Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Morgan McSweeney, whilst Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, backed up official information on his government-issued iPhone through the Apple iCloud service, and whether the Advanced Data Protection facility was used.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 13 April 2026, Official Report, PQ 123637.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help ensure that UK downstream manufacturers who require steel that is not available in UK are not being placed at a significant disadvantage to their European counterparts.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Our aim with the new steel trade measure is to strike the right balance: securing the future of domestic capability while maintaining secure supply chains to make the UK economy more resilient in the long term.
Where this is not feasible for technical reasons, quota sizes are being set with the aim of allowing continued availability of goods to UK downstream users without unnecessary additional costs. The Government will monitor implementation of the measure and conduct a review after twelve months to ensure it remains effective and that the balance is right for both producers and downstream users.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that proposed steel quotas and tariffs do not apply to steel categories that are not manufactured in the UK but fall within broader product categories; and if he will undertake an impact assessment, in consultation with steel producers and downstream manufacturers, before (a) any such categories are included within the scope of proposed quotas and tariffs and (b) existing quota and tariff levels are increased.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The new steel trade measure has been designed to only cover steel requirements that can be met in the UK. Where this is not feasible for technical reasons, quota sizes are being set with the aim of allowing continued availability of goods to UK downstream users without unnecessary additional costs. We have engaged extensively with wider industry to inform the measure’s design and will continue to do so.
We will review the measure after 12 months to ensure it remains effective and the balance is right for producers and downstream manufacturers.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a copy of his Department's (a) guidance and (b) manuals on undertaking due diligence.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As per the published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, appropriate open-source due diligence should be carried out by the department responsible for the appointment.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the previous Secretary of State for Health and Social Care accepted his Ministerial severance payment.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Details of ministerial severance payments are published in the relevant department’s annual report and accounts.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 129836 on Advisory Services: Fringe Benefits, whether HMRC has provide informal advice on tax liability on the provision of tax advice.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
As set out in the answer of 29 April 2026 to Question 129836, the tax treatment of employer‑provided tax advice depends on the specific facts of each case, and HMRC does not have a standalone policy on this. HMRC provides published guidance to help employers apply the legislation but does not provide informal advice on the tax treatment of individual arrangements.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what guidance the Commission provides on how many local electors are needed to request the Proper Office to hold a by-election to fill a casual vacancy for a combined authority mayor.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission does not publish specific guidance for combined authority mayoral elections, but the laws are the same as local government elections in England. The Commission has published guidance for Returning Officers on both the timing of by-elections and requests to hold a by-election. Requests to hold a by-election to fill a casual vacancy must be made in writing by two local government electors from within the local authority area.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what is the status of the review by the Electoral Commission into foreign donations raised by the Conservative Party in the letter to the Commission of 20 June 2025, and the subsequent acknowledgement by the Commission of 23 June 2025, Reference A211326.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
The Electoral Commission's assessment concerning the Centre for a Better Britain remains on-going whilst it undertakes relevant enquiries and considers the available information. There is more information about the Commission’s assessments in its Enforcement Policy.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2026, to Question 120977, on Political Parties: Finance, what guidance the Commission has given on whether a donation made by a personal services company should be treated as a donation from a company or the underlying personal donor.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Whether this should be treated as a donation will depend on the intention of the donor and who receives the donation. If the donor intends to give to the recipient via the personal services company, and the recipient has access to the donation, then the Commission’s advice is to treat this as a donation from the underlying personal donor.
The Electoral Commission has issued guidance on arrangements where donations are made via third parties.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question
To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129179 on Members: Finance, what is the policy of the Electoral Commission on the sharing of information and evidence with the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner where the Commission has reason to believe a political donation by a Hon Member has not been properly reported, but such information has not been provided by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner or House of Commons Registrar.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
There is a Memorandum of Understanding between the Electoral Commission and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards which sets out the agreed administrative arrangements between the two bodies. Where the Electoral Commission has reasonable grounds to suspect that a regulated transaction has not been properly reported, and is making enquiries, it may as part of this work liaise with the office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.