Written questions by Holden.

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, in which departments audits found errors on the management of appointments by exception.

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. The Commission additionally published a review into appointments by exception in November 2024.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 November 2024 to Question 13326, on Government Departments: Flags, if he will publish a list of the flags purchased by the Government Property Agency since 4 July 2024; how much each cost; and the purpose for which each flag was bought.

Since 4th July 2024 the Government Property Agency has purchased two flags: Pride Flag - Darlington - Purchased for flying during events - Cost: £674.17Flag of Ukraine - London - Purchased to show solidarity with Ukraine - Cost: £104.60 All costs include supplier fees and exclude VAT. There have been no changes to the range of flags held by the department since the election.

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 April 2025 to Question 41642 on Office for National Statistics (ONS): Industrial Disputes, what the mandated return to the office is; what the previous office attendance rate was in each ONS building; and what the expected office attendance rate is in those buildings.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 9 May is attached.

Whether appointments to the Ethics and Integrity Commission will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair will be classified as a significant appointment.

We are restoring confidence in government and the highest standards in public life. This government is committed to establishing the right structures to do so and have already taken steps to improve probity and transparency, including through introducing a new Ministerial Code with emphasises the principles of public life, by strengthening the Terms of Reference for the Independent Adviser, and by introducing a new monthly Register of Gifts and Hospitality.

What the assumed cost of an hour of staff time is for assessing the disproportionate cost threshold for written parliamentary questions; what the assumed hourly cost was of responding to (a) written parliamentary questions and (b) freedom of information requests in each year since 2000; and what methodology his Department uses to estimate these costs.

As was the case under the previous administration, the methodology for assessing the disproportionate cost threshold for written parliamentary questions is available in the Guide to Parliamentary Work, at paragraphs 218-220: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/673372f9c10bb403d96bf2f8/Guide_to_Parliamentary_Work.pdf In respect of Freedom of Information requests, Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 allows public authorities to refuse to deal with any requests where they estimate that responding to the request would exceed the “appropriate limit”, known as the “cost limit”. If a public authority calculates that responding to a request will take it over the appropriate limit it is not obliged to provide a substantive response. The cost limit is calculated at a flat rate of £25 per hour and since 2004 has been set at £600 for central government departments and £450 for other public authorities.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 42606 on Civil Servants: Remote Working, how figures are collated for overall workforce attendance in offices other than the departmental HQ; and whether such figures are reviewed centrally.

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. Until May 2024 Departments provided data to the Cabinet Office on the average number of employees working in their departmental HQ buildings only, for each week. This moved to quarterly publishing from June 2024 with no change to the methodology of reporting.Departments manage their own arrangements for monitoring workforce attendance. No other information on occupancy data or workforce attendance is gathered centrally.

With reference to his Department's data entitled Cabinet Office: spend data over £25,000 - March 2025, published on 24 April 2025, what the expenditure with Tullo Marshall Waren Ltd was for.

Tullo Marshall Warren Ltd operates as part of the Unlimited Group. The Cabinet Office appointed Pablo Unlimited (Unlimited Group) as a standby agency through a competitive tender process under the Campaign Solutions 2 Framework. The agency delivers end-to-end campaign solutions to support public service campaigns.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43463 on Prime Minister: Email, whether emails which are automatically removed after 90 days that have not otherwise been saved for long-term storage are still considered to be held under (a) the Freedom of Information regime and (b) Subject Access Request regime.

As under previous administrations, guidance set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office is followed here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/foi/freedom-of-information-and-environmental-information-regulations/determining-whether-we-hold-information/

Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 7754 on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, whether a public sector equalities duty assessment was made when appointing the five mission delivery board civil service roles.

The appointment of Directors General (DGs) as Mission Senior Responsible Officers was undertaken as part of the standard management of roles within the DG workforce.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.