Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question HL9163 on Government Departments: Regulation, how many authorisations have been made within this Department.

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

I refer the Hon gentleman to the answer for PQ HL9163 of 21 July 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2025 to Question 62992 on Civil Servants: Media and Public Speaking, what representations has the Cabinet Office received in relation to the new guidance on civil servants speaking in public.

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

Three FOIs, two PQs and a number of letters have been received regarding the guidance in question.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much facility time is provided to the PCS trade union in (a) ONS and (b) UKSA in (i) monetary terms, (ii) headcount and (iii) as a percentage of paybill; and whether check-off facilities are provided.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the PCS press release entitled PCS industrial action escalated at ONS, published on 7 August 2025, what steps are being taken by the Office of National Statistics in response to the zero-office attendance policy.

Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

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

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's news story entitled Appointment to Cabinet Office Board, published on 19 August 2025, whether Greg Jackson (a) made a declaration of political activity and (b) was selected through open and fair competition.

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

Greg Jackson has disclosed his interests in line with all of the relevant guidance and has declared no political activity.

Greg was appointed via a fair and open recruitment competition in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, overseen by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 3 September 2025 in response to the Rt hon. Member for North West Essex during Prime Minister's Questions, Official Report, Column 281, on what date the Deputy Prime Minister informed the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards that she had not correctly paid stamp duty.

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

The former Deputy Prime Minister referred herself to the Independent Advisor on Ministerial Standards on Wednesday 3 September.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's planned timetable is for the publication of the seventh UK National Action Plan for Open Government; and what consultation his Department has undertaken in relation to the sixth UK National Action Plan for Open Government since it was published in December 2023.

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

The Seventh National Action Plan for Open Government (NAP7) will be developed next year with final publication by 31 December 2026. Simultaneously, the UK is co-chairing the OGP Action Framework Task Force with the goal of making the action framework more user-friendly, agile and less bureaucratic.

During the implementation of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government 2024-2025 (NAP6), the UK Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Open Government (MSF) met on two occasions on 24th January 2024, and 17th July 2024, with further meetings under development, and Government teams responsible for commitments continued engagement with their stakeholders throughout implementation.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63325 on Armed Forces Day: Flags, whether 10 Downing Street flew the Armed Forces Day flag on Armed Forces Day in June 2025.

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

The Armed Forces flag was flown in Downing Street for Armed Forces Day.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, whether the Cabinet Office has funded Common Purpose since 4 July 2024.

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

Common Purpose was paid to provide a one-off day of team development for the Office of Equality and Opportunity in February 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of clause 3(2)(a) of the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill on freedom of speech.

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

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill - known as the ‘Hillsborough Law’ - was introduced in Parliament on 16 September 2025. The Bill includes a new offence of misleading the public. It applies where a public authority or public official acts with the intention of misleading the public (or is reckless as to that possibility) and they know, or ought to know, that their act is seriously improper. This offence has been designed with Hillsborough at the front of mind and is intended to capture the most serious instances of public officials or authorities misleading the public.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025, to Question 70477, on Cabinet Office: Marketing, how much has been spent on digital influencers by the New Media Unit since its establishment.

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

The total amount spent on digital influencer marketing by the New Media Unit since its establishment is £114,796.51. This investment has supported multiple campaigns of varying scale and reach. Influencers have proven to be effective in reaching audiences that traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date 10 Downing Street became aware of the text messages that led to the resignation of the Prime Minister's Director of Strategy on 15 September 2025.

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

It would not be appropriate to comment on individuals.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Prime Minister was informed of the content of the files obtained by Bloomberg relating to Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.

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

The Prime Minister knew the content of the emails obtained by Bloomberg early in the evening of Wednesday 10 September.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's policy is on allowing trade union activities to be funded from trade union facility time at public expense.

