Every parliamentary written question tabled by Charlie Dewhirst this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 241–260 of 272 · Cabinet Office
When the Honours and Appointments Secretariat last updated the guidance on involvement of Ministers in the Honours System; and if he will place a copy of the current guidance in the Library.
Ministerial guidance on their involvement in the Honours System was last issued by the Prime Minister's Office in June 2022.
Pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2024 to Question 14352 on Government Departments: X Corp and with reference to the SAFE Framework for HMG Brand Safety, how many instances have been recorded where HM Government advertising appeared alongside content later deemed unsuitable since 5 July 2024; and what corrective actions were taken in each case.
Our third party supplier uses verification technology to check that advertising only appears next to appropriate content online. This happens automatically on all our campaigns.They also continue to monitor after delivery. If they find an issue, we immediately pause the advertising campaign until the issue is addressed, and we can be sure it is safe.We have not had any reported issues between 5 July 2024 and present.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15229 on Senior Civil Servants: Freedom of Information, what best practice guidance does the (a) Cabinet Office FOI Clearing House Internal Review and (b) its successor provide to departments on the level of seniority at which information on civil servants should normally be disclosed in response to FOI requests.
The Cabinet Office has not issued either internal or external guidance on whether Freedom of Information Act requests requesting information on senior civil servants should be disclosed. All requests are considered on their own merits in all circumstances.
How many transactions have been blocked under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 since 5 July 2024; and which transactions were blocked.
The Government publishes notices of final orders made on GOV.UK - this includes cases that are blocked, unwound, or cleared subject to conditions. The Government also publishes annual reports to provide information about the transactions that it has been notified about and those it subsequently called in for a national security assessment. The NSI Annual Report 2023-24 was published on 10 September 2024 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-and-investment-act-2021-annual-report-2023-24. The period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will be covered in the next annual report, which will be published later this year.
Who provided the lectern used by the Prime Minister for his press conference at Pinewood Studios on 5 December 2024.
The lectern was loaned by the Labour Party.
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 15193 on Ministers: Code of Practice, for what reason the Prime Minister included the previously removed duty for ministers to comply with international law in the new Ministerial Code.
The reference has been reinserted into the Ministerial Code to provide clarity. This does not place any new duties on ministers; it brings together duties which exist elsewhere.
How many of the reviews by Departments of public bodies in the financial year 2023/24 as part of the Public Bodies Review Programme (a) have been completed, (b) remain outstanding and (c) have been abandoned.
Of the 50 public body reviews planned for 2023/24, 34 were completed. Nine remain in progress and seven are currently paused as the team progresses other work to deliver value for money.
How many staff work in the mission delivery unit; and what its (a) function and (b) remit is.
The Mission Delivery Unit has c 30 FTE. The core purpose of the Mission Delivery Unit is to advise the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the delivery of the five Missions.
How much his Department has spent on carbon offsetting for Ministerial travel since 5 July 2024.
As was the case under the previous administration, the Cabinet Office does not offset business travel, choosing to reduce rather than offset carbon emissions. However, official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset as part of the contractual arrangement for the GBNI flight.
With reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's web page entitled Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: spending over £0, published on 10 October 2024, if he will publish a corresponding copy of the spending by his Department on (a) electronic purchasing cards and (b) Government procurement cards over £0 for August 2024 broken down by (i) expense type, (ii) supplier, (iii) item text, (iv) merchant category, (v) amount and (vi) date.
The guiding policy setting out the requirement to only publish GPC transactions over £500 remains in place. Guidance is available to all government departments on gov.uk at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e8b402686650c18ce2cb541/Procurement_Cards_-_Pan_Government_Policy_V4_06042020.pdfIn support of the Government’s Transparency agenda, the Cabinet Office publishes GPC spend data over £500 on gov.uk.
How many special advisers have affiliated to the First Division Association; and whether special advisers are a collective bargaining unit.
Details of Trade Union memberships are not held by Civil Service employers. I refer to PQ 5303, which confirmed that there are currently no collective bargaining agreements for Special Advisers.
How many Civil Service fast stream applicants self-declared a disability in each year for which figures are available.
The Fast Stream campaign data, including data pertaining to applicants with disabilities, is published annually and available on gov.uk.
Whether he has issued guidance to Cabinet colleagues on engagement with the 48 Group.
No guidance has been issued on engagement with the 48 Group specifically. The Cabinet Office routinely assesses information pertaining to external bodies and groups to guide Ministerial engagement.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8637 on Cabinet Office: Vacancies, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the length of the application window on the effectiveness the recruitment process.
The vacancy adhered to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles, which state: “the time allowed for advertising must be suitable for attracting a sufficiently strong and diverse field of applicants, taking account of the nature of the role and the relevant job market.”
With reference to his Department's publication entitled Special adviser data releases: numbers and costs, November 2024, published on 28 November 2024, for what reason his Department has not published the list of special adviser salaries for the current administration; and if he will publish the current list of special advisers before the end of the calendar year.
As was the case under the previous administration, annual reports on special advisers relate to the preceding financial year.The Annual Report on Special Advisers published on 28 November 2024, therefore relates to the 2023/24 financial year.The 2025 Annual Report on Special Advisers, which will relate to the 2024/25 financial year, will be published before the end of this year.
Whether (a) Downing Street and (b) his Department collates information on each (i) domestic and (ii) overseas flight undertaken by (A) the Prime Minister and (B) other Ministers.
Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account. As was the practice under the previous Government, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on GOV.UK.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024, to Question 5280, on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, if he will list each of the (a) job titles and (b) associated unit of the Senior Civil Service roles that were not open to external candidates.
I refer the honourable member to the answer provided on 11 November. We are unable to provide a more detailed breakdown without individuals potentially being identifiable.
With reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Great British Energy against the requirement that the creation of a new ALB should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Energy met.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is working through the approval process, in parallel with the passing of the Great British Energy Bill, to establish Great British Energy (GBE).
With reference to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question HL2426 on Ministers: Official Cars, how many vehicles of the Government Car Service were available for senior official use in (a) 2023 and (b) in the latest period for which data is available.
The Government Car Service (GCS) does not determine the allocation of vehicles to senior officials, this is carried out by individual Departmental Private Offices. The arrangements relating to the use of vehicles from the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. There has been no change in this policy since 2023.
With reference to the Answer of 25 November 2024 to Question HL2426 on Ministers: Official Cars, how many of those cars in each year listed were electric cars.
The number of electric vehicles in the Government Car Service operational fleet for the specified years is:1.2016: 42. 2023: 363.2024: 36