Written questions by Glen.

Whether the Prime Minister has declared The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013 as an interest to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests.

There has been no change in the established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers, which ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. This process is well underway. The next List of Ministers’ Interests will be published in due course.

What guidance is issued to Ministers on declaring political donations in the list of Ministers’ Interests.

There has been no change in the established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers, which ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. This process is well underway. The next List of Ministers’ Interests will be published in due course.

When the register of Ministers’ Interests will be published.

There has been no change in the established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers, which ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. This process is well underway. The next List of Ministers’ Interests will be published in due course.

Whether the Prime Minister's chief of staff has a probationary period.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to paragraph 6 of the Model Contract for Special Advisers (Probation) and which can be found at: Model_Contract_for_Special_Advisers_December_2023.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

Whether the Prime Minister plans to use sustainable aviation fuel for official (a) domestic and (b) overseas flights.

My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Transport set out to the House on 22 July 2024 our plans to support the development, production, and use of sustainable aviation fuel which the Government already uses where possible.

Whether the Prime Minister plans to carbon offset his official (a) domestic and (b) overseas flights.

It has been the practice that official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible.

Which (a) official and (b) special adviser is responsible for locating staff in the Number 10 political office within the Downing Street estate.

As was the case under the previous Administration, the individual responsibilities of Cabinet Office staff are not published.

If he will provide an annual update to the UK Biological Security Strategy.

Yes. This Government has adopted the UK Biological Security Strategy and as lead Minister, The Rt Hon. Pat McFadden MP, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be updating Parliament in the Autumn on its implementation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 July 2024 to Question 455 on Retirement: Public Sector, whether the Prime Minister plans to introduce a mandatory retirement age in the House of Lords.

The Government set out clear plans for House of Lords reform in the manifesto, including introducing a retirement age of 80. We will engage with peers to consider how best to implement this and our other manifesto commitments on Lords reform.

What steps he is taking to meet the cyber resilience targets for UK critical national infrastructure by 2025; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of mandatory cyber security requirements in the UK public sector.

HMG is committed to continue driving up levels of cyber resilience within the UK and we have seen the significant impact that cyber attacks can have. We will continue to work closely with Lead Government Departments and the National Cyber Security Centre to ensure resilience and preparedness to cyber threat, and to work towards resilience targets for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) sectors. This will be achieved through working with CNI (in both the private and public sector) to better: i) understand; ii) manage cyber risk; and, iii) minimise the impact of cyber incidents when they occur. The King's Speech set out that the Government would bring forward a Cyber Security and Resilience Bill in this parliamentary session which will strengthen the UK’s cyber defences, ensure that critical infrastructure and the digital services that companies rely on are secure. This complements the Cabinet Office’s work to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of all regulation that applies to CNI. The UK Government is also using GovAssure, the cyber security assurance regime for the whole of government, including Government sector CNI, to define clear cyber resilience outcomes and develop an objective view of cyber resilience across the government technology estate. The common approach to Secure by Design across Government is being rolled out to all Departments responsible for CNI. The Cyber Security Standard sets out the GovAssure cyber assurance regime as mandatory for some government organisations. The Cabinet Office and partner organisations are using the results from GovAssure to continue to assess the effectiveness of existing cyber security requirements, including consideration of further mandation of requirements.

With reference to the final report of the Infected Blood inquiry (HC 569-I), published on 20 May 2024, what progress his Department has made on identifying potential locations for the permanent memorial to the infected blood victims since May 2024; and what his planned timetable is for consulting those (a) infected and (b) affected by the scandal.

It is very important that we recognise what happened to people as a result of the Infected Blood Scandal and that we continue to remember these events for future generations. The Government is carefully considering Sir Brian Langstaff’s recommendations and we will provide an update to Parliament on the progress we are making to respond to the Inquiry’s recommendations, including this recommendation on memorialisation, by the end of the year.

With reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, what steps he is taking to change the culture of the civil service.

The findings of the Inquiry’s report are deeply concerning. We are working closely with DHSC and other interested departments to give each recommendation full consideration. This Government will bring forward legislation to place a duty of candour on public servants and authorities. This will be an important step towards addressing a culture of defensiveness. I will update Parliament on the progress on all recommendations by the end of the year.

What flags other than the Union flag he plans to fly on 70 Whitehall in the next 12 months.

70 Whitehall is a UK government building. The Cabinet Office will therefore follow the flag-flying guidance for all UK government buildings. This guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/designated-days-for-union-flag-flying.

With reference to the Cabinet Office press release entitled More public institutions can apply for a portrait of The King, published on 12 May 2024, what the take-up rate of the free official portrait of the King is amongst (a) Church of England churches, (b) job centres, (c) NHS hospitals and (d) universities.

As is usual practice following accession, an Official Portrait has been taken of His Majesty The King to mark the start of the new Reign, for use in public buildings and for other official purposes. His Majesty’s Government is using this portrait for the Official Portrait Scheme, announced by the Deputy Prime Minister at the time in April last year. His Majesty The King’s Portrait Scheme is an ongoing government scheme. We intend to disclose the information requested into the public domain when the scheme is complete and we have the full picture on the volumes requested and delivered and the associated costs, rather than providing provisional data at this stage. The scheme was open to new applications until 15th August and validation, portrait production and portrait delivery will complete in mid October.

If he will publish a list of (a) each scheduled evaluation on the Cabinet Office Evaluation Registry for all government bodies and (b) what the target date is for each.

The Cabinet Office Evaluation Registry is due to be launched to the public in the coming months.

Whether he plans to publish civil service headquarters occupancy data.

The publication of this data was suspended in line with pre-election guidance for the duration of the Pre-Election Period. Future collection and publication plans are being considered.

What the average length of time is for the Cabinet Office to process a business appointments rules application from (a) crown servants and (b) special advisers.

The Cabinet Office processes Business Appointment Rules applications for civil servants and special advisers from within the department, as well as Permanent Secretaries from across all Government departments. For Cabinet Office civil servants and special advisers below the ACOBA threshold (those below SCS pay band 3 or below special adviser pay band 4), the Cabinet Office oversees the full process and makes final decisions. For Cabinet Office civil servants and special advisers above the ACOBA threshold (SCS pay band 3 or above and special adviser pay band 4) the Cabinet Office provides a recommendation and supporting information to ACOBA, who then conduct their own analysis and provide advice. Business Appointment Rules applications at SCS2 and below are managed at a departmental level. It can take between 11 and 32 working days depending on the grade and former and prospective roles to process these applications.

What his planned timetable is for the publication of departmental annual accounts for financial year 2023-24.

The department plans to lay the 2023/24 Annual Report in the House at the end of October 2024. This is dependent on the satisfactory completion of the audit of the accounts of the Cabinet Office group.

If the Prime Minister will list the job title of each special adviser appointed to 10 Downing Street.

I refer the Rt Hon Member to paragraph 2 of the Model Contract for Special Advisers (Job title and duties) and which can be found at: Model_Contract_for_Special_Advisers_December_2023.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of revising section nine of the Ministerial Code on Ministers and Parliament.

When meeting with the new Cabinet for the first time, the Prime Minister was clear about the standards he expects of them and their ministerial teams. The Prime Minister will issue a Ministerial Code in due course.