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 2,241–2,260 of 2,863 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has allocated funding to Client Earth since 4 July 2024.
Based on review of available data held centrally, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not allocated any funds to Client Earth since July 2024.
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.
Representing the House of Commons Commission, whether any changes have been made to the display of (a) portraits and (b) busts of Winston Churchill on the Parliamentary estate since 4 July 2024.
Items from the Parliamentary Art Collection are on display in corridors, meeting and Committee rooms as well as private offices. Since 4 July 2024, no changes have been made to the display of busts of Winston Churchill on the Parliamentary estate. In the same timeframe, seven print or photographic portraits of Churchill have been taken off display. Six were taken off display from Members’ offices following changes to office locations and occupancy after the election, and one required conservation work.The Parliamentary Art Collection contains 33 artworks either by or depicting Winston Churchill. 13 are currently on display in high-profile locations including Members’ Lobby, Committee Corridor and Ministerial offices. None of the works on display in those high-profile locations have been moved since 4 July 2024, other than briefly to facilitate project works.
Whether his Department (a) employs staff and (b) uses contractors on zero hour contracts; and whether any (i) staff and (ii) contractors are paid less than the London Living Wage.
The Department for Business and Trade does not use zero hours contracts for staff or contractors. Civil Servants are employed either as Senior Civil Servants or as one of the Delegated Grades with salaries determined by the relevant pay bands. The Department does not pay any staff or contractors less than the London living wage and this applies to staff based in London and Nationally. Please see the tables below for our current National and London pay scales for Delegated Grades. DBT pay bands 2024/25 - LondonGradeLondon minLondon maxAO (spot rate)£32,051£32,051EO£32,744£34,669HEO£38,138£39,994Fast Stream£35,483£39,578SEO£44,942£48,817G7£59,450£66,338G6£70,845£78,192DBT pay bands 2024/25 - NationalGradeNational minNational maxAO (spot rate)£27,685£27,685EO£28,695£30,664HEO£34,254£36,142Fast Stream£35,483£39,578SEO£41,156£45,112G7£55,836£62,823G6£67,170£76,117
Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Ministers: Aviation, how many RAF Envoy flights for Ministers have been made since 1 January 2025.
Since 1 January 2025 there have been five tasks relating to travel by Ministers on the RAF Envoy.It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom. Information about official overseas ministerial travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question HL5029 on Stonewall: Arms Length Bodies and Government Departments, whether he plans to allocate funding to Stonewall after 2025-26.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) LGBT+ rights programme, which started in 2023 , aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT+ people around the world. This is done by tackling systematic violence, persecution, and exclusion by addressing outdated discriminatory laws, promoting protective legislation, empowering civil society organisations, and supporting the most vulnerable LGBT+ people in conflict and crisis. As part of this programme, the FCDO partners with Stonewall, with two agreements in place until March 2028. Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocations and the impact on programmes are being worked through following the decision to reduce UK ODA from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent in 2027. We will set out our spending plans following the completion of the spending review.
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.
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.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8801 on Equality Act 2010, whether those plans include a public consultation with each public authority in legal scope of the new duty; and whether the New Burdens principle applies to local authority bodies subject to the new duty.
The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage. Public authorities will be able to reach their own decisions as to how they wish to approach reducing inequalities associated with socio-economic disadvantage. We will work in partnership with public authorities, civil society and others in order to ensure that the implementation of the duty is as effective as possible. As part of this, we have included questions in relation to the socio-economic duty in a call for evidence on equality law, which was launched on 7 April and will be open until 30 June. This will enable public authorities and others to input into plans in relation to the socio-economic duty at an early stage. We will also consult on draft statutory guidance in order to ensure it addresses the needs of public bodies and civil society and supports effective implementation.
Whether UK Defence Innovation will be an arm’s length body.
No. UK Defence Innovation will report to the National Armaments Director in the Ministry of Defence, as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform.
Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that local government is accountable for its decisions.
Councils are democratic institutions accountable to the communities they serve. We are strengthening that accountability through clearer expectations, stronger local scrutiny, and a renewed focus on outcomes. Together, these measures are building a more trusting and equal partnership-based relationship between central and local government.
What powers the Financial Conduct Authority has to regulate sports spread bets; and whether those powers have changed since the implementation of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Under the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA) 2000, HM Treasury is responsible for determining the perimeter of financial services regulation, with the approval of Parliament. This is chiefly achieved by specifying the financial services activities that can only be carried out by firms authorised by either the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) or the Prudential Regulation Authority.It specifies these activities primarily through the Regulated Activities Order (RAO), a piece of subordinate legislation made under powers in FSMA 2000. HM Treasury can bring an activity into the regulatory perimeter by amending the RAO, subject to Parliamentary approval.The FCA does not itself have the power to bring any activity into the regulatory perimeter or decide what activities are regulated. This has not changed since the implementation of FSMA 2000.The FCA CEO raised non-financial spread betting in the annual perimeter meeting in July 2023, and noted that the FCA has clarified that non-financial betting products are not financial instruments and not within the FCA’s regulatory perimeter. The minutes are published online at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hm-treasury-and-financial-conduct-authority-regulatory-perimeter-meeting-july-2023/hm-treasury-and-financial-conduct-authority-regulatory-perimeter-meeting-july-2023
For what reason the guidance entitled Property business arrangements involving hybrid partnerships (Spotlight 63) was published on 4 October 2023; whether her Department prepared an impact assessment for that guidance; and whether she is taking steps to ensure that HMRC complies with its charter in the context of affected (a) landlords and (b) tenants.
HMRC tackles avoidance schemes by directly challenging promoters and by informing and educating taxpayers. This includes for example, targeted educational campaigns for taxpayers, spotlight publications which provide an early warning to taxpayers of marketed avoidance arrangements, and publication of details on tax avoidance schemes and those that promote them.HMRC takes the Charter very seriously. The HMRC charter, published on GOV.UK, defines the service and standard of behaviour that taxpayers should expect.
How often the NHS has made use of Private and Voluntary ambulances in the last five years; whether the NHS is planning to reduce or increase their use; and what is the estimated impact of their use on costs to his Department.
The requested information is not held. National Health Service ambulance trusts may procure support from private ambulance services during periods of peak demand to supplement the NHS’ ambulance fleet. Ambulance availability is therefore monitored on a daily basis by each NHS ambulance trust.With regard to expenditure on private ambulance services, NHS England does not collect this data, as decisions to engage private emergency ambulance support are made at the frontline operational level.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.