Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether any exit payment to Oliver Robbins will require a Ministerial Direction.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 22 April to question 128144.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report into the review of the vetting process led by Sir Chris Wormald.

Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations

This document has been deposited in the House Library.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data, Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 26 March 2026, what is the purpose and nature of the expenditure relating to GRS - SURGE CONTRACT via PEREGRINE INTERNATIONAL.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The expenditure relating to "GRS - SURGE CONTRACT via PEREGRINE INTERNATIONAL" in February 2026 refers to the provision of flexible, ad-hoc recruitment support for the Government Recruitment Service (GRS).

This contract enables GRS to scale its capacity to meet fluctuations in customer demand. In February 2026, the expenditure covered 41 unique recruitment actions across 13 government departments. These actions included application sifting, interview scoring, the provision of virtual panel members, and candidate support sessions for reasonable adjustments. This model ensures the timely delivery of essential recruitment services while maintaining financial efficiency.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the government transparency data, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, for what reasons the ICF Consulting Services Limited contract for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Services requires the supplier to ensure that 50% or more of professional staff within the core team for service orders are female or non-binary.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The referenced KPI in Defra’s contract with ICF does not require the supplier to ensure that 50% or more of professional staff within the core team for service orders are female or non-binary, nor does it impose any minimum staffing requirement.

Instead, the KPI reports the proportion of professional staff within the core team who are female or non-binary, assessing performance against three published bands: below 25%, 25–49%, and 50% or above. The supplier reported within the highest band in the published data, which is likely the source of the 50% figure cited.

This form of reporting is intended to provide transparency on workforce composition within significant contracts and reflects both Defra’s approach to considering diversity as part of its wider procurement framework and the supplier’s own stated values.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the severance payment to the outgoing Cabinet Secretary included a monetary provision for forgone employer pension contributions.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of payments made to the former Cabinet Secretary will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts for Cabinet Office for the financial year in which the payment was made.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 April 2026 to Question 113783 on Cabinet Office: Reviews, whether staff previously employed by Labour Together were involved in the fact finding exercise.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

No staff previously employed by Labour Together were involved in the fact finding exercise.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 109554 on Civil Servants: Performance Related Pay, if he will publish the minimum standards for diversity and inclusion in the SCS performance management framework.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The SCS performance management framework, which sets out the full set of SCS minimum standards, is published by Gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2026, to Question 122717, on Civil Service: Redundancy, whether the departures of (a) Sir Simon Case, (b) Sir Chris Wormald and (c) Sir Oliver Robbins fall under the classification of Mutually Agreed Exits, as set out in the Annex 6F document.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on HR matters.

I refer to my answer for PQ 88716. Details of any payments made to permanent secretaries are published in their relevant Department Annual Report and Accounts.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has assessed the salary outcomes, promotion rates and role progression of participants in the Beyond Boundaries programme compared to a control group of comparable civil servants who did not participate; and whether his Department has undertaken a cost benefit analysis of the programme, including average time to promotion, changes in performance markings, retention rates and the financial return on investment to the public purse.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Beyond Boundaries is a 12-month cross-government talent programme that launched in 2021 and in October 2025 we welcomed 794 participants. It is designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service. There has been no direct comparison of Beyond Boundaries participants against a control group. Current evaluation data is based upon an anonymous, post programme, survey of participants providing an aggregated picture of participant outcomes.

In future, Beyond Boundaries will be part of the National School for Government and Public Services and since October 2025 has been supporting our mission to deliver more training in-house and reduce expenditure on external providers to provide better value for the taxpayer. This provided departments with a reduction in the cost per learner of 37.5%

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122152 on Josh Simmons, in what circumstances does the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards obtain evidence from third parties when conducting a Ministerial conduct investigation.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Independent Adviser provides advice to the Prime Minister in line with his terms of reference which are set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2025, to Question 52906, on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, what was the benchmark used to set the salary of the new DHSC Permanent Secretary.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The salary of the DHSC Permanent Secretary was approved in line with the senior pay control process.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 112179 on Ethics and Integrity Commission and Lobbying, whether conflict of interest (a) restrictions and (b) mitigations were implemented in relation to (i) Jonathan Powell and (ii) Inter Mediate.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established system in place for the declaration and management of special advisers' interests. As has been the case under successive administrations, interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office. Mr Powell 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, whether the exit payment given to Chris Wormald was above the cap of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme used to determine the exit payment to Simon Case.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of payments made to the former Cabinet Secretary will be published in the Annual Report and Accounts for Cabinet Office for the financial year in which the payment was made.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made a comparative assessment of the salary outcomes, promotion rates and role progression of (a) participants in the Senior Leaders Scheme and (b) civil servants who did not participate; and whether his Department has undertaken cost benefit analysis of that scheme including average time to promotion, changes in performance markings, retention rates and the financial return on investment.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A feasibility assessment for management evaluations was conducted, concluding that the data necessary was neither timely, easily available nor held centrally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his speech Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, by what mechanism Ministers will set KPIs for the Senior Civil Service; and whether those KPIs will be issued in writing.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his speech entitled Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether Ministers will have the authority to amend KPIs during a performance year.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his speech entitled Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether KPIs set by Ministers will be subject to consistency checks by his Department.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the speech Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether Ministers will have the authority to prevent Senior Civil Servants subject to performance processes from taking up new posts secured through fair and open competition.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government is clear that issues surrounding underperformance in the Civil Service must be robustly managed and not left unaddressed. Any work undertaken does not conflict with the Civil Service Recruitment Principles.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2026, to Question 108238, on Senior Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay, for what reason his exit payment was a severance payment.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to Minister Turley’s answers on 20 January 2026 (PQs 104805 and 104161). The business case for the Cabinet Secretary’s departure from the Civil Service was calculated on the basis of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121095 on Civil Servants: Dismissal, what is the policy of the Cabinet Office on whether a civil servant (a) can or (b) should be dismissed for dishonesty on their job application or associated job interview and vetting processes.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All Civil Servants are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service Code and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

Applicants for Cabinet Office roles are required to sign a declaration stating that the information they provide during the recruitment process is true and relates to their own experiences. If it is discovered that an applicant or Cabinet Office employee has given false information or withheld relevant details during the recruitment or vetting process, their application may be rejected and/or considered in line with departmental discipline policy. This may result in dismissal and implications for the employee’s security clearance. Internal policies and processes in response to dishonesty will only apply to Cabinet Office staff, with Ministers and other departments out of scope.

The Cabinet Office adheres to the relevant national security vetting policies. A range of considerations related to vetting and honesty may be relevant to a vetting decision. Any indication from employee or contractor records of unreliability in a security context (e.g., disciplinary action related to abuse of trust, carelessness, dishonesty, lack of discretion, or disregard for security controls) may result in an adverse security decision regarding an individual's vetting.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 9 April 2026 to Question 113778 on Propriety and Constitution Group: Recruitment, for what the reason the recruitment process did not open when Darren Tierney moved to the ONS in August 2025.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Director General for Propriety and Constitution Group is currently filled on an interim basis, a permanent appointment has not been made to date. The recruitment campaign remains in the planning stages and details will be released in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the letter from the ONS Permanent Secretary to UK Statistics Authority Interim Chair on ONS prioritisation, of 19 February 2026, what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on its reasons for ending its analysis on the night time economy.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As part of their spending review 2025 settlement the ONS agreed to a prioritisation exercise to reduce the number of its outputs to ensure the department can focus on its core remit of producing and publishing high quality and timely economic and population statistics. The Government welcomes this approach.

Ministers have not specifically discussed the analysis on the night time economies with the ONS. Following this PQ, ONS has confirmed that this analysis is not a regular publication and has previously been published on an ad hoc basis only.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the dismissal of Oliver Robbins followed due process.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 22 April to question 128144.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there are any rules and guidance that prevent the sharing of an outcome of a security vetting with another government department for (a) an ambassadorial and (b) a head of mission senior civil servant appointment.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement provided by the Prime Minister on 20 April 2026 titled Security Vetting, Official Report, Column 24-25.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) the Prime Minister and (b) the Cabinet Office discussed with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office whether Lord Mandelson, as a Privy Councillor, required UKSV security vetting.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the remarks given by the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister on 21 April 2026, Official Report, Column 232.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the evidential basis was for the response from Tim Allan to the media on 11 September 2025, that the security vetting of Lord Mandelson was done by the FCDO in the normal way; and whether Tim Allan corresponded with others in Downing Street on this response.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 119320 on Cabinet Office: Public Appointments, if he will make it his policy to publish the information on outside individuals in an anonymised or Barnardised format.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer to PQ 119320, in accordance with data protection regulations, we do not provide information about candidates in Civil Service recruitment processes, and there are no plans to publish in an anonymised or Barnardised format.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates did Morgan McSweeney obtain (a) Security Check and (b) Developed Vetting clearance when he worked in Downing Street.

