Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 9 June 2026, to Question 5777, on Opportunity Mission Board, if she will list the attendees of the Mission Board in the most recent meeting since the Mission Board was re-designated as a Cabinet Committee.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, including their attendance and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, with reference to the Answer of 13 April 2026 to Question HL15584 on Budget November 2025: Disclosure of Information, what assessment he has made of the impact of the trailing or announcing of Budget policy ahead of the Budget without a statement to Parliament on (a) paragraph 9.1 of the Ministerial Code and (b) the Cabinet Office guide to Parliamentary Work, paras 121-122.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

The Government takes its obligations to Parliament seriously. I regularly remind Cabinet of the importance of these obligations, and of the associated need to ensure that Parliament is respected, that Members on all sides of the House are well informed and that the Government is able to be scrutinised effectively.

In response to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee report on Ministerial Statements and the Ministerial Code (available at: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/327/public-administration-and-constitutional-affairs-committee/publications/), the Government made a commitment to look to update the language in Chapter 9 of the Ministerial Code, recognising the need to strike a balance between Parliament's vital constitutional role and Ministers' responsibility to keep the public informed about policy changes.

Changes to the language in the Ministerial Code would be reflected in the Guide to Parliamentary Work.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Ministerial meeting between the Rt hon. Member for Lothian East and Flint Global of 4 March 2025, whether James Purnell was in attendance; and which of the declared firms listed in the gov.uk return were Flint Global clients.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The meeting was hosted by Flint Global and James Purnell was in attendance. It formed part of a wider programme of engagement from the Minister to help develop the UK’s Trade Strategy. Engagement with business stakeholders on issues affecting their ability to trade, including in a changing global context, is standard practice and has informed our approach to our Trade Strategy.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2026, to Question 1174, on the Opportunity Mission Board, whether any of the meetings referenced in the answer were formal meetings of the Breaking Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission Board, or whether the Mission Board itself has been discontinued since November 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Since the Opportunity Mission Board ceased to be a Cabinet Committee in November 2025, the Board has not met.

Since the Opportunity Mission Board last met, the department has published a number of major strategies, including the Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life strategy and the Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper, which set out the government's approach to delivering these priorities.

Ministers have convened a number of meetings with ministerial colleagues from across government to oversee progress on these priorities. Delivery is now managed through a range of ministerial, official and departmental governance arrangements, rather than through a dedicated Mission Board. These include the Departmental Board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Ministers also work across government through ministerial forums, including the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether equality, diversity and inclusion managers are included in the Skilled Worker immigration route.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Occupations skilled to RQF 6 (graduate level) are eligible for the Skilled Worker route, providing other requirements (such as sponsorship and salary) are met. These occupations include Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code 1136, “Human resource managers and directors”, which could include equality, diversity and inclusion managers.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, further to the Answer of 16 September 2025, to Question HL10121, on Passports: Sex, whether any changes will be made to HM Passport Office's policy in light of the Supreme Court judgement of April 2025 on biological sex.

Answered by Jo White - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the response to PQ 12710 of 24 June 2026.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the answer of 10 April 2026 to Question 120329 on Opportunity Mission Board, how the Board has been reformed.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The Opportunity Mission is now led through delivery-focused forum benefiting from external and sector expertise. The Board ceased to be a Cabinet Committee in November 2025.

Delivery is now managed through a range of ministerial, official and departmental governance arrangements, rather than through a dedicated Mission Board. These include the Departmental Board, chaired by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education. Ministers also work across government through ministerial forums, including the Keeping Children Safe Ministerial Board.

Since the Opportunity Mission Board last met, the department has published a number of major strategies, including the Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life and the Every Child Achieving and Thriving White Paper which set out the government's approach to delivering these priorities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what powers (a) the Prime Minister and (b) Ministers have to dismiss civil servants.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Under Section 3 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, the statutory power to manage the Civil Service, is vested in the Prime Minister in their capacity as Minister for the Civil Service, and a parallel power exists for the Secretary of State in relation to the Diplomatic service. However, day-to-day management functions, including the authority to appoint, manage and dismiss individual civil servants, are delegated to Heads of Departments provided for under statutory powers in the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992.

Decisions regarding individual employment matters, including disciplinary action and dismissals, are handled directly by employing departments and agencies as the employer in accordance with their policies and employment law.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2026 to Question 10641 on National School of Government and Public Services, whether he plans to roll out the clay modelling and ethnography across the Civil Service.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are no plans for the National School of Government and Public Services to roll out clay modelling and ethnography across the Civil Service.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2026, to Question 12791, on Government: Policy, publish the Cabinet Secretary letter and guidance.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There are no plans to publish internal-facing correspondence and guidance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2026 to Question 14355 on Public Appointments: Equality, whether socio-economic background of an applicant is a material consideration in the appointment process for (a) regulated public appointments and (b) civil servants.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The socio-economic background of an applicant is not a material consideration in the regulated public appointment process. Applicants are assessed against the advertised criteria for the role.

On civil service recruitment, while data on candidate socio-economic background status is collected during a recruitment campaign, it is for recording and monitoring purposes only. It is not shared with those involved in the appointment process of civil servants for individual candidates and is not a determining factor for appointments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Government Property Agency's press release entitled 14 government buildings closed in the past year, as savings for the taxpayer reach over £43 million, published on 13 July 2026,if he will place in the Library a copy of the Outline Business Case for Manchester Digital Campus formally approved by the Treasury.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As of 11 June 2025, Publishing Business Cases, Guidance for Departments states all projects and programmes on the GMPP are required to publish a Summary Business Case or the Full Business Case. It has been confirmed with the Head of Green Book and Major Projects Unit that this applies to the Manchester Digital Campus.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, whether the Government plans to appoint a Minister for Investment.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Chris McDonald MP is the current Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Investment in the United Kingdom, as appointed July 21, 2026.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, which of the Private Member's Bills introduced in the last session were originally Government handout Bills, and which in this session is the Government putting forward to Hon Members and noble peers; and whether the Assisted Dying legislation was a handout.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

Private Members’ Bills provide an invaluable opportunity for Members to promote the causes they support.

In the first session, the Government supported eight Private Members’ Bills which reached Royal Assent: Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Act, Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act, Dogs (Protection of Livestock) (Amendment) Act, Space Industries (Indemnities) Act, Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act, Secure 16 to 19 Academies Act, Licensing Hours Extensions Act and the Rare Cancers Act. The Government also supported three Private Members’ Bills which did not reach Royal Assent last session: Controlled Drugs (Procedure for Specification) Bill, Courts (Remote Hearings) Bill and Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Bill.

For Private Members’ Bills being introduced this session, the Government will make its position known at Second Reading in the usual way.

