Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) Director of Communications, (b) Press Secretary and (c) other staff at 10 Downing Street has had a work subscription to the Independent newspaper since July 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the backlog of cases at the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) is independent of Government and reports directly to Parliament. The PHSO has confirmed that their unallocated queue of complaints at the end of March 2026 was 3,428.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on future trade agreements.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Following the UK-EU Summit, we have started negotiations on a food and drink agreement, linking our Emissions Trading Schemes (ETS) and we have concluded exploratory talks on an electricity agreement. While the Government is focused on delivering these negotiations, future summits will provide us with opportunities to strengthen our relationship further.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the (a) Cabinet and (b) Cabinet committees have discussed the UK's negotiating position on fishing rights as part of preparations for the EU-UK summit on 19 May 2025; and whether any objections were raised to proposals for a multi-year fishing agreement with the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As under previous governments, it is a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees are not shared publicly.