinet Office staff is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/cabinet-office/about/equality-and-diversity

Information on the school background of staff is not held centrally.

The proportion of Cabinet Office staff actively completing an apprenticeship programme is 1.45%

9th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to implement the recommendations of the 2018 Review of Parliamentary constituency boundaries.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to PQ 431 on the 9th January 2020.

9th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of homeless deaths in the UK from members of (a) an ethnic minority group and (b) the LGBTQ population in each year since 2010.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

13th Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to meet representatives of victims and families of the contaminated blood scandal on a framework for compensation, before the conclusion of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

In January 2020, the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Health met campaigners representing people infected and affected. A number of issues were raised, including support that would assist people outside of the inquiry process. Ministers have committed to looking at these issues carefully and to report back on where progress can be made.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
28th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many international agreements the UK that a party to through its membership of the EU that will require rolling over after the 31 January 2020.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement laid on Thursday 30 January 2020, HCWS82, available on the Parliament website.

28th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the information his Department holds on the number of rollover requests made by the EU to third party countries.

I refer the Hon Member to the Written Ministerial Statement laid on Thursday 30 January 2020, HCWS82, available on the Parliament website.

13th Jan 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many convictions there have been for in-person voter fraud in (a) London, (b) the North West, (c) Chester and (d) the UK in the last five years.

Data on convictions for fraud offences is not collected or held by the Cabinet Office. The Electoral Commission reports on electoral fraud and holds more detailed information.

1st Nov 2019
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2019 to Question 6416 on Brexit: Publicity, in which cities in those EU 27 countries the Get Ready for Brexit campaign took place.

Further to the answer of 31 October to PQ6416, there is no list of cities in the EU27 countries held by this department.

28th Oct 2019
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2019 to Question 1712, in which EU countries his Department is running the Get Ready for Brexit campaign.

“Get Ready for Brexit” campaign activity has taken place in all 27 EU countries to make sure citizens and businesses have the facts they need to know about the steps they need to take to be ready for when the UK leaves the EU.

17th Oct 2019
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many women under the age of 25 died from cervical cancer in (a) 2016, (b) 2017, (c) 2018 and (d) 2019.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have therefore asked the Authority to respond.

17th Oct 2019
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of the money allocated from the public purse to the Government's Get Ready for Brexit campaign was spent on advertisements in (a) London, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Leeds, (d) Chester, (e) Paris and (f) Berlin.

In law the UK is set to leave the EU on 31 October 2019. “Get Ready for Brexit” is a public information campaign providing the facts citizens and businesses need to know about the preparations they need to take to be ready for when the UK leaves the EU.

The ‘Get Ready for Brexit’ campaign is running across television, social media, billboards and other platforms. It also has many direct and local elements including business roundtables, public meetings, ministerial visits and local authority events. Campaign activity is ongoing across the UK and in multiple EU countries.

The Cabinet Office has undertaken to publish information relating to ongoing expenditure on the public information campaign as part of the department’s monthly data transparency releases. We will undertake a regional breakdown of expenditure once the campaign has concluded and will be published on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data)

4th Jul 2019
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Departments have introduced the cycle to work scheme.

Seventeen of the eighteen main Whitehall departments have a Cycle to Work Scheme in place. As this policy falls under delegated authority, it is for individual departments to decide whether to offer this scheme to their employees.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
4th Jul 2019
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government has plans to implement the cycle to work scheme across all Departments; and if he will make a statement.

Seventeen of the eighteen main Whitehall departments have a Cycle to Work Scheme in place. As this policy falls under delegated authority, it is for individual departments to decide whether to offer this scheme to their employees.

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
9th May 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which senior public appointments have been made by the Government from January to April 2018.

Details of public appointments are on the Centre for Public Appointments website:

https://publicappointments.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/announcements/

Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
17th Apr 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the planned effective operational date is for the Government's dedicated national security unit to tackle fake news and disinformation.

The National Security Communications Team is already in operation. Its purpose is to allow government to better tackle the communications elements of interconnected complex challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.

This work differs to that of the Rapid Response Unit which has been recently launched based in No10 & the Cabinet Office, as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive.

17th Apr 2018
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the staffing complement is by grade of the Government's dedicated national security unit to tackle fake news and disinformation.

The National Security Communications Team is expanding in capacity on the recommendations of the National Security Capability Review, published on the 28 March. The enhanced capability provided by the unit will ensure Government has the right mix of skills and expertise to use communications as a lever to support key national security objectives, and allow Government to better tackle the interconnected complex challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.

Recruitment to the National Security team is ongoing.

This work differs to that of the Rapid Response Unit which has been recently launched as a six-month pilot, based in No10 & the Cabinet Office, as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive.