Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding between HMRC and the Cabinet Office has been updated since the introduction of the Data Protection Act 2018; and on what basis data transfers for honours probity checks continues.

As noted in our answer to PQ 92590, the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cabinet Office and HMRC was last updated in 2023. The Memorandum of Understanding, which is published in full on gov.uk, sets out the legal and lawful basis by which data is transferred.

The 2023 Memorandum of Understanding is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sharing-hmrc-information-to-assist-honours-committees-recommendations/memorandum-of-understanding-accessing-hmrc-information-to-assist-honours-committees-in-making-recommendations-about-awarding-honours-to-individ