Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92495 on Civil Servants: Disclosure of Information, what is the evidence basis for the Government’s view that an independent Office for the Whistleblower would (a) be duplicative and (b) what would this be duplicative of.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are well established whistleblowing processes in place across government. Individual government departments are responsible for determining and setting their whistleblowing arrangements and procedures. In addition, the Civil Service Commission is an independent body that can hear and determine concerns by civil servants that relate to the Civil Service Code, where it has already been raised formally under the Code with the relevant Department.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the contribution by the Minister of 12 November 2025, col 285, on the Nolan Principles, what the evidence basis was for stating that the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee did not recommend the creation of an independent Office for the Whistleblower due to the risk of duplication.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The National Audit Office made four recommendations in the report following its investigation into whistleblowing in the Civil Service and the Public Accounts Committee made five recommendations in its subsequent report.
Neither report recommended setting up an independent Office of the Whistleblower, and I have since corrected Hansard to clarify that the reports themselves did not refer to a risk of duplication. It is the Government’s position that an independent Office of the Whistleblower would be duplicative.
The full text of the reports are available online.
https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/investigation-whistleblowing-civil-service.pdf
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5804/cmselect/cmpubacc/457/report.html
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to implement the recommendations of the report by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights entitled Concluding observations on the seventh periodic report of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 3 March 2025.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
Relevant departments are currently considering the Committee’s concluding observations in detail. The Government will give written responses to three priority areas that the Committee has identified for specific follow-up by 2027.
The Government will respond to the rest of the recommendations before the UK’s next reporting cycle starts in 2030.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government devices are used to post from the Government's TikTok account; how many other communication applications are used on those devices; how many officials have used this account; and whether he plans to increase the number of Government TikTok accounts.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
As per the guidance in the Mobile Device Management policy, we take a careful controlled approach to TikTok usage on government devices to safeguard all government activity. Access is strictly limited to essential purposes only. The existing policy regarding TikTok on government devices remains unchanged.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to (a) respond to the recommendations of the Infected Blood Inquiry and (b) involve people affected by infected blood.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government is working closely with DHSC and other relevant departments and organisations to give the recommendations full consideration. We will provide an update to Parliament on the progress we are making to respond to the Inquiry’s recommendations by the end of the year, as the Inquiry recommends. The Government will pay compensation to infected and affected victims of infected blood.
The Government asked Sir Robert Francis KC to hold an engagement exercise with the infected blood community to give recommendations on the composition of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is committed to engaging with the infected and affected community in an open and transparent way so that it can deliver the compensation scheme as quickly as possible, and in a way that meets the needs of the community.