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 401–420 of 763 · Cabinet Office
Pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46285 on Ethics and Integrity Commission, when he will establish the Commission; and whether it will be placed on a statutory basis.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to PQ UIN 46285 on 28 April 2025.
How many roles in his Department were (a) externally advertised and (b) subject to open competition since 30 May 2024; and how many senior civil servants have been appointed without external advertisement and open competition in that time.
Substantive appointments and promotions to or within Senior Civil Service (SCS) grades at Cabinet Office have to be through fair and open competition. Between 30 May 2024 and 30 April 2025, the Cabinet Office advertised 19 SCS roles through fair and open competition, of which 12 were advertised externally. SCS roles can also be appointed outside of fair and open competition through routes that include temporary promotions, level moves, secondments and identifying roles for returners.
What information his Department holds on the total cost in staff time for Cabinet Office all-staff calls since 4 July.
As was the case under the previous administration, all-staff calls are organised to share updates on key policies, projects and priorities and allow staff to raise questions directly with leadership. Typically the calls last for around 45 minutes and around 2500 civil servants attend.
What official internal communications (a) his Department, (b) the Civil Service's diversity networks, (c) the Civil Service People Group and (d) the Office for Equality and Opportunity have sent civil servants in the Cabinet Office in relation to the Supreme Court ruling of [2025] UKSC 16, 16 April 2025 since that judgement was published.
The Cabinet Office issued an intranet update on 30 April 2025 confirming a review of relevant policies, guidance and workplace facilities to ensure legal compliance.No communications have been issued by the Government People Group. Any messaging issued by volunteer diversity networks to their members are not official Civil Service communications
Pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 45659 on Admiralty House, what use is being made of the two unoccupied flats in Admiralty House; and whether those flats are furnished as dwellings.
There has been no change to the set up and contents of the two unoccupied flats since June 2024. They remain as they were under the previous government.
With reference to the Civil Service Commission's publication entitled How Departments are doing on fair and open recruitment: what the Commission’s audits found, published in April 2025, if he will place in the Library a copy of the 39 departmental audits.
The Civil Service Commission is operationally independent of the Government. The Commission reports on its audit activity each year in its Annual Report but does not publish individual departmental audits.
With reference to chapter three of the Ministerial Code, published in November 2024, whether any further guidance has been provided by (a) his Department and (b) HMRC on paying tax on (i) gifts and (ii) hospitality.
The Ministerial Code outlines that "if a minister wishes to retain a gift, they will be liable for any tax it may attract." The decision to accept a gift or hospitality is fundamentally a matter of personal judgement for ministers, who must determine how to act and conduct themselves in accordance with the Code. Ministers can seek advice from their Permanent Secretary or HMRC if required.
If he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of changes to the write-round process introduced since July 2024.
It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister, on advice of the Cabinet Secretary, to determine the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees, including decisions reached via correspondence. The principle of collective responsibility requires that the privacy of ministerial discussions at Cabinet and its committees be maintained, and it is a long-standing precedent that details of these proceedings are not disclosed publicly.
Which ethnic groups are eligible to apply to the Civil Service Early Diversity Internship Programme.
The Early Diversity Internship Programme ceased recruitment in 2023. The Civil Service Fast Stream offers a Summer Internship Programme which is open to all young people.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41077 on Civil Service: Equality, what his planned timetable is for the publication of EDI exemptions data; how this will be published; and whether each Department will publish its own data.
Details of external EDI expenditure will be reported by the Cabinet Office in due course, as per the EDI Expenditure Guidance requirements.
What changes have been made to the write-round process in relation to allowing the Chair of the Sub-Committee to obtain clearance without a substantive response from the members of the Sub-Committee since 4 July 2025.
It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister, on advice of the Cabinet Secretary, to determine the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees, including decisions reached via correspondence. The principle of collective responsibility requires that the privacy of ministerial discussions at Cabinet and its committees be maintained, and it is a long-standing precedent that details of these proceedings are not disclosed publicly.
What estimate he has made of the actual attendance of civil servants in the office as a proportion of assigned workforce to each government building.
Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. The latest data for the period January to March 2025 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data. No other central information on occupancy data is gathered.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41271 on Government Departments: Equality, whether trade union diversity networks are eligible for trade union facility time.
Departments are responsible for deciding whether to grant facility time for individual trade union members or trade union representatives. Departments should refer to the Facility Time Framework to inform their decision.
How many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department are in post on a temporary basis, at each grade.
There were 60 SCS1, 21 SCS2, and less than 5 SCS3 in post on a temporary basis on the 31st of March 2025.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2025 to Question HL6032 on Arm’s Length Bodies, whether the Public Sector Fraud Authority is in the process of being set up.
The government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill in January, giving us more tools to combat fraud, allowing the government to investigate fraud and recover public money.The Bill also provides the potential for the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) to become an arm’s-length statutory body in the future, providing flexibility as to how the government conducts their future counter fraud activities. It was assessed that it would be disproportionate to establish PSFA as one at this current time.On 6 April, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced a full review of all arm’s length bodies to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles. Any future decision to set up any new ALBs would need to demonstrate alignment with these principles and follow the joint HMT and Cabinet Office approval process for new bodies.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41110 on Government departments: political activities, whether there are limits on the amount of party political content that Ministers can deliver in speeches with scripted party political content in government departments which are not ministerial residences.
While guidance is not expressed in terms of specific limits, the primary purpose of any ministerial speech must be government business and the essential nature of the speech should not be party political.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43964 on Cabinet office: stress, how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers were signed off absent due to stress in the business unit of 10 Downing Street in the most recent week for which data is available.
Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office is published regularly on gov.uk. The latest data publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024-report#by-organisation
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44026 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, what the purpose associated with the referenced entry of £122,086.70 on OCS was.
The referenced entry of £122,086.70 for OCS on the February disclosure notice relates to OCS' regular monthly Fixed Facilities Management services provided to Government Property Agency properties in the North. For clarity, this does not include the No. 9 media suite.
Whether the (a) Office for National Statistics and (b) UK Statistics Authority plan to publish a response to the recommendations of the Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, published on 19 March 2025.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 28th April is attached.
Pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2025, to Question 43946, on Alex Chisholm, what steps have been taken to address the staffing issues, and what impact has this had on the processing time of Business Appointment applications to ACOBA.
The Cabinet Office, as the sponsoring department of ACoBA, has supported the Committee’s secretariat to recruit the additional staff it required to ensure it is fully resourced to deliver its core functions to agreed timescales.