Cabinet Office

The former Chief of Staff’s phone was stolen, and he reported it at the time to the police and relevant teams in No10. This was before the Humble Address that was passed in February. The Government is committed to complying with the Humble Address in full, while continuing to support the Metropolitan Police with their investigation. I refer the Hon Member to the statement provided by the Metropolitan Police on 25 March and publication of the transcript confirming that the theft was reported.

The former Chief of Staff’s phone was stolen, and he reported it at the time to the police and relevant teams in No10. This was before the Humble Address that was passed in February. The Government is committed to complying with the Humble Address in full, while continuing to support the Metropolitan Police with their investigation. I refer the Hon Member to the statement provided by the Metropolitan Police on 25 March and publication of the transcript confirming that the theft was reported.

Government procedure and contracts with creative agencies and social media influencers align to requirements set out in the ISBA Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct.

Yes there is. The Guidance for the management of Private Office information and records has been published and can be found on gov.uk.

The Inquiry recommended changes to the infection severity bands to give greater recognition for the suffering caused by interferon treatment. The Government agrees that changes are needed and we have consulted on our proposal to introduce a new infection severity band, referred to as Level 2B, which would increase people’s financial loss and care compensation awards where relevant, to recognise the short-term side-effects that many, but not all, people suffer due to interferon treatment.

The Government proposed that all infected people who have received treatment with interferon will qualify for the proposed Level 2B infection severity band. It will be part of their core compensation award and people will be eligible for it even if they were only able to tolerate interferon treatment for a very short period.

We recognise that some infected people have suffered and continue to suffer debilitating, long-term impacts on their ability to work. We have therefore consulted on a proposal to introduce a new Special Category Mechanism (SCM) Severe Health Condition award which would offer higher awards for financial loss and care based on the enduring impact that people have experienced in relation to their ability to work and their need for care.

The consultation closed on 22 January, and the Government will publish its response within 12 weeks of this closing date.

The Inquiry, in its Additional Report, made a set of recommendations about the Unethical Research awards. The Government has consulted on these recommendations, including on a proposal to expand eligibility for Unethical Research awards to all infected people who received treatment for a bleeding disorder in the UK before 1985. The Government is now carefully considering the range of responses it received on this issue before determining its final position on eligibility.

The consultation closed on 22 January, and the Government will publish its response within 12 weeks of this closing date.

Storyzy's platform empowers users to detect information manipulation and understand the information environment by analysing large quantities of data points to understand public narratives.

The Cabinet Office manages its departmental records in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. Section 3 of the Act sets out the provisions for selecting and preserving public records.

The government does not routinely comment on petitions.

The Cabinet Office manages its departmental records in accordance with the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. Section 3 of the Act sets out the provisions for selecting and preserving public records.

The government does not routinely comment on petitions.

The Cabinet Office has not issued such guidance.

The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties. As the Code sets out, the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a minister and the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards.

The Business Appointment Rules (BARs) apply to various individuals through specific codes of conduct. For instance, civil servants are subject to them via the Civil Servant Management Code, ministers through the Ministerial Code, and Special Advisers via their Code of Conduct.

Where a public sector organisation, such as an Executive Agency or an Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body, is staffed by civil servants, those individuals will be subject to the BARs.

Even though some individuals operating within the broader government sphere may not fall directly under the BARs, public bodies operating at arm’s length from government are still expected to implement their own equivalent processes to manage potential conflicts of interest, with these being tailored to their specific organisational context.

There is established guidance on the management and recording of electronic communications on non-corporate channels. We keep all guidance around the use of non-corporate communications under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

I refer you to the remarks the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister made to the house in response to the urgent question about the Humble Address on 16 March.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.

Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

The highest priority cases for recovery, including death-in-service and ill-health retirements, have been returned to normal service levels, with cases concluded wherever it has been possible to do so.

Capita has processed 407 death-in-service cases, successfully reducing the volume of workable cases from 375 to 75 as of 23 March. Capita has now achieved its target of normalising work in progress to 60 cases, representing a return to steady-state operations. While the backlog has been addressed, this figure is expected to fluctuate slightly as cases currently with third parties are returned to Capita for finalisation.

The Cabinet Office remains committed to ensuring these cases are managed efficiently to provide timely support to beneficiaries.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 25th is attached.

I refer to my answer for 116583. The GPA calculates greenhouse gas emissions for office space occupied by GPA staff and provides utility consumption data for departments occupying other buildings within its managed estate. As this activity is performed by staff as part of their wider duties, the exact amount of time allocated to this specific activity is not centrally recorded.

It would not be appropriate to detail internal security matters. There are long established and robust processes to manage information security following the theft of No10 work devices

It would not be appropriate to detail internal security matters. There are long established and robust processes to manage information security following the theft of No10 work devices

There is an established system for special advisers in place for the management of official government information held on non-corporate devices during the departure process. The policy covering non-corporate communication channels is published on gov.uk.

Relevant officials and special advisers reviewed the branding guidance.

There is established guidance on the management and recording of electronic communications on non-corporate channels. We keep all guidance around the use of non-corporate communications under review to ensure it remains fit for purpose.

