Kit Malthouse

Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a special adviser accompanies their minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the special adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the minister will be the main attendee.

Where an informal lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

Since 5 July 2024, no statutory or non-statutory direct ministerial appointments have been made by the Minister for Women and Equalities.

As of this date, I can confirm that, excluding special advisers, the Attorney General and I have not made any direct statutory or non-statutory ministerial appointments.

Of course, the Law Officers and wider government legal teams for which they are responsible do make use of outside experts on the law, whether counsel, law firms or academic specialists. Arrangements for using counsel or academics are principally through the Attorney General’s panels and an off-panel nomination process or via their academic institution, whereas law firms are principally instructed through a panel firm procurement process.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a special adviser accompanies their minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the special adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the minister will be the main attendee.

Where an informal lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

As was the practice under the previous Administration, details of the Prime Minister’s official engagements with external individuals and organisations will be published in the quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.

A ‘direct appointment’ is a Ministerial appointment to a non-statutory office. It does not include appointments to Civil Service roles. Since 5 July 2024, the Cabinet Office has made no statutory or non-statutory direct ministerial appointments.

As of this date, there have been no such appointments.

Ammonia cracking is a nascent technology that the Government has supported through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies. The government will soon publish the new Industrial Strategy, with Clean Energy Industries as a priority growth sector. As the sector develops, government will work with UK companies developing ammonia cracking technologies to understand the opportunities for growth through exports.

We are aware of various companies developing ammonia cracking technologies, who are also looking to export these technologies overseas. We are committed to ensuring that businesses in the UK hydrogen sector grow and thrive, including through exports of hydrogen goods and services, so they can benefit from the opportunities of the transition to clean energy, through strong international trade relationships and effective supply chains.

The Industrial Strategy Green Paper identified eight growth-driving sectors, including both advanced manufacturing and clean energy industries. Low carbon ammonia could play a role in reaching net zero as part of a diverse energy mix. All sectors can shape and benefit from policy reform through the Industrial Strategy’s cross-cutting policies alongside the broader Growth Mission.

The Industrial Strategy, alongside Sector Plans for the growth-driving sectors, will be published in spring 2025, aligned with the multi-year Spending Review.

All Business and Trade direct ministerial appointments are currently under review and no direct Ministerial appointments have been finalised.

The Government’s immediate priority is supporting primary hydrogen production methods in the UK, which will help us to develop supply chains and bring down the costs of hydrogen production in the UK. Utilising ammonia cracking to import hydrogen does not meet these criteria and so ammonia cracking will not be eligible for HAR3. We will continue to consider the potential future role for ammonia cracking in the UK hydrogen economy as we recognise that, in the longer term, imported hydrogen could play a role as part of a diverse supply mix.

There is regular engagement between DESNZ, DfT and DBT to discuss a range of policy issues. Officials are working closely with other departments to understand the potential role of ammonia in the UK’s future low carbon economy and how it should be considered within our policy frameworks.

Ministers from DESNZ are in regular communication with ministers from DfT & DBT on all issues.

Ammonia cracking is a nascent technology that the Government has previously supported through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. As set out in the Market Engagement document, the early focus of the Hydrogen Storage Business Model will be geological storage. The use of ammonia as a form of chemical storage for cracking to hydrogen was assessed to have low technology readiness. Government continues to review technological developments and may make changes to HSBM eligibility when appropriate to do so.

Ammonia cracking is a nascent technology that the Government has supported through the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies. As the sector develops, government will work with UK companies developing ammonia cracking technologies to understand its potential applications.

In line with our current priorities, the Hydrogen Production Business Model is intended to support primary methods of hydrogen production, such as electrolytic and CCUS-enabled production, in the UK. Ammonia cracking would not create any new hydrogen (given the ammonia itself is produced from hydrogen) and so we do not consider it to meet these criteria.

We are currently developing our approach to future Hydrogen Allocation Rounds (HARs), including the third Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR3), to ensure they deliver on the Government’s priorities. We will seek feedback on the proposed design and delivery of HAR3 through a market engagement exercise, similar to the approach taken for HAR2. Further details will be provided in due course.

The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology has made two statutory and one non-statutory direct ministerial appointments.

Matt Clifford was appointed through a direct ministerial appointment in July 2024. Matt is the Lead Reviewer of the Artificial Intelligence Opportunities Action Plan and is not remunerated for his role. The terms of reference for the action plan are available on GOV.UK.