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill in the previous session was introduced without drafting or policy support from the Government. The Government is neutral on the issue of assisted dying but has an obligation to ensure that any Bill passed by Parliament is operable and workable in order to fulfil its duty to the statute book. In line with this duty, the Government provided advice on matters of legal and technical workability during the passage of the Bill in the last session. The Bill introduced in this session reflects the progress of the Bill in the last session.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much the Pension Protection Fund has spent on public affairs services provided by FleishmanHillard UK since July 2024; and for what purposes.

Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

Fleishman Hillard provided specific support for two activities the Pension Protection Fund would classify as public affairs during the period July 2024 to April 2026 at a total cost of £33,736 excluding VAT.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether each Permanent Secretary plans to publish their objectives on gov.uk.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

No decision has been taken on publishing permanent secretary objectives.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 4161 on Government departments: marketing, how much has been spent on branded goods and merchandise by the Department, including Downing Street, since the Government Chief Commercial Officer letter was sent; on what items.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since 24 April 2025, the Cabinet Office has spent a total of £4,584.12 (excluding VAT) on branded goods and merchandise. No expenditure was incurred by 10 Downing Street.

1. Government People Group, Pull Up Banners for Future Leaders Scheme. £596.14.
2. Government Commercial Function, Panel Table Cover and lectern for GCF Conference. £752.00.
3. Civil Service Strategy Unit, Pull Up Banners for One Big Thing 2025. £432.64.
4. Civil Service Strategy Unit, Profession stickers divided into 11 professions to be given to visitors to the CSSU market stall in 6 Civil Service Live events as a collaboration and networking tool. £773.68.
5. Cabinet Office, Commemorative coins for attendees of a multinational event. £466.44.
6. Government People Group, Branded t-shirts for Pride events across the UK. £540.74.
7. Government Commercial Function, Glass Recognition trophies required for Rising Star Awards at the GCF Regional Conferences, arranged throughout October 2025 across three regions (North, Northern Ireland, South and Wales). £62.48
8. Government People Group, 174 Civil Service LGBT+ Network branded t-shirts. £905.83.

   
   

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 29 May 2026 to Question 2052 on Sanctions, whether any of the general licences granted by OFSI allow for the ancillary provision of public relations and public affairs.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions (OFSI) general licences authorise certain categories of payments and financial services that would otherwise be prohibited under UK financial sanctions regulations. OFSI does not provide exemptions from wider trade sanctions or other regulatory restrictions, but it may fall within the remit of other parts of Government.

Whether a particular service may be provided under a general licence depends on the scope and conditions of that licence. Regarding public relations and public affairs, the Government has made clear that there is a presumption that applications for specific licences for legal fees relating to defamation and similar cases will be rejected and OFSI’s Russian and Belarusian Legal Services General Licence does not authorise legal fees for such cases. Further information is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 30 March 2023.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the UK Asset Resolution Annual Report and Accounts 2025-2026, published 19 August 2026, what proportion of the assets in each of the (a) NRAM and (b) B&B funded defined benefit pension schemes are held in UK equities.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The NRAM and B&B pension schemes are managed independently from government by Trustees responsible for the schemes’ investment strategy. The schemes’ investments are concentrated in UK-based bonds, with no current equity holdings, reflecting their status as defined benefit schemes closed to new members.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HM Treasury closed consultation, Future regulatory regime for benchmarks and benchmark administrators, December 2025, and with reference to the answer of 12 January 2026, to Question 102334, on Defence: Climate Change, if he will make it his policy to repeal Article 12(1)(a) of assimilated Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1818 excluding companies involved in activities related to ‘controversial weapons’.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out in response to PQ UIN 102334 on 12 January 2026, the UK Benchmarks Regulation sets out regulatory regime for benchmarks. It includes requirements for labels such as UK Climate Transition Benchmarks and UK Paris-aligned Benchmarks.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) monitors and supervises benchmark administrators according to the Benchmarks Regulation. The FCA published a statement regarding their position on sustainability regulations and UK defence investment on 11 March 2025.

The Treasury launched a consultation on the future regulatory regime for benchmarks and benchmark administrators on 17 December 2025. This consultation sought views on proposals to reform the UK’s existing benchmarks regime, including the Climate Transition Benchmark and Paris-Aligned Benchmark labels. The Government will publish its response to the consultation in due course.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK sanctions against Roman Abramovich allow for expenditure on (a) public relations and (b) public affairs firms, under the term of the OFSI consents and licences.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) can only issue licences where specific licensing grounds exist within the relevant sanctions regime and where the conditions of those grounds have been met.

Licensing of professional services of this kind may be permissible under one of a number of licensing purposes. Depending on the facts of any particular application this could be: basic needs, extraordinary expenses, prior obligations, or the routine holding and maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources. It would be for the applicant to demonstrate that the criteria of any licensing purpose were met in their particular circumstances.

It should also be noted that since 10 October 2024, the Office for Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) has been responsible for trade sanctions licensing of standalone services prohibited under the UK's trade sanctions, including professional and business services under the Russia sanctions regime covering areas such as: accounting, auditing, engineering, management consulting, and public relations, as well as energy-related, infrastructure, interception, and shipping services across a range of other sanctions regimes.

It is not possible for OFSI to give a breakdown into granular service categories of previously issued licences. Information on the number of licences issued by financial year is available in OFSI’s Annual Review documents, which are published here: OFSI Annual Reviews - GOV.UK

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister was advised of the letter sent by Lord Glasman to Morgan McSweeney and Paul Ovenden on the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 4 March 2026 to Question 111932 on Lord Mandelson, what discussions (a) Morgan McSweeney and (b) Paul Ovenden had via email on that matter.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2026, to Question 10076, on Cabinet Office: Public Relations, whether there has been any expenditure on external public relations or external public affairs since July 2024 using existing contracts or frameworks.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Public relations activity is a subset of communication spend. As such, this data is not held in the requested format.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2026, to Question 12159, on Cabinet Office: Marketing, whether the Government Commercial Agency has undertaken any expenditure on branded goods since the Government Chief Commercial Officer letter.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since the Government Chief Commercial Officer’s letter, the Government Commercial Agency (GCA) has incurred expenditure on one item of branded material valued at £261.56.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it is policy to publish figures for the cost of each official reception held in 10 Downing Street since July 2024.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (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 2025-26 Departmental annual reports and accounts will include data on trade union facility time spending.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is no requirement to report trade union facility time spending in the 2025-26 annual report and account so this information will not be included when it is published.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2026, to Question 11721, on DFT: Departmental Responsibilities, what requirements departments have to produce internal Strategic Plans and what content should be included within them.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments are required to produce Strategic Plans under the reforms to the spending control and accountability framework set out at Budget 2025. Central guidance for strategic plans asks departments to set out their outcomes, metrics, risks and strategies for delivering their outcomes using their agreed resources, but grants departments discretion to adapt the approach to their needs - this is essential to ensuring plans are tailored and useful to individual departments rather than serving as a prescriptive paper exercise.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the percentage of desks provided for Cabinet Office staff as a proportion of the number of assigned staff in London.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The current provision of desks across the Cabinet Office’s London estate represents a 70% proportion of the number of Cabinet Office staff based in London.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make his policy to review the business appointment provisions of the Gambling Commission as part of the response to the Ethics and Integrity Committee’s July 2026 submission to the Government on business appointment rules.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Ethics and Integrity Commission’s review makes no recommendations or findings specific to the business appointment provisions of the Gambling Commission.