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

We do not comment on the details of individual clearances or national security as a matter of course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Sir Oliver Robbins had a verbal conversation with any representative of Downing Street or the Cabinet Office to discuss the failure of Lord Mandelson’s UKSV vetting, or associated qualifications with the vetting.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the completed UKSV tick box vetting form relating to Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy that the Government’s Volume 2 response to the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson includes the disclosure of all communications relating to the conclusions of UK Security Vetting's security vetting on Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer you to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to Contractfinder, Provision of socio-legal research into equal pay and combined discrimination - Lot 2, Ref: CCZZ24A18 - Lot 2, whether the research has been completed.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

In 2025, the Office for Equality and Opportunity commissioned new research on equal pay and combined discrimination.

This research is currently underway, and we will provide an update in due course.​​

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to re-commence the paused Cabinet Office review into Lord Mandelson once the Metropolitan Police has finished its investigation.

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

I refer the Hon Member to my previous answers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office document Publication regarding events surrounding the granting of Developed Vetting to Peter Mandelson, dated 17 April 2026, if he will place in the Library a copy of the full template form.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Morgan McSweeney fully passed security clearance and vetting.

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

We do not comment on the details of individual clearances or national security as a matter of course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many phones Morgan McSweeney used for Government business when he was Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister; and how many had disappearing messages turned on.

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

There is established guidance in place for the management and recording of electronic communications on non-corporate communications channels. This can be found on gov.uk here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business/using-non-corporate-communication-channels-eg-whatsapp-private-email-sms-for-government-business-html

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the provisions of the model Permanent Secretary contract applies to Permanent Secretaries who were in post before the introduction of the fixed term contract.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer for PQ 88716. The provisions of the model Permanent Secretary contract apply to all Permanent Secretaries.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department made of the potential impact of the work-in-progress data backlog for the Civil Service Pension Scheme of the outgoing supplier on Capita.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 10,147 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April.

To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

The Cabinet Office has mandated Capita that they must restore service levels by the end of June 2026. We are using every commercial lever at our disposal, including withholding payments for deliverables that have not been met. We also reserve the right to take further formal action to ensure the service returns to the required standards.

The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the terms of reference are for the review into security concerns from Lord Mandelson having access to STRAP material; who will be undertaking that review; and whether it is the same review to the one being undertaken by Sir Adrian Fulford.

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

The Government Security Group (GSG) will conduct a review into Peter Mandelson’s conduct while in the role of HMA Washington. The review will seek to establish whether Mandelson’s actions constituted a national security risk during his tenure.

GSG’s review will be conducted separately to that of the review being conducted by Sir Adrian Fulford; which will focus on learning from the Peter Mandelson National Security Vetting case and vetting decision making.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office document Publication regarding events surrounding the granting of Developed Vetting to Peter Mandelson, dated 17 April 2026, which boxes were ticked by UKSV in relation to Lord Mandelson’s vetting for the (a) level of concern and (b) overall decision or recommendation boxes.

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

I refer the Hon Member to Prime Minister’s Questions on 22 April 2026, Official Report, Column 317

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many people have been appointed to posts in her Department requiring developed vetting (DV) clearance despite DV clearance not being awarded since 5 July 2024.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Staff are required to have the security clearance that is necessary for the post in question.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any special adviser since July 2024 has had Developed Vetting approved with mitigations following a (a) borderline conclusion and (b) recommended refusal from UKSV.

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

National Security Vetting (NSV) clearance applications, including Developed Vetting, are rigorously assessed within a robust governance framework. UKSV works closely with departmental vetting risk owners to balance risk mitigation and operational demands with assured and effective national security safeguards.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters. To reveal such details could prejudice national security and would provide insights into the scale and nature of the UK’s sensitive workforce and the thresholds of our security safeguards.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson’s STRAP clearance was a separate process to his Developed Vetting clearance; and whether it was subject to a separate (a) FCDO and (b) UKSV (i) review and (ii) recommendation.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 21 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson received training on his STRAP clearance; and on what date Lord Mandelson received that clearance.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 21 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office was aware that Lord Mandelson failed his Developed Vetting when the Volume 1 of the Government response to the humble Address was laid on 11 March 2026.

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

I refer the hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120840 on National Security Council: Disclosure of Information, if he will make it his policy to make a statement to Parliament on the conclusion of the leak inquiry.

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

In line with the policy of successive administrations, we do not comment on live leak inquiries.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Jonathan Powell, (b) Tim Allan, (c) Matthew Doyle and (d) Morgan McSweeney passed their security clearances without any qualification.

