Asked by: Lord Roberts of Llandudno (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to issue a civil preparedness document in case of crisis or war, equivalent to that issued by the government of Sweden.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Advice for the general public on how to prepare for emergencies is published at GOV.UK/Prepare. The website provides simple and effective steps that individuals, households and communities can take to be more prepared for a range of emergencies.
We regularly review the website's content and continue to explore options for improving it, and for increasing public awareness of emergency preparedness advice beyond the website.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they discussed the impact of the European Union's "Made in Europe" plans on UK competitiveness at the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement Partnership Council meeting on 2 February.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Given the UK is one of Europe’s largest economies, and an integral part of existing supply chains, we have been clear with EU counterparts that the UK and EU should be working together to tackle the challenges we all face in terms of promoting economic security as well as boosting growth and productivity. At the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement Partnership Council on 2 February, the UK raised these issues and stressed the need to work together to address shared challenges. The agenda was published ahead of the meeting 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, if he will list the dates that Morgan McSweeney had a meeting with Peter Mandelson whilst he was Ambassador to the United States, according to information held in (a) Mr Sweeney’s Outlook diary in Downing Street and (b) the Visitor Notification Service.
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 in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on 23rd February, 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: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of times Jeffery Epstein visited (a) No10 and (b) No11 from 1997 to 2010.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This information is not retained for the time periods specified.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on which dates Peter Mandelson attended meetings at 10 Downing Street since 4 July 2024, according to records held by the Downing Street Visitor Notification Service database.
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 in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on 23rd February, 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: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the creation of a peerage can be stopped following the (a) announcement of the King signifying his intention to confer a peerage and (b) issuing of a Letters Patent under the Great Seal.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There is no established precedent for withdrawing a peerage nomination after it has been announced.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to (a) rationalise, (b) co-locate and (c) better utilise buildings across the wider public sector.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government Property Strategy is driving a shift towards a smaller, better, and greener public estate. Significant progress has been made in consolidating the public estate. By disposing of unneeded assets, the Government has generated over £2 billion in capital receipts since 2022.
Programmes like One Public Estate are successfully unlocking potential across England by enabling co-location, releasing land for housing, and improving local public services. Since 2013, this work has helped transform places, supporting the release of land for over 54,000 homes, the creation of over 93,000 jobs, and delivering £211 million in running cost savings. Programmes to improve estate efficiency also operate in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, under the direction of the devolved administrations.
Co-location is also a key feature of the Government office estate, with multi-department hubs now operating across the UK. This initiative, alongside the Places for Growth drive to move roles to cities and regions, has allowed the Government - through the Plan for London - to commit to leaving 11 expensive London locations, saving taxpayers £94 million by 2032. Beyond the office estate, OPE also facilitates co-location of services, for example the Middlesborough Live Well hub which brings together public health services with employment, education, housing and welfare support.
The Government Property Strategy also focuses on ensuring the efficient use of the wider public estate. Full details on the performance and utilisation of the estate are presented to the House annually in the State of the Estate report.
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 29 January 2026, to Question 107278, on Department for Transport: Official Hospitality, whether the Cabinet Office has issued any guidance on Arm's Length Bodies using public funds to hold receptions to (a) lobby or (b) influence parliamentarians.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office issued guidance on 25/04/2024 to all Arm's Length Bodies, which outlines the rules to ensure political impartiality and the proper use of public money. This guidance can be found on gov.uk.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the number of arms-length bodies across Government departments has increased since July 2024.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Since July 2024, 10 Arms Length Bodies have been announced to deliver the manifesto the Government was elected on. In conjunction with this, the government is conducting a comprehensive review of the entire ALB landscape, as announced on 6 April 2025, this has already made progress with announcements of the closure of Building Digital UK and LocatED amongst others. This aims to streamline the state and increase ministerial accountability, a vital step toward creating a more productive and agile state.
Asked by: Iqbal Mohamed (Independent - Dewsbury and Batley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will include AI loss-of-control scenarios will be included in the next edition of the National Risk Register.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK is facing an ever-changing and growing set of risks. All risks in the National Risk Register are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity.
The challenges posed by artificial intelligence are referenced in the 2025 National Risk Register as a chronic risk, and incorporated in the Chronic Risks Analysis, the UK's first bespoke assessment for medium to long-term challenges facing the nation.
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT)’s AI risk register covers the full spectrum of AI risks that could impact the UK, spanning national security, defence, the economy and society. The AI Risk Register includes AI-loss-of control scenarios. The Government is committed to protecting UK citizens against the risks that advanced AI could bring, while ensuring we can maximise AI's potential for growth and public service delivery.