Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 92 of the Strategic Defence Review, how many meetings officials from their Department have attended on the national conversation on defence and security; which directorate in their Department is responsible for the departmental contribution to that national conversation; and what the job title is of the official responsible.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office Officials regularly attend meetings to discuss matters of national security, defence and resilience as well as the associated public communications required to deliver these lines of efforts. The conversation on National Defence was a recommendation in the 2025 Strategic Defence Review (SDR), which the Government accepted. The Ministry of Defence is the lead department for delivering the SDR, with support from the Cabinet Office, and particularly from the National Security Secretariat.
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year, cross-departmental effort designed to deliver on the whole-of-society approach to national security and defence. This allows the Government, the private sector and public to play their part in strengthening the UK’s resilience to any potential future shocks. This work addresses the risks and threats the UK faces, including those above and below the threshold of an armed attack.
The Cabinet Office is actively leading and coordinating this work through the Home Defence Programme owned by the COBR Director and COBR Directorate, with oversight by the Deputy National Security Advisor (DNSA) for Intelligence, Defence and Security.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will discuss with Ministerial colleagues a) the adequacy of security arrangements for Ministers and the Royal Family, b) the adequacy of security arrangements at all UK military installations, and c) the robustness of our continuity of government plans.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not comment on security arrangements.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Lord Mandelson's (a) Fellowship of the 48 Group and (b) work for Global Counsel was considered during his Department's due diligence prior to appointment as Ambassador of the United States.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the former Cabinet Secretary’s letter to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee of 30 October 2025, which sets out the information that was considered as part of the due diligence exercise.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if will he publish a list of all (a) current and (b) former Parliamentarians that have been named in the Epstein files.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are no plans to publish such a list.
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 paragraph 1.3 of the Budget Information Security Review, published on 9 February 2026, if he will publish the recommendations from his Department's leak inquiry.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The recommendations from the Cabinet Office leak inquiry have been published and are included in the HM Treasury Budget Information Security Review.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the material to be disclosed pursuant to Humble Address of 4 February 2026 relating to Lord Mandelson will include internal communications conducted via (a) Signal, (b) Telegraph, (c) Microsoft Teams, including chat messages, group chats, channel conversations, private messages, meeting chat logs and associated message histories.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, and the Written Ministerial Statement, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, which set out an update on the Government's process. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
Asked by: Jo White (Labour - Bassetlaw)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of times Peter Mandelson visited 10 Downing Street in each year since 6 May 2010 before he was appointed as the UK Ambassador to the United States of America.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Visitor information for 10 Downing Street is not retained for the time period specified.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, to which public inquiries his Department has submitted (a) documents and (b) other communications created between June 2007 and May 2010.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This information is not centrally held. Over 40 statutory public inquiries have been announced since 2006. The question potentially brings into scope all public inquiries that have taken place since June 2007. However, there is no centrally held data on documents or other communications created over the period specified and submitted to public inquiries by the Cabinet Office. Unfortunately, the cost to the public purse of accurately determining this information to would significantly exceed the current disproportionate cost threshold for answering written parliamentary questions set out in the Cabinet Office’s Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work).
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Defence Readiness and Industry during the Urgent Question on Ministry of Defence: Palantir Contracts of 10 February 2026, Official Report, column 691, whether the publication of files relating to Peter Mandelson will include reference to his visit to Palantir headquarters in Washington DC on 27 February 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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 Oral Statement on the 23 February which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. We will set out further details in due course. The Government wishes to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
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 Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments, updated 16 January 2026, paragraph 8, what steps are taken if the National Security Vetting raises concerns about an appointee after the individual has been appointed.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments sets out the processes departments should follow when national security vetting is required. The final decision on whether to proceed with an appointment rests with the appointing minister.