Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to FOI request 24/015 to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, if he will publish the responses received from the Swedish Medical Products Agency following their offer to contact (a) children and (b) teenager psychiatrists.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have confirmed that the response received from the Swedish Medical Products Agency in relation to the 2008 assessment of preclinical data published within FOI 24/015 did not contain an offer to contact psychiatrists responsible for the care of children and teenagers.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total civil service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expenditure in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not routinely collect data on all expenditure of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion falls within the responsibility of departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance.
In 2023/2024, the Civil Service conducted a one-off review of expenditure; the outcomes of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review have been published in the CS EDI Expenditure Review Data.
Since the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024, the Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes only external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total civil service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion expenditure for the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not routinely collect data on all expenditure of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion falls within the responsibility of departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance.
In 2023/2024, the Civil Service conducted a one-off review of expenditure; the outcomes of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review have been published in the CS EDI Expenditure Review Data.
Since the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024, the Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes only external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total civil service external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes the external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, which was published on 14 May 2024. Before the guidance was published, combined internal and external expenditure was gathered as part of the one-off Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review.
The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what was the total civil service external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the 2024-25 financial year.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes the external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion from departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, which was published on 14 May 2024. Before the guidance was published, combined internal and external expenditure was gathered as part of the one-off Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review.
The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2025 to Question 58980 on Information Commissioner's Office: Remote Working, what the strategic objectives are which the decision to relocate was based on.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Information Commissioner's Office made a comparative estimate of the cost of office space in (a) Wilmslow and (b) Manchester before deciding to relocate.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the Information Commissioner's Office sought ministerial approval for the decision to approve the move from Wilmslow to Manchester.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
On completion of the Property Control Approval Request (PCAR) process, the Circle Square Manchester option was lowest in cost on a lifecycle basis across the 10 years. As part of this approval process the Cabinet Office assesses any proposed lease of office space against value for money, efficiency, sustainability and increasing professional skills and expertise. We cannot for reasons of commercial confidentiality reveal real estate costs without the agreement of the landlords but can assure the Right Honourable Member that, in order to gain approval, the relocation represents value for money.
The ICO’s decision to relocate was approved by the Cabinet Office under existing delegated authorities from Cabinet Office Ministers. This enables National Property Controls to provide a cross-department, objective perspective to property transactions to check alignment with the Government Property Strategy and ensure financial and space efficiency.
In response to your question regarding working from home, the ICO offer hybrid working in support of their commitment to attract the best talent, enabling their staff to work where they are most productive, including at one of their five office locations in the UK.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to collect DNA samples from of all immigrants who enter the country illegally.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Biometrics, in the form of fingerprints and facial images, underpin the UK Immigration system to support identity assurance and suitability checks on foreign nationals who are subject to immigration control.
DNA does not form part of our biometric collection
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his department allocated to the indemnity schemes in place for Covid-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are unable to provide full information as requested regarding the valuation of the COVID-19 vaccine indemnities due to their commercial sensitivity.
The existence of the COVID-19 vaccination indemnities is disclosed in the contingent liabilities note within the Department’s group annual report and accounts (ARA). The value of the contingent liabilities was not disclosed due to their sensitive nature. There is also a provision for a COVID-19 vaccination indemnity included in the ARA as part of ‘other’ in the provisions note.
The most recently published ARA is available at the following link: