Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025, to Question 88660, on Elections: Proof of Identity, what is the policy of Government Social Research on using the terms (a) sex and (b) gender.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government Social Research Profession is a professional membership body for social researchers working across government. It supports professional social researchers employed directly by departments through providing opportunities for learning, development, career support and technical development.

The Government Social Research Profession is part of the Government Analysis Function, which sets expectations for analysis, as set out in the Government Functional Standard. In using the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’, government analysts should have regard to relevant data harmonisation standards published by the Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service.

The Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service are currently partway through a review of their harmonised standards. That review is focused on developing updated and new harmonised standards for Sex, Gender Identity, Disability and Ethnicity

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the Freedom of Information Act disclosure released by the Government Actuary’s Department on 4 August 2025 with reference Internal Review response to FOI252626.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government Actuary’s Department released information on 4 August 2025 in relation to a Freedom of Information request. The content of that response is provided alongside this PQ response.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has received relating to the Government Car Service since 1 April 2025; and how many have been (a) refused and (b) disclosed.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government Car Service (GCS) transferred to the Cabinet Office from the Department for Transport, as a result of a machinery of government change, on 1st April 2025. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests relating to GCS prior to that date were answered by the Department for Transport.

Since 1 April 2025, the Cabinet Office has received 15 FOI requests relating to the GCS. Of the 11 requests that have been closed, five requests were granted in full and one request was refused in full. Other outcomes were that the information was already planned for publication, that the information was not held, or that responding to the request would have exceeded the cost limit.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he takes steps to ascertain whether Ministers occupy official Ministerial residences as primary residences.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to PQ 95895, PQ 81873, and HL 9337.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to pages 131–132 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, what the annual cost is of operating the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists; whether registration fee income was netted off against those costs; and what net (a) surplus and (b) deficit was recorded in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In each of the last three years - two of which were under the last government - the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists has recorded a consistent net deficit as shown below:

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether any of the £90 million of Crown Commercial Service dividend income retained by his Department was (a) passed back to CCS, (b) used to subsidise its operations and (c) used to reduce management fees paid by departments and public bodies using CCS frameworks.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

None of the £90 million in Crown Commercial Service (CCS) dividend income retained by the Cabinet Office was returned to CCS. Consequently, none of the dividend was used to subsidise its operations and none was used to reduce management fees paid by departments and public bodies using CCS frameworks.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 January to Question 100339 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, on what date was the invoice paid; and what is the transaction number for its entry in gov.uk transparency data.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The indicative cost of these works was up to £80,000, as was reported at the time of undertaking the work. The final cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Tim Allan has been recused on matters relating to (a) Sanctuary Counsel and (b) Thorndon Partners and (c) their clients.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Before joining the government, Mr Allan sought and received advice on his interests. He has followed every element of the advice received.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost will be to the public purse of delivering the National Leadership Forum 2026 including venue costs, external speakers, staffing costs and preparatory work.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The cost of the National Leadership Forum 2026 event has not been finalised. The event is in early design stages, and decisions have not been taken on the venues, speakers, and other costs.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, and the Defence Digital contracts with KPMG LLP, for what reason is Tackling Eco Inequality, Fighting Climate Change, Health & Wellbeing deemed to be key performance indicators for the defence contract.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

In relation to the defence contract, the social values chosen align to the requirements of the contract and the rationale of social value. Furthermore, it is also a mandatory requirement for Social Value to form Key Performance Indicators within public sector contracts, in accordance with guidance with the Procurement Policy Notice (PPN) 2.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025, to Question 88284, on Military Aircraft, what is the aggregate volume of CO2 emissions that have been reported for domestic and overseas Ministerial flights on the Envoy and Voyager since July 2024; and what was the aggregate cost of carbon credits for those flights.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The total volume of CO2 emissions in Tonnes (TCO2) and the cost of carbon credits of the flights for the duration of 1 July 2024 - 31 December 2024 is listed below.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

240.285 TCO2

£12,975.38 Carbon credits including VAT

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

237.787 TCO2

£17,120.66 Carbon credits including VAT

TOTAL UK and EU Emissions Trading Scheme

478.072 TCO2

£30,096.04 Carbon credits including VAT

The same data is not available for 1 January 2025 - 31 December 2025 as it has not yet been released by EuroControl. The Ministry of Defence will not purchase carbon credits prior to establishing the total TCO2 figure for this duration. The total cost will not be available until 31 March 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 15 December 2025, to Question 98492, on F-35 Aircraft: Nuclear Weapons, whether a decision to (a) launch a US sovereign nuclear weapon from the UK's F-35A planes whilst on a particular NATO mission, or to (b) participate more generally in a NATO nuclear mission, would require the authorisation of the Prime Minister.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

As with the answer given to the hon. Member on 15 December 2025 to Question 98492, I refer him to the answers I gave on 8 September and 11 November 2025 to Questions 70471 and 87345 respectively.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-08-29/70471

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-11-03/87345

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025, to Question 93377, on Civil Service: Unpaid Work, who determines the main household earner in the case of an applicant with two different families where the parents have divorced or separated.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

We use an applicant’s response to determine socio-economic background, including the occupation of the ‘main household earner’ when the applicant was 14 years old. This is in line with the guidance from the ONS and Social Mobility Commission.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the VIP International Flights privacy notice, published 2 January, whether the Cabinet Office holds information on the (1) number, (2) cost and (3) destination of VIP flights for (a) the Prime Minister, (b) Cabinet Office Ministers and (c) other Ministers.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Government is committed to transparency regarding official travel. Information relating to relevant ministerial travel is published on a quarterly basis and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-transparency-publications#2024

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what discussions he is having with his European counterparts on the recognition of (a) legal qualifications and (b) other professional qualifications.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)

HMG remains committed to making it easier for UK and EU professionals to have their qualifications recognised across regulated professions.

In the 2025 Common Understanding, the UK and EU committed to setting up dedicated dialogues on the Trade and Cooperation Agreement provisions which enable regulator-led, sector-specific recognition agreements to be negotiated.

The annual Trade Specialised Committee on Services, Investment and Digital Trade also provides a forum for the UK and EU to discuss the recognition of professional qualifications.

HMG encourages and supports UK regulators, including legal regulators, to work with their EU counterparts to improve recognition of professional qualifications, including through guidance and funding.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025, to Question 91376, and of 23 December 2025, to Question 99834, on Government Hospitality: Wines, and to the answer of 30 January 2025, to Question 26019, on Written Questions, if he will provide a relevant hyperlink to the transparency data for spending on Berry Bros since 4 July 2024 for (a) non-GPC transactions under £25,000 and (b) GPC transactions under £500, or otherwise place unpublished spending data in the Library.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Transparency publications are available and searchable here: https://www.gov.uk/government/government-efficiency-transparency-and-accountability

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any (a) gifts and (b) hospitality he has received in a Ministerial capacity by Lord Alli have been (i) returned and (ii) refunded since July 2024.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 26 November 2025, Official Report, PQ 92005.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Dale Vince was invited to receptions at Downing Street in (a) November and (b) December 2025.

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.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has a policy on access to (a) diary and (b) private secretaries for senior civil servants.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

It is up to each department to make their own policy. No such policy exists within the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what meetings Varun Chandra has had with external organisations excluding senior media executives since his appointment.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

In line with longstanding process, relevant meetings are declared in the Special Advisor transparency publications.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025, to Question 98109, on Ministry of Defence: public appointments, whether any of those appointments made a declaration of political activity.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

All Direct Ministerial Appointees are required to complete a declaration, and any positive answers to the political question are considered, risk assessed and necessary mitigations put in place if required.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what is the forecast profile of yearly (a) defence and (b) security spending to meet the respective 3.5% and 1.5% GDP NATO targets by 2035.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

NATO qualifying defence spending will increase to 2.6 per cent of GDP by April 2027. The Government’s ambition is to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence next Parliament, when economic and fiscal conditions allow, and 5 per cent of GDP on national security spending by the Parliament after next.

In 2029, when NATO review capability requirements and this pledge, the UK and Allies will review the trajectory and the balance of spending, which is currently 3.5 per cent on core defence and 1.5 per cent on security and resilience-related spend.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland regarding the Technology Prosperity Deal, published on 18 September 2025, what is the current legal status of the US-UK tech prosperity deal.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The US-UK Technology Prosperity Deal was signed as a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which does not constitute or create any legally binding obligations. The MoU represents a political and policy-level understanding between the two governments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 5 January 2025, to Question 100331, on Ministers: Official Cars, what is the estimated, non-granular aggregate expenditure by the Government Car Service on official cars for civil servants in the last 12 months.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles. GCS does not invoice separately for ministerial or civil servant use.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Our management section of the Cabinet Office website and further to his Department's document entitled Special advisers: code of conduct, updated on 6 November 2024, for what reason Jonathan Powell is listed in the management section.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The National Security Adviser sets direction – on behalf of the Prime Minister – for national security and foreign policy in the National Security Secretariat. Some leadership and corporate responsibilities – such as the line management of civil servants, accounting or matters affecting a civil servant’s career such as recruitment, promotion, reward and discipline – are not carried out by the National Security Adviser.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, of 30 October 2025, if he will establish a due-diligence process to ensure that ISF programmes scored as principal for gender equality are not used to advance ideological objectives.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The Integrated Security Fund delivers programmes which align to UK national security and resilience priorities. Programmes promote gender equality where it is relevant and appropriate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 100332 on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, what was the source of the political activity data for 2024-25 contained within the 2024-25 annual report of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, page 41, published on 17 December 2025.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Political activity information is collected from candidates as part of the public appointments digital service’s online application process. This was the source of the Commissioner’s data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the publication entitled Ministers' overseas travel and meetings: Publication Guidance, January 2025, and the paragraph 1(a) guidance on foreign meetings, whether a meeting with a foreign government with an external organisation would require the publication as attendees of (a) the name of the foreign government and the name of the external organisation or (b) just the name of the external organisation.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The same Publication Guidance the Hon Member quotes makes clear that in such scenarios, "the meeting should be declared including the names of these [external] organisations or individuals only”.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99828 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, what is the campaign or topic associated with (a) Government Digital and Data and (b) Great Futures.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Government Digital and Data is related to recruitment, and Great Futures forms part of the wider GREAT campaign which encourages international audiences to visit, study and do business with the UK.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 73325, on Armed Forces: Conferences, if he will place in the Library the equivalent Cabinet Office guidance for officials on contact with the media.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There are currently no plans to publish this guidance as the area remains subject to ongoing policy development.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99825, on Tom Kibasi, whether he served the full two month secondment in Downing Street.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 2 January 2026, Official Report, PQ 99825.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 93747, on Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solution, what the date, title, location and purpose of the cross-government event related to the public expenditure on TasteThatLove are.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

