Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 68481 on 10 Downing Street: ICT, whether Number 10 has its own operational Bloomberg terminal, independent from the Treasury ones.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer my Hon Friend to the answer of 23 July, Official Report, PQ 68481.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will place a copy in the Library of the House a copy of the letter of 11 November 2024 to Chief Executives of local authorities on out-of-area accommodation placements.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question UIN 14450 given on 20 November 2024.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation materials for the Guilt of Being British seminar given by her Department's race network.
Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC is focused on its three priorities as set by the government: improving day-to-day performance and the customer experience, closing the tax gap, and reforming and modernising the tax and customs system.
The question refers to a planned departmental staff network event which we can confirm was cancelled. Therefore, no materials will be placed in the Library.
The Cabinet Office recently published its Staff Network guidance on 23 September and HMRC’s Staff Networks will adhere to this.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who attended the reception for content creators at 10 Downing Street on 31 July 2025; and what the cost was of the event.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has had recent discussions with the British Ambassador to the United States on his relationship with Jeffery Epstein.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In light of additional information in emails written by Lord Mandelson, the Prime Minister asked the Foreign Secretary to withdraw him as Ambassador to the United States.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of asylum seekers that (a) are permitted to work and (b) have a parent that is also an asylum seeker would be classified as working class for these purposes.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As we set out in August, we will be opening our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. We will determine eligibility based on parental occupation at age 14 in line with guidance from the Social Mobility Commission and the Office for National Statistics definition.
Regardless of whether or not a person is eligible under the social mobility criteria all applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality rules (CSNR). Under this, asylum seekers are not permitted to work unless they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. If granted permission to work, they are able to take up employment in jobs included on the Shortage Occupation List (replaced by the Immigration Salary List in April 2024). We do not consider roles offered on the Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme to be included on the ‘Immigration Salary List’.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 53898 on Senior Civil Servants: Pay, whether that list will be published in 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The ‘high earner’ list will be published after departments and their partner organisations have implemented the 2025/26 senior pay award and they have fully quality assured the personal data being published about individuals. Departments also publish salary information for all their Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles in quarterly organograms on data.gov.uk and for all SCS operating at Board level in their Annual Accounts.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department pays council tax on Ministerial residences which are deemed to be second homes.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It has been long-standing government policy, in place for successive administrations, including for the previous government the Hon member served in, that where a minister occupies an official residence on a second home basis, the government pays the council tax.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 57228 on Diplomatic Service: Public Appointments, whether the British Ambassador to the United States' Developed Vetting was undertaken by (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) United Kingdom Security Vetting, (c) his Department and (d) an independent body.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
All national security vetting is delivered by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV).
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what due diligence was undertaken for the appointment of the UK ambassador to the US.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Normal pre-employment processes, including vetting, are routinely carried out prior to all senior civil service appointments.