Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which hon. Members have been appointed as Mission Champion by the Government; and what guidance his Department has provided on whether Mission Champions should attend Ministerial meetings.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Mission Champions are a political appointment within the Parliamentary Labour Party; the Cabinet Office has not issued any specific guidance related to Mission Champions. The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of conduct expected of ministers and how they discharge their duties.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46285 on Ethics and Integrity Commission, when he plans to announce the independent Chair of the Ethics and Integrity Commission.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer he was given to PQ UIN 46285 on 28 April 2025.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16 on 16 April, what guidance they will issue to (1) the Cabinet Office, and (2) agencies and public bodies that work with the Cabinet Office, about updating their policies and written guidance; whether they will consult the organisation Sex Matters in doing so; and whether the revised policies and written guidance will be laid before Parliament.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The Supreme Court’s ruling has brought clarity and confidence for women and single-sex services providers. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has already committed to supporting service providers with updated guidance; we will work closely with the EHRC as they develop this. All government departments should follow the clarity the ruling provides.
Asked by: Nick Timothy (Conservative - West Suffolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Security Secretariat uses Gaza Health Ministry statistics in its cross-Whitehall briefings.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
NSS does use Gaza Health Ministry casualty figures for briefing.
It is difficult to verify casualty statistics accurately during an active conflict. FCDO and CO rely on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports which use figures issued from the Gazan Ministry of Health (MoH).
Over the course of this conflict FCDO has consulted experts from the London School of Tropical Medicine, OCHA, WHO and Every Casualty Counts, and assesses that the total number of deaths in Gaza since 7 October 2023 is a reliable figure. The MoH collates information on casualty statistics using a health information system derived from eight major hospitals across the Strip. They verify and identify the dead by age, gender and ID number.
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 17 April 2025 to Question 42039 on Cabinet Office: Staff, what the average number of staff attached to the Skills Match Hub was in each of the last six months.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Skills Match Hub operates with a dynamic staffing model that adapts to the evolving needs of various business units. Consequently, the number of individuals associated with the Hub at any given moment can fluctuate. These variations typically arise from internal reorganisations or the return of staff from temporary assignments where their previous roles have since changed. This inherent fluidity means the precise staffing level is subject to continuous adjustments.
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 press notice entitled Appointment of Oli de Botton as the PM’s Expert Adviser on Education and Skills, published on 3 April 2025, whether the Expert Adviser on Education and Skills has been appointed as a (a) special adviser, (b) civil servant, (c) public appointment or (d) as a direct ministerial appointment; and whether that post is remunerated.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Oli de Botton has been appointed as a direct ministerial appointment. The post is remunerated.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to publish statistics on the (a) number, (b) geographical distribution and (c) sectors worked in by people on (i) night and (ii) rotating shifts.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon lady’s Parliamentary Question of 29th April is attached.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers are asked to provide details of (i) spent and (ii) unspent criminal convictions when applying for (A) CTC and (B) SC security clearance.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
All vetting applicants for Counter-Terrorist Check and Security Check clearances are asked to declare spent and unspent convictions.