Nick Timothy

The Government Art Collection website lists the artworks on display in Downing Street https://artcollection.dcms.gov.uk/?s=&display=artworkonly&search_place=Downing+Street. There are currently no Government Art Collection pieces in the Prime Minister’s official residence.

There have been no changes to displayed artworks owned by the Cabinet Office since July 4, 2024.

I refer the Rt Hon Member and Hon Member to the answer given by the then Prime Minister on 7 February 2017, Official Report, PQ 62542.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) and its Arm’s Length Bodies collectively comprises of 9,921 FTE (as of March 2024). There are currently no ongoing industrial disputes with DBT employees within DBT or any of its Arm’s Length Bodies.

There are, however, ongoing disputes between PCS and G4S Security Company (G4S) and International Services System - Facilities Management Services (ISS) who provide facilities management services at some DBT offices and who are contracted by Government Property Agency. These staff are employees of either G4S or ISS, they are not normally employees of the department itself.

Details of Senior Officials’ and Ministers’ meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Special Advisers are required to comply with the Special Adviser Code of Conduct at all times and are required to make declarations on meetings with senior media figures in line with published transparency guidance.

Where a Special Adviser accompanies their Minister to an official meeting with a senior media figure, the Special Adviser’s attendance does not need to be separately recorded as the Minister will be the main attendee.

Where an ‘informal’ lobbying approach is granted time or resource by Government, it should result in a diarised engagement and therefore be recorded.

The Department frequently engages with Cabinet colleagues on matters of national and energy security. The Government takes the security and resilience of UK energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

The Government will take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. The Government will co-operate where it can, compete where it needs to, and challenge where it must.

The Government takes the security and resilience of our energy infrastructure extremely seriously with the UK being one of the most reliable and safest energy systems, and one of the most attractive investment destinations in the world.

The Government will take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. The Government will co-operate where it can, compete where it needs to, and challenge where it must.

DESNZ and two of its 17 Agencies and Public Bodies (Ofgem and the Committee on Climate Change) are currently in a national trade dispute with PCS on pay, pensions, and jobs. PCS has not taken any action in relation to this dispute and DESNZ is working to resolve the dispute through its ongoing engagement with PCS, and via the annual pay discussions. Contractors supplying services to the Department are not employees of DESNZ. Any dispute relating to contractors is a matter for the unions involved and the employer of said contractors.

The previous government published a consultation on the Clean Heat Market Mechanism earlier this year. The Government will set out plans for the policy when it responds to that consultation.

The UK has a diverse and resilient fuel supply, and refineries will continue to play a significant role in the UK’s economy and energy security.

As the UK transitions to net zero, the production of low carbon fuels, including by refineries, will remain important to reduce emissions across the road, aviation and maritime sectors. Together, we will harness the skills and expertise of our oil and gas workforce to make Britain a clean energy superpower.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Commission to discuss matters of mutual interest. Charities are permitted to establish or maintain close connections with non-charitable campaigning organisations to support their charitable purposes, provided this is in the charity’s best interests.

The Charity Commission has published guidance for charities with a connection to a non-charity to help charity trustees carefully manage any risks related to conflicts of interest and protect the charity's reputation. Trustees have a legal duty to protect the charity’s assets, reputation, and beneficiaries. Any link with a non-charity should not compromise the charity’s independence or public image. Trustees must also be mindful of the potential risks to the charity’s reputation, particularly regarding political partisanship.

If concerns arise that a charity may be acting in a politically partisan manner or outside its charitable objectives, the Charity Commission can investigate and take regulatory action as necessary.

Charities can undertake campaigning, awareness-raising and non-party political activities that support them in delivering their charitable purpose. Charities are not permitted to undertake any party-political activity.

HOPE not Hate Limited is not a charity; it is therefore not subject to the restrictions on political activity that apply to charities and does not come under the Charity Commission’s jurisdiction.

HOPE not Hate Charitable Trust is a charity and therefore does come under the Charity Commission’s jurisdiction and cannot engage in partisan political activity. The Charity Commission does not have an open regulatory case on HOPE Not Hate Charitable Trust.

The Department for the Culture, Media and Sport has not provided any funding to Hope Not Hate since the general election.

Charity law sets limits on what campaigning and non-party political activities charities can undertake. This is reflected in the guidance for charities on campaigning and political activity, published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales (“the Commission”).

On 14 August 2024 the Commission published a report summarising casework on campaigning and political activity in the run up to the 2024 General Election. It found a rise in proactive efforts by charities to seek advice and guidance from the Commission and a 60% decline in high-risk cases compared to the 2019 election.

Ministers and officials meet regularly with the Commission to discuss matters of mutual interest.

The Government appreciates and values the vital work of the horticulture industry and recognises its role in maintaining a secure food supply.

As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, Defra is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs.

The Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme and legislation is in place which will close it on 31 December 2025. The Government has committed to championing British farming, while protecting the environment, and is currently considering the best way to support our farming sectors in the future, including horticulture.

This government is committed to delivering economic growth, and projects such as the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrades to Haughley Junction have the potential to contribute to this. While the previous government made public statements of support for both projects, no funding was provided to allow either to progress.

The Chancellor has been clear about the state of the nation's finances and has launched a multi-year Spending Review. Decisions and timescales about individual projects will be informed by the review process and confirmed in due course.

Statistics on the number of delay compensation claims made by passengers to each railway franchise is published by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and may be found online at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/delay-compensation-claims/ , ‘Table 4410 – Delay Compensation Claims’. The time series for this dataset begins in the financial year April 2018 to March 2019.