As set out in the terms of reference, the Government will consider the report’s findings and present the Government’s response to Parliament in due course thereafter.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2026 to Question 7429 on Cabinet Office: Audit, what the nature of the serious breach relating to the Central Digital and Data Office was; and what the job title of the position was.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A serious breach of the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles was recorded in relation to the Central Digital and Data Office due to a procedural error in the sequencing of the recruitment process.

Further details, including the job title, cannot be provided as disclosing this information would risk identifying the individual concerned, in accordance with data protection obligations to protect personal data.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Government Property Agency annual report and accounts 2025-26, HC489, of 13 July 2026, where will the civil servants allocated to the Manchester Digital Campus be housed prior to the estimated completion in 2032.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Prior to the anticipated completion of the Manchester Digital Campus in 2032, civil servants allocated to the campus will continue to be accommodated within the existing government estate in Manchester and the wider region. The Government Property Agency is working closely with affected departments to ensure that any interim arrangements bear no additional commercial lease costs to the taxpayer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review (a) his Department's and (b) the Prime Minister’s Office's compliance with the Cabinet Office Guidance for the management of Private Office information and records, published in December 2023.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Records management policy compliance is reviewed on a quarterly basis.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has been made by the (a) Civil Service People Group and (b) Cabinet Office of whether the normal processes were followed when Oliver Robbins was dismissed as Permanent Secretary.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the foreign influence registration scheme captures foreign funding donated to UK sources seeking to influence the actions of local councils, including divestment policies in (a) Local Government Pension Schemes and (b) Trident.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) is designed to increase transparency around foreign power-directed activities in the UK. The provision of foreign funding alone does not require registration under either tier of FIRS. Only where an individual or organisation is provided funding by a foreign power and is directed to use that funding to carry out political influence activities, or a wider set of activities for Russia or Iran, may that individual or organisation be required to register.

Political influence activities that have been directed by a foreign power and seek to influence Ministerial and non-ministerial departments, as set out in paragraph 37 of the political influence tier guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-influence-registration-scheme-political-influence-tier), could be in scope of the scheme. This list does not include local councils.

However, activities targeted at local councils may be in scope of FIRS, where directed by Russia or Iran. It would not be appropriate to speculate further on individual scenarios.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister is responsible for the efficiency of the UK Statistics Authority.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 16th July is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Information Commissioner Decision Notice, 7 October 2025, Ref: IC-363007-Q0B5, what was the final total cost of the event in 10 Downing Street.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (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 a peer can be removed from the Roll of the Peerage if they do not (a) volunteer and (b) consent for their removal.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The June 2004 Royal Warrant provided for the creation and maintenance of the Roll of the Peerage. Under the terms of the Warrant, any person entered on the Roll may apply to be removed from it.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury civil servants who are assigned to London but permanently move to No10 North will (a) lose their London weighting allowance in absolute terms, (b) be compensated for the loss of the London weighting through an increase in base salary or by promotion; and whether they will be paid a relocation allowance.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

HM Treasury civil servants who permanently transfer to a role in No.10 North would be subject to the employment terms and pay policies of the Cabinet Office as the receiving department. The Cabinet Office would determine any location allowance payable in accordance with its pay policies, and in line with wider Civil Service guidance. Relocation would not result in an automatic increase in base salary, compensation for any change in location allowance, or promotion.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2027 to Question HL368 on Civil Servants: Remote Working, what (a) physical and (b) electronic means does (i) HMRC and (ii) HM Treasury use to monitor that civil servants are in the office on a particular day; and what steps are taken to avoid practices which may (A) disguise and (B) mislead such monitoring.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

In HM Treasury, office attendance is monitored using electronic building access records generated when employees use their individually assigned security passes to access Treasury buildings. These passes are issued for security and access-control purposes. Employees are required to use their own pass when entering and leaving departmental premises and are not permitted to tailgate or otherwise bypass access controls. They are required to show their pass and to use a two-factor authentication pass system to enter the building. These measures help maintain the integrity of attendance monitoring and reduce the risk of attendance records being inaccurate or misleading

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the written statement of 30 June 2026, HCWS165, on Defence funding update, what reductions in programme spending will be made to (a) deliver further savings and (b) reduce departmental capital budgets by one per cent.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The savings are a small part of DESNZ's overall budget, which saw a significant uplift at Spending Review.

More details will be shared in due course

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in No10 North also have desks, whether allocated or unallocated, in HM Treasury's office at 1 Horseguards Road.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

HM Treasury has made no changes to its workspace as a result of any staff movement to No10 North. There are 5 people on loan to No10 North that are based in 1 Horse Guards Road who still have access to the office.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether HM Treasury Civil Service Fast Stream staff are being required to work in (a) Darlington, (b) Glasgow or (c) Manchester, as part of their tenure in the Fast Stream.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

HM Treasury Civil Service Fast Stream staff may be based in the Darlington office as part of their Fast Stream tenure. They are not required to work in Glasgow or Manchester as part of their tenure in the Fast Stream.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 124528 on Students: Loans, how that cost will be financed; and from which budget.

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

The costs of the interest rate cap will be set out at Budget on 28 October 2026 in the usual way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has a target to reduce (a) meat and (b) dairy consumption.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is supporting access to nutritious food and healthier diets through our Good Food Cycle, while respecting individual dietary choices.

The NHS Eatwell Guide includes dietary recommendations for a healthy diet. This recognises that plant-based and animal-based products can form part of a healthy, balanced diet. Adherence to the guide has been shown to improve both health and environmental outcomes.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will review governance arrangements for the (a) UK Statistics Authority and (b) Office for Statistical Regulation to make them more accountable to Parliament.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

As per the Statistics and Registration Services Act 2007 the UK Statistics Authority (which includes the Office for Statistics Regulation) is directly accountable to the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) plays a formal role in overseeing the UKSA on behalf of Parliament, and is currently conducting a review into the Authority. The Committee meets with the UKSA leadership regularly. The Authority also presents its Annual report and Accounts to Parliament, most recently doing so on 9 July.

The relationship between UKSA and Parliament is codified in 2.2. of the 2020 Memorandum of Understanding between UKSA and Cabinet Office. This document is currently being revised and will be published, as a Framework Document, later this year. PACAC have reviewed the draft 2026 UKSA Framework Document.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what is the annual cost of payments to (a) Horizon Europe and (b) Copernicus; and what assessment has been made of the potential impact of the EU’s proposed Multiannual Financial Framework on the cost of UK contributions.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK contributes around £2 billion per year to Horizon Europe, providing UK businesses and researchers with access to curiosity driven research funding, world-class collaborations, and opportunities to grow and scale up their innovations. The UK's association agreement includes a mechanism under which the UK would be compensated if UK researchers and innovators receive significantly less funding from the programme than the UK contributes.

The UK's current annual contribution to participate in Copernicus is approximately £130 million per annum, which is tied to annual Gross Domestic Product metrics. This contribution provides UK users with access to Copernicus Earth observation data and services and enables UK organisations to compete for industrial contracts to develop and operate the system and create value-added products and services.

The Government is monitoring discussions on the European Commission's preparations for the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework for the period from 2028. It is not yet possible to provide a definitive estimate of any impact on future UK contributions.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether National Wealth Fund staff in Leeds are permitted to commute from London; and how many days a week the staff must be in the office in Leeds.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The National Wealth Fund has offices in Leeds, London, Belfast, Cardiff and Edinburgh. Employees are expected to attend their contractual work location for 60% of their working time.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2026 to Question 4240 on Erasmus+ Programme, whether a UK beneficiary is a British citizen receiving education or training under the programme.

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

The Erasmus+ Programme Guide, which can be accessed here: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-programme-guide) defines a beneficiary as ‘a natural person or an entity with or without legal personality with whom a grant agreement has been signed’. In practice, beneficiaries are usually organisations, such as schools, colleges, universities, training providers or youth organisations, that apply for Erasmus+ funding and sign grant agreements.

Participants are the eligible individuals who take part in Erasmus+ activities through beneficiary organisations, including those who are enrolled at, work for, volunteer with, or are otherwise involved with those organisations. The department estimates that around 100,000 participants from UK beneficiary organisations will benefit from Erasmus+ mobility and partnership opportunities from participation in 2027.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2026, to Question 11487, on Erasmus+ programme, whether the £810 million non-discounted cost will be the default payment in second year of affiliation.

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

Any participation in Erasmus+ into the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) will need to be agreed in the future and be based on a fair and balanced contribution. The EU has not yet agreed the overall budget for the 2028-34 MFF, nor the budget for the next Erasmus+ programme.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been given to local authorities by HM Government on (a) civil or (b) criminal penalties for urination in a public place in (i) England and (ii) London, including through (1) Public Space Protection Orders and (2) council bye-laws.

Answered by Jim McMahon - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local authorities are responsible for determining if there is a need to make a byelaw and the relevant powers for doing so. The government’s published guidance on byelaws is available on GOV.UK. Local authorities seeking to make a byelaw on public urination may refer to model byelaw set 8, which includes a clause on urinating in public.

The Home Office provides statutory guidance to support the effective use of Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPO). Through the Crime and Policing Act, the Government has increased the maximum Fixed Penalty Notice for breach of a PSPO from £100 to £500. The statutory guidance will be updated to reflect this change and to help ensure the power is used proportionately in line with local circumstances.

Question

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, what the most recent statistics are for the (a) daily average number of NAO employees attending the workplace in each of its offices and (b) absolute number of NAO employees assigned to each of those offices.

Answered by Clive Efford

The National Audit Office (NAO) does not report the daily average number of employees attending the workplace but does report data on compliance with the requirement that all staff routinely spend a minimum of two days a week working in either NAO offices or those of a body audited by the NAO. In the months from April to June 2026, compliance with the policy ranged from 75% to 83% of NAO employees (the range was between 74% and 83% for employees based in the NAO’s London office; and between 81% and 87% for employees based in its Newcastle office). As of 1 September 2026, the NAO has 974 NAO employees based in its London office and 195 based in its Newcastle office.

Question

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, with reference to the National Audit Office contract, Executive Coaching 2026/27, for £24,000, published 6 August 2026, what the business case was for the expenditure on executive coaching; and which executives are being coached.

Answered by Clive Efford

The National Audit Office (NAO) provides coaching to senior leaders to support effective leadership and organisational performance. Most coaching is delivered through internal provision. This contract is in place to provide additional specialist support should it be required. The contract runs from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027 and has a maximum value of £24,000. This represents the upper limit of potential expenditure, not expected spending. The NAO does not currently have any staff receiving coaching under this contract.

Question

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2026 to Question 4161 on Government departments: marketing, how much has been spent on branded goods and merchandise by the National Audit Office since the Government Chief Commercial Officer letter was sent; on what items; and at what cost.

Answered by Clive Efford

The National Audit Office (NAO) is independent of government and was not a recipient of the letter from the Government Chief Commercial Officer.

However, between 24 April 2025 and 31 August 2026, the NAO spent £3,555 (including VAT) on branded goods and merchandise such as pens, tote bags and notepads to be used over a full year. Branded merchandise is used on conference stands at a range of outreach events.

Question

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, what proportion of the working week National Audit Office staff are expected to attend their assigned workplace in person; and whether different policies apply to different types of workers.

Answered by Clive Efford

The National Audit Office (NAO)’s workplace attendance requirement is for all staff to routinely spend a minimum of two days a week working in either NAO offices or those of a body audited by the NAO. The NAO does not differentiate by different types of workers.

Question

To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission, how many headcount staff in the National Audit Office are (a) members of the Government Communication Network and (b) embedded communicators but not counted as members of that network.

Answered by Clive Efford

As an independent public body, the National Audit Office (NAO) is not part of the Government Communications profession. The NAO currently has a permanent headcount of 15 communications professionals working on external and internal communications.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2026 to Question 15242 on Universities: Admissions, if she will publish the Office for Students guidance on the use of TUNDRA.

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

The department does not issue guidance to higher education providers on the use of tracking underrepresentation by area (TUNDRA) in admissions decisions. Universities are autonomous institutions and are responsible for their own admissions policies and decisions. The Office for Students (OfS) already publishes information and guidance on area-based measures of higher education participation, including participation of local areas (POLAR) and TUNDRA, available at: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/young-participation-by-area/about-tundra/, https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/mesjucep/regulatory-advice-6-how-to-prepare-an-access-and-participation-plan-may-2025.pdf

The OfS recommends the use of TUNDRA where an area-based measure of young participation is needed, as it provides more precise targeting and improved consistency with other participation measures, although POLAR may still provide additional insights in some circumstances. Higher education providers remain responsible for determining whether and how such measures are used in admissions processes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether HMRC's new international student levy will be charged on (a) EU students and (b) Erasmus+ students studying in the UK.