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

We do not comment on the details of individual clearances or national security as a matter of course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the UK Security Vetting document entitled DV - Guidance Pack for Applicants, updated on 23 September 2024, if he will set out the circumstances in which senior civil servants can be appointed to Civil Service roles requiring Developed Vetting (DV) clearance where they have failed their DV security vetting.

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

United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) provides a range of independent vetting services designed to identify potential personnel security risks. However, the employing department ultimately owns the risk of any appointment decision. Senior officials with responsibility for personnel security within their department evaluate vetting outcomes alongside the specific requirements of a post and the organisation's risk appetite.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the recruitment of the permanent Director General for the Proprietary and Constitution Group has been discussed at the Civil Service Senior Leadership Committee.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Civil Service Senior Leadership Committee (SLC) is consulted on the selection route for all appointments to Director General.

Plans for the permanent recruitment to the role of Director General for Propriety, Ethics and Constitution are being developed in accordance with governance procedures.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent of 9 April 2026, to Question HL16074, on Prime Minister: USA, whether the Prime Minister was seated when viewing the presentation about Palantir’s work at the meeting in Washington, and whether Lord Mandelson was present with him at that time, and whether the Prime Minister asked questions about the work of Palantir further to the presentation.

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

The visit was part of the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. During this visit the Prime Minister listened to a short presentation about Palantir’s work, followed by a tour of the premises and an introduction to members of staff.

Any contracts for any firm go through the usual rigorous departmental processes and their decision makers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 116506 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, what the transaction number, value and date is for the reimbursed payment to the Government Property Agency; and whether the January publication referenced is the January data published in February 2026.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether UK (a) schools, (b) colleges, (c) universities and (d) teacher training institutions participating in the Erasmus+ programme, will be required to follow the publicity requirements set out by the European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme: Model Grant Agreement, November 2024, section 17.2, Visibility — European flag and funding statement.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 April 2026 to Question 124834 on Intelligence and Security Committee: Press Releases, whether the uplift in resourcing to the Intelligence and Security Committee included resource to obtain legal advice on the Humble Address independent from (a) Cabinet Office legal advisers and (b) the Government Legal Service.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119406 on Ian Horobin, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a new convention covering the withdrawal of Government nominations to the peerage.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120844 on Google: Special Advisers, what assessment he has made of whether information is being exchanged between special advisers via Google Docs outside the retention policy required by Freedom of Information Act 2000 and Public Record Act 1958.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, if he will place in the Library the revised guidance issued to the Civil Service on consultation; and whether the Cabinet Office guidance on consultation principles will be amended.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Jonathan Powell was subject to security vetting (a) before or (b) after he was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on the Chagos negotiations.

Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the EU press release, of 30 March 2026, EU-UK relations: Council greenlights talks on electricity and cohesion deals, what is the cost to the UK taxpayer from these financial commitments in (a) 2026-27 and (b) 2027-28.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers can have Ministerial responsibilities removed and remain in post.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the EU press release entitled EU-UK relations: Council greenlights talks on electricity and cohesion deals, published on 30 March 2026, what the planned timetable is for (a) completion of the negotiations and (b) the agreements coming into force.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Council of the European Union's press release entitled EU-UK relations: Council greenlights talks on electricity and cohesion deals, as well as UK’s participation in Erasmus+ for 2027, published on 30 March 2026, whether the UK will be required to contribute toward the EU's Cohesion Policy in relation to Erasmus+ and the energy and electricity provisions.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data, Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core) published on 26 March 2026, which advertising, communications and marketing campaigns related to the expenditure by the GCS New Media Unit Programme through (a) Accenture UK Ltd, (b) TAG Europe Ltd and (c) Manning Gottlieb OMD.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what types of information are routinely recorded from the Number 10 private office on the internal PMPost system for the official record.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27 published on 7 April 2026, what steps the Cabinet Secretary plans to take to deliver her 2026-27 objective of protecting the interests of former Governments and former Ministers.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Deposited Paper DEP2025-0353, committed on 6 June 2025, what was the cost to the public purse of the Prime Minister's domestic flights in 2025.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118531, on Peers, whether the Governance Code on Public Appointments applies to the appointment of peers to the House of Lords.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to (a) review and (b) update the Cabinet Office document, Guidance for the management of Private Office information and records, following Lord Mandelson’s appointment.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118531 on Peers, whether the Cabinet Office holds a desk note that is separate from the Governance Code on the processes to be followed for appointing political peerages by the Prime Minister.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 113783 on Cabinet Office: Reviews, whether the Propriety and Ethics Team took a preliminary view on whether the Ministerial Code was broken before the matter was referred.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120843 on Government Departments: Communication, and with reference to the version previously committed to the House in DEP2015-0189 on 10 February 2015, if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version of the Cabinet Office’s (a) information and records management policy and (b) Information and Records Retention and Destruction Policy, including any policies that also apply to 10 Downing Street.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2026, to Question 124839, on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the OCS invoice for the 9 Downing Street works in the published data for the month of November 2025 is the transaction of (a) Ref: 10000204, OCS Group UK Limited, Transaction HZ820722, £72,702.73, (b) Ref: 10000204, OCS Group UK Limited, Transaction HZ824136, £352,411.88, or (c) Ref: 10000204, OCS Group UK Limited, Transaction, HZ819861, £97,083.25.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has had discussions with Matthew Hancock on the copyright and ownership of electronic messages held on non-corporate devices relating to official government business from his time as Health Secretary.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Oliver Robbins was given (i) a formal or (ii) an informal steer from Downing Street (a) civil servants or (b) special advisers to take steps to facilitate Lord Mandelson’s appointment as Ambassador.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27, published on 7 April 2026, how the new Cabinet Secretary's objectives differ from those set for (a) Simon Case and (b) Chris Wormald.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question HL15477 on Lord Mandelson, whether Ministers are being consulted on whether their electronic communications are provided or are not provided or are redacted in Government responses to Humble Addresses.

