Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the estimated spending on Government (a) communications and (b) marketing is in 2024-25 (a) before and (b) after the Autumn Budget 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Historical data on communication and marketing spend is listed by department on the Government efficiency, transparency and accountability page on GOV.uk.

The Government Communications Service is expecting to save £85 million in 2024-25 from reducing unnecessary communications spend.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the email address is for correspondence from hon. Members to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As was the case when the Rt Hon member was a Minister in the department, correspondence from Members of Parliament addressed to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards can be submitted to the Cabinet Office using the contact details available in the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-ministers-and-responsibilities/list-of-ministerial-responsibilities-html

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of youth services to the prevention of violence against women and girls.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

The Government has set an ambitious target to halve VAWG in a decade. To achieve this, we must reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending but also prevent abuse from happening all together.

The Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy will set out our strategic direction and concrete actions to deliver this ambition. We are considering a range of policy options across Government to prevent these crimes including education for young people around healthy relationships and consent, community interventions and tackling online VAWG.

That includes looking at how we can work most effectively with youth services and through the Young Futures programme to deliver this ambition.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list (a) each (i) scheme and (ii) programme for the Civil Service Fast Stream and (b) how many people were recruited to the civil service through each in 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There were 15 separate Fast Stream schemes in 2024. The information requested is publicly available within the Fast Stream Annual Report 2024 linked below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-fast-stream-recruitment-data-2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 to Question 24650 on Special Advisers: Pay, what changes were made to special adviser pay policy since October 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The updated pay ranges for Special Advisers will be published in the next Annual Report on Special Advisers, which will include the changes referenced in answer to Question 24650.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23481 on Government Departments: Directors, what steps his Department is taking to avoid conflicts of interest in relation to consultant lobbyists serving as a non-executive director of a Department.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The interests of non-executive board members and public appointments will continue to be updated and published bi-annually as part of an established process as set out in the Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process - GOV.UK.

All financial interests and all remunerated outside employment, work, memberships and appointments should be declared. Disclosure requirements and clear conflict of interest policies are detailed in the guidance to support the department in managing any conflicts of interest. These include recusal from relevant matters, limitations on any gifts, transparent lobbying practices and robust mechanisms for ethics enforcement within government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many all-staff calls have been held in his Department since 4 July 2024; and how many staff attended each of those calls.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There have been a total of 10 all-staff calls during this period.

The number of staff attending these calls were:

• 2552

• 2332

• 1926

• 2078

• 1885

• 1916

• 1702

• 3903

• 2725

• 3003

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question HL2719 on Legislation: Impact Assessments, if he will publish that letter.

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

It is a long-established precedent that internal government correspondence is not normally shared publicly, therefore we will not publish the letter. However, we continue to press Departments on their responsibility on these matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 18670 on DCMS: Official Visits and with reference to the guidance entitled Ministers’ gifts (given and received), travel, hospitality received and meetings with external organisations and individuals, published on 2 April 2024, for what reason data from 1 July to 30 September 2024 was not published by the end of December 2024.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Transparency data for Ministers, Special Advisers and Senior Officials, including for the period of 1 July to 30 September 2024, was published on GOV.UK on 30 January 2025.

This data was published alongside the new monthly Register of Ministers' gifts and hospitality, which can be found at the following address - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/register-of-ministers-gifts-and-hospitality.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024, to Question 13759 on Business: Meetings, if he will take steps to publish supplementary guidance to the Ministerial Code on how Ministers should record meetings with business representatives who have paid money to the political party to which they belong to facilitate a meeting.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of ministers' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of external individuals and organisations in attendance.

Updated guidance on ministers' meetings was published to GOV.UK on 30 January 2025 at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in his Department have been disciplined for (a) plagiarism and (b) making false statements on a CV when applying for a job in the latest 12 month period for which figures are available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has no record of any civil servants in the Department being disciplined in the latest 12 month period for plagiarism or making false statements on a CV when applying for a job.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November to Question 6094 on Cabinet Office: Civil Servants, for what reason does the Government not publish details of appointments below SCS2 grade.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Approval is required from the Civil Service Commission for any appointment by exception at SCS2 or above. A list of such appointments by exception (SCS2 and above) are published and updated regularly on the Commission’s website. Aggregated data is published on details of appointments by exception below SCS2 grade. There has been no change to these arrangements since the Rt Hon member was a minister in the department.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on the publication of declarations of political activity for public appointees.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Rt Honorable Gentleman to the answer to PQ 25696, answered on 30th January 2025.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on the potential merits of expanding the provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 to help tackle violence against women and girls.

Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Tackling VAWG in all of its forms, including when it takes place online, is a top priority for this Government, and that's why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve VAWG within a decade.

The misuse of technology to abuse or harm others (including online) has a disproportionate impact on women and children and we know this is a significant and growing issue in the UK and worldwide.

We will go further than before to deliver a cross-government transformative approach to halve all forms of violence against women and girls, underpinned by a new VAWG strategy to be published next year. In January 2025, the Government introduced new legislation which will make creating sexually explicit 'deepfake' images a criminal offence.

The Online Safety Act designates material relating to child sexual exploitation and abuse as a priority offence. Platforms must put in place systems and processes to minimise and remove this content. The Illegal Harms Codes, laid before Parliament in December and coming into force from 17 March this year, sets out the steps companies must take to meet their duties under the Act to tackle this content."

I regularly meet with Baroness Jones of Whitchurch, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) to discuss these matters.

My officials also engage regularly with DSIT and the Ministry of Justice to identify the most appropriate legislative vehicles to tackle technology-facilitated VAWG.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support closed loop recycling schemes; and if he will bring forward legislative proposals to protect those schemes through regulations.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which reform the UK’s producer responsibility system for packaging came into force on 1 January 2025. Extended Producer Responsibility is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more recyclable packaging. We continue to consider further improvements to the scheme with input from a range of stakeholders, including how to treat businesses which run closed loop recycling systems for packaging that is commonly collected by Local Authorities, and my officials are reviewing options to bring forward an offset for closed loop recycling systems at the earliest opportunity.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 902578 on Marriage: Relatives, what her Department's timetable is for the consideration of the Law Commission’s 2022 wedding report.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The Law Commission set out that its recommendations would provide greater choice for couples in deciding how and where they get married. Marriage will always be one of our most important institutions and we must consider any recommendations to change weddings law carefully, including in relation to cousin marriage.

We will take the time to properly consider their report before setting out our position in the coming months.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 176 of the National Risk Register 2025 and page 180 of the National Risk Register 2023, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the (a) repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016 and (b) Employment Rights Bill on the risk metrics for the National Risk Register 2025 edition.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All risks in the National Risk Register, which is the public-facing version of the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases relating to breaches of covid-19 laws are (a) awaiting and (b) ongoing in (i) Crown and (ii) magistrates courts.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

According to the best available data from our live management information systems, there are 114 outstanding cases in the magistrates court under Coronavirus Offences as at 30 September 2024. There are no cases awaiting trial or sentencing at the Crown Court (although there are 3 appeals against magistrate court decisions there).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Justice on the potential merits of banning first cousin marriage.

Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

As I stated in my answer of 5 February, the Government will consider existing marriage law, including the Law Commission’s 2022 wedding report, before publicly setting out a position on this important issue.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 22993 on Cabinet Office: Directors, for what reason the declaration of political activity was not published with the announcement of the appointment.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As was the case under the previous administration, the relevant interests of non-executive board members and public appointments will continue to be updated and published bi-annually as part of an established process as set out in the Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process - GOV.UK. (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process/non-executive-board-member-declaration-of-interests-process)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8434 on Prime Minister: Aviation, which (a) company and (b) commercial facility the Government uses to carbon offset its (i) domestic and (ii) international flights for Ministerial air travel.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All travel using the HMG wet-leased A321 aircraft (known as GBNI) is fully offset. This is done at the end of the financial year to correctly reflect the emissions.