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

The international student levy, payable by English higher education (HE) providers, will be introduced from the 2028/29 academic year to raise revenue to be reinvested into the HE and skills system, including the reintroduction of maintenance grants. The government has already announced that transnational education delivered outside of the UK will be out of scope of the levy. As part of the ongoing policy development, the department is considering the merits of exempting any additional groups of international students and will update on this in due course.

The UK has committed to participate in Erasmus+ in the 2027/28 academic year. This is the year prior to the levy coming in, meaning providers will not be required to pay the levy for Erasmus+ students in 2027/28. Any continued UK participation in Erasmus+ thereafter will need to be agreed under the next Multiannual Financial Framework and interactions with the levy would be clarified as part of this.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many of the cars in the Government Car Service for (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials are electric cars.

Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government Car Service (GCS) currently operates 44 electric vehicles. As vehicles are provided to departments as a shared resource, the number used by Ministers and senior officials is not recorded separately.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has been made of the potential merits of insourcing the Capita Civil Service pension contract.

Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Cabinet Office awarded Capita the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme in November 2023 under the previous government. The current delays facing scheme members are entirely unacceptable, and the government has taken firm action to resolve them through a clear recovery plan with strict delivery milestones. We have deployed additional resources to expedite priority cases, ensuring that serving and former staff receive the high standard of service they deserve. Regular progress updates remain available to members via the pension portal and GOV.UK.

While Capita committed to a complete return to standard contractual service levels by the end of June 2026, they have failed to meet this critical milestone. The Government is taking robust action to hold Capita to account. This includes withholding £9.9 million in contract payments for undelivered milestones, alongside confirmation that the Government surge team costs will be recovered directly from Capita. To enforce strict compliance, independent auditors are being deployed to conduct a technical systems review, and an on-the-ground Remedial Adviser has been appointed at Capita’s expense. Further commercial, legal, and operational options remain on the table during the consideration of long-term structural delivery options.

We are evaluating the options for the long-term delivery of the scheme, including options to bring scheme administration back in-house in line with our manifesto commitment to oversee the biggest wave of insourcing of public services in a generation.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26, HC521, of 16 July 2026, page 46, how many FCDO staff were dismissed in 2025-26 following SEAH complaints.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) continues to take safeguarding concerns extremely seriously, and where allegations are upheld, take robust disciplinary action.

In the financial year 2025-2026, 12 FCDO staff were dismissed for Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (SEAH) misconduct.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2026, to Question 16924, on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Official Hospitality, what was the cost of the event to the public purse.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's summer reception is one of the key moments of the year for engagement with UK-based heads of mission and has been supported by successive governments for several decades. The total cost of the event was £45,357.26.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2026, to Question 8062, on Diplomatic Service: Equality, if he will provide a breakdown of the costs for the Diplomats for Equality event in January 2025 at a total cost of £2,036; and whether there were presentations or handouts at the event.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The expenditure for the Diplomats for Equality event held in January 2025 related to the hosting and catering fees entailed in holding the event at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's King Charles Street headquarters. There were no printed handouts distributed to attendees.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Jonathan Powell had Developed Vetting security clearance whilst he was Special Envoy on Chagos; and whether his security vetting was awarded before he was appointed.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 3 March in response to Question 115118.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 101383 on Government Actuary’s Department: Freedom of Information, what is the basis by the Government Actuary's department for the GDP deflator rate being assumed to be 2.3% from year 5 to year 99 of the Chagos agreement; and what assessment has been made of whether it reflects the market assumptions for inflation over that period reflected in gift yields.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The inflation rate applied to the calculation at the time of signature was the forecast GDP Deflator from the March 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook Report by the Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR); the discount rate applied was the Social Time Preference Rate (STPR) in the Green Book. OBR confirmed independently that these are reasonable rates to apply.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the NISTA Annual Report 2025–26 dashboard, what the timetable is for publishing the evaluation for the project entitled TOKYO NEW BUILD, REMODELLING AND REFURBISHMENT on the Government Evaluation Registry.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The British Embassy Tokyo Compound Redevelopment Project has been entered onto the Evaluation Registry. Its status is pending review prior to being published. This action will be completed as a priority.

The publication of the final results is scheduled for June 2032.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26, HC521, of 16 July 2026, page 236, what programmes are funded from EU Attribution in 2025-26.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The £161.9 million EU Attribution figure represents the United Kingdom's share of development-related expenditure attributable to the UK in respect of outstanding commitments under the Withdrawal Agreement, including commitments under the 2014-2020 EU Multiannual Financial Framework and the European Development Fund. The expenditure covers a range of EU development programmes financed through those instruments. Further information is published by the European Commission and, in the case of the European Development Fund, on the Government's Development Tracker.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26, HC521, of 16 July 2026, page 247, whether the UK Government provided Overseas Development Assistance to India in 2025-26, and why there is a negative figure for 2024.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK Government spent Official Development Assistance (ODA) in India in 2025-26 and this data will be published in due course. While the UK has phased out traditional bilateral aid programmes in India, India remains ODA-eligible. Our funding in India is focused on tackling climate change and is primarily delivered through investments in a modernised partnership with the Indian government. Our approach helps build markets and mobilise private capital, creating opportunities for firms and workers in both countries.

UK ODA spending is reported on a calendar year basis. In 2024, the UK's ODA spend on India-related programmes was negative, as we received more from previous investments than we invested that year. This is because our funding is primarily through co-investments with the Government of India, not traditional aid grants.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will place in the Library a copy of the memorandum of understanding and any other non-binding instruments that have been agreed with Mauritius since July 2024.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answers provided in response to Questions 2053 and 5964.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 6 July 2026 to Question 15574 on Insolvency: Data Protection, whether the Insolvency Service has requested that the relevant records of Global Counsel are retained.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Global Counsel Ltd entered Administration on 20 February 2026. William Wright and Stephen Absolom of Interpath Ltd were appointed as the Joint Administrators. It is the Joint Administrators responsibility to secure and retain the company’s accounting records.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, further to the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26, HC521, of 16 July 2026, page 247, for what reason her Department provides Overseas Development Assistance to the People’s Republic of China; and what programmes were funded in 2025-26.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK stopped direct government-to-government aid to China in 2011. No Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding is provided to the Chinese authorities. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office aid allocation in China funds initiatives to defend human rights and advance open societies in China. Given the sensitivity of this work, the Government does not provide detailed public information on individual projects. We report our ODA spending in the Statistics on International Development publication. Final 2025 ODA figures will be published in autumn 2026.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the answer of 10 April 2026 to Question 119945 on Syria: Inter Mediate, whether Inter Mediate (a) currently works for any foreign governments that receive funding from the UK Government, (b) currently works in a joint manner between the UK Government and the foreign government and (c) is in any register of competing interests held by the UK Government.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

For over ten years, Inter Mediate and the UK Government have successfully partnered to advance peace efforts around the globe. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) supports a range of civil society and non-governmental organisations through its mediation and conflict resolution programme. Given the sensitive and discreet nature of these efforts, we do not disclose details of the projects supported. This ensures that neither the safety of partners, nor the integrity of ongoing peace efforts are compromised. This is in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the FCDO's approach to aid transparency, whereby information is excluded from publication where sharing could pose risks to international relations, compromise the security and safety of partners, prejudice national security, or reveal personal data that could infringe on privacy or breach confidentiality.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2026 to Question 15239 on wind power, whether there are any UK wind farms which are (a) indirectly owned by Chinese bodies through subsidiary companies and (b) directly owned by Chinese bodies.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The vast majority of UK wind farms have no direct ownership from China.