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

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23 February and the Government’s statement on 11 March which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion.

The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with urgency and transparency ensuring proper process is rigorously followed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2026, to Question 121762, on Lord Mandelson, and to the answer of 31 March 2026, to Question 115894, on Jeffrey Epstein, whether the detailed information on Lord Mandelson's security clearance will be published in the Volume 2 of the Humble Address response.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, what plans he has to consult (a) permanent secretaries and (b) the First Division Association on the proposed changes to the Permanent Secretary terms of employment.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 April 2026 to Question 124080 on Lord Mandelson, whether Darren Tierney offered to Downing Street that he could interview Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March which sets out the process of appointment and the steps the Government is taking to strengthen the process going forwards.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Cabinet Office has spent on safes since July 2024.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27 published on 7 April 2026, what steps the Cabinet Secretary plans to take to deliver her 2026-27 objective that the civil service retains the confidence of all political parties.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the revised terms of reference are for the review into security vetting led by Sir Adrian Fulford; who will he report to; and whether the review will be made public.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2026 to Question 116506 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, if he will place in the Library a copy of the OCS invoice dated 6 November 2025 relating to the works on the 9 Downing Street media room.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response, reference FOI2026/04975 dated 13 April 2026, on Downing Street expenditure, if he will list the suppliers for the (a) goods and (b) services included.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has had discussions with JP Morgan on business rate discounts on offices in Canary Wharf.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what are the terms of reference of the review into the FCDO and UKSC vetting process; who will undertake the review; and who it will report to.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the submission from Simon Case of 11 November 2024 disclosed in Volume 1 of the Government response to the humble Address on Lord Mandelson, what consideration was given by the Prime Minister to undertaking the UKSV security checks on Lord Mandelson before the appointment was publicly announced.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date (a) civil servants, (b) No10 political office staff and (c) special advisers in the Office of the Prime Minister first became aware that Lord Mandelson had not received full security vetting clearance.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) No10 private office, (b) the No10 appointments unit and (c) Morgan McSweeney were told in 2025 that Lord Mandelson had not fully followed his security vetting.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the Prime Minister first became aware that Lord Mandelson had not received full security vetting clearance.

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

I refer the Hon Member to the Statement made by the Prime Minister on Security Vetting on the 20 April 2026, Official Report, Column 23-26.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51163 on Prime Minister: Email, whether (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) 10 Downing Street Freedom of Information determine Government emails held on tape backups to be information held by the public authority.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the reason was for the time taken for officials to inform the Prime Minister of FCDO information on Lord Mandelson’s failed security vetting during the Humble Address response; and whether there were discussions on the release of that information to the (a) ISC and (b) House of Commons.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 27 March 2026 to Question 110816 on Gordon Brown, whether the letter from Gordon Brown and reply will be disclosed as part of the response to the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates did (a) Cat Little, Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office, and (b) Antonia Romeo, Cabinet Secretary, find out that Lord Mandelson had failed UKSV clearance.

