Cabinet Office

As noted in PQ 124837, recruitment of additional members is under consideration. Any additional recruitment will take place in compliance with the governance code.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 3 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 110410.

As per the published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, appropriate open-source due diligence should be carried out by the department responsible for the appointment.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

This Government is determined to ensure that the £400bn spent annually on procurement benefits British industry, jobs, and skills.

This government recently brought in The Local Government (Non-commercial Considerations) (England) Order 2026 so that local authorities in England can reserve competitions for below-threshold contracts to local or UK businesses. In addition, the Department for Transport has recently published a 10- year Zero Emission Bus (ZEB) Order Pipeline detailing the expected procurement of battery-electric and zero-emission buses between 2026 and 2035. This will provide far greater planning certainty for UK bus manufacturers.

I also announced new reforms on March 26th 2026 to ensure that government procurement does much more to protect national security, including by supporting critical UK industries, in line with our international trade agreements, and that it helps deliver a fairer economy. As part of this, we are creating a new definition of Social Value in Government Procurement, which will give additional weight to support local jobs, skills and community impact.

The EIC’s review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government includes looking at whether the current Business Appointment Rules are sufficient, in particular in respect of managing potentially improper access to, and influence within, government. The Business Appointment Rules apply to Ministers and Crown Servants at all levels, including special advisers.

As the terms of reference set out, in undertaking this review it will be important for the EIC to seek views from stakeholders, including the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

The Government will then publish the Review’s findings and present the Government’s response to Parliament

We have made a choice to align with the EU in some areas where it makes sense to do so in our national interest - such as our food and drink and emissions trading agreements. Combined, these agreements alone are set to add up to £9 billion a year to the UK economy by 2040. A linking agreement would also save UK industry from paying the EU CBAM charge on £7bn worth of UK exports. We have recently started negotiations on joining the internal electricity market. The government will ensure these agreements are consistent with its wider international obligations.

We don’t provide a running commentary on current, or future negotiations. But this government’s red lines are clear: there will be no return to the Single Market, Customs Union or freedom of movement.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The methodological note included in this publication provides a detailed overview of the commissioning process.

The obligations and requirements of the Civil Service Code and Diplomatic Service Code are set out publicly. Peter Mandelson is no longer a civil servant.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

In accordance with the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, Special advisers are not entitled to have access to sensitive, security or intelligence reports unless they have completed National Security Vetting to the appropriate level. A number of new Special Advisers were therefore vetted in July 2024 as priority cases. The ability to prioritise cases is a standard service from UK Security Vetting and involves the same checks and standards as all clearances.

The Prime Minister follows Government's advice on non-corporate communications channels.

The Cabinet Secretary has asked the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, to lead on the response to the Humble Address. Staff from across the Cabinet Office are involved in compliance with the Humble Address motion as necessary. Civil Servants remain bound by the Civil Service Code at all times, and by their departmental policies on managing conflicts of interest.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government’s methodology in complying with the Humble Address was set out in the Volume II publication.

For documents requiring redactions related to national security or international relations, the Intelligence and Security Committee provided assistance with the review process, for which the Government is grateful. Any other targeted redactions have been made in accordance with clear precedents established by previous governments in their responses to Humble Addresses.

Specifically, these targeted redactions are in order to protect:

a. Individuals’ email addresses and phone numbers;

b. The identities of junior civil servants;

c. Third party data - including the personal or commercially sensitive data of third parties not relevant to the motion; and

d. Legal professional privilege

Policy analysis on options for reforming collective agreement is ongoing and we have high ambitions for speeding up the government’s decision making processes. All options are being considered for how this success is measured. There are currently no plans to perform a retrospective assessment of which decisions would have been sped-up as a result of any proposed reforms.

Policy analysis on options for reforming collective agreement is ongoing and we have high ambitions for speeding up the government’s decision making processes. All options are being considered for how this success is measured. There are currently no plans to perform a retrospective assessment of which decisions would have been sped-up as a result of any proposed reforms.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Government will update the Cabinet Manual to ensure it remains an authoritative guide to the UK’s constitutional arrangements.

The Cabinet Secretary has set out her intention to refresh the Civil Service Code to ensure it is up to date, well understood, and adhered to across the Civil Service.

GCS works closely with media partners and makes use of advanced technical capabilities, including artificial intelligence-driven tools, verification systems, and third-party brand safety tools, to ensure official content is served in safe, authentic, and suitable environments.

GCS continuously monitors developments from regulators to ensure that all platforms hosting official government messages uphold robust security measures.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 10 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 112242.

Official information, wherever stored, is considered to be held by the Crown.

I refer the Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire to the Government’s 2023 ‘Guidance on Using Non-Corporate Communication Channels for Government Business’ for further detail.

The Independent Reviewer’s name and further details about the review will be announced to the House before its work commences.

The Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire will be aware that the Government is planning an independent strategic review into the use of non-corporate communications channels. This will consider any non-corporate means of communication.

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles. GCS does not invoice separately for Ministerial or civil servant use.

No. I refer the Hon Member to the 10 Downing Street history page on gov.uk.

In common with the Department of Transport, the Cabinet Office has not issued formal guidance regarding the provision of official cars outside the Government Car Service (GCS).

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 13 April 2026, Official Report, PQ 123637.

Cabinet Office follows the same rules and guidance as all other departments regarding SCS data. The decision to restrict the amount of information published for Senior Civil Servants (SCS) below Pay Band 2 dates back to 2010, made on the grounds of proportionality and reasonable expectations of privacy. The guidance for publication of SCS transparency data was reconfirmed in 2017 and has been reviewed regularly to ensure it remains appropriate and provides the information the public might reasonably need.

The Cabinet Office does not hold this information. The application and subsequent advice dates back to sixteen years ago, which is longer than the retention period for such documents as set out in the Privacy Notice for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/advisory-committee-on-business-appointments-acoba-privacy-notice

ACOBA’s decision, set out in the relevant Annual Report will be retained indefinitely and is available on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7d965340f0b65084e76188/Twelfth_Annual_Report_2010-2011.pdf

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 6 January 2025, Official Report, PQ 21256.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 26 March 2026, Official Report, PQ 121754.

Each department is accountable for the standard of communication between itself and the various services it maintains as this is not centrally managed.

The Cabinet Secretary has set out her intention to refresh the Civil Service Code to ensure it is up to date, well understood, and adhered to across the Civil Service. Further updates will be communicated in due course.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. Limited redactions were made to protect personal information, including email addresses.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

The Cabinet Office requested information from across government on several occasions in relation to the Humble Address. All relevant individuals were instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they held that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

This Government remains committed to strengthening UK-EU cooperation on tackling money-laundering. The UK works closely with the EU and its Member States through a range of established fora, including through the Financial Action Task Force.

The Prime Minister has announced the UK’s intention to begin negotiations to participate in the European Union’s €90 billion Ukraine loan initiative, underlining the growing defence ties between the UK and the EU, boosting Ukraine’s defences, and unlocking opportunity for British firms to access future contracts. The exact terms will be subject to negotiation.

As a matter of routine His Majesty’s Government neither confirms nor denies it has sought or received legal advice.

No.