We work very closely with industry and across government to maintain a detailed picture of foreign involvement in energy infrastructure.

We continue to take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, and challenge where we must.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to HMRC's external research programme 2026 to 2027, updated July 2026 and published August 2026, reference 2627CCG01, the Tobacco Tax Gap: Improving Tax Gap Statistics Through Wastewater Analysis, how will nicotine consumption from vaping will be measured in the study, and whether it will be differentiated from cigarette use.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

HMRC's proposed research will use wastewater analysis to improve understanding of tobacco consumption and support the development of tobacco tax gap estimates. The methodology will distinguish between tobacco and nicotine consumption by analysing different chemical metabolites present in wastewater samples.

Specifically, tobacco consumption will be measured using the metabolites anabasine and anatabine, while nicotine consumption will be measured using cotinine and its metabolite 3-hydroxycotinine.

The research is designed to measure tobacco consumption and nicotine consumption separately. It is not intended to measure cigarette use or vaping use specifically and therefore does not directly differentiate between those products. The findings will be used to support HMRC's understanding of the tobacco tax gap.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to her Department's policy paper entitled UK–China memorandum of understanding on climate change cooperation, 2025, published on 13 April 2026, what (a) surveys, (b) technical exchanges, (c) symposiums, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions, (e) training and (f) forums have taken place under the memorandum since it was signed.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

Since the UK-China Climate Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in June 2025, DESNZ has engaged counterparts on methane, emissions trading policy, climate risk, carbon market policy, and multilateral climate cooperation, as agreed under the MoU.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2026, to Question 15240, on Public Appointments, what organisation was the Expert Adviser seconded from; whether they are still seconded in the Expert Adviser role from the same organisation; and who paid and pays the cost of the adviser.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Expert Advisor was Seconded from SSE.

They are no longer Seconded into DESNZ.

The Secondee, as is standard, remained on their employer’s payroll, and DESNZ reimbursed SSE for the costs of the Expert Advisors Employment.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2026 to Question 113128 on Public Appointments: Secondment, whether any of the direct ministerial appointments within the remit of the Department are secondments.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department has over 50 direct ministerial appointments which are managed on a delegated basis, through the relevant policy areas. Consequently, the information requested is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Pursuant to the answer of 10 July 2026, to Question 15566, on DESNZ: marketing, how much has been spent in the last 6 months.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not hold the requested information in a form that can be extracted without incurring disproportionate cost. Providing the information would require extensive manual analysis of records and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to pages 157-161 of Volume 2-I of the Government response to the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson, whether her Department holds information on which client Global Counsel was representing when the company lobbied Ministers on a Clean Energy Mission Round table.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

No such information is held. I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2026 to Question 16029 on Darlington Economic Campus: Remote Working, how many staff are assigned to work at the Darlington Economic Campus, how many desks are assigned for those staff, and whether the expected office attendance rate is (a) 60% and (b) a lower figure.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The number of staff assigned to work at the Darlington Economic Campus is approx. 130 (employees and contingent).

DESNZ have access to 76 desks.

The expected office attendance is 40-60%.

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of GB Energy staff live outside Scotland; and how many days a week the staff must be in the office in Scotland.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The Government does not keep records of Great British Energy (GBE) staff home addresses. GBE does not set a fixed number of office days, instead agreeing working arrangements individually and supporting hybrid working where appropriate, though this may not suit all roles or teams. As an operationally independent company, it is for GBE to set its own working policies.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2026 to Question 12704 on Income Tax: Tax Collection, if he will publish the other data types at a high level.

Answered by James Murray - Financial Secretary to the Treasury and Paymaster General

In addition to those referenced in the response to the previous question, other types of data from third-party sources that we use to support our compliance activities include:
• sales or income via online marketplace, intermediary or content creation platforms
• registrations, licenses and approvals
• registers and other data relating to property rental and letting
• income received on behalf of others, including fees and commissions

Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, further to the policy paper, UK–China memorandum of understanding, 2025, published on 27 February 2026, whether an assessment has been made of cyber-security risks from Chinese technology being embedded in energy infrastructure and equipment.

Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We cannot comment on specific assessments into cyber-security risks. The protection and security of the energy sector is an absolute priority of this Government. As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security.

We continue to take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, and challenge where we must.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 29 July 2026 to Question HL2207 on Armed Forces: Clubs, if he will publish the terms of reference of that review; whether he plans to extend that review to all of the Armed Forces; what the timetable is for completion of that review; and whether he will make a statement to Parliament on its conclusion.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The then Deputy Chief of the General Staff directed Corps and Regimental Associations to conduct their own reviews of their affiliations with private members’ clubs, including whether any associated clubs have rules, policies or practices that may not align with Army values of equality and respect.

This was not a centrally coordinated Army review. Rather, Corps and Regimental Associations were asked to consider their own arrangements, reflecting the fact that such affiliations are informal, privately funded and managed at Association level. Where concerns were identified, Associations were requested to consider engaging with the relevant club to advocate for change, or to disassociate where appropriate.

As the reviews were for individual Corps and Regimental Associations to undertake, there are no centrally held terms of reference, no single Army-wide timetable for completion, and no centrally produced final outcome or report to publish. Ministers were not asked to approve a central review, and there is no plan to make a statement to Parliament on this matter.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, further to the answer by Lord Coaker of 29 July 2026, to Question HL2207, on Armed Forces: Clubs, whether the review in private members’ clubs is considering single-sex clubs.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The then Deputy Chief of the General Staff directed Corps and Regimental Associations to conduct their own reviews of their affiliations with private members’ clubs, including whether any associated clubs have rules, policies or practices that may not align with Army values of equality and respect.

This was not a centrally coordinated Army review. Rather, Corps and Regimental Associations were asked to consider their own arrangements, reflecting the fact that such affiliations are informal, privately funded and managed at Association level. Where concerns were identified, Associations were requested to consider engaging with the relevant club to advocate for change, or to disassociate where appropriate.