Hazel Hobbs was appointed as interim Chair of Building Digital UK (BDUK) in August, starting on 1 September 2024 for a period of 6 months and remuneration of £80,000 p.a. pro rata. An announcement containing further details is published here. Hazel will serve as interim Chair whilst an exercise is launched to recruit a permanent Chair. Hazel has also been reappointed in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments as a non-executive director of BDUK, having been a member of the Board since the organisation became an executive agency in March 2022.

Stella Peace was appointed as interim Executive Chair at Innovate UK (IUK) in August, starting on 30 September 2024 for an initial period of six months with remuneration of £149,000 p.a. pro rata. An announcement containing further details is published here. Stella will serve as interim Executive Chair whilst an exercise is completed to recruit a permanent Executive Chair.

As regulated Public Appointments, the interim Chair of BDUK and interim Executive Chair of IUK were both appointed in accordance with paragraph 3.3 of the Governance Code on Public Appointments, which states that: "In exceptional cases, Ministers may decide to appoint a candidate without a competition. They must make this decision public alongside their reasons for doing so. They must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments in good time before the appointment is publicly announced”.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has not made any statutory or non-statutory direct appointments.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, made a direct ministerial appointment for the Interim Chair of Skills England with Richard Pennycook appointed on 22 July 2024. Details of the remuneration will be available in future published Annual Reports and Accounts.

In addition, Sir Kevan Collins has been appointed as a non-executive board member of the Department for Education for a period of three years from 5 July 2024. As a regulated public appointment, it was made in accordance with paragraph 3.3 of the Governance Code on Public Appointments, which states that: "In exceptional cases, Ministers may decide to appoint a candidate without a competition. They must make this decision public alongside their reasons for doing so. They must consult the Commissioner for Public Appointments in good time before the appointment is publicly announced". Further details are published here, including terms and remuneration: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/department-for-education-non-executive-appointments/appointments-made-april-2024-to-march-2025.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee.

Where an ‘informal’ lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

The Secretary of State has not made any Direct Ministerial Appointments.

The Secretary of State for Transport has not made any statutory or non-statutory direct ministerial appointments.

Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee.

Where an ‘informal’ lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has established a non-statutory Labour Market Advisory Board which will consist of a small group of leading labour market experts to provide insight, ideas, and challenge to tackle key labour market issues. The Board will be chaired by Paul Gregg, Professor of Economic and Social Policy in the Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath with further members being announced shortly. Roles on the Board are unpaid. We will set out further details of the Labour Market Advisory Board, including the Terms of Reference, shortly.

Services for individuals who engage in stalking and fixated behaviour are locally commissioned by the National Health Service and multi-agency criminal justice and health partnerships. Treatment through mainstream NHS mental health services is based on an individual’s assessed clinical needs, and stalking behaviour is not, in itself, a mental health condition.

The National Stalking Clinic is provided by the North London NHS Foundation Trust and offers assessment and consultation for adults with complex presentations, primarily following referrals from health, probation, and prison services.

The Government’s New Hospital Programme: Plan for Implementation was published in January 2025 and put the programme on a credible and sustainable footing, ensuring taxpayers get maximum value for money. We are committed to delivering all schemes and are moving at pace with the funding in place for design work, construction, and business case development for schemes in Wave 0 and Wave 1.

The National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) both recently published assessments of the programme and both recognised that the Plan for Implementation had put the programme on a more realistic footing. We will respond to the PAC’s report and recommendations formally in the usual way.

The Department supports the use of validated laboratory methods to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and robust surveillance, while encouraging the development and adoption of suitable alternatives where these can be used safely and effectively. These methods and alternatives include:

- bacterial culture, in which animal blood‑enriched agar is commonly used in clinical laboratories to help bacteria grow so that infections can be identified accurately. Some bacteria require enriched growth conditions, and the appearance of the growth on these media can help distinguish between different types of bacteria;

- antimicrobial susceptibility testing, where, in certain cases, blood‑enriched agar is required to test whether specific bacteria remain sensitive to particular antibiotics. This ensures that test results are reliable and supports clinicians in choosing the most effective treatment for patients;

- antimicrobial resistance surveillance, where laboratory results are generated using established culture and susceptibility testing methods, including blood‑enriched agar where clinically appropriate, contribute to national antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This information helps monitor resistance trends and informs public health policy and clinical guidance; and

- the recent meningitis outbreak, during which blood‑enriched agar was used, as a standard laboratory medium, in the identification of bacteria that can cause meningitis. It forms part of routine diagnostic and public health laboratory practice and supports the timely confirmation and investigation of cases during outbreaks. During the recent outbreak, such media formed part of the standard range of laboratory methods available to support diagnosis where clinically appropriate.

