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 741–760 of 763 · Cabinet Office
Whether (a) direct ministerial appointments and (b) public appointments are required to declare interests.
Prospective appointees to both public appointment and direct ministerial appointment roles are required to make a declaration of any potential conflicts of interests with the role and activities they are being asked to undertake.
If he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the Civil Service of proposed changes to (a) statutory rights for trade union equality representatives and (b) facility time and associated office facilities via the Employment Rights Bill.
The Employment Rights Bill is a significant step towards ensuring workplace rights are fit for a modern economy and aims to strengthen the work of unions and union representatives in the workplace and support growth. The Government published impact assessments alongside the Bill which covered the expected benefits and costs to employers of the new measures and has committed to carrying out a post implementation review in five years of the repeal of the 2016 Trade Union Act.
What the cost was of civil service pay (a) including and (b) excluding National Insurance employer contributions in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn payroll costs for all Civil Service departments and organisations. However, the estimated total snapshot paybill cost as at the 31st March 2024 is £28.1bn. This includes salary costs, in year and end of year non consolidated performance related payments (NCPRPs), and estimated employer national insurance and pensions payments using 2024/25 employer contribution rates. Excluding estimated NI employer contributions the estimated paybill is £26.0bn. Source: Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES), Cabinet Office. Analysis of the pay data collected through ACSES as at 31st March 2024.
What steps his Department is taking to ensure that public sector bodies use the King's cypher rather than Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher.
The Cabinet Office, in collaboration with the Royal Household and the College of Arms, has developed and issued guidance on the use of all state symbols, including the royal cypher.This guidance is intended for use by the entire public sector.
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that civil servants can express their lawful beliefs on (a) biological sex and (b) other issues.
Civil servants can express their lawful beliefs, as long as how they do so is consistent with the Civil Service Code, which outlines the standards of behaviour all civil servants are expected to uphold.
When the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals last met.
The Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals (known as the HD Committee) which is the policy-making body for the honours system, last met on 19th November 2024.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8125 on Government Departments: Staff, whether the transparency team in his Department reminds other Departments to update their organogram data; and how often Departments should publish that data.
Each individual department is required to publish this information regularly on gov.uk and is responsible for their own publication. Where possible departments should publish this information quarterly, and they have been issued guidance which contains a publishing schedule.
With reference to Table 14.1 of his Department's publication entitled Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2024, published on 31 July 2024, if he will publish a breakdown of the communications staff by public body.
Information on the number of civil servants by profession (including communications) in each government department and agency are published annually by Cabinet Office as part of the accredited official statistics publication ‘Civil Service Statistics’. Statistics for 2024 can be found at Table 8 in the data tables available at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024/statistical-bulletin-civil-service-statistics-2024#overview
Which Minister is responsible for the Infrastructure and Projects Authority; and for what reason the Authority is not in the List of Ministerial Responsibilities updated on 6 November 2024.
As Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, I am the Minister responsible for the Infrastructure and Projects Authority. The List of Ministerial Responsibilities does not cover all responsibilities relating to every Arms-Length Body. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced on 10 October that the Government will be establishing the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority (NISTA), which will be operational by spring 2025. NISTA will be formed by combining the functions of the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.
What the estimated aggregate cost was of employer contributions to Civil Service pension schemes in the most recent year for which figures are available.
The answer to the question raised is available in the public domain and can be found in the 2022/23 Civil Superannuation accounts on the UK Government website and the resources section of the Civil Service Pension website.
What the terms of reference of the Ethics and Integrity Commission will be.
I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 1251 on 31 July 2024.
What guidance is available to the partners of Ministers on the acceptance of gifts.
The new Ministerial Code sets out the guiding principles ministers should consider when offered any gift, hospitality or service. These principles also apply to their family members. The new Ministerial Code also sets out details of a new Register of Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality, which brings the publication of ministerial transparency data more closely into line with the parliamentary regime for gifts and hospitality. Gifts, hospitality or services given to ministers in their capacity as constituency MPs or members of a political party fall within the rules relating to the Registers of Members’ and Lords’ Interests.
Pursuant to the Answer of 31 July 2024 to Question 1207 on Ministers: Media and the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 7434 on Political Parties: Donors, whether his Department has issued guidance to Departments on what constitutes a senior media figure for the purposes of publishing that data.
Details of official meetings held in a ministerial capacity with external organisations or individuals are declared quarterly, alongside details of all meetings with senior media figures. Ministers’ Transparency Guidance, which is published on GOV.UK, details what constitutes a senior media figure for the purposes of publishing this data.
With reference to the announcement on freeports in October 2024 at the Commonwealth visit, what processes are in place to coordinate policy announcements between Departments and the Prime Minister's office.
The Budget announced five custom sites within Freeports will be opening, meaning that there will now be eight operational Freeports. I will not comment on internal Government processes.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 7430 on the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals, if he will make an assessment of the current merits of The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, as a British order of chivalry.
There is no further update to my answer of 10 October 2024, Official Report, PQ 7430.
With reference to the Prime Minister’s speech of 6 July 2024 and to the Cabinet Office guidance entitled List of Cabinet Committees and their membership, updated on 21 October 2024, for what reason the Prime Minister is not chairing the Mission Delivery Boards.
Missions are a priority for the Government. The Prime Minister has established a Cabinet committee structure, including mission boards, to support his policy agenda. Secretaries of State chair mission boards to drive delivery of mission outcomes, supported by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, who is responsible for driving mission delivery across government, ensuring mission-led government is at the heart of the administration.
With reference to (a) written statement entitled Cabinet Committees, published on 10 October 2024, HCWS118 and (b) his Department's publication entitled List of Cabinet Committees, updated on 21 October 2024, for what reason the Deputy Prime Minister was not listed as a member of the National Security Committee in the version published on 10 October.
The National Security Council is a Cabinet Committee, membership of Cabinet Committees is decided by the Prime Minister. In recognition that the Deputy Prime Minister would be regularly invited to attend, she has been made a permanent member as of 21 October 2024.
For what reason the Prime Minister’s new Envoy for the Nations and Regions did not attend the first meeting of the Council for the Nations and Regions.
The attendee list at the first meeting of the Council for the Nations and Regions was: the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, the First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, and the regional Mayors.
Whether there was a cost to the public purse of the performance by Sir Elton John at the International Investment Summit.
There was no fee for Sir Elton John to perform at the International Investment Summit.
Whether the Prime Minister plans to reinstate the portrait of Horatio Nelson in 10 Downing Street once it has undertaken its restoration work by the Government Art Collection.
The portrait of Horatio Nelson is currently with the Royal Museum Greenwich for frame conservation, and the portrait will be reinstated in 10 Downing Street once that work is complete.