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 441–460 of 775 · Cabinet Office
With reference to his Department's publication entitled PPN 006: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans, updated on 17 April 2025, what estimate he has made of the cost to government procurement of requiring suppliers to deliver Net Zero Carbon Reduction Plans.
The update of 17th April provided no material change to the policy of the PPN, which was published under the previous administration. No assessment was made when the PPN was published in 2021.
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41252 on 10 Downing Street: Libraries, whether any Ministers have been asked to donate a book to the Prime Minister's Library since 5 July 2024.
No ministers have been asked to donate a book to the Prime Minister’s library. Ministers are focused on delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.
Which hon. Members have been appointed as Mission Champion by the Government; and what guidance his Department has provided on whether Mission Champions should attend Ministerial meetings.
Mission Champions are a political appointment within the Parliamentary Labour Party; the Cabinet Office has not issued any specific guidance related to Mission Champions. The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties.
If she will make an estimate of the average number of days for each write-round clearance to be approved by 10 Downing Street since 5 July 2024.
As under previous governments, it is a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees are not shared publicly.
If the Government will make it his policy to fly the Middlesex Flag outside Downing Street on Middlesex Day 2025.
There are currently no plans to fly county flags above Downing Street.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 45018 on Special Advisers: Recruitment, whether the Prime Minister has set a maximum cap on the number of special advisers who can be appointed.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to PQ 45018. The Prime Minister in his Ministerial Code has set out the approach to appointing special advisers.
If he will list all of the (a) special representatives, (b) envoys and (c) special envoys in post on 25 April 2025, broken down by whether they are (i) special advisers, (ii) civil servants, (iii) public appointments and (iv) direct ministerial appointments.
The Cabinet Office did not have any special representatives, envoys or special envoys in post on 25 April 2025. Other government departments are responsible for their own appointments and representatives.
What estimate he has made of the cost of office solutions across central government; and what framework agreements exist for office stationery and paper.
Value for money in public procurement is essential for the efficient use of government resources. The Cabinet Office does not hold a central estimate of office solution costs. However, public sector organisations can benefit from procuring office supplies through the Crown Commercial Service's RM6299 Office Solutions agreement. This framework covers various products, including stationery and paper, and streamlines procurement processes ensuring access to competitive pricing.
Whether his Department has issued guidance on the use of Departmental premises for speeches by Ministers.
Any use of departmental premises by Ministers for speeches should be an appropriate use of government resources.
How many new (a) executive agencies, (b) non-departmental public bodies, (c) public corporations and (d) publicly-owned companies (i) have been established since 4 July 2024 and (ii) are due to be established.
As said in my previous answer of 8 January 2025, the Cabinet Office maintains records and oversight of formally established arm’s-length bodies, including executive agencies, non-ministerial departments and non-departmental public bodies. No ALBs have been formally established since 4 July 2024. Records for public corporations and publicly-owned companies are held at departmental level.
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32970 on Government Departments: Consultants, how the baseline for the communication and marketing spending reductions were calculated; and what the baseline aggregate figure is.
The baseline for communication and marketing spending reductions was calculated using the planned spend figures submitted by departments to the Cabinet Office as part of the advertising, marketing and communications spending control process. As a result, Autumn Budget 2024 confirmed an £85 million saving from reducing unnecessary communications spend in 2024-25 and up to £96m in 2025-26 – exceeding the £50 million target set out in the Chancellor's July 2024 Inheritance speech.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 20702 on Foreign Investment in UK: National Security, if his Department will modify the National Security and Investment Act 2021 annual reporting to ensure a separate categorisation for sectors grouped within Artificial Intelligence.
Transparency is a crucial part of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, whilst also balancing commercial and national security considerations. Sectors are reported in line with definitions presented in the Notifiable Acquisition (Specification of Qualifying Entities) Regulations 2021. Acquisitions are often associated with multiple areas of the economy. Information is only gathered at the sector level as the Act does not define more granular areas of the economy.
Whether the previous Cabinet Secretary has received approvals from the Advisory Commission on Business Appointments.
In accordance with the Business Appointment Rules, former Cabinet Secretaries are obliged to submit applications to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments for new appointments or employment that they wish to accept during the two year period following their final day of service.The timing of the publication of advice is for ACOBA, who are operationally independent of the Cabinet Office.
Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 20698 on Foreign Investment in UK: National Security, if his Department will modify the National Security and Investment Act 2021 annual reporting to include the (a) number and (b) nature of transactions that relate to links to a company owned in (i) part and (ii) whole by a foreign state.
Transparency is a crucial part of the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act, whilst also balancing commercial and national security considerations. By publishing information on the origin of acquirer associated with acquisitions reviewed under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, the Cabinet Office goes beyond its obligations under Section 61 of the Act, providing greater transparency on the nature of acquisitions scrutinised. The reports do not specifically include the number or proportion of transactions that relate to links to a company owned in (a) part or (b) whole by a foreign state, however, they include the number of accepted notifications, call-in notices issued, final notifications issued, withdrawals from a called in acquisition and final orders issued by origin of investment. Information related to publication of final orders is available on GOV.UK and includes the named Parties subject to the final order.
Whether his Department has a log of the exemptions permitted to the guidance on Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure for (a) departments and (b) arm’s length bodies.
Yes, a log of exemptions which have been reported to the Cabinet Office is held. This relates to exemptions reported by Civil Service organisations only.
How many civil servants jobs the Government plans to remove in this Parliament.
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has made public commitments to a smaller centre of government. The Government is taking forward a number of measures to deliver greater efficiency and transformation in the Civil Service, including setting an admin spend reduction target. Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlement it agrees with HMT in the Spending Review, due for conclusion in June 2025.
Whether decisions on Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure will be published in Departmental annual reports; and whether his Department has had discussions with Departmental accounting officers on this matter.
Due to the timing of the publication of the EDI Expenditure Guidance, reporting external equality, diversity and inclusion spend in Annual Reporting Accounts will be possible from the 2025/2026 financial year.
How many arms length bodies have been (a) created and (b) abolished since July 2024.
Please see my previous answer of 8 January 2025. Individual departments are responsible for any proposals to open or close ALBs.
Pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2025 to Question 21386 on Workplace Pensions: Inheritance Tax, what the benefits are of the The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013; and how those benefits differ from the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993.
The Pensions Increase (Pension Scheme for Sir Keir Starmer QC) Regulations 2013 only provide for pension increases. The pension scheme to which these regulations relate was made by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office and laid before Parliament on 15 March 2012. The terms of the "Pension Scheme for Keir Starmer QC" are akin to those of the Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 (JUPRA).
With reference to the letter from the Leader of the House to the Rt hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay of 14 April 2025 on Written Parliamentary Questions, reference LP/MP657, if he will provide a substantive reply to the issues raised.
I have nothing further to add to the letter from the Leader of the House to the Rt Hon Member for Billericay and Basildon.