The Department recognises that animal blood-enriched agar is a critical component in microbiological diagnostics, and we recognise the importance of a sustainable and secure supply of such materials.

There are a number of suppliers on NHS Supply Chain’s current framework which offer donor animal blood supply for diagnostic use which support a level of resilience across England. To date there has been no issues with supply.

Where challenges in the supply of key products arise, these would be escalated to the Department’s National Supply Disruption Response, which works collaboratively with suppliers, manufacturers, and system partners to understand the nature of the disruption and to support appropriate mitigations.

The Department does not routinely centrally collect detailed information on the source of the licensed donor animal blood used in the manufacture of blood-enriched agar.

The Department recognises that animal blood-enriched agar is a critical component in microbiological diagnostics, and we recognise the importance of a sustainable and secure supply of such materials.

There are a number of suppliers on NHS Supply Chain’s current framework which offer donor animal blood supply for diagnostic use which support a level of resilience across England. To date there has been no issues with supply.

Where challenges in the supply of key products arise, these would be escalated to the Department’s National Supply Disruption Response, which works collaboratively with suppliers, manufacturers, and system partners to understand the nature of the disruption and to support appropriate mitigations.

The Department does not routinely centrally collect detailed information on the source of the licensed donor animal blood used in the manufacture of blood-enriched agar.

The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has made one direct ministerial appointment to date. Jonathan Powell has been appointed as the Prime Minister's Envoy for the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT)/Chagos Archipelago Sovereignty Negotiation with Mauritius. Jonathan Powell's experience on the most sensitive international issues makes him uniquely qualified to carry out this role. His appointment was announced on Gov.uk on 6 September. The full statement can be found here: [https://www.gov.uk/government/news/jonathan-powell-appointed-as-special-envoy-for-biot-negotiations].

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in her statement to Parliament on 29th July 2024, she asked Treasury officials, on her first day in office, to undertake a rapid audit of public spending. Once the audit was complete, she took immediate action to find £5.5 billion of savings in 2024-25, rising to £8.1 billion in 2025-26. The conclusions of the public spending audit were presented to the House of Commons on 29th July 2024.

As of 2 September 2024, there has been one direct ministerial appointment made. Ian Corfield has been appointed as an unpaid International Investment Summit Adviser by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ian Corfield will be in post until 31 October 2024. Details of his appointment can be found on gov.uk.

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in her statement to Parliament on 29th July 2024, she asked Treasury officials, on her first day in office, to undertake a rapid audit of public spending. As is the usual process with Treasury documents, officials worked closely with typesetters throughout to develop and print the document. The conclusions of the public spending audit were presented to the House of Commons on 29th July 2024.

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in her statement to Parliament on 29th July 2024, she asked Treasury officials, on her first day in office, to undertake a rapid audit of public spending. The Chancellor engaged with the Prime Minister throughout on the findings of the audit and took immediate action to find £5.5 billion of savings in 2024-25, rising to £8.1 billion in 2025-26. The conclusions of the public spending audit were presented to the House of Commons on 29th July 2024.

As the Chancellor of the Exchequer set out in her statement to Parliament on 29th July 2024, she asked Treasury officials, on her first day in office, to undertake a rapid audit of public spending. Officials updated the Chancellor on the findings of the audit throughout the process, and she took immediate action to find £5.5 billion of savings in 2024-25, rising to £8.1 billion in 2025-26. The conclusions of the public spending audit were presented to the House of Commons on 29th July 2024.

The Government recognises the importance of multi-agency approaches to tackling stalking and managing high-risk perpetrators. Our cross-Government Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy makes clear that preventing abuse and protecting victims requires effective multi-agency working and a strong focus on perpetrator behaviour and risk management.

Cheshire PCC are receiving funding through the Home Office’s Domestic Abuse and Stalking Perpetrator Intervention Fund to support their work in this area. More broadly, we are funding the National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection to support the sharing of effective practice across policing and encourage forces to consider approaches that improve outcomes for victims and strengthen the management of perpetrators.

