Richard Holden

Other than BBC Parliament, there are no other live television feeds from public bodies to Parliament. Before migration to the internet over five years ago, the following channels from public bodies were available (in addition to BBC Parliament):

• Northern Ireland Assembly
• Scottish Parliament
• Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament
• European Parliament

UK Parliament’s sound and vision contractor provisioned the broadcast signals from these public bodies onto the Parliamentary Estate as part of their overall contract. It is not possible to separate out this cost from the overall contract.

Items from the Parliamentary Art Collection are on display in corridors, meeting and Committee rooms as well as private offices. Since 4 July 2024, no changes have been made to the display of busts of Winston Churchill on the Parliamentary estate. In the same timeframe, seven print or photographic portraits of Churchill have been taken off display. Six were taken off display from Members’ offices following changes to office locations and occupancy after the election, and one required conservation work.

The Parliamentary Art Collection contains 33 artworks either by or depicting Winston Churchill. 13 are currently on display in high-profile locations including Members’ Lobby, Committee Corridor and Ministerial offices. None of the works on display in those high-profile locations have been moved since 4 July 2024, other than briefly to facilitate project works.

The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

Public authorities will be able to reach their own decisions as to how they wish to approach reducing inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

We will work in partnership with public authorities, civil society and others in order to ensure that the implementation of the duty is as effective as possible. As part of this, we have included questions in relation to the socio-economic duty in a call for evidence on equality law, which was launched on 7 April and will be open until 30 June. This will enable public authorities and others to input into plans in relation to the socio-economic duty at an early stage. We will also consult on draft statutory guidance in order to ensure it addresses the needs of public bodies and civil society and supports effective implementation.

The Public Sector Equality Duty (the PSED) requires organisations in scope to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.

The scope of the PSED is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It extends to all public authorities listed in Schedule 19 of the Act and all parties carrying out public functions. This includes private sector and voluntary organisations when carrying out public functions.

The government expects regulators to ensure organisations comply with their legal requirements. It is not the role of regulators to intervene where legal requirements do not apply and we have no evidence that this is occurring.

Registration requirements are set out in the Code of Conduct together with the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022. (https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmcode/1083/1083.pdf)

Paragraph 5 of the Code provides that new Members must register all their current financial interests, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election, and Members must register any change in those registrable interests within 28 days. Gifts, donations or hospitality are registrable from the day of receipt (whether or not subsequently repaid). The 28-day period is provided to enable time for registration for the purpose of transparency.

Members are encouraged to seek advice from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests if they are in any doubt about whether a proposed course of action is in line with the rules.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has issued guidance and codes of practice covering philosophical belief. What is and is not a political belief as opposed to a philosophical belief is a question that is for individuals to consider and, if necessary, the courts to determine, if raised in the context of Equality Act 2010 protections.

The Equality Act 2010 (The Act) provides protections for people from discrimination in the workplace and in society. It makes it unlawful to treat someone unfairly or discriminate against anyone based on certain personal characteristics. This includes race and ethnicity.

The Act also makes it unlawful for recruiters to hire by race, where the person is to be paid under a contract for services. Under certain conditions, a recruiter choosing between candidates of equal merit can hire the candidate from the more disadvantaged or lower-participating race or ethnicity. This is one type of ‘positive action’. Positive action can deliver better outcomes for particular groups in order to overcome or minimise a disadvantage arising from a protected characteristic.

In April 2023, the previous government published guidance to help employers understand the difference between positive action and positive discrimination. The guidance is available on gov.uk at www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers. Section 9 of this guidance explains the general positive action provision. Section 10.2 explains tie-breaking in more detail. With this considered, there are currently no plans to issue further guidance to public bodies on positive action.

The ‘Table of Kindred and Affinity’ is part of the Book of Common Prayer. The Book of Common Prayer can be changed by a Measure from the General Synod of the Church of England, which would come to Parliament for approval in the usual manner. The Church of England has no plans currently to change the text.

The duration of appointments of office holders in the Church of England is governed by statutory provisions. Under section 3 of the Ecclesiastical Offices (Terms of Service) Measure 2009, the term of office of a person who holds office under Common Tenure (which includes archbishops, bishops and most other clergy) is terminated:
• on the death of the office holder
• by resignation
• on attaining the mandatory retirement age (subject to any extension)
• where the office ceases to exist
• where the office holder is removed from office under the Clergy Discipline Measure 2003
• on the expiry of a fixed term appointment (where applicable)
• under the capability procedures.

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/2009/1/contents

It is for the Equality and Human Rights Commission to determine what guidance it issues to political parties. Equalities Ministers will have periodic discussions with their Cabinet Office colleagues on matters of mutual policy interest. 'Belief’ is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, meaning any religious or philosophical belief, rather than political opinion. As such, the issue of guidance on political belief discrimination that purportedly related to the Equality Act’s protected characteristics would be misleading.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity’s role in informing Government policy on marriage relates to equality and discrimination, as it is responsible for the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include marriage and civil partnership.

While the Office for Equality and Opportunity work with the Ministry of Justice on issues relating to equality, the Ministry of Justice is responsible for marriage law.

Minimal costs were incurred in the rebranding of the Equality Hub to the Office of Equality and Opportunity as it was a renaming exercise rather than a Machinery of Government change. Therefore, there has been no programme or digital expenditure to date and only minimal administrative time by current employees.

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

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 28th April is attached.

The Cabinet Office, as the sponsoring department of ACoBA, has supported the Committee’s secretariat to recruit the additional staff it required to ensure it is fully resourced to deliver its core functions to agreed timescales.

