Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether grants administered by the Arts Council will be exempted from new Cabinet Office guidelines that no government grants may be used to lobby.

As the Minister for the Cabinet Office the Rt Hon Matthew Hancock made clear on 27 April, we are committed to protecting taxpayers' money from being wasted on government lobbying government. We are pausing the implementation of this clause into grant agreements, pending a review of the representations made.