Written questions by Dewhirst.

Whether there is a successor publication to the Central Office of Information's white book.

The White Book is no longer in publication.

Pursuant to her oral statement of 16 June 2025, Official Report, Column 25 on Child Sexual Exploitation: Casey Report, whether the national inquiry will be (a) judge-led, (b) televised and (c) subject to the full provisions of the Inquiries Act 2005 and the Inquiry Rules 2006.

Further details on the national inquiry will be announced in due course.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the decision to cancel the communications campaign (a) Tackling Money Mules and (b) Upstream Migrant Deterrence on (i) crime and (ii) illegal immigration; and what the business case was for cancelling each of those projects.

The National Crime Agency ran a low-cost campaign targeting money mules as part of Operation European Money Mule Action (EMMA) 10. EMMA 10 was a time limited Europol-led intensification that ran from September to November 2024 and aimed to disrupt mule activity through upstream activities targeting mule facilitators and recruiters.The Home Office’s communications campaign, aimed at deterring irregular and illegal migration has not been cancelled.

Whether any representatives of the Government sit as observers or members on Royal Mail’s Stamp Advisory Committee; and whether proposals for new stamps are reviewed by the Government before they are presented for approval by the Sovereign.

A representative of the government from the Department of Business and Trade sits as a member on Royal Mail’s Stamp Advisory Committee.Decisions on Royal Mail’s annual stamp programmes are the direct responsibility of the company. Stamp designs are thoroughly reviewed by the Stamp Advisory Committee, who endorse their presentation for approval by the Sovereign.

With reference to Box 1.D of the Spending Review 2025, CP1336, published on 11 June 2025, whether she has made an estimate of the number of civil servants funded to exit the civil service in (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27.

The cost of paid exits in the Civil Service varies significantly as the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, which sets the terms for paid exits in the Civil Service, is based on length of service and salary. However, we expect the transformation fund for employee exit schemes, matched by departments themselves, to enable a reformed Civil Service that is focussed on delivery, through an efficient and cost-effective workforce.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2025 to Question 53200 on Cabinet Office: Labour Party, what the value of the payments was; and what dates those payments relate to.

The dates and value of payments received are as follows: Sept 2024 - £4.87 Sept to Nov 2024 - £2,827.94 Dec 2024 - £102.40 Each of these payments was for use of Government Car Service.

With reference to his Department's publication entitled Cabinet Office: Government Procurement Card spend over £500 - March 2025, published on 24 April 2025, what the spending to Berry Bros Rudd Limited was for.

The referenced entry relates to wine purchased for official business. The Government regularly hosts events and diplomatic occasions to bring together world leaders and other dignitaries, strengthen international relationships and deliver for the UK public. Any hospitality purchases for these occasions are made with value-for-money for the taxpayer as a priority.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2025 to Question 24563 on Farms: Domestic Visits, how many farm visits he has made since the previous Answer; and where those farms were located.

We respect the privacy of those hosting visits to farms and so are unable to share this information.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54826 on Senior Civil Servants: Training, whether external venues have been booked for away days since 6 April 2025.

On 4 April, guidance was issued on restrictions to booking external venues. Departments were asked to put appropriate approval mechanisms in place. The guidance was clear that external venues for awaydays and events should only be used when space in government buildings is unavailable. When it is absolutely necessary to use an external venue, they should be procured through established procurement routes where available. The Cabinet Office issued instructions on its intranet on 30 April 2025 that prior to booking any external venues approval must be obtained from the relevant Budget Holder and Finance Business Partner. Prior to this period, bookings may have been made which would have proved more costly to cancel, therefore some pre-booked events may still take place. However, this guidance is now live across the Department and is being implemented accordingly.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled, Portraits of His Majesty the King for UK public authorities, published on 1 April 2023, how many portraits were provided to public bodies; and what the total cost was of that scheme.

I refer the Honourable Member to the information published on GOV.UK on 28 November 2024 which provided a summary of the His Majesty The King Official Portrait Scheme, including the number of portraits provided and the total cost of the scheme: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/conclusion-of-his-majesty-the-kings-free-portrait-scheme The HMK Portrait scheme was launched on 14th November 2023 and, including two extensions of scope, ran until 15th August 2024. A total of 20,565 orders were received, the cost of which, including delivery, was £2,710,705.50 with an average price of £131.81 per portrait.

What his Department's planned timetable is for the the publication of substantive details on the implementation and configuration of the proposed new duty of candour; and whether he plans to issue a formal consultation.

We remain fully committed to bringing in this legislation which will include a legal duty of candour for public servants and criminal sanctions for those who do not comply. Having consulted with groups and their representatives, more time is required to draft the best version of a Hillsborough Law.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 May 2025 to Question 53546 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, whether the recruitment campaign to appoint the two independent members was re-opened after it originally closed.