As the reviews were for individual Corps and Regimental Associations to undertake, there are no centrally held terms of reference, no single Army-wide timetable for completion, and no centrally produced final outcome or report to publish. Ministers were not asked to approve a central review, and there is no plan to make a statement to Parliament on this matter.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 29 July 2026 to Question HL2207 on Armed Forces: Clubs, whether Ministers were consulted on the full review; and when that review commenced.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The then Deputy Chief of the General Staff directed Corps and Regimental Associations to conduct their own reviews of their affiliations with private members’ clubs, including whether any associated clubs have rules, policies or practices that may not align with Army values of equality and respect.

This was not a centrally coordinated Army review. Rather, Corps and Regimental Associations were asked to consider their own arrangements, reflecting the fact that such affiliations are informal, privately funded and managed at Association level. Where concerns were identified, Associations were requested to consider engaging with the relevant club to advocate for change, or to disassociate where appropriate.

As the reviews were for individual Corps and Regimental Associations to undertake, there are no centrally held terms of reference, no single Army-wide timetable for completion, and no centrally produced final outcome or report to publish. Ministers were not asked to approve a central review, and there is no plan to make a statement to Parliament on this matter.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the answer of 5 February 2026 to Question HL13843 on Business: Regulation, what the evidential basis and methodology is for the £22.4bn a year baseline on the cost of regulation; whether this is broken down by (a) sector and (b) department; and what the definition used was of an administrative burden.

Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade) (Jointly with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

We estimated the annual administrative burden baseline using a pragmatic, top-down approach, with data sources including the 2005-10 administrative burden reduction programme and the Business Perceptions Survey: see detail in the published 'Technical Annex – 25% Target (Annex A). It is an economy-wide measure, not disaggregated by sector or department. Definitionally, we estimate the direct administrative burden of regulation to include administrative activities covered by the Standard Cost Model, such as time businesses spend filling in regulatory forms. For further detail on individual measures, see Admin Burden Reduction Technical annex to the July 2026 progress report.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 9609 on Intellectual Property: EU countries, whether HM Government is seeking to dynamically align with the EU in this field; and on which policy areas are discussions taking place.

Answered by Chris McDonald - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Continued close collaboration with the European Union on intellectual property policy remains a priority for the government to help support wider economic growth across the whole of the UK.

The Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade and the Intellectual Property Office continues to engage with the European Union across intellectual property policy areas within their remit which includes copyright, patents, trade marks, designs and the enforcement of intellectual property rights.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 June 2026 to Question 7165 on Prime Minister: Official Gifts, how many auctions have taken place since July 2024 to dispose of gifts.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to UIN 124831.

The Government does not disclose the details of auctions that may take place.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2026 to Question 12715 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Buildings, if she will publish the Government Property Agency Plan for London strategy documentation; and which departments and agencies have agreed to move to 2 Marsham Street.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Plan for London strategy is delivered through a series of non-GMPP (Government Major Projects Portfolio) projects to close leasehold buildings and oversee associated moves, which are managed in conjunction with the impacted departments, agencies and OGP (Office for Government Property in Cabinet Office). Due to commercial-sensitivity in these projects, we will not be publishing the details in full.

Following the future relocation of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to the Government Offices Great George Street, the vacated space at 2 Marsham Street will be occupied by organisations associated with the exit from 102 Petty France, reducing Government's central London office footprint and running costs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether her Department has issued guidance on GDPR and the publication of the political activity of Direct Ministerial Appointments.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has not issued specific guidance on how the requirements under GDPR affect Direct Ministerial Appointments. The application of GDPR to data they control is an individual departmental responsibility, and each department has their own Data Protection Officer to advise on the appropriate policy interpretation of their statutory responsibilities. The responsibility for the publication of information on Direct Ministerial Appointments also rests with individual sponsor departments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the planned timetable for publishing an updated (a) List of Ministerial Interests and (b) List of Ministerial Responsibilities.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

An updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities is still in production following the formation of government.

As set out in the Ministerial Code, a statement covering relevant ministers’ interests is published on a quarterly basis. The next List of Ministers’ Interests is due to be published in the Autumn.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers are asked to declare any (a) spent or (b) unspent criminal conventions before or when they are appointed.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.

Any conversations held take place in confidence. All ministers are expected to adhere to the high standards of conduct set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her planned timetable is for issuing an updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

An updated List of Ministerial Responsibilities is still in production following the formation of government.

As set out in the Ministerial Code, a statement covering relevant ministers’ interests is published on a quarterly basis. The next List of Ministers’ Interests is due to be published in the Autumn.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Direct Ministerial Appointments are required to make a declaration of political activity.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies, which Direct Ministerial Appointments are required by their conditions of engagement to follow, requires appointees to comply with the rules of the appointing body on handling conflicts of interests, which typically require the public declaration of potential conflicts, usually in the body’s register of interests. This would include political activity, in line with the general guidance on the declaration of interests process for Non-Executive Board Members which is published on Gov.uk, with the intention of standardising the management and publication of such interests across UK Government departments in order to increase consistency and transparency, as recommended by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report, Cabinet Office, Second Headquarters: Year in Review 2025, published 9 January 2026, how many Cabinet Office special advisers are permanently assigned to the Second Headquarters in Glasgow.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Special advisers are generally contracted to their department's headquarters, however often work at locations across the United Kingdom.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason the Motor Mileage Allowance that can be claimed by members of the Armed Forces for travel in a personal car does not include the higher rate of £0.55 per mile for the first 10,000 miles travelled in a business year, in line with the HMRC mileage rate.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

The Approved Mileage Allowance Payment rate is the amount that an employer can reimburse tax-free when an employee uses a private vehicle for business mileage. From 6 April 2026, the rate for cars and vans increased to 55 pence per mile for the first 10,000 business miles. However, this is an advisory rate, and employers may reimburse more or less.

The Ministry of Defence sets its Motor Mileage Allowance rates separately, taking account of the costs associated with authorised duty travel and the need to secure value for money for the taxpayer. Publicly funded transport, including green or white fleet vehicles, is provided where appropriate for authorised duty journeys away from a Service person’s permanent duty station, and Service personnel are not compelled to use their private vehicle for such journeys.

Where an individual receives less than the approved HMRC rate for qualifying business mileage, they may claim Mileage Allowance Relief from HMRC on the difference, subject to HMRC rules. Motor Mileage Allowance rates are kept under constant review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Deposited Paper reference DEP2025-0822, committed on 3 December 2025, on the declaration of criminal convictions, whether new Ministers in this Administration have been asked if they have a previous criminal record, (a) inside or (b) outside the declaration of interests regime.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.