See answer to WPQ 93747. The purpose of the event was to encourage collaboration between government departments, academia and the private sector.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90240, on Cabinet Office: Secondment, if he will list the names of the organisations that have had Civil Servants seconded to them since July 2024, according to records centrally held through the secondments data commission.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service has seconded staff in from private, public and voluntary sector organisations and has also seconded staff out. Secondments remain a key route to utilising essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from within and outside the Civil Service to share critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.

The secondments data commission provides insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to improve the amount, detail and quality of the data available including names of organisations individuals have been seconded from or to, where this information is available. The limited number of records/ data sets can impact third party organisations and makes the data personally identifiable information, and therefore it will not be possible to publish this data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90240, on Cabinet Office: Secondment, if he will list the names of the organisations that have seconded staff into central government since July 2024, according to records centrally held through the secondments data commission.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service has seconded staff in from private, public and voluntary sector organisations and has also seconded staff out. Secondments remain a key route to utilising essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from within and outside the Civil Service to share critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.

The secondments data commission provides insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to improve the amount, detail and quality of the data available including names of organisations individuals have been seconded from or to, where this information is available. The limited number of records/ data sets can impact third party organisations and makes the data personally identifiable information, and therefore it will not be possible to publish this data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2025, to Question 65368, on Empty Property, how many dwellings are owned or managed by the Government Property Agency which are currently empty.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

There are currently 13 vacant properties within the Government Property Agency’s managed portfolio. This total includes sites that are in the process of being disposed of or have been vacated to facilitate ongoing refurbishment work with the aim to improve the overall condition and efficiency of the managed estate.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2025, to Question 90245, on Admiralty House: Official Residences, which civil servants, and from which business unit, are allowed to stay in the Admiralty House official residences.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 20 November 2025, Official Report, PQ 90245.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99839, on Trade Unions: Facilities Agreements, and with reference to paragraph 233 of the Cabinet Office Guide to Parliamentary Work, if he will provide an overall figure for the (i) percentage and (ii) absolute number of public bodies required to submit facility time data under Schedule 1 but which did not do so, in (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2023-24, broken down by type of public body.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

Other than what is publicly available under Schedule 1 of the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017, Cabinet Office does hold this information.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration has been made of requiring Digital ID to sign into social media accounts.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK, including on the possible range of uses of the digital credential.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2025, to Question 65368, on Empty Property, what records does the Office of Government Property’s Insite database hold on the number of (a) residential and (b) non-residential public sector properties which are vacant or empty.

Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

The Office of Government Property’s InSite database brings together property information provided by central government departments to support oversight of the government estate.

(a) Residential properties

InSite does not hold centrally validated records on the number of residential public sector properties that are vacant or empty. Responsibility for managing residential properties, including determining and recording vacancy status, rests with the individual owning departments. The Cabinet Office therefore does not hold a central record of vacant or empty residential public sector properties.

(b) Non-residential properties

InSite holds information on non-residential public sector properties that are vacant or surplus, based on information provided by departments to support cross-government estate oversight, with coverage continuing to develop as the system matures. This includes:

• Operational use; and

• a Vacant Space dataset, which records vacant spaces within non-residential buildings that remain in operational use.

Data drawn from InSite is also published on gov.uk at https://www.data.gov. uk/dataset/a3ad62cf-d8a2-4d3b-b3c6-24c35c5e0f71/the-government-property-estate-including-buildings-and-land to ensure continued transparency. These datasets relate to non-residential property only and reflect the information provided by departments at the time of publication.