The campaign to appoint new Independent Members to the House of Lords Appointments Commission was launched earlier this year and remains active. It has not been re-opened.

What his planned timetable is for responding to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's report entitled Lobbying and Influence HC 203, published on 2 May 2024.

In addition to steps this Government has already taken to improve transparency, in particular through the introduction of the monthly register of ministers' gifts and hospitality, the Government continues to develop its broader work on ethics and standards and will update the Committee on the outcome of that work in due course.

If she will list the (a) topic and (b) title of each item of external research commissioned by HMRC since 4 July 2024.

Details of projects in the HMRC Research Programme are available at: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-revenue-customs/about/research#research-activities-funded-by-hmrc The content of this webpage will be updated to include projects commissioned since 4 July 2024 as soon as possible.

Whether there is a Crown Commercial Service communications and marketing framework which covers branded goods.

In April, the government announced that spending taxpayer money on new unnecessary branded merchandise will be banned and will only be permitted when essential for delivering the government’s agenda, for example, in overseas trade and diplomacy, to promote growth. Government departments can continue to use existing branded merchandise.Branded goods are presently available through the Crown Commercial Service’s (CCS) Campaign Solutions 2 Framework (RM6125), which was established under the previous administration in September 2021. CCS is in the process of establishing a new framework, RM6364 Media and Creative Services, which will replace Campaign Solutions 2. The new framework will not cover branded goods.

With reference to the Spending Review 2025, published on 11 June 2025, whether she plans to raise taxes.

In the Spending Review, money was allocated to the priorities of the British people: our security, our health service and growing the economy to put more money in people's pockets. Everything the Chancellor set out in the Spending Review is costed and has been budgeted for. The OBR will produce a new forecast in the Autumn for the annual Budget, and the Chancellor will take decisions in the round based on that forecast.

Whether Sizewell C will be classified as (a) public or (b) private expenditure and borrowing for the purposes of the national accounts.

While HMG's investments in the project since November 2022 have resulted in the project being consolidated to the government’s balance sheet, a decision on the economic classification of Sizewell C will be made by the Office for National Statistics, independently of HMG.

If she will make an assessment of the number of pensioners who will need to pay back the Winter Fuel Payment through tax system, in each financial year between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2029.

From this winter 2025-26 Winter Fuel Payment eligibility will be expanded in England and Wales. Pensioners with incomes below or equal to £35,000 will benefit from Winter Fuel Payments. About 9 million individuals will benefit from a Winter Fuel Payments this winter. Winter Fuel Payments will be paid automatically meaning any pensioner receiving a State Pension or DWP benefit or who has previously received a Winter Fuel Payment will not need to make a claim. There are about 2 million individuals with an income above £35,000. Those who receive a Winter Fuel Payment will have the full amount of their Winter Fuel Payment recovered via HMRC. Pensioners do not need to take any immediate action, and those that wish to opt out of receiving the winter fuel payment can do so. Winter Fuel Payments are devolved to Scotland and Northern Ireland.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises in the (a) aviation and (b) maritime sectors have adequate access to Government procurement contracts.

The Department for Transport runs a series of regional Meet the Buyer Small Business roadshows across the UK to highlight opportunities and encourage participation in our supply chains. This programme also enables the Department to identify opportunities to remove barriers to SME participation in our competitions. In total the Department has hosted nineteen events with around 3500 small businesses attending so far. The programme is continuing in 2025/26 following very positive feedback from the small business community.

What engagement she has had with small and medium-sized enterprises in the aviation sector to better understand the challenges and opportunities they face.

The Department believes that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have a vital role to play within the aviation and maritime sectors and in supporting our objectives on growth, innovation and the environment. The Department has regular engagement with SMEs and their trade bodies on these matters and on the challenges and opportunities they face. The Department and other government bodies have provided support to SME companies via innovation and decarbonisation funding in both the aviation and maritime sectors. This includes the UK Shipping Office for Reducing Emissions (UK SHORE) Clean Maritime Demonstration Competitions. The Future of Flight Programme will also enable the routine use of drones and eVTOLs in the UK in this Parliament. This will unlock growth for small and medium businesses in the aviation sector and beyond, including innovative aerospace manufacturing startups, and existing service providers such as surveyors that use drones to expand their markets. In addition, the Department continues to work with the Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime and Coastguard Agency to consider how the regulatory regimes interact with these factors in relation to SMEs. The UK aviation and maritime sectors are predominantly privately operated therefore operators are responsible for managing their own contingency plans and ensuring that they are robust and meet their own individual circumstances. My officials engage regularly with these sectors to gain assurances that plans are in place to ensure that disruptions are kept to a minimum.