Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made in updating the Government War Book.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK has well-developed contingency plans to respond to a wide range of eventualities. The plans and supporting arrangements have been developed, refined and tested over many years. They are risk-based, built on the principle of generic capabilities able to respond to a wide range of events, augmented by specific, niche capabilities, where needed and warranted by the risk.
Developing plans for civilian assistance to the military in a time of conflict is a key component of the Cabinet Office’s Home Defence Programme (HDP). It is an ongoing programme of work which provides defence, security and resilience planning, focused on aligning military and civil effort in the event of a period of crisis and international hostilities affecting the UK. This work is informed by and reflects the recommendations from government strategies, including the Strategic Defence Review, National Security Strategy and Resilience Action Plan.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what has been the total public cost to date of the Covid-19 Inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry publishes a quarterly financial report of its costs. The latest publication for Q3 2025/26 shows that the total cost from when the Inquiry was established on 28 June 2022 to 31 December 2025 was £204m.
Since the financial year 2023/24, the Government has published data on costs incurred by key government departments in responding to the Inquiry. These costs to 30 September 2025 total £111m and are in addition to the Inquiry’s own costs above. A further update to the data will be published in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on the governance and accountability of the NHS Business Services Authority.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office Ministers have not met with DHSC to discuss the governance and accountability of the NHS Business Services Authority.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether civil servants relocated to Canary Wharf count as having moved out of central London for statistical purposes.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Civil servants who have been moved to Canary Wharf do count as having been moved out of Central London. Utilising estate capacity in Outer London reduces pressure on Whitehall estate and ensures that we have accessible working spaces across the capital. However, only roles which move out of London entirely are counted as role relocations under the Places for Growth programme.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of claimants to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme who have less than 12 months to live; and whether they are being prioritised.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
IBCA are prioritising claims for those who are sadly nearing the end of their lives, followed by older age groups, as recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Based on community feedback, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is prioritising claims for people who have been told by a medical professional that they may have 12 months or less to live. This is regardless of whether they are infected, affected, a beneficiary of an estate of a deceased infected person, or registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme. IBCA collects information regarding this via their registration service, allowing them to prioritise claims appropriately.
The delivery of compensation is a matter for the IBCA as an operationally independent body. IBCA publishes regular updates on its website of the progress made in delivering compensation, including how many individuals have received compensation payments across all groups. The latest update can be found here: https://ibca.org.uk/statistics/registration-and-compensation-progress-update-9-April-2026.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of and (b) progress within the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As of 9 April, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has paid over £2 billion in compensation. As of 1 October 2025, IBCA had asked every living infected person who is registered with a support scheme to come forward and start their claim. IBCA has now opened the service for the first claims from infected people who were never compensated, deceased infected people, and living affected people. This met the Government’s targets for compensation delivery in 2025.
With each new cohort, IBCA are starting small, allowing them to learn what additions to the claim service are needed. This will allow them to open their service to more people as the service is built around specific needs. Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, the Government fully supports its commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to 18 March 2026, to Question 118534, on Morgan McSweeney, whether (a) Paul Ovenden, (b) Matthew Doyle and (c) Morgan McSweeney were subject to an offboarding procedure in relation official government information held on non-corporate devices; and whether significant information for the public record was transferred to an appropriate official system.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 115555 on Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, if he will make it his policy to review the terms of reference of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to allow a review the conduct of a former Minister, including to determine whether there was a serious breach of the Ministerial Code that would trigger the forfeiture of a Ministerial severance payment.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The terms of reference for the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards are set out in the Ministerial Code and are a matter for the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what timetable the Cabinet Office has set for considering departmental submissions on arm’s length body reform and accountability following Statement UIN HCWS1467 of 26 March 2026.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The ALB review is ongoing and results will be communicated in due course.
Apr. 20 2026
Source Page: Final Recommendations for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II announced to coincide with the centenary of her birth