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 601–620 of 763 · Cabinet Office
What diversity and inclusion (a) days and (b) weeks (i) his Department and (ii) the Office for Equality and Opportunity plans to mark in 2025.
In January, February and March the Carers’ networks are planning coffee drop-in sessions, but these are not linked to any particular days or weeks. We also expect to find appropriate ways to mark external events such as International Women’s Day on 8 March. We currently have no forward look of such events beyond the end of March.
If the Prime Minister will ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer to return part of her salary.
No. The Chancellor is paid according to the usual arrangements for ministerial salaries, which are unchanged since the previous government.
Pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 12231 on 10 Downing Street: Art Works, if he will list each of the other (a) works of art and (b) portraits that have been removed for restoration.
No further works of art or portraits have been removed for restoration.
What the policy of the Government Property Agency is on (a) retaining or (b) removing gender neutral toilets from the Government Estate, in the context of building regulations on toilets for new and refurbished buildings which came into effect in October 2024.
This policy is currently being reviewed following the launch of ‘Approved Document T: Toilet Accommodation’, including close consultation with MCLHG, the Health and Safety Executive and the Building Safety Regulator.
Whether his Department has issued guidance on whether breaching the Business Appointment Rules is grounds for consideration by the Forfeiture Committee for the revocation of an honour.
Honours, by their very nature, are a form of recognition for creditable actions or service by an individual. The Forfeiture Committee considers cases put to it when the holder of an honour may be deemed to have brought the honours system into disrepute. This might include being found guilty of a criminal offence, behaviour which results in censure by a regulatory or a professional body, or any other behaviour that is deemed to bring the honours system into disrepute. The Cabinet Office provides wide-ranging guidance relating to the handling of potential forfeiture cases to all government departments. Each case is considered individually.
How many (a) people and (b) organisations were sent a hard copy official Christmas card delivered by Royal Mail from (i) the Prime Minister, (ii) the Cabinet Secretary, (iii) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, (iv) him, (v) the Permanent Secretary of his Department and (vi) the National Security Adviser in 2024.
As was the case with previous Prime Ministers, Christmas cards are sent by the Prime Minister in an official capacity. Christmas cards sent by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and the Minister for the Cabinet Office were sent in their capacity as Members of Parliament and did not make any use of Government resources. Neither the Cabinet Secretary, National Security Adviser, nor the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office sent any Christmas Cards in an official capacity.
With reference to the Register of Members' Financial Interests, on what dates he stayed in Lord Alli's accommodation since becoming Prime Minister.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Prime Minister's entry in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.
With reference to para 3.3 of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cabinet Office and the UK Statistics Authority, published on 30 April 2020, and pursuant to the Answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21345 on Eurostat: Office for National Statistics, whether the Office for National Statistics plans to publish the agreement with Eurostat on statistical cooperation.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 14th January is attached.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, what discussions he had with the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the closure and reopening of competitions for appointments to the (a) Community and Voluntary Service, (b) Parliamentary and Political Service and (c) Diversity and Outreach (formerly called Representation and Outreach) honours committees.
The Commissioner for Public Appointment regulates appointments listed on the Order in Council. Honours Committee appointments are not listed on the Order in Council. The Order in Council was last updated in November 2023. As appointments to the Honours Committee are not part of the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s regulatory remit, no discussions took place with the Commissioner regarding the campaigns listed in the question. Even for regulated roles, the decision to close or restart a competition lies with the relevant Minister, and would not require engagement with the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
With reference to his Department's guidance entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, published on 15 March 2018, which of the three tests in Chapter 2 the Regulatory Innovation Office meets.
The Regulatory Innovation Office is not an arm’s length body. On 8 October 2024, the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology announced that the Regulatory Innovation Office would be set up as an office within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
Pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14636, on Prime Minister: Tiktok, what meetings Downing Street special advisers have had with (a) senior media executives and (b) other executives from Tiktok that are not due to be routinely published on gov.uk transparency returns.
In line with longstanding process, relevant meetings are declared in the Special Advisor transparency publications.
What the cost to the public purse was of repainting the Downing Street media room.
Information will be published in due course in the Cabinet Office’s dataset detailing expenditure above £25,000, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.
Pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2024 to Question 15191 on Prime Minister: Anacta, where on gov.uk his Department publishes details of special advisers' meetings.