Advice for the general public on how to prepare for emergencies is published on GOV.UK. GOV.UK/Prepare provides simple and effective steps that individuals, households and communities can take to be more prepared for a range of emergencies. This advice includes a suggested list of supplies that individuals can consider keeping at home, if they are able, to make it easier for them to manage during an emergency. The list includes items such as bottled water, non-perishable food, baby formula, essential medication, battery or wind up torches and radios and portable powerbanks.

The conventions concerning the relationship between the House of Commons and the House of Lords are unaffected by the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill. The Bill fulfills a manifesto commitment to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. As such, the Bill clearly engages the Salisbury-Addison convention.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is currently working through the approval process to establish the Independent Football Regulator as an Arm’s Length Body, in parallel to the passage of the Football Governance Bill.

Ministers exercised their rights under the Governance Code on Public Appointments not to appoint any candidates for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Chair role. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster informed the Chair of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) of his decision on 27 February 2025. The letter is available on PACAC’s website: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/46905/documents/242018/default/

The outcome of the appointment process for Independent Members to the House of Lords Appointments Commission will be announced once that process has concluded.

There will be no change to what information and services will be open to the public when the new Civil Service Jobs platform is in place.

The principle of collective responsibility requires that the privacy of ministerial discussions at Cabinet and its committees should be maintained. It is therefore a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees, including decisions reached via correspondence, is not normally shared publicly.

Oli de Botton has been appointed as a direct ministerial appointment. The post is remunerated.

NATO is the cornerstone of our defence, and the UK plays a leading role, having contributed to every NATO mission. To mark NATO Day, the NATO Flag was flown above the FCDO and above the MoD Main Building on 4th April 2025. The Union Flag and Ukrainian flag are flown in Downing Street as default.

No ministers have been asked to donate a book to the Prime Minister’s library. Ministers are focused on delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.

The update of 17th April provided no material change to the policy of the PPN, which was published under the previous administration. No assessment was made when the PPN was published in 2021.

The transparency publication guidance is a technical document, focusing on the procedures for completing the publication template. As it is not policy-related, and is intended for use by an internal audience, it would not be appropriate to publish it.

Mission Champions are a political appointment within the Parliamentary Labour Party; the Cabinet Office has not issued any specific guidance related to Mission Champions. The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties.

There are currently no plans to fly county flags above Downing Street.

As under previous governments, it is a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees are not shared publicly.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to PQ 45018. The Prime Minister in his Ministerial Code has set out the approach to appointing special advisers.

Value for money in public procurement is essential for the efficient use of government resources​. The Cabinet Office does not hold a central estimate of office solution costs. However, public sector organisations can benefit from procuring office supplies through the Crown Commercial Service's RM6299 Office Solutions agreement. This framework covers various products, including stationery and paper, and streamlines procurement processes ensuring access to competitive pricing.

As said in my previous answer of 8 January 2025, the Cabinet Office maintains records and oversight of formally established arm’s-length bodies, including executive agencies, non-ministerial departments and non-departmental public bodies. No ALBs have been formally established since 4 July 2024. Records for public corporations and publicly-owned companies are held at departmental level.

Any use of departmental premises by Ministers for speeches should be an appropriate use of government resources.

The baseline for communication and marketing spending reductions was calculated using the planned spend figures submitted by departments to the Cabinet Office as part of the advertising, marketing and communications spending control process.

As a result, Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an £85 million saving from reducing unnecessary communications spend in 2024-25 and up to £96m in 2025-26 – exceeding the £50 million target set out in the Chancellor's July 2024 Inheritance speech.

Transparency is a crucial part of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, whilst also balancing commercial and national security considerations.

By publishing information on the origin of acquirer associated with acquisitions reviewed under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, the Cabinet Office goes beyond its obligations under Section 61 of the Act, providing greater transparency on the nature of acquisitions scrutinised.

The reports do not specifically include the number or proportion of transactions that relate to links to a company owned in (a) part or (b) whole by a foreign state, however, they include the number of accepted notifications, call-in notices issued, final notifications issued, withdrawals from a called in acquisition and final orders issued by origin of investment.

Information related to publication of final orders is available on GOV.UK and includes the named Parties subject to the final order.

Transparency is a crucial part of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, whilst also balancing commercial and national security considerations.

Sectors are reported in line with definitions presented in the Notifiable Acquisition (Specification of Qualifying Entities) Regulations 2021. Acquisitions are often associated with multiple areas of the economy. Information is only gathered at the sector level as the Act does not define more granular areas of the economy.

In accordance with the Business Appointment Rules, former Cabinet Secretaries are obliged to submit applications to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments for new appointments or employment that they wish to accept during the two year period following their final day of service.

The timing of the publication of advice is for ACOBA, who are operationally independent of the Cabinet Office.

It remains longstanding precedent that information relating to discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its sub-committees, including agendas, are not disclosed. This Government is committed to providing spaces for Ministers to debate freely and frankly in private. This convention applies to engagement with Parliament and Select Committees and the Government routinely rejects requests for this information from other Select Committees. Therefore, whilst this Government is actively pursuing greater transparency with Parliament, this principle of non-disclosure continues to cover this matter.

Government integrity data is already published in a format which can be exported. The government publishes this data in CSV files in an accessible open data format, as per the standard and best practice guidance from the Government Digital Service and Central Digital and Data Office. In addition, since January, data on ministers’ gifts and hospitality has been published in one central register.

The government does not have current plans to make any further changes to how this data is published.