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 Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 188973 on Civil Servants: Secondment, whether he has taken steps to increase the data available.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are a key route to bring essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.
In August 2023 the Government Chief People Office, Fiona Ryland, commissioned all departments, professions and functions to embed secondments as a key part of their resourcing and skills strategies.
A quarterly secondments data commission was reintroduced in April 2023 to provide insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to increase the amount, detail and quality of the data available. Responses are now received from all ministerial departments.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on paying for advertising on X.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework.
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 21 October 2024 to Question 8125 on Government Departments: Staff, if he will publish an updated organogram for his Department on data.gov.uk.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
We are committed to publishing an updated organogram on data.gov.uk. Work has already begun to do this.
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 has issued to other departments on the circumstances in which consultant lobbying firms attending (a) meetings and (b) hospitality must be declared on ministerial transparency returns.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Guidance on ministers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf
Departments are required to publish details of ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals, including meetings with lobbyists registered on the Register of Consultant Lobbyists. Departments are also required to publish details of hospitality above de minimis levels received by ministers in their ministerial capacity.
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 6 November 2024 to Question 12416 on Government Departments: Disclosure of Information, whether it is his policy that Government transparency data should be (a) available and (b) searchable on a new transparency platform.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is fully committed to transparency and to looking at how the range of information published can be improved and made as useful as possible.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that public sector bodies use the King's cypher rather than Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office, in collaboration with the Royal Household and the College of Arms, has developed and issued guidance on the use of all state symbols, including the royal cypher.
This guidance is intended for use by the entire public sector.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals last met.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee) which is the policy-making body for the honours system, last met on 19th November 2024.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister plans to reinstate the portrait of Horatio Nelson in 10 Downing Street once it has undertaken its restoration work by the Government Art Collection.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The portrait of Horatio Nelson is currently with the Royal Museum Greenwich for frame conservation, and the portrait will be reinstated in 10 Downing Street once that work is complete.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department issues guidance to Department's on the publication of meetings attended by (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Guidance on ministers’ and special advisers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK.
Ministers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf
Special Advisers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66041202e8c4420011220347/2024_04_02-Special-Advisers-Transparency-Guidance.pdf
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Table 14.1 of his Department's publication entitled Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2024, published on 31 July 2024, if he will publish a breakdown of the communications staff by public body.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Information on the number of civil servants by profession (including communications) in each government department and agency are published annually by Cabinet Office as part of the accredited official statistics publication ‘Civil Service Statistics’. Statistics for 2024 can be found at Table 8 in the data tables available at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024/statistical-bulletin-civil-service-statistics-2024#overview