As was the case under the previous administration, details of Cabinet Office special advisers’ meetings with senior media figures are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/special-advisers-transparency-publicationsData for the period of July to September 2024 will be published shortly.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 18205 on Former Prime Ministers: Convictions, and with reference to paragraph 1.6 of the Ministerial Code, if the Prime Minister will take steps to correct the record of his oral contribution of 4 December 2024, Official Report, column 291.
I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 8 January 2025, Official Report, PQ 18205. The Prime Minister stands by the relevance of raising to the attention of the House that two former Conservative Prime Ministers were fined by the police for breaking the COVID rules that they put in place for others.
What criteria was used to allocate locations for test-and-learn pilots; and how much funding will be allocated to each local authority.
The pilots were selected due to their potential impact and alignment with a new way of working (Test, Learn and Grow). No funding has been allocated in this initial phase but there is in kind resource from the Government complementing local teams. The Cabinet Office and MHCLG will be working across government and with local partners to co-design the detailed approach to the allocation of the Public Service Reform and Innovation Fund for next financial year. We will partner with the Local Government Association (LGA) on this process.
Whether any products originating from China are stocked by the 10 Downing Street gift shop.
Most suppliers of the 10 Downing Street gift shop are British companies, and many of the items are made in the UK. A very small number of items are manufactured overseas, including China. This was the case under the previous government.
Whether the Ministerial residence in 11 Downing Street pays council tax as a (a) sole or main residence, (b) single person discount and (c) second home.
The Prime Minister is allocated the flat in 11 Downing Street and personally pays full council tax.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2024 to Question 10436 on Special Advisers: Training and with reference to the Freedom of Information Act request with reference FOI2024/14571, for what reason the requested information was released under the Freedom of Information Act; and if he will publish that response.
All Freedom of Information requests are considered on their individual merits in accordance with the relevant legislation. A copy of the information released in the response will be deposited in the House Library.
With reference to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question HL2339, on Cabinet Office: TikTok, how many staff are assigned to the New Media Unit; whether it includes special advisers; and whether it is based inside (a) 10 Downing Street and (b) the Cabinet Office.
The New Media Unit will initially draw expertise through departmental staff loans and will sit within the Cabinet Office with oversight from the Prime Minister's Office.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, if he will list the assessment panel members for each of those competitions (a) before they closed and (b) after they re-opened.
Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, the assessment panel members for each of the competitions mentioned (a) before they closed and (b) after they re-opened are as follows: (i) Community and Voluntary Service:Panel before the advert closed: The Rt Hon Nick Hurd - Chair, Community and Voluntary Service Honours Committee; Meenal Sachdev - Co-Founder of Connect India (independent panel member); Alison Bennett - (then) Deputy Director, Honours and Appointments Secretariat, Cabinet Office.Panel after advert re-opened: The Rt Hon Nick Hurd - Chair, Community and Voluntary Service Honours Committee; Vijay Krishnarayan - former Director, Commonwealth Foundation (independent panel member); Official from the Honours and Memorialisation Secretariats, Cabinet Office. (ii) Parliamentary and Political Service:Panel before the advert closed: Lord Sherbourne - Chair, Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee; Natascha Engel - former MP (independent panel member); Alison Bennett - (then) Deputy Director, Honours and Appointments Secretariat.Panel after advert re-opened: Lord Sherbourne - Chair, Parliamentary and Political Service Honours Committee; Natascha Engel - former MP (independent panel member); Clare Brunton OBE - Deputy Director, Honours and MemorialisationSecretariats. (iii) Diversity and Outreach (formerly called Representation and Outreach):Panel before advert closed: Sir Chris Wormald KCB - (then) Chair, Main Honours Committee, Mary Mcleod - CEO, Business in the Community; Alison Bennett - (then) Deputy Director, Honours and Appointments Secretariat, Cabinet Office.Panel after advert reopened: Sir Chris Wormald KCB - (then) Chair, Main Honours Committee (this was what was advertised - he will now be replaced by Dame Tamara Finkelstein as the new Chair, Main Honours Committee); Official from the Honours and Memorialisation Secretariats. The independent panel member has not yet been confirmed. As is longstanding practice, officials in the delegated grades (i.e. who are not Senior Civil Servants) are not normally named publicly.