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

I refer you to the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and his answers to the questions raised in response, including his commitment that the Government would continue to comply with the instructions of Parliament in the Humble Address of 4 February.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Cabinet Office Subject Access Request (SAR) Manual.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 9 April 2026 to Question HL15969 on Lord Mandelson, whether the requested information will be published in future volumes of the Government response to the Humble Address.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2026 to Question 98104 on DWP: Public Appointments, if any of those appointments made declarations of political activity.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which department is the lead for the regulation of the private intelligence industry.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Office approached Global Counsel in relation to responding to the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

All government departments, ministers and relevant individuals have been instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they hold that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether government-related text messages held personally by former No10 special advisers are in scope of the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson.

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

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

All government departments, ministers and relevant individuals have been instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they hold that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122723 on Inter Mediate: Contracts, whether his Department has provided guidance on (a) the difference between (i) commercial contracts and (ii) grants and (b) how procurement of goods and services between the Government and external organisations should be (A) published and (B) recorded.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 1222152 on Josh Simmons, whether the Independent Adviser had access to the APCO Worldwide report commissioned by Labour Together.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answers of 25 March 2026 to Question 119897 and of 3 February 2026 to Question 108241 on Mission Boards, on what dates the Break Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission Board has met since November 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 March 2026 to Question 113712 on Chris Wormald, whether the settlement agreement included a non-disclosure provision.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer for 113712 Sir Chris Wormald has entered a settlement agreement with the Cabinet Office, and this does not include a non-disclosure agreement.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2026, to Question 112642, on Business: Codes of Practice, whether she will produce a (a) full and (b) partial impact assessment.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

To reiterate we have always been clear that the proper process needs to be followed, which includes understanding the potential impact on businesses, public functions and services. The EHRC has been asked to provide some information on costs and an Equality Impact Assessment.

The Code will have implications for service providers up and down the country so it is important that we get this right.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 26 March 2026, what activities will be funded through the LGBT programme to the Council of Europe; and whether his Department plans to make further payments to this programme.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture published of 26 March 2026, if he will publish the new accountability framework for Permanent Secretaries.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to my answer to PQs 115823, 115830 and 115829.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2025 to Question 77988 on Department for Education: Social Media, how much has been spend on influences in aggregate since 4 July 2024; and on which campaigns and programmes it was spent.

Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Cabinet Office guidance entitled May 2026 Elections: guidance on conduct for civil servants, updated on 2 March 2026, has affected the timing of the publication of the Defence Investment Plan.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2026 to Question 105916 on 10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the £19,759.51 included or excluded VAT; and if she will provide an itemised breakdown of each item purchased.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Across successive governments, Prime Ministers and Chancellors have received allowances to contribute towards the costs associated with maintaining and furnishing of the residency within the Downing Street estate. HM Treasury furnished the Ministerial residence upon entering office, which was empty, on a modest basis. Item choices are restricted to what is available from pre-agreed suppliers and are permanently retained by Government.

The £19,759.61 is inclusive of VAT and was funded from within HMT budgets for 2024-25. The breakdown per item is provided below:

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 20 February 2026 to Question 105916 on 10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, from what budget the £19,759.61 of furnishings came from; and whether the cost has been assigned to her Department.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

Across successive governments, Prime Ministers and Chancellors have received allowances to contribute towards the costs associated with maintaining and furnishing of the residency within the Downing Street estate. HM Treasury furnished the Ministerial residence upon entering office, which was empty, on a modest basis. Item choices are restricted to what is available from pre-agreed suppliers and are permanently retained by Government.

The £19,759.61 is inclusive of VAT and was funded from within HMT budgets for 2024-25. The breakdown per item is provided below:

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 March 2026 to Question 111158 on Lord Mandelson, whether an independent KC is currently assisting the Cabinet Office in relation to the Government's response to the Humble Address, including the scope and redactions process; and with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office during the Opposition Day debate on Lord Mandelson on 2 February 2025, Official Report, column 372, what was the name of the KC previously paid by the Cabinet Office to assist on the review into Lord Mandelson.

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

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2025 to Question 73331 on Home Office: Redundancy Pay, whether the £30,000 tax-free redundancy allowance also applied to the severance payment to the outgoing Cabinet Secretary.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office press release, "Ministers rip up consultation culture", published on 26 March 2026, whether his Department compiles statistics on the number of live consultations across government.

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Lord Mandelson whilst Ambassador provided advice to the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's office on the composition of HM Government and Ministers of the Crown.

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

Decisions relating to the reshuffle on 5 September were taken by the Prime Minister.