The Cabinet Office utilises the HMG Crown Commercial Services (CCS) RM6251 Energy Supply Framework with EDF to offset these emissions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 August 2024 to Question 1667 on Prime Minister: Special Advisers, whether special advisers who (a) are part of a trade union and (b) not part of a trade union are permitted to go on strike.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Special advisers are employees of their appointing minister's department and as such have the same legal rights as other employees.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, published on 15 March 2018, which of the three tests in Chapter 2 the Industrial Strategy Council meets.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Department for Business and Trade is currently working through the approval process to establish the Industrial Strategy Council as an Arm’s Length Body.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21401 on Public Bodies: Finance, if he will list specific hyperlinks for where this information is published on gov.uk.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold a central list of where sponsoring departments publish information regarding public bodies reviews and efficiency savings.

Sponsoring departments determine the format, contents, and publishing location of this information.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 8126 on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, for what reason the public sector trade union facility time data was not published before the end of 2024; and when that data will be published.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The latest public sector trade union facility time data for the year 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 has been published on gov.uk (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/public-sector-trade-union-facility-time-data)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of ending the vetting transformation programme on (a) national security and (b) staff recruitment delays.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The security of our people, assets and information is a Government priority.

The Vetting Transformation Programme (VTP) was first announced in October 2020. The programme was subject of a number of reviews and audits under the previous administration, including by the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) and Cabinet Office Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) Hub. These reviews concluded that there were weaknesses in governance and stakeholder engagement. As a result, the programme was closed in September 2024.

In its place, this Government is undertaking a range of initiatives to modernise and improve vetting services, delivered through three core workstreams:

1. Rationalising Policy and Process - Government Security Group (GSG) and UK Security Vetting are working with departments to standardise and centralise decision making.

2. Enhancing Digital and Cyber Security - UKSV are currently in the process of migrating the National Security Vetting System (NSVS) platform to the cloud to enhance the reliability of the current service and bring capabilities in line with industry best practice.

3. Increasing Assurance - GSG and UKSV are moving to an approach of continuous improvement across the assurance offered by vetting investigations.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question HL3924 on Brexit, what steps he is taking in response to each of those active infringement proceedings.

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

We are committed to the full and faithful implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement and fulfilling our international obligations. Disputes are a normal part of a mature relationship with international partners. It is not appropriate to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the guidance entitled Public Sector Equality Duty: guidance for public authorities, published on 18 December 2023, and pursuant to the letter from the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Secretary of State for Business and Trade to economic regulators referenced in the Answer of 24 January 2024 to Question 24447 on Economic Growth: Regulation, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that regulators do not try to impose the public sector equality duty on private companies.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

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.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26915 on Crown Court: Trials, when she plans to publish the data for each court since June 2024.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Published data presents a range of measures including open caseload volumes, trial effectiveness rates and timeliness. The maximum amount of possible court time and the actual court time used for each Crown Court as contained in the Answer of 5 February 2025, is not currently (and never has been) published as either part of our official statistics series, or as published management information. It is recorded as part of HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) internal Management Information (MI) and used for operational delivery management and planning purposes, as described in my previous answer.

The exercise to quality assure the HMCTS internal MI from July 2024 is expected to be completed by mid Spring 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 9833 on Cabinet Office: Ministers’ Private Offices, in whose Ministerial offices are the five new standing mirrors located; and what the cost was of the coasters.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Ministerial offices are routinely refurbished after Parliament is dissolved and generally before new ministers are appointed or occupy their offices. There are mirrors located in several offices across the Cabinet Office. New standing mirrors - costing £37 each - were located in offices now occupied by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Leader of the House of Commons, the Minister without Portfolio, and the two Parliamentary Secretaries in Cabinet Office. The coasters purchased for ministerial private offices cost £7.99 per set.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23478 on Admiralty House, for what reason the Secretary of State for Defence occupied Admiralty House on a time-limited basis.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As has been the case under successive administrations, the Prime Minister allocates official residences to ministers, either on the grounds of security or to allow them to better perform their official duties.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 21390 on Armed Forces: Equality and with reference to the written ministerial statement of 14 May 2024, HCWS464, on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Civil Service, whether his Department's review of the cost of equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure by civil service organisations in the 2022-23 financial year included the Armed Forces.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The review into Equality, Diversity and Equality (EDI) expenditure carried under the previous administration did not include the Armed Forces.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to Ministers on what costs for moving (a) in and (b) out of official residences can be paid for from the public purse.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