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

The Cabinet Office Facility Time Framework states that the default position within the Civil Service is that paid time off will not be given for trade union activities. In exceptional circumstances, should a department wish to provide paid time off for activities, it will need to be agreed by their Secretary of State or Chief Executive.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made payments to Inter Mediate since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has no record of any payments made to Inter Mediate since 4 July 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of (a) 17 July 2025 to Question 62333 on Cabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card Solutio and (b) 15 July 2025, to Question 66656 on Government Hospitality: Wines, for what reason wine was procured from Berry Bros rather than from the Government Wine Cellar.

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

A small stock is held to offer to dignitaries and visitors at short notice. This purchase was made when the stock was found to be empty. Any hospitality purchases for these occasions are made with value-for-money for the taxpayer as a priority.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information (a) his Department and (b) the Crown Commercial Service hold on the fee structures used by Bloom Procurement Services Ltd under the NEPRO3 framework; and what proportion of public contracts awarded through NEPRO3 in the 2024–25 financial year involved an undisclosed intermediary fee.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The price of each individual work order procured through Bloom Procurement Services Ltd for the Cabinet Office includes the 5% Delivery Partner’s Managed Services Fee. No other fees are applied.

The Crown Commercial Service holds no information on the fee structures or intermediary fees used by Bloom Procurement Services Ltd under the NEPRO3 framework.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to p.382 of the document entitled Central Government Supply Estimates 2024-25, Main Supply Estimates, HC139, published on 17 July 2025, what policy area relates to the Cabinet Office’s contingent liabilities that are subject to legal privilege.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The contingent liabilities referred to are related to a small number of cases and disputes which are subject to legal privilege. Given this, we are unable to disclose any details.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 41254 on Ministers: Aviation, how much his Department has spend on carbon offsetting under the RM6251 Energy Supply Framework since July 2024; and how many tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent have been offset.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All travel using the GBNI aircraft is offset. This reflects the policy of successive administrations. The total carbon dioxide offset for FY24/25 was 4,582 tCO2e, costing £47,148.78.

The offset for FY25/26 will be calculated at the end of the financial year, reflecting GBNI usage.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of police officers will be eligible to apply for the Summer Internship Programme in her Department in 2026.

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

I refer to the answer given to PQs UIN 74202 and 74515.

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-02/74202

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-02/74515

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether prison wardens are defined as working class, for the purpose of their children applying to the internship scheme.

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

As we set out in August, we will be opening our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. We will determine eligibility based on parental occupation at age 14 in line with guidance from the Social Mobility Commission and the Office for National Statistics definition.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish FOI reference, FOI2025/09624, dated 16 July 2025.

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

A copy of the information released in the response to the referenced Freedom of Information request has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which (a) Ministers and (b) Departments utilise the rooms in 26 Whitehall.

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

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) now occupy 26 Whitehall.

Their Ministers are listed below:

• Liz Kendall MP, Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Chair)

• Lord Vallance, Minister of State for Science, Research and Innovation

• Ian Murray MP, Minister of State

• Kanishka Narayan MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State

• Liz Lloyd, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Digital Economy)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Passenger Standards Authority against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's length body should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Transport provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Railways met.

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

The Department for Transport (DfT) is currently considering delivery options for the Passenger Watchdog.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's policy is on whether (a) trade union diversity networks are eligible for trade union facility time and (b) whether staff can claim both diversity network time and facility time.

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

Trade unions are separate organisations from the Civil Service and they may have their own diversity networks for their members.

In line with the Cabinet Office Facility Time Framework, trade union representatives are entitled to be granted reasonable unpaid time off to participate in trade union activities.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 42571 on Cabinet Office: Equality, which diversity networks in his Department received network time in the last month for which figures are held; and how much time was given in each case.

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

Collating and recording network time would present a disproportionate administrative burden on the central HR team as this information is not held centrally.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 3 September 2025 in response to the Rt hon. Member for North West Essex during Prime Minister's Questions, Official Report, Column 281, on what date he was informed that the Deputy Prime Minister had not correctly paid stamp duty.

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

The Prime Minister was kept updated appropriately.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's Plan for Change document of December 2024, CP1210, what changes have been made to the Government’s (a) milestones, (b) missions, (c) foundations and (d) mission boards since 1 September 2025.

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

No changes have been made to the Government’s Plan for Change.