Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, what the new process will be for collective Cabinet agreement of government policy.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office has launched a programme of work to simplify the state, removing unnecessary bureaucracy and speeding up the timeline from ministerial decision to delivery for citizens, including through the process for collective agreement of government policy.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Cabinet Secretary has permission to speak to the press directly.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Civil Service Code sets out the rules for Civil Servants speaking to the media. The Civil Service Management Code provides further guidance for civil servants on their obligations.
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 112179, on Ethics and Integrity Commission and Lobbying, whether the terms of reference will include revolving door issues of civil servants and regulators joining companies which they previous regulated or worked with.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
On 11 March the Prime Minister wrote to the Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission, Doug Chalmers, to commission a review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government. As set out in the terms of reference, this 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..
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, what estimate his Department have made of the (a) number of, and (b) cost of Equalities Impact Assessments since July 2024 which would not have taken place under the new policy.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Equalities Impact Assessments are carried out for a variety of reasons, for both internal policies and processes within the Cabinet Office under Public Sector Equality Duty to assess the impact of external policies and processes. Although there is a small central team who provide advice and guidance, it is the responsibility of individual business units to assess whether a formal assessment is required, and if so, these are typically conducted locally by the teams themselves.
There is currently no requirement for teams to report activity, and we do not hold a central record across the department. It is therefore not possible to provide an accurate estimate of the number of assessments conducted. Given Equalities Impact Assessments are conducted internally, there are no direct costs associated, however the amount of official time taken to carry out the activity would be relevant. It is similarly not possible to provide an accurate estimate of time taken, as this varies significantly based on the scale and complexity of the policy or process being developed.
The new policy referenced will ensure it is far clearer when an assessment is required, and what parameters need to be followed, with the intention of reducing the amount of official time spent on this activity, whilst still providing robust challenge.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to increase the speed at which compensation payments are issued by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority to affected people.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Compensation Authority has paid over £2 billion in compensation payments. 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: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Downing Street press release of 9 April 2025, on policing, what definition the Prime Minister’s office uses of the term 'across the country' in official communications.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
An official definition does not exist, but it is a term that will be widely recognised by the public.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many honours were awarded to people (a) living and (b) working in Lincolnshire in each of the last ten years; and what the level of each award was.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Transparency data is published alongside each New Year Honours List and King’s Birthday Honours List, giving an individual breakdown of recipients' names, level of award, their short citation and the city and country in which their correspondence address was located. Transparency data for each Honours List in each of the past five years can be found on gov.uk using the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/honours-reform-and-operation#honours-lists
The Cabinet Office does not collect home or work addresses for honours recipients; the information published reflects the correspondence address provided by recipients. This data relates only to the main Prime Minister’s List and does not include data from the Defence List or the Overseas and International List, which are not administered by the Cabinet Office.
Honours are awarded on merit basis. A key aim of the honours system is to ensure that it is more representative of the country as a whole and we will continue to encourage more nominations from every corner of the UK in future honours lists.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 16 March 2026, on Government Response to the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025, HCWS1398, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Electricity Agreement on the (a) proposed deregulatory recommendations proposed in the Review and (b) maintenance of EU levels of environmental protection in the electricity sector.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK-EU Electricity Agreement will cut electricity costs, strengthen our energy security, drive investment and jobs, and help to achieve our Clean Power 2030 Mission. The Government’s reforms to nuclear regulation, which will make it easier to deliver nuclear projects, also support these objectives. The regulatory changes we are making will provide the best outcomes for both nuclear development and the environment, by offering a more streamlined and co-ordinated pathway to deliver environmental protections. There will be no change to the high environmental standards to which the Government is committed.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, how many of the 131 consultation requirements referenced in the article were identified as being unnecessary.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have developed an AI tool to help identify uncover consultation requirements hidden within legislation. It is up to ministerial and Parliamentary discretion to decide their value to specific legislation and the policies underlying that legislation. This initiative will ensure that government policies can be implemented as efficiently as possible, streamlining the process while retaining necessary checks and balances where appropriate. We are introducing a higher bar inclusion of consultation requirements in legislation, and prioritising finding more effective and efficient ways to engage stakeholders. The end goal is ending the introduction of further unnecessary reporting and consultation requirements.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Ministers rip up consultation culture, published on 26 March 2026, what the higher bar will be for reporting and consultation requirements in legislation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Consultation should only be used when it is the most effective tool for good policymaking and not used for other reasons. Reporting requirements should not disproportionately slow down delivery.