No standing guidance is issued to Ministers on this specific issue, as was the case under the previous administration. The appropriate use of public resources is a matter for the relevant Accounting Officer and their individual ministers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) 10 Downing Street had with the French Government on the renaming of HMS Agincourt.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The name was proposed by the Royal Navy Ships Names and Badging committee and approved by His Majesty the King.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26566 on Special Educational Needs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of lockdown restrictions during the covid-19 pandemic on the (a) behaviour, (b) special educational needs requirements and (c) primary socialisation of school children; and what steps she is taking to help support those children.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

The UK Covid Inquiry was set up to examine the UK's response to and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and to learn lessons for the future. The government is committed to learning from the findings of the Covid Inquiry, which will play a key role in informing the government’s planning and preparations for a future pandemic.

The pandemic affected all pupils, particularly those that are disadvantaged, leading to dips in attainment and a substantial widening of the gaps between disadvantaged children and their peers. Prolonged periods of absence from schools and colleges may have also contributed to disengagement whilst at school and increased incidents of misbehaviour. The department has also seen more children starting primary schools without basic levels of development, meaning that teachers cannot focus on teaching, impacting all children in the class.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Written Statement of 17 January 2025 on Machinery of Government, HCWS368, whether appointments to the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether she plans to classify the chair appointment as a significant appointment.

Answered by Darren Jones - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA) will combine the functions of the National Infrastructure Commission and Infrastructure and Projects Authority. NISTA will bring oversight of strategy and delivery into one organisation, driving more effective delivery of infrastructure across the country.

On 17 January 2025, the Prime Minister announced in a Written Ministerial Statement that NISTA will be a joint unit of HM Treasury and Cabinet Office, effective from 1 April 2025. Further detail on the work and governance of NISTA will be announced in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Cabinet Office’s FOI disclosure referenced FOI2024/14571 of 4 December 2024, on which dates the Special Adviser People Board has met since the 5 July 2024; and which special advisers attended each meeting.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Alongside the wider work of the Special Adviser People Board, it met on 17 October 2024 and was attended by Morgan McSweeney.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the press release entitled Shake up of tech and AI usage across NHS and other public services to deliver plan for change, published on 21 January 2025, on what evidential basis the press release said that removing the need to queue to register a death would boost growth.

Answered by Feryal Clark - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

There was an initial error in publishing on GOV.UK which omitted the reference below to getting driving licences for lorries. This has now been amended.

The press notice that was distributed to journalists read as follows:

“It will do away with insensitive and antiquated processes that have been holding this country back for too long. That means scrapping the need for people to queue at the local council to register the death of a loved one, and doing away with the need to post an advert in your local paper if you want to get a license to drive a lorry – getting in the way of growth.”

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to Ministers on declaring dual nationality to (a) their department and (b) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

There is an established process in place for the declaration and management of ministers’ private interests, which ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

More information about the process by which ministers declare interests and the categories of interests declared is available in the List of Ministers’ Interests, which is published on Gov.uk

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 23894 on Eurostat: Office for National Statistics and the associated correspondence of 17 January 2025 from the National Statistician, if he will make it his policy to (a) publish on gov.uk and (b) deposit in the Library of the House the agreement with Eurostat.

Answered by Georgia Gould - 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 4th February is attached.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his speech entitled The Locarno Speech by the Foreign Secretary: January 2025, published on 9 January 2025; for what reasons were part of the speech redacted; and whether the Government issues guidance on party political speeches in Government buildings.

Answered by Catherine West - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

In this speech, the Foreign Secretary set out his vision for how the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) will help deliver this Government's Plan for Change and its approach to foreign policy. The essential nature of the speech was not party political. Any party political content was redacted from the gov.uk publication, as per guidance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the UK Statistics Authority plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the National Wealth Fund's statistical outputs as official statistics.

