Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 12891 on Department for Science, Innovation and Technology: Ministers' Private Offices, how much the Government Property Agency spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and its predecessor Departments between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Agency confirmed £24,315.62 excluding VAT was spent during the period 4th July 2022 to 4th July 2024 on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) This is broken down as follows;
New Furniture and Fittings - £526.87
Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £23,788.75
The full itemised list can be found below:
(a) new furniture and fittings
Covering the period from the creation of DSIT, as announced by the Prime Minister on 7 February 2023 to 4 July 2024:
Date reference: 01/03/2023
What: Supply and installation of 4x key safe for private offices
How much: £302.89 ex VAT
Note: 1x key safe out of these 4 key safes was for the DSIT Permanent Secretary’s room (not ministerial) - however, we are not able to separate the cost of this from the overall costs for these fittings and works as a whole
Date reference: 02/02/2024
What: Supply and installation of key safe for private office
How much: £68.25 ex VAT
Date reference: 02/04/2024
What: Installation of portrait of HM The King at ministerial offices
How much: £51.91 ex VAT
Note: Portrait was supplied under the government's His Majesty The King's Portrait Scheme
Date reference: 16/04/2024
What: Installation of a heavy duty key safe for private office
How much: £103.82 ex VAT
(b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices
Covering the period from the creation of DSIT, as announced by the Prime Minister on 7 February 2023 to 4 July 2024:
Date reference: 26/7/2023
What: Removal of whiteboards from wall, repair and redecoration (repainting) of damaged wall in ministerial office
How much: £472.98 ex VAT
Date reference: 7/8/2023
What: Churn of furniture (relocation, repositioning, removal of furniture to storeroom and installing furniture from storeroom) in private offices
How much: £311.47 ex VAT
Date reference: 16/11/2023
What: Churn of furniture (removal of furniture to storeroom and installing replacement furniture, reused from separate office) in ministerial office
How much: £415.30 ex VAT
Date reference: 15/12/2023
What: Major churn of furniture (internal movement and relocation of furniture to move ministerial teams to different rooms from previous rooms) of ministerial and private offices
How much: £13,661.92 ex VAT
Date reference: 19/1/2024
Removal of noticeboards and relocation of artwork, repair and redecoration (repainting) of damaged walls in 2x ministerial rooms
How much: £1,855.57 ex VAT
Date reference: 12/04/2024
Removal of whiteboards from 3x walls, repair and redecoration (repainting) of damaged walls in ministerial office
How much: £2,249.52 ex VAT
Date reference: 21/06/2024
What: Redecoration (repainting) of ministerial office
How much: £1,539.77 ex VAT
Note: Works completed prior to 4 July 2024
Date reference: 27/06/2024
What: Redecoration (repainting) of ministerial office, and installation of 7 pictures throughout ministerial office and private office
How much: £3,281.99
Note: Works completed prior to 4 July 2024
During this period DSIT was originally part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) which was dissolved on 7th February 2023 and split into DESNZ, DSIT and DBT. As a result of this, the former BEIS departments were moved out of 1 Victoria Street and into different buildings. The GPA has no record of any ministerial furniture or refurbishment expenditure at the former BEIS office (1 Victoria Street) during the requested period.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office has a clear policy for new government procurement card applications which must be accompanied by confirmation a budget holder within the relevant business unit approves the issue of the card. Initial use of the card is restricted to certain categories of spend alongside a single transaction limit and monthly spend limit. These restrictions can only be lifted by completing a business case. All new card applications must include a signature to confirm that the cardholder has read and accepted departmental policies and the consequences of misuse.
The Cabinet Office had 298 and 320 government procurement cardholders at the end of 2022 and 2023 respectively.
The Government Property Agency had 5 and 8 government procurement cardholders at the end of 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 9269 on Ministry of Justice: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 30 October 2024 to Question 9278 on Home Office: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government Property Agency has confirmed expenditure of £8,210.87 excluding VAT during the period 4th July 2022 to 4th July 2024 on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) in relation to private offices for the Home Office. This is broken down as follows;
The full itemised list of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves can be found below:
Cost of New Furniture and Fittings (£677.90)
Cost of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves (£7,532.97)
Signage. £722.44. Works Completed 30/09/2024
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 187 of his Department’s publication entitled Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024, published on 12 December 2024, on what date Boris Johnson (a) notified his Department of his intention to make claims for office set-up costs incurred in the financial year 2022-23 and (b) submitted invoices in support of those claims.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Mr Johnson's claim for the Public Duty Cost Allowance covering eligible costs incurred in 2022/23 was paid on 1 November 2023. This followed a decision made the previous month to grant an exception to the policy which requires all claims to be submitted by the end of quarter 1 of the following financial year. This was granted because Mr Johnson only began accruing eligible costs in late 2022/23.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 187 of his Department’s publication entitled Annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024, published on 12 December 2024, on what date the decision to reimburse Boris Johnson for office set-up costs incurred in the financial year 2022-23 was taken.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Mr Johnson's claim for the Public Duty Cost Allowance covering eligible costs incurred in 2022/23 was paid on 1 November 2023. This followed a decision made the previous month to grant an exception to the policy which requires all claims to be submitted by the end of quarter 1 of the following financial year. This was granted because Mr Johnson only began accruing eligible costs in late 2022/23.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 9605 on Prime Minister: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in 10 Downing Street between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The cost to the public purse for new furniture and fittings or refurbishment of the Prime Minister’s office in the specified time period was £0.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many government procurement cards were held by staff within (a) his core Department and (b) executive agencies of his Department at the end of calendar years (i) 2022 and (ii) 2023.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The table below sets out the number of cardholders at the end of each calendar year, by organisation.
| 2022 | 2023 |
Core Department | 235 | 292 |
Animal and Plant Health Agency | 64 | 63 |
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science | 266 | 357 |
Rural Payments Agency | 11 | 11 |
Veterinary Medicines Directorate | 15 | 14 |
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in his Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The FCDO's UK Estate comprises five primary sites in the UK. Each building has a separated operational budget from which furniture and fittings are procured, either by planned projects or through reactive requests. Office refurbishments are completed as required and are not seen as specific to Ministerial requirements. We are unable to separate costs specifically for Ministerial offices within the deadline period due to the complexities created by separating expenditure. However, previously we have been able to confirm no specific works in Ministerial offices between 1 January 2022 and 31 December 2023.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask the Solicitor General, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 9604 on Attorney General: Ministers' Private Offices, how much was spent on (a) new furniture and fittings and (b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024; and on what items this was spent.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)
As per the former Solicitor General’s (Sarah Sackman KC MP) answer of 31 October to Question 9604, following the dissolution of the last Parliament on 30 May 2024 and before the General Election on 4 July 2024, officials in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) arranged for the two ministerial offices to be modestly refurbished. The costs are set out in that answer.
No other refurbishment has taken place between 4 July 2022 and 4 July 2024.