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 481–500 of 775 · Cabinet Office
Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39591 on Crown Commercial Service and Government Property Agency: Equality, which diversity and inclusion (a) days and (b) weeks have been recognised by (i) Government Property Agency and (ii) the Crown Commercial Service since 4 July 2024.
I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 in response to question 41107.
Pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2024 to Question HL1472 on Government Department: Directors, whether the (a) No10 Appointments Unit and (b) Cabinet Office Appointments Team hold information on the number of (i) non-executive and (ii) other public appointment posts that have become available before the expiry of their set term since 4 July 2024.
The Cabinet Office does not hold this information.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30828 on 9 Downing Street: Media, and with reference to the Cabinet Office: spend data over £25,000 - February 2025, published on 27 March 2025, whether the £122,086.70 entry for OCS UK&I Limited is the full cost of the No.9 media room refurbishment; and if he will publish the associated invoices.
The referenced entry is unrelated to the 9 Downing Street media room. The cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.
In what circumstances new public bodies do not have to meet the last resort test in the Approvals Process guidance for new Arm's Length Bodies.
An ALB needs to pass at least one of three tests: (1) it is a technical function that requires external expertise (2) it needs to be delivered with political impartiality, or (3) it needs to be delivered independently from Ministers to establish facts and figures with integrity. The Cabinet Office makes an assessment based on the information provided by the department.
If he will place in the Library a copy of the request from FDA for voluntary recognition of a trade union for special advisers.
The government does not publish such information.
Whether his Department has issued guidance to Ministers on whether they may undertake personal visits whilst on official Ministerial visits overseas.
Guidance on overseas visits by Ministers is found in Chapter 10 of the Ministerial Code.
With reference to the transparency data entitled Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers, updated on 23 May 2024, for what reason there are different target response times for different Departments.
As outlined in the Guide to Handling Correspondence, all Government departments and agencies must aim to respond to correspondence within 20 working days. Government departments and agencies can set their own more ambitious deadlines if they want to do so.
How many civil servants exits will be funded by the £150 million government employee exit schemes; and whether this will include civil service compensation scheme payments for (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory exits.
The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury are working together to determine how best this investment can be used by departments to support their individual exit schemes, the terms of which will vary from organisation to organisation.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29019 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, what is the process by which a Minister can request a department (a) appoint and (b) consider appointing a specific individual to the Civil Service without open and fair competition below SCS2 level.
The Civil Service Recruitment principles outline the process by which grades below SCS can be appointed without fair and open competition. This includes guidance about the involvement of Ministers in the recruitment process. The process and approach remains consistent with that applied by the previous administration.
How many lecterns are (a) held by Downing Street and (b) on loan from Downing Street to other public bodies.
Downing Street holds 7 lecterns, all of which were inherited from previous governments.
Whether officials in Downing Street use the Signal app.
Ministers and officials use a range of communication methods and there are longstanding appropriate arrangements and guidance in place for the management of electronic communications.
With reference to paragraph 1.5 of the Ministerial Code, published on 6 November 2024, whether civil service workplace standards are used to interpret these requirements; and whether the Prime Minister is responsible for determining what constitutes (a) bullying and (b) harassment.
The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of behaviour which the Prime Minister expects of ministers. As set out at paragraph 2.1, the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of those standards of behaviour and of the appropriate consequences for any breach of those standards.
With reference to the guidance entitled Having honours taken away (forfeiture), published on 27 December 2017, whether political views may be grounds for the removal of an honour.
Honours can be revoked if an individual is deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute. Each case is considered on its own merits, but holding a particular political viewpoint would not be grounds for forfeiture.
How many pricing reviews of contracts managed by his Department the Crown Commercial Service has undertaken due to changes to employer’s National Insurance contributions in April 2025; and if he will make an estimate of the number of pricing reviews that will be required for this reason.
Most Crown Commercial Service (CCS) commercial agreements use the public sector contract which does not permit increases in the framework rates for employer national insurance contributions as these are classed as General Change in Law. Where the framework contract allows for framework rates to be reviewed, any request by a supplier to do so would be considered by CCS on a case-by-case basis.
Whether (a) Permanent Secretaries and (b) Second Permanent Secretaries are employed on fixed term contracts.
The majority of Permanent Secretaries (First and Second) are permanent civil servants, on permanent contracts. Exceptionally, fixed term contracts may be offered to external candidates, for example in the case of specialist roles. When appointed to a Permanent Secretary role, Permanent Secretaries (First and Second) are appointed on fixed term tenures, typically for five years. Where appropriate, and with the Prime Minister and relevant Minister’s approval, tenure may be extended.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14354 on Civil Servants: Pay, what the budget for civil service pay is (a) including and (b) excluding National insurance employer contributions in (i) 2024-25 and (ii) 2025-26.
Departments are responsible for pay, terms and conditions of civil servants, within the parameters set out in the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance, this includes setting budgets for annual increases for its own workforce. Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an Accredited Official Statistics release. Civil Service Statistics 2025 is due to be published on 30 July 2025. For 2025/26, departmental pay awards have not yet been made and the 2025/26 Pay Remit Guidance will be published in due course.
What guidance his Department has issued on delivering efficiency savings through reducing spending on external public relations.
The Government regularly evaluates the effectiveness of all communication activities to ensure they are delivering and providing the best value for money for taxpayers. An example of this is the recent comprehensive communications Spending Review that delivered savings of £85 million in 2024-25 and up to £96 million in 2025-26.
Whether he has issued guidance to (a) the civil service and (b) arm’s length bodies on paying back severance payments if civil servants made redundant rejoin the (a) civil service, (b) NHS and (c) wider public sector.
Whilst the NHS and some wider public sector organisations will have their own arrangements, any individual who leaves under the terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, and later returns to the same organisation, or another one that uses the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, within six months, must pay back a proportionate amount of their compensation.
With reference to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question HL4631 on Cabinet Office: Standards, if he will publish that template.
His Majesty's Government can confirm that:As was the case under the previous administration, the template is intended solely for internal departmental use and will not be released publicly.
With reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Great British Railways against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's length body should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Transport provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Railways met.
The Department for Transport is currently working through the approval process to establish Great British Railways as an Arm’s Length Body. The completion of business cases as part of this process considers viable delivery mechanisms and the three tests.