Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 261–280 of 763 · Cabinet Office
Pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 62624 on Public Buildings: Concrete, which three Government Property Agency buildings have been found to have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.
Due to operational and security sensitivities, we do not disclose sites in which Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete is present.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25449 on Government Communication Service, what his Department's planned timetable is for publishing its review of the size of the Government Communications Service as part of Phase 2 of the Spending Review.
The Government Communications Service (GCS) regularly evaluates communications teams to ensure value for money and operational effectiveness. GCS is currently recruiting a Director of Government Communications who will lead the redesign of the service to ensure it reflects both the evolving communications landscape and government priorities.
With reference to the UK Statistics Authority and Cabinet Office response to the Devereux Review, published on 26 June 2025, what plans he has to publish a response to each recommendation of the Devereux Review.
The UK Statistics Authority and Cabinet Office response to the Devereux Review was published on 26 June. A further announcement was made on 7 July regarding the timeline for appointing new leadership to both the UK Statistics Authority and the Office for National Statistics. While there are no plans to publish further responses, additional updates may be announced as and when deemed appropriate. The Government welcomes the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee's inquiry into the UK Statistics Authority, launched earlier this year, and looks forward to engaging with the Committee.
How many and what proportion of the attendees at the Plan for Change launch event on 5 December 2024 were invited by the Government.
All invitations were sent by the Government.
If he will require the National Security Adviser to publish details of meetings with external organisations other than senior media executives.
As a special adviser, the National Security Adviser is bound by the transparency obligations set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
With reference to his Department's press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme, published on 28 November 2024, what the percentage take-up rate was for (a) UK Government departments and (b) arm's-length bodies separately.
His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up was published on gov.uk.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54828 on Civil Servants: Training, if he will publish the full training (a) documentation and (b) modules prepared for the course.
It is not possible to share these products as they are interactive e-learning and videos that need to run on learning management systems. We would not publish learning content or materials themselves, as they might contain internal policy details, or intellectual property owned by a third party.
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54280 on Civil Servants: Pay, whether civil servants in her Department that are relocated outside of London will have their pay reduced; and whether civil servants employed in new locations outside of London will lose their London weighting.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer on 3 July (PQ 63008). The Cabinet Office does not have London Weighting. There are separate London and National pay ranges. If an employee relocates from a London to National location on a voluntary basis, their salary would reduce to the equivalent point on the opposite pay range.
What guidance has been given to Cabinet ministers by the (a) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (b) Cabinet Office on whether Ministers who personally receive donations from trade unions (i) must and (ii) need not recuse themselves from (A) official government meetings and (B) decisions relating to those specific trade unions.
As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Any advice given to ministers as part of this process would be in confidence.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54822 on Cabinet Office: Directors, whether Baroness Casey will be a member of the Cabinet Office Board.
I refer the Hon. member to PQ 54822.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54820 on Civil Service: Equality, if he will make it his policy to (a) publish the new network guidance on gov.uk and (b) place it in the House of Commons Library once finalised.
Guidance for Civil Service Staff Networks is in development. This will be internal guidance which is not usually published.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54760 on Civil Servants: London, whether he plans to require any civil servants based in London to compulsorily relocate as part of the Places for Growth scheme.
London-based civil servants will not be required to compulsorily relocate as part of Places for Growth. Role relocations will occur predominantly through churn and some London-based civil servants may choose to voluntarily relocate.
Pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2025 to Question 53204 on Central Government: Empty Property, whether the InSite database is accessible to the public.
The InSite database is an internal government system and is not accessible to the public. While the data held in InSite informs public outputs such as official reports, the platform itself is not publicly available due to data protection, security, and operational sensitivity considerations. Members of the public can view information on vacant or surplus government-owned properties via the Government Property Finder: https://www.gov.uk/find-government-property
With reference to paragraph 1.24 of the Review Body on Senior Salaries publication Forty-seventh annual report on senior salaries published in May 2025, what steps the Government is taking to reduce excessive (a) bureaucracy and (b) process in the Civil Service.
This Government is committed to creating a productive and agile state. This includes reducing bureaucracy and simplifying processes through adoption of digital technology and AI tools, improving Ministerial oversight and accountability in arms-length bodies, streamlining approval processes, creating a cost-conscious culture that relentlessly roots out waste, drives efficiency, and protects taxpayers’ money, and establishing a more productive, higher-skilled civil service with stronger accountability for performance.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54800 on Government Departments: Press Offices, if he will publish the guidance on the use of party political commodities at Government press conferences.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 21 March 2025, Official Report, PQ 47333.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366 on Cabinet Office: staff, whether his Department has a target for (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory exits; and what communications have been sent to civil servants on this matter.
As set out in the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366, in line with the 2025 Spending Review, we are restructuring the Cabinet Office into a more strategic, specialised, and smaller department to achieve £110 million in annual expenditure savings by the 2028/29 financial year. Our focus is on identifying budgetary savings rather than meeting a specific headcount target.
If he will publish the response to the Freedom of Information Act request reference FOI2025/05753 of 12 June 2025.
The request document will be deposited in the House Libraries.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 57737 on European Parliament Members: Workplace Pensions, which public body holds information on the pension scheme liabilities for UK MEPs from 2009 up to the date the UK left the EU.
The European Parliamentary (United Kingdom Representatives) Pension Scheme closed to new members in 2009. Active members were able to continue contributing to this scheme or to join a new European Union (EU) Members of the European Parliament (MEP) scheme. HMT holds information on the pension scheme liabilities for this scheme and the information is available in the Consolidated Fund Accounts 2023 to 2024 page 37 section 7:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-fund-account-2023-to-2024In 2009, the EU implemented a uniform pension scheme for all MEPs, replacing the previous system where MEPs received pensions and salaries from their respective member states.MEPs elected from 2009 onwards are members of the EU pension scheme and the UK’s share of the pension liabilities are covered by the EU Exit agreement. Information about the EU scheme liabilities can be found at the following link on the UK Parliament website:https://committees.parliament.uk/work/3906/exiting-the-eu-the-financial-settlement-inquiry/#:~:text=As%20part%20of%20the%20ongoing,the%20estimated%20settlement%20and%20why.
Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54781 on Arm’s Length Bodies: Equality, whether there is any monitoring of the EDI spending exemptions authorised by Arm’s Length Bodies; and whether there is any requirement on Arm’s Length Bodies to publish details of the exempted expenditure as Whitehall departments are required.
The Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024 applies to all Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) who employ civil servants. As such, those ALBs are required to publish details of the exempted expenditure as Whitehall departments are required.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49382 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the relevant narrative entry in the transparency data will show which OCS invoice relates to the refurbishment of the Downing Street media room.
The Government Property Agency is awaiting OCS' submission of an application for payment for the costs for the 9DS Media Suite.