Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66650 on Industrial Disputes, what guidance his Department provides on undertaking Ministerial duties in 70 Whitehall during periods of strike action by (a) staff and (b) contractors who work in 70 Whitehall.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
No such guidance has been issued by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2025 to Question 65879 on Ethics and Integrity Commission: Correspondence, if he will publish correspondence from external organisations on the Ethics and Integrity Commission received since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office does not routinely publish public correspondence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question 64832 on King Charles III: Artworks, if he will provide a hyperlink to the breakdown of the take up for (a) UK Government departments and (b) arm's-length bodies on gov.uk.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one.
Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up including UK Government departments and Arms Length Bodies, wider public authorities and other eligible institutions can be found at www.gov.uk/government/news/conclusion-of-his-majesty-the-kings-free-portrait-scheme
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 62083 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, on what date the public appointments process opened; whether it has been extended; and whether any people who applied have been informed that they have not been appointed.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question 66291, which sets out when the campaign was launched and subsequently closed to applications.
The Government announced on 19 August 2025 that, as a result of the campaign, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL had been appointed as an independent member of the House of Lords Appointments Commission with effect from 1 September 2025. All candidates who applied as part of this campaign have been notified of the outcome accordingly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2025 to Question 66291 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, for what reason members of the Commission have not been appointed.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question 66291, which sets out when the campaign was launched and subsequently closed to applications.
The Government announced on 19 August 2025 that, as a result of the campaign, Professor Adeeba Malik CBE DL had been appointed as an independent member of the House of Lords Appointments Commission with effect from 1 September 2025. All candidates who applied as part of this campaign have been notified of the outcome accordingly.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the Cabinet Secretary has delegated his attendance to the Main Honours Committee.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service is responsible for the operation of the honours system, but as is customary, delegates this responsibility to another senior Permanent Secretary.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department provides on holding departmental receptions at the offices of consultant lobbying firms.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The Ministerial Code sets out guidance for Ministers on engaging with external stakeholders.
Separate guidance relating to the regulation of consultant lobbying is published by the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release of the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament of 1 May 2025, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54011 on Intelligence and Security Committee, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the Committee's representation to the Government that safeguards against conflicts of interest have now been comprehensively dismantled.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
Established processes are in place to monitor and manage actual and perceived conflicts of interest.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2025 to Question HL8627 on Cabinet Office: Managers, which business units the 540 staff leaving are from.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The 540 refers to the number of applications that were approved and is subject to the individual's final acceptance.
The voluntary exit process has not yet concluded, so we are unable to report on which business units individuals will be leaving from.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53201 on Cabinet Office: Building, what major repairs are required to bring the building back into use.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
36 Whitehall requires major repairs and refurbishment to bring back into use and is being actively considered as part of the plans for London's government office estate.