Written questions by Holden.

What plans her Department has to support buyers of second-hand electric vehicles.

Used battery electric vehicle (EV) sales are growing rapidly. According to industry statistics, in 2024 the number of used EVs sold grew 57% compared to 2023. Growth is expected to continue as more and more EVs come onto the used market in the coming years. The Government will continue to work closely with industry to monitor the health of the used market and residual values. We keep all policies under review, to ensure the EV transition takes place in an equitable and fair manner.

Whether appointments to the Passenger Standards Authority will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council.

The public consultation on the railways bill closed in April 2025 and explored options for a new passenger watchdog. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course. As with any public body, the appropriate rules for appointments will be followed. We would therefore expect the new watchdog to be included on the Public Appointments Order in Council; and, for appointments to the board to be subject to the governance code on public appointments and regulated by the commissioner for public appointments.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answers of 25 April 2025 to Question 46855 and 46855 on Government Digital Service: Gender and Government Digital Service: Sex, what his timetable is for the review of the GOV.UK Design System guidance on equality information; and if he will make it his policy to hold a consultation on the draft guidance.

In response to a previous question from the Hon Member, it was noted that GDS would review the Design System’s guidance in line with any changes to the Code of Practice issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). The Commission has since confirmed that it will be undertaking a review into the Code of Practice. Once concluded, the Commission aims to provide the updated Code of Practice to HM Government by the end of June for ministerial approval.

Whether he plans to change the 21 employee threshold for the recognition of a trade union.

The exemption for small employers under the statutory recognition scheme where the workplace is comprised of less than 21 workers has been in place for many years. The government has no plans to change it.

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.

Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2025, to Question 46855 on Government Digital Service: Gender and Government Digital Service: Sex, whether Stonewall advised on the previous guidance.

Stonewall did not advise GDS in developing the extant Design System guidance.

With reference to the public awareness campaign entitled millions got a pay rise, (a) how many beer mats were (i) printed and (ii) distributed and (b) whether communications consultancies advised on the campaign.

My department is running an awareness campaign following the increase to the National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates on 1 April 2025, using several advertising channels to ensure workers are aware of the increase and know how to check their pay and avoid underpayment.This includes beer mat advertising, for which we have printed 500,000 beer mats, distributed to pubs, including in areas with higher reported underpayment complaints. My department’s media planning agency Wavemaker advised on the campaign.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the EU's Security Action for Europe procurement programme of the effectiveness of the UK’s defence procurement; and what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 programme.

This is a critical moment for the security of Europe. We welcome European efforts to increase defence spending, through the ReArm initiative and proposed Security Action for Europe (SAFE) mechanism. This must be a whole-of-Europe effort, in alignment with NATO, which remains the cornerstone of European security. We share many of the same priorities to those identified by our European allies and continue to work with the European Union to ensure defence industrial initiatives maximise our offer of support to Ukraine. It is in our shared interest for SAFE to allow EU Member States to partner with the UK, recognising the vital role the UK’s defence industry plays for European security.

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.

If she will review the practices of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on disclosing information under (a) FOI and (b) parliamentary question.

I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the response provided to his question 24243.As I have previously said, I encourage Hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself.

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.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39113 on Armed Forces: Equality, when he took the decision to (a) pause and (b) cancel the review into armed forces equality, diversity and inclusion.

Following the announcement of the General Election on 22 May 2024, a decision was taken to pause work on the Secretary of State’s review of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. On 4 September 2024 direction was given that the Review would not be staffed to Ministers as it was commissioned by the previous Government and did not align with the new Government’s priorities for the Department.

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.

With reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for School Standards of 28 April 2025, Official Report, column 7, if she will make an estimate of the proportionate pay rise that could be provided to teachers with the additional £400 million of funding.

On 18 March, the department published the Schools’ Costs Technical Note, which forecast the headroom in schools’ budgets in the 2025/26 financial year, and set out what pay rise, for both teachers and support staff, would be affordable on that basis.

Whether he has made an estimate of expenditure by the armed forces on equality, diversity and inclusion.

Ministry of Defence accounts are published annually and made public; there are no plans to provide a further breakdown of the data to include, among other things, an estimate of expenditure relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.

What estimate he has made of the actual attendance of civil servants in the office as a proportion of assigned workforce to each government building.

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. The latest data for the period January to March 2025 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data. No other central information on occupancy data is gathered.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41271 on Government Departments: Equality, whether trade union diversity networks are eligible for trade union facility time.

Departments are responsible for deciding whether to grant facility time for individual trade union members or trade union representatives. Departments should refer to the Facility Time Framework to inform their decision.

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43474 on Business: Regulation, whether the target to reduce the cost of compliance will be net of the cost of regulation on (a) business and (b) the voluntary sector; and whether it will include local government regulation.

As the Prime Minister has committed to, the government will cut the administrative costs of regulation to business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. We will publish the approach to measuring these administrative costs in due course.