Data on the total sum of compensation payments made to passengers by each railway franchise between 2019/20 and 2022/23 may be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation. Data on compensation payments between 2009/10 and 2018/19 for those train operating companies where information was available can be accessed from: https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20201020210716/https:/www.gov.uk/government/publications/train-operating-companies-passengers-charter-compensation. This data includes discretionary compensation paid by the train operators for poor service, e.g. out of service facilities, as well as delay compensation claims.

Statistics on the number of train services run are published by the ORR - https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance/. Table 3123 – ‘Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause’ shows the average percentage of scheduled trains that did not run.

Information relating to the number of train cancellations for each railway franchise for the past ten years may be found online at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/performance/passenger-rail-performance in ‘Table 3123 - Trains planned and cancellations by operator and cause.

Information on the number of passenger complaints for each railway franchise can be found online at: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/passenger-experience/passenger-rail-service-complaints/table-4100-complaints-closed-by-operator/ .

Note that this table provides information based on the number of passenger complaints closed by each operator. The time series for this data set begins in the financial year April 2016 to March 2017.

Non-UK / Irish citizens can only access benefits like Universal Credit if they have an immigration status that provides recourse to public funds. Those without immigration status or with a no recourse to public funds condition on their status are not entitled.

The Department checks immigration status when assessing eligibility, but this information is not collated centrally and hence not readily available. We are, however, exploring the feasibility of developing suitable statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish customers.

The Department already shares extensive data with local authorities for a variety of purposes. Local authorities are allowed to re-use that data under the terms of a data sharing Memorandum of Understanding, subject to them seeking their own legal advice, and subject to them notifying the Department of their intent. This data reuse process can be used to include reusing data originating from DWP to help identify people eligible for Pension Credit.

In order to maximise the take-up of Pension Credit, we are asking local authorities to support our Pension Credit campaign - the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister wrote to all local authorities in August. Many already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up; and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’.

A principle of child maintenance is to increase levels of cooperation between separated parents and encourage parents to meet their responsibilities to provide their children with financial support.

Where a family-based child maintenance arrangement is not suitable the Child Maintenance Service offers a statutory scheme for those parents who need it.

When a parent joins the statutory scheme Child Maintenance Service will do everything within its powers to ensure parents comply and meet their obligations to children.

In the 12 months up to March 2024 there were 131,300 claims to the child maintenance statutory scheme (rounded to the nearest 100) and the child maintenance service arranged £1.4 billion child maintenance through the statutory scheme, an increase from £1.2 billion during the previous 12 months.

CMS are wholly committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. When a Parent or their representative disagrees with a decision about a child maintenance calculation, they have the right to appeal. Before they do this, they must first ask for a Mandatory Reconsideration.

If the Child Maintenance Service decides not to change its decision the parent can follow the formal appeal process, handled by HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) where an independent tribunal will look at the Child Maintenance Service’s decision.

The Department publishes quarterly statistics for the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) and the latest statistics are available up to March 2024.

Table 3 from the latest National tables contains the number of arrangements joining the Child Maintenance Service each quarter from January 2015 to March 2024. Table 11 contains information on the number of appeals made by parents to His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service to review a decision made by the Child Maintenance Service each quarter from April 2015 to March 2024.

Excerpts for the last five years for both tables are shown below.

Table 3: Intake, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024

Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information

Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Table 11: Appeals, Great Britain, April 2019 to March 2024

Source: Child Maintenance Service Management Information

Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

The Department does not hold data on the current nationality of those claiming benefits. As such there are no plans to publish the total number of customers broken down by nationality for all benefits. Decisions regarding the development and publication of Official Statistics are the responsibility of the Chief Statistician.

DWP policy responsibility lies in establishing the eligibility of non-UK / Irish claimants to claim benefits. An individual’s specific nationality does not play a role in this. Eligibility differs by benefit but is usually determined by an individual’s immigration status, alongside their ability to meet the requirements of the Habitual Residence Test (for income-related benefits), the Past Presence Test (for disability benefits), and / or having the necessary National Insurance contributions (for contributions-based benefits).

No recognised trade union is currently in dispute with, or holds a mandate to call industrial action in, the Department or its Arm’s Length Bodies and executive agencies.

The curricula for postgraduate medical specialty training is set by individual Royal Colleges and faculties. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) sets the curriculum that all general practitioners (GPs) must cover before they are able to pass the examination to become a member of the RCGP and to work independently as a GP. The curriculum includes a specific section on women’s health, including the menopause. As a result, the menopause is a core area of knowledge for all qualified GPs.

On 4 September 2024, my Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care laid a written ministerial statement in the House of Commons outlining the Government and NHS England's work to implement the Cass Review and transform gender services.

In line with NHS England’s ambitious two-year implementation plan, two new services in the North-West and London opened in April. A third new service will open in the South West in November, and a fourth in the East of England in spring of next year. NHS England is advancing towards meeting its commitment for there to be a specialist children’s gender service in every region by 2026. My Rt. Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care will update the House when there are further developments.

The National Children and Young People’s Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board oversees a joint NHS England and National Institute of Health and Care Research programme of research underpinning the redesign and ongoing development of specialised gender services. This includes the planned study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The board has been established, and is run, by NHS England. As such, ministers do not have a role in determining its membership. The Department is represented on the board.

The National Children and Young People’s Gender Dysphoria Research Oversight Board oversees a joint NHS England and National Institute of Health and Care Research programme of research underpinning the redesign and ongoing development of specialised gender services. This includes the planned study into the potential benefits and harms of puberty suppressing hormones as a treatment option for children and young people with gender incongruence. The board has been established, and is run, by NHS England. As such, ministers do not have a role in determining its membership. The Department is represented on the board.