Answered by Georgia Gould - 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 4th February is attached.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many large technology firms she has met since her appointment; and how many times she has met (a) small companies and (b) groups representing small challenger technology firms.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

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

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department’s policies of the recent Employment Tribunal settlement between Mrs Eleanor Frances versus the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As a Civil Service Department, the Cabinet Office’s policy in this area is aligned with the Government People Group’s Civil Service model policy. As such, the Cabinet Office policy will be revised in due course to reflect planned updates to the model policy and guidance, which is currently under review.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2024 to Question 6093 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, what is the process by which a Minister can request a department (a) appoint and (b) consider appointing a specific individual to the Civil Service without open and fair competition.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Commission’s Recruitment Principles allow for specific time-limited ‘Exceptions’ to the legal requirement to recruit on merit on the basis of a fair and open competition.

Appointment by exception must be either to meet the needs of the government or to enable the Civil Service to participate in a government employment initiative. In such instances, ministers are important stakeholders in the appointment process.

Ministers can also, with agreement from the Civil Service Commission, bring in experts and specialist talent without competition - for up to two years – to meet an urgent business need.

In most cases, departments determine the case for an Exception themselves. The Civil Service Commission audits departmental use of exceptions as part of its audit programme.

The Commission’s approval is however required for:

• Any appointment by Exception at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2

• Any extension or variation of any fixed-term appointment previously agreed by the Commission at Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2 or above

• The use of an Exception within 12 months of an earlier Exception for the same individual

• Any fixed-term appointment by Exception in excess of two years

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26918 on Prisons: Construction, how many existing cells had additional beds installed to increase capacity between (a) May 1997 and May 2010 and (b) May 2010 and July 2024; how many prison places were removed in prisons that closed in the same period; and where those closed prisons were.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

Data on the number of cells which had additional beds installed is not held by the Ministry of Justice for the period requested. Prison crowding data is published annually in Annex 2 of the HMPPS Annual Digest, April 2023 to March 2024 - GOV.UK. This publication provides the percentage of prisoners held in crowded accommodation in each year in each prison since 1999. There is no earlier information on crowding available.

Available records indicate that, between May 1997 and May 2010, the total operational capacity of the prison system increased from 61,927 to 89,757, a net increase of 27,830 places. This is a net figure that takes into account all decreases including prison closures, and all increases including new accommodation or crowding of existing accommodation. Data on the number of places removed from prison closures during this period is not held by the Ministry of Justice.

The net change in prison operational capacity between May 2010 and April 2024 was c500 places. The requested information on prison closures between May 2010 and July 2024 has been provided in a table below:

Our recently announced 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy outlines a target of 14,000 new prison places by 2031, supported by £2.3 billion in funding for prison builds over the next two years.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 5 February 2025 to Question 26918 on Prisons: Construction, what estimate he has made of the total operating capacity of prisons following the end of (a) the £2.3 billion for prison builds over the next two years, (b) 2031 and (c) 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy.

Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury

On 11 December 2024, the Secretary of State published the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, alongside the Annual Statement regarding prison capacity. In the 10-year Prison Capacity Strategy, this Government has signalled plans to invest up to £2.3 billion in prison expansion in 2024-25 and 2025-26, including HMP Millsike that will deliver c.1,500 places.

Delivering c.6,500 new prison places, is only one part of our wider aim to build 14,000 prison places by 2031, with all places expected to be operational by 2032. We will also be expanding the current prison estate, adding around 6,400 prison places through houseblocks at existing sites, whilst also refurbishing residential units, facilities and ancillaries across the estate, alongside around 1,000 more Rapid Deployment Cells.

Our strategy also sets out the need to change the way that we expand the prison estate by aiming to buy new land for prison development and introduce planning legislation to build prisons faster.

The detailed information on projections for supply of new prison places can be found in the strategy and Annual Statement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to amend paragraph 8.13 of the Ministerial Code, published on 6 November 2024, to provide guidance on whether meetings with social media organisations should be published on a quarterly basis.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Details of ministers’ and senior officials’ official meetings with external individuals and organisations, including with social media organisations, are already published on a quarterly basis.

Data for the period of July to September 2024 was published by departments on the 30th January 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2024 to Question 4669 on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, whether his policy on collation of data for Senior Civil Service appointments has changed since July 2024.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The policy on collation of data for senior civil service appointments across government remains the same as when the Rt Hon member was in Cabinet Office.

Found:  A letter from Sir Robert Chote, Chair of the UK Statistics Authority, to Rt Hon Richard Holden,