Any conversations held take place in confidence. All ministers are expected to adhere to the high standards of conduct set out in the Ministerial Code.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Direct Ministerial Appointments appointees who leave Government will have their entry on the Direct Ministerial Appointment portal (a) deleted, (b) archived or (c) amended to state that they have left Government service.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer to the answer given to PQ 116770.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Non-Executive Directors have left Government since the recent change in Prime Minister according to records held by the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

According to data recorded by sponsor departments on the public appointments digital system, four regulated public appointments came to the end of their terms of service between 20 July and the date of this response.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether special advisers within departments are allowed to hold responsibility for the recruitment of other special advisers within that department.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As per the Special Adviser Code of Conduct, Special Advisers are able to exercise power in relation to the management of other special advisers, including on recruitment.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the First Civil Service Commissioner's letter to Heads of Department of 22 July 2026, whether special advisers may (a) review Civil Service recruitment papers, (b) advise Ministers on the suitability of candidates, (c) discuss candidates with Ministers, (d) comment on job descriptions and person specifications and (e) attend recruitment meetings as observers.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As set out in paragraph 58 of the Civil Service Recruitment Principles, published by the Civil Service Commission: "Under the 2010 Act, Special Advisers may not exercise any power in relation to the management of any part of the Civil Service. They may therefore not be involved in the recruitment of civil servants".

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who is the current General Counsel to the Prime Minister.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The position of General Counsel remains unchanged from the previous administration.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 5 February 2026 to Question HL13977, on Summer Internship Programme, whether any applicants to the 2026 summer internship scheme have been (a) rejected and (b) disciplined for misrepresenting their working class status.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

No interns have been disciplined or rejected for misrepresenting themselves in the application process.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he intends to reintroduce the Chagos Islands Treaty legislation before Parliament.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

Diego Garcia is a key strategic military asset for both the UK and the US, which has protected our shared security for nearly 60 years. Maintaining long-term operational control and security of Diego Garcia is the entire basis for the UK-Mauritius Agreement. We will continue to work with the US and Mauritius to find a way forward that is in the UK's best interests and protects our national security.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the answer of 11 March 2026, to Question 110793, on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Flexible Working, how many and what proportion of full-time staff on full pay (1.0 FTE) in the department work compressed hours over a four day week.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

1,283 full-time employees are recorded as working one-week compressed hour schedules, representing 2.6 per cent of all full-time employees.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Information Rights User Group has met since April 2024.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Information Rights User Group, which was established as part of the Fifth National Action Plan for Open Government, has not met since April 2024.

In March 2026 the Cabinet Office called for evidence for The Seventh National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP7). Cabinet Office received a range of ideas on the theme of ‘access to information and digital governance’ and it was assessed that further discussion was needed on the potential for developing any commitments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Downing Street has had meetings with (a) Hugh Grant and (b) Hacked Off since July 2026.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of meetings with external organisations are published routinely on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has met John Bercow since he took up office.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of meetings with external organisations are published routinely on gov.uk.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the names of the organisations that have (a) had departmental Civil Servants seconded to them since July 2024, and (b) seconded organisational staff to the department, excluding secondments involving the UK Armed Forces.

Answered by Calvin Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans and People)

Since 1 July 2024, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) has seconded civilian staff to the following three organisations:

· Unite the Union

· The Manufacturing Technology Centre Limited

· Land Accident Investigation Bureau, Australian Defence Force

The MOD has received civilian secondees from the following 30 organisations since 1 July 2024:

· ASA

· Astroscale

· AUKUS

· Australian Submarine Agency

· AWE

· BAE Systems

· Canterbury Christchurch University

· Civica

· DCMH Woolwich

· Doctorate in Clinical Psychology(CP) Programme,KCL

· DXC

· Energus

· Energy, Safety and Risk Consultants (UK) Ltd

· Frazer Nash Consultancy

· Greater London Authority

· Leonardo

· MBDA UK Ltd

· NHS

· Nova Systems

· Nuclear Powered Submarine Regulatory Design Team (Australian Government Org)

· PA Consulting

· QINETIQ

· Rolls-Royce

· Spectra Group (UK) Limited

· Tees Esk & Weir Valley NHS Trust (TEWV)

· Telespazio

· Thales

· University Of Bangor

· University of Bath

· University of Liverpool

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to her Department's document entitled PPN 026: The social value model, published on 5 August 2026, and with reference to the Government’s Make Work Pay guidance collection, what types of action could be counted and scored under the policy goal of access to trade union representation; and whether this includes employers increasing the level of trade union facility time.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office will publish detailed guidance on the application of social value criteria in central government procurement in the autumn.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any of the Going Forward into Employment programmes which recruit Civil Servants require the recruits to be from a working class socio-economic background to be eligible.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) provides support for individuals who face barriers into employment, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

GFiE recruiting pathways with eligibility criteria that directly support candidates from lower socio-economic backgrounds include:

• DCMS Learn & Grow Pathway

• DWP Social Mobility Apprenticeship

• Crown Prosecution Service Diversifying CPS Careers

• MHCLG Masterclass Pathway

• Home Office Pathway to Employment

There are also GFiE recruiting pathways that may include people from lower socio-economic backgrounds, but have wider eligibility criteria, for example pathways supporting care leavers, people with convictions, veterans and others. All pathways and eligibility can be viewed at https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/about-gfie/.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Cabinet Office press release, AI to power change at the heart of government as Lord Vallance appointed chair of new PM AI Taskforce, of 24 July 2026, what are the differences in responsibilities and accountability structures between (a) Lord Vallance as Chair of the AI taskforce and (b) the Hon Member for Vale of Glamorgan leading the Taskforce.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Technology)

AI Minister Kanishka Narayan will lead the AI Taskforce and attend Cabinet. Lord Vallance, as Chair, will bring together expertise from across government and industry, and report directly to the Prime Minister.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the British Council has a definition of a woman for initiatives supporting women under Erasmus+.

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

I refer the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire to the answer of 1 July 2026 to Question 9013.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has discussed the building of a new Chinese Embassy in London with the Chinese Government by HM Government since July 2024.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The planning decision on the proposed Chinese Embassy at Royal Mint Court was taken independently by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Steve Reed. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials speak regularly with the Chinese officials about a range of issues.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Chinese Government has provided the necessary approvals and consents for the redevelopment of the British Embassy in China.

Answered by Chris Elmore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We have submitted our planning application for the new embassy and as with any project, this would be subject to due consideration by Chinese authorities.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will list the equivalent annual renumeration of Jonathan Powell when he was a direct ministerial appointment as Special Envoy to the Prime Minister.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to question 124862 on 21 April.

Found: Jessica Morden (in the Chair) Lilian Greenwood Gen Kitchen Sir Mark Tami Christian Wakeford Mike Wood