Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office on 19 November 2024 (HC14117), and with reference to page 16 of the Cabinet Office Guidance on Ministers' transparency returns published in April 2024, whether TikTok is classified as a relevant media organisation for the specific reporting purposes of that guidance; and whether Ministers are required to declare all social, official and political meetings with senior media executives of TikTok in their Ministerial Quarterly Transparency Returns.

Updated guidance on ministers’ meetings was published on 30 January 2025 and includes details of who would be considered senior media figures for these purposes.

The relevant section of the guidance is provided below:

Senior media figures i.e., newspaper, broadcast, and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives are outlined in the table below. Meetings with media figures of equivalent seniority should also be declared in accordance with these guidelines.

a. Where ministers meet with senior media figures, the names of the attendees, their job title, and the organisation they represent should be included regardless of the purpose of the meeting.

b. Official meetings with representatives of media organisations operating below the level of senior media figures must also be declared.