Written questions by Hollinrake.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2025 to Question 53898 on Senior Civil Servants: Pay, whether that list will be published in 2025.

The ‘high earner’ list will be published after departments and their partner organisations have implemented the 2025/26 senior pay award and they have fully quality assured the personal data being published about individuals. Departments also publish salary information for all their Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles in quarterly organograms on data.gov.uk and for all SCS operating at Board level in their Annual Accounts.

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2025 to Question 57266 on Domestic Visits: Doncaster, which events the special advisers who travelled with the Prime Minister to Doncaster took part in on 10 April 2025.

I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 28 July 2025, Official Report, PQ 57266.

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of asylum seekers that (a) are permitted to work and (b) have a parent that is also an asylum seeker would be classified as working class for these purposes.

As we set out in August, we will be opening our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. We will determine eligibility based on parental occupation at age 14 in line with guidance from the Social Mobility Commission and the Office for National Statistics definition. Regardless of whether or not a person is eligible under the social mobility criteria all applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality rules (CSNR). Under this, asylum seekers are not permitted to work unless they have been waiting for a decision on their claim for 12 months or more and the delay is through no fault of their own. If granted permission to work, they are able to take up employment in jobs included on the Shortage Occupation List (replaced by the Immigration Salary List in April 2024). We do not consider roles offered on the Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme to be included on the ‘Immigration Salary List’.

For what reason his Department pays council tax on Ministerial residences which are deemed to be second homes.

It has been long-standing government policy, in place for successive administrations, including for the previous government the Hon member served in, that where a minister occupies an official residence on a second home basis, the government pays the council tax.

How much council tax was paid by his Department on the Deputy Prime Minister’s flat in Admiralty House in each month since 4 July 2024.

The council tax charges levied by Westminster City Council are available online on their website at https://www.westminster.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-bands-and-chargesFollowing the introduction of the second homes premium, this has been paid in full in a one-off full payment in July 2025. This payment was made by the Government Property Agency on the date the Notice was received from Westminster City Council.

Whether his Department has issued guidance to special advisers on undertaking opposition research involving individual politicians.

As has been the case under successive governments, special advisers are required to adhere to the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers at all times. No specific guidance has been issued on special advisers undertaking opposition research involving individual politicians.

Whether his Department has provided guidance on whether Ministerial meetings arranged through the Labour Infrastructure Forum should be declared in Ministerial transparency returns.

The Ministerial Code sets out principles for Ministers on meetings with external organisations. Guidance published by the Cabinet Office at the following link sets out the information departments are required to publish as part of their Ministerial transparency return: -https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 July 2025 to Question 68481 on 10 Downing Street: ICT, whether Number 10 has its own operational Bloomberg terminal, independent from the Treasury ones.

I refer my Hon Friend to the answer of 23 July, Official Report, PQ 68481.

Whether he has issued guidance to special advisers on undertaking (a) national and (b) local political activities during working hours when accompanying Ministers in a local election purdah period.

The rules for national and local political activities are set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 54875 on Admiralty House: Council Tax, whether Council Tax (a) discount, exemption, disregard and (b) premium is applied to the Government's bill for each of the unoccupied Admiralty House ministerial residences in 2025-26.

Discount, exemption, disregard and premiums billing for Admiralty House are determined by the Local Authority. In this instance, this would be Westminster City Council.

What recent estimate he has made of the number of headcount members of the Government Communication Service; and what estimate he has made of the number of embedded communications across central government that are not included with the Government Communication Service.

Government Communications is made up of around 6,000 professional communicators from across the UK, supporting and promoting the work of 25 ministerial departments, 21 non-ministerial departments and over 300 agencies and other public bodies. The list provided for the response to IR2025/05101 breaks this down further, and will be submitted for entry into the House of Commons library. The Government Communication Service headcount can be found on Gov.uk at this link here.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 July 2025 to Question 68482 on House of Lords Composition, how the Select Committee on the composition of the House of Lords will be selected; what will be the political balance; and whether it will be a Joint Committee with this representation from the House of Commons.

As stated in the Answer of 24 July, the Government intends to propose the establishment of a House of Lords Select Committee to look at how best to implement the manifesto commitments on a retirement age and participation requirement. The details of the Select Committee, including its proposed chair, membership and timescales of reporting, will be put to the House of Lords for agreement after the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill receives Royal Assent.

With reference to the letter from the Director General of the Cabinet Office Propriety and Constitution Group of 24 July 2025 to the hon. Member for Thirsk and Malton, what his planned timetable is for the updated guidance to special advisers on what support can be provided to different types of events during periods of sensitivity in the run up to local elections.

Elections guidance for civil servants, including special advisers, is kept under review and will be published in advance of local elections in 2026.

Further to the letter to the Hon Member for Thirsk and Malton from the Director General of the Propriety & Constitution Group of 23 June 2025, if he will provide guidance to departments from the Propriety and Ethics Team on ensuring that the political impartiality of the police is upheld in future events involving Ministers.

Elections guidance for civil servants is kept under review and published in advance of the relevant election period.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 53094 on Second Homes: Council Tax, whether his Department has issued guidance on applying for a job-related (a) council tax second homes discount and (b) exemption from the council tax second homes premium on Ministerial residences.

The Cabinet Office has not issued any such guidance.

Who attended the reception for content creators at 10 Downing Street on 31 July 2025; and what the cost was of the event.

As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.

Whether his Department has issued revised guidance on assessing the potential local dimension of future announcements undertaken in a pre-election period.

Elections guidance for civil servants is kept under review and will be published in advance of local elections in 2026.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 May 2025 to Question 52864 on Deputy Prime Minister: Admiralty House, when the Government last undertook a valuation of Admiralty House.

The valuation of Admiralty House was last updated in March 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64772 on Public Appointments: Council of the Nations and Regions, who is now undertaking the responsibilities that were previously assigned to the Envoy for the Nations and Regions.

The Council facilitates partnership working between the UK Government, Devolved Governments, the Mayor of London, and Mayors of Combined Authorities and Mayors of Combined County Authorities.The Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster routinely engage with the Heads of Devolved Governments and the Deputy Prime Minister and other ministers routinely engage with England’s Regional Mayors.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 60496 on Civil Servants: London Allowance, what is the policy Cabinet Office policy on whether junior civil servants in his Department receiving London weighting have to attend and work in an office within Greater London.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer on 3 July 2025 (PQ 63008).Pay arrangements, including those for London, are delegated to each department. The Cabinet Office does not have a London Weighting Allowance. There are separate London and National pay ranges. An individual’s pay, paid as a salary, is determined by the location of their designated office, as set out in their contract.