Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister of the Cabinet Office when she plans to publish the terms of reference on the taskforce for political donations and when it is expected to begin its work.
Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Task and Finish team will consult extensively as proposals are developed and operate on a time limited basis. Further information will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what safeguards will apply to the use of AI tools provided through GovAI where those tools inform decisions affecting members of the public.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)
We have recently established the GovAI Unit within the Office of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which will coordinate, develop and scale AI solutions across Government in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s AI Taskforce.
The Government is committed to the ethical and transparent deployment of AI with appropriate guardrails, ensuring meaningful human control over the services we deliver.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of not paying interest on unpaid compensation awards for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme on claimants, the estates of deceased claimants and bereaved family members.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
The Government has decided not to adjust individual compensation awards to account for interest a person could have received, or investments that someone could have made or could make in the future. The compensation scheme does not pay interest on awards for historic losses as the awards have been designed according to 2023/24 rates. For example, care awards are calculated using 2024 UK commercial care rates. Using historic rates would have made these awards considerably lower.
In some circumstances the Courts adjust compensation awards to account for interest and investment, including accounting for the lost interest that someone may have earned if they received their compensation earlier.
The Government has chosen not to adjust individual compensation awards in this way. This is to make sure that applicants have certainty about the total amount of compensation they will receive through the Scheme, regardless of when their application is processed, and to make sure Scheme is not made unduly operationally complex.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department received communications from Ministers (a) regarding representations from Peter Mandelson about policy matters in their departments and (b) expressing concerns about such communications between 10 February 2025 and 11 September 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department received communications from Ministers (a) regarding representations from Peter Mandelson about policy matters in their departments and (b) expressing concerns about such communications between 4 July 2024 and 10 February 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he plans to answer Question 112319, tabled on 10 February 2026.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A response has been issued here.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms are in place to help facilitate Parliamentary scrutiny of contracts awarded for the administration of public sector pension schemes; and how value for money and performance are monitored once such contracts are awarded.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Details of Government contracts over £12,000 are published online primarily to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the expenditure of public money. Ministers and senior officials regularly appear before parliamentary committees as an integral part of the parliamentary process of holding the government to account.
The Sourcing Playbook emphasises best practice managing contracts through a proactive, partnership-based approach, ensuring they are designed for effective monitoring from the outset. This includes guidance on robust, ongoing contract management to deliver public services efficiently, requiring clear KPIs, performance monitoring, and risk mitigation, particularly for major outsourcing projects.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of call-handling capacity at MyCSP and what action is being taken to reduce waiting times for members seeking assistance.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister of State (Home Office)
As of Monday 1 December, MyCSP is no longer the contracted administrator for the Civil Service pension scheme. The new contract was awarded to Capita. To support the transition, Capita has employed an additional 194 staff over and above the workforce transferred from MyCSP. This has seen a 60% increase in the capacity of the customer contact centre.
The Cabinet Office has secured a robust contract containing strict performance levers; this includes financial penalties should Capita fail to answer calls within agreed timescales. A comprehensive governance structure is fully operational and reporting via oversight groups to ensure performance remains consistent with these contractual requirements.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that there is no gap between the end of the term of office of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and their successor.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Paula Sussex has been appointed Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). Arrangements are now in place, meaning all casework can progress as normal.
Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman cases are pending the appointment of the new Ombudsman.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
There were 187 pending decisions when Paula Sussex CBE was appointed as the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on 26 June 2025.