The Home Office has not made any new direct ministerial appointments since the General Election.

Details of Ministers' meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance. Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser's attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee. Where an 'informal' lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

The Department has not made any statutory direct Ministerial appointments.

The Department has made eight non-statutory direct Ministerial appointments. These are as follows:

Strategic Defence Review (SDR) 2024

Reviewers:

• Lead reviewer- Lord Robertson of Port Ellen
• Reviewer - Dr Fiona Hill
• Reviewer - General Sir Richard Barrons
• Review Team Expert - Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Quin
• Review Team Expert - Edward Dinsmore
• Review Team Expert - Robin Marshall
• Review Team Expert - Grace Cassy

Remuneration rates have not yet been finalised.

All these appointments are subject to the Terms of Reference for the SDR which is available on GOV.UK.

AUKUS

• UK Government's AUKUS Adviser - Sir Stephen Lovegrove

Un-remunerated. Appointment's Terms of Reference available on GOV.UK.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has made two non-statutory direct ministerial appointments since being appointed to the role: Sir Michael Lyons as the Chair of the New Towns Taskforce, and Dame Kate Barker as the Deputy Chair of the New Towns Taskforce. The New Towns Taskforce will be responsible for recommending locations for new towns within the next year. We will set out further details of the Taskforce in the coming weeks, ahead of the appointment of the other Taskforce members and its first meeting in the autumn.

Stalking is a crime characterised by a range of types of behaviour, with complex and varying motivations. No single intervention should be considered a ‘solution’ to stalking behaviour. The interventions appropriate to address the offending behaviour of each individual are determined by professional assessment of their risks and rehabilitative needs.

“Building Choices” is an accredited offending behaviour programme designed for adult (18+) men and women in custody and on probation. It is designed to address the dynamic risk factors associated with offending behaviour rather than targeting specific offence types or behaviours and is based on the principle that people offend for a variety of reasons, with effective rehabilitation therefore requiring intervention to target risk factors predictive of future risk of re-offending.

Building Choices is not built around specific types of behaviour, but by the risk factors relevant to each individual. These include:

• cognitive factors, including rigid thinking patterns and pro-criminal or offence-supportive attitudes

• self-management factors, including emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, poor coping strategies and problem-solving difficulties

• relationship factors, including difficulties with interpersonal and intimacy skills, and association with pro-criminal peers

• additional dynamic risk factors relating to low-level offence-related sexual interests and sexual pre-occupation, where relevant.

In addition to accredited interventions, H M Prison and Probation regions can commission non-accredited rehabilitative interventions to address specific needs. These interventions target changes in attitudes, thinking patterns, emotional regulation, and behaviour where there is an assessed need to do so. Such interventions are typically focused on addressing the underlying drivers of offending behaviour and are not usually specific to offence types.

In a small number of cases, where assessment indicates a continuing and significant risk of stalking-related harm, and where established intervention pathways are not considered suitable or have been exhausted, psychology services may provide individually tailored, formulation-driven consultation and intervention. Such work is typically focused on understanding and managing the specific drivers of stalking or fixated behaviour, reducing risk, and supporting multi-agency risk management arrangements.

Before offenders convicted of stalking, which may have involved exhibiting fixated behaviour, are released from custody, including under early release arrangements, probation practitioners will conduct a thorough risk assessment, taking account of information which they receive from enquiries made of the Police in order to identify the licence conditions and other controls needed to manage the risks which offenders present to their victims and to the general public. Probation practitioners will also take account of representations which victims make to their victim liaison officers as to the conditions they wish included in the post-release licence, for their protection and peace of mind. In the more complex cases, practitioners will also take into account a specialist assessment produced by a qualified psychologist.

Offenders released on licence are subject to a set of standard licence conditions and, where necessary to manage risk and protect victims, they may also be made subject to additional conditions such as exclusion zones, non-contact conditions and location monitoring. If they breach these conditions and risk is no longer manageable in the community, they may be recalled to prison.

From October, new tougher powers will include restriction zones, and the ability to prohibit offenders from driving, attending public events, or entering pubs, clubs and bars.

To support victims affected or concerned about prisoner releases, we will create a national helpline, offering emotional support, practical advice such as safety planning, and signposting to onward services.