The Government is committed to introducing legislation to enable the removal of peerages from disgraced peers. We will announce further details in due course.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

All government departments, ministers and relevant individuals have been instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they hold that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

No such interview took place. It is not unusual for political appointments to take place without direct conversations with the Cabinet Office. I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March which sets out the process of appointment and the steps the Government is taking to strengthen the process going forwards.

The compensation scheme assumes that the introduction of effective treatments in 2016 improved most infected people’s ability to effectively manage their infection. This assumption is applied when calculating financial loss for living infected people.

The Government recognises that some people did not receive effective treatment for their particular infection in the year it was introduced, and not everyone was able to continue working for a range of reasons including continued illness, or due to the length of time out of the workforce.

In line with the recommendation made in the Inquiry’s Additional Report, the Compensation Scheme now offers a route through which infected people can show that they were unable to return to work, or unable to work at the assumed level, even after the introduction of effective treatments. The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025 do this by removing the earnings floor on the supplementary route Exceptional Loss award for Financial Loss, to ensure that a route is available for infected people to present evidence on their actual earnings loss.

This change offers people the ability to demonstrate they had continued financial loss, even after the introduction of effective treatments, so they can be compensated fairly for this under the compensation scheme.

In its Additional Report, the Infected Blood Inquiry recommended changes to the infection severity bands to give greater recognition for the suffering caused particularly by interferon treatment. The Government agrees that changes are needed and has consulted on a proposal to introduce a new infection severity band, referred to as Level 2B, which would increase people’s financial loss and care compensation awards where relevant, to recognise the short-term side-effects that many people suffer due to interferon treatment.

The Government will publish its response to the consultation, which will set out its final decisions on the compensation scheme, within 12 weeks of the closing date. I therefore hope to update Parliament soon on the changes I intend to make to the compensation scheme as a result of the public consultation.

We will design the digital ID system to be secure, with only the minimum amount of data collected and stored. There will be no new single central database storing all government data on a person in one place. Data will primarily remain securely in the parts of the system where it already exists.

Through the public consultation that is now live, we are asking the public what age they think is appropriate to have the digital ID. Whatever the minimum age for eligibility, the system will be designed to operate to international best practice standards for data security and privacy and in line with UK Data Protection Law, to help ensure data is kept safe.

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 that was produced and published under by the previous Government.

The fact-finding exercise has concluded. The Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards wrote to the Prime Minister on this issue on 27 February. His letter is available online: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69a32870f534e7e99adaeaf8/Letter_from_the_Independent_Adviser_to_the_Prime_Minister.pdf

I refer the Honorable Member to UIN HL15093.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to PQ 113780 on 24 March 2026.

I wrote to the Rt Hon Member for Skipton and Rippon on 25 February 2026.

I also wrote to the Hon Member for Brentwood and Ongar on 25 February 2026, noting he will already be familiar with the Enterprise Agreement given he personally signed off the original spending approval for the contract during his time at the Cabinet Office under the previous Conservative government.

Grants statistics for 2024/25 were published on GOV.UK on 24 March 2026.

The UK government’s prompt payment policy aims to support UK economic growth and suppliers, including small and medium sized enterprises.

The Procurement Act 2023 mandates 30 day payment terms into all public contracts. Where the Affordable Homes Programme is covered by the Act, these terms are included automatically if not explicitly stated. Additionally, public sector buyers must ensure that this payment term is passed down their supply chain.

Ministerial travel is undertaken using efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. Security considerations are also taken into account.

The Director General for Propriety and Constitution Group is currently filled on an interim basis, a permanent appointment has not been made. The recruitment campaign is still currently in planning stages and details will be released in due course.

The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.

The Civil Service Pension Scheme (CSPS) launched the Contingent Decision process for members who opted out of the scheme in July 2025. However, the process for members who switched to the Partnership pension scheme involves additional complexity, requiring the reconciliation of contributions between defined contribution and defined benefit arrangements. Planning is underway to define the process and timeline, and we aim to open the process later in 2026.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 25th February is attached.

1. Guidance on the forfeiture process for the Civil Service Pension Scheme is provided on the scheme website within the Employer Pension Guide.

2. No guidance has been issued on forfeiture for the Ministerial Pension Scheme.

Yes. Candidates may self-certify their ethnicity when applying for Civil Service roles, though it is optional and is not included in decision making regarding appointments.

The Infected Blood Inquiry recommended that a compensation scheme be set up as soon as possible, and by centrally funding the scheme, the Government has been able quickly allocate the money necessary.

The Government firmly believes that access to redress is fundamental in upholding justice and fairness in our society. People must have avenues to seek recourse when they have been wronged or harmed. We hope the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme provides some closure to those who have been wronged under some of those most devastating circumstances.

With regard to the PeopleScout Ltd contract referenced in question 105252, Cabinet Office awarded the contract and the Government Recruitment Service within Cabinet Office is the responsible Customer. Consequently, the Customer referenced within the KPI is Government Recruitment Service, and the Supplier will only accept commissions directly from this entity.

Departments are responsible for publishing the detail of any paid or otherwise remunerated outside employment, held by members of their SCS, annually.