Written questions by Onwurah.

Who in Government is responsible for issuing guidance and/or requirements for the retention, storage and back up of Cabinet ministers a) personal and b) professional whatsapp messages.

Awaiting answer.

For what reason the Cabinet committee on Science and Technology has been replaced with a committee on Digital and Technology; and how matters related to science will be considered.

The membership and terms of reference of Cabinet committees is decided by the Prime Minister, as set out on gov.uk and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology is a member of the Digital and Technology Committee. Matters related to science may be considered by a range of committees as relevant to their terms of reference.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 33871 on Government Departments: Digital Technology, whether these discussions included the digitalisation of Government.

As per the previous answer, the Cabinet Office regularly discusses Civil Service workforce matters with trade unions. These matters are wide ranging and include the use of new technology.

Whether Microsoft has recently raised its prices to Government for Office 365.

Crown Commercial Service (CCS) established a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) known as the Strategic Partnership Arrangement 2024 (SPA24) with Microsoft, which commenced on 1 November 2024. This arrangement provides enhanced value and discounted pricing for public sector organisations.A reduction of approximately 6% in Microsoft 365 licence pricing took place in February 2025 as part of a wider price adjustment for Commercial Cloud Services.

What recent discussions his Department has had with trade unions on the digitalisation of Government.

The Cabinet Office regularly discusses workforce matters with trade unions.

Whether he plans to enable more civil servants to relocate from London to Newcastle upon Tyne.

The Civil Service is committed to establishing a strong presence in regions and nations across the United Kingdom, including in cities such as Newcastle upon Tyne. The Civil Service should be connected to and representative of the communities it serves as well as delivering a high quality of service for citizens across the whole of the UK. Further plans will be set out in due course, aligned with the upcoming Spending Review.