Asked by: Lisa Smart (Liberal Democrat - Hazel Grove)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mechanisms are in place to help facilitate Parliamentary scrutiny of contracts awarded for the administration of public sector pension schemes; and how value for money and performance are monitored once such contracts are awarded.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Details of Government contracts over £12,000 are published online primarily to ensure transparency, accountability, and fairness in the expenditure of public money. Ministers and senior officials regularly appear before parliamentary committees as an integral part of the parliamentary process of holding the government to account.
The Sourcing Playbook emphasises best practice managing contracts through a proactive, partnership-based approach, ensuring they are designed for effective monitoring from the outset. This includes guidance on robust, ongoing contract management to deliver public services efficiently, requiring clear KPIs, performance monitoring, and risk mitigation, particularly for major outsourcing projects.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what advice the Civil Service Commission provides on departures and appointments of Cabinet Secretaries.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Manual, sets out that the Cabinet Secretary is appointed by the Prime Minister on the advice of the First Civil Service Commissioner.
In the Government response to the House of Lords Constitution Committee report into the appointment and removal of Permanent Secretaries, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that the Civil Service Commission does not play a role in Permanent Secretary departures.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether previous disciplinary allegations against Dame Antonia Romeo have been assessed by the Cabinet Office since 2017.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The allegations were dismissed 9 years ago on the basis that there was no case to answer.
These allegations were considered by the Cabinet Office as the individual was a permanent member of staff of that Department.
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 publish the investigation in the then Consul General in New York in 2017.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The allegations were dismissed 9 years ago on the basis that there was no case to answer.
We do not release confidential documents relating to internal HR processes.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the outcome was of the investigation into Dame Antonia Romeo in 2017.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The allegations were dismissed 9 years ago on the basis that there was no case to answer.
We do not release confidential documents relating to internal HR processes.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Morgan McSweeney will receive a severance payment follow his departure as Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister; and whether he will sign a Non Disclosure Agreement.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. The Model Contract for Special Advisers is published online and details the specific circumstances in which severance is payable. As with all civil servants, the Model Contract sets out that special advisers are bound by the Official Secrets Act 1989.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the letter from the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary to the Hon Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 30 January 2026, on severance payments, what is the wider policy of the (a) Civil Service and (b) Cabinet Office on the practice of outgoing Permanent Secretaries being paid gardening leave from the public purse for their three month waiting period when leaving Crown employment.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Business Appointment Rules for Crown Servants set out that Permanent Secretaries are required to observe a three month waiting period, and the Rules set out that it may be appropriate to pay former civil servants who are required to observe a waiting period before taking up an external role.
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 Beyond Boundaries programme, how many participants in each of the last three years a) enrolled, b) completed the full programme, c) withdrew before completion, and d) were removed by the programme administrators.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The data is provided in the table below. Data prior to the 2025/26 intake on non-completion is only available as a combined figure. The 2025/26 intake began delivery in October 2025, and will complete in September 2026, so completion data is not yet available. Only a combined withdrawals and removals figure can be provided for the 2025/26 intake due to the suppression of low removal numbers potentially making candidates identifiable.
Beyond Boundaries Intake year | Enrolled | Completed Programme | Combined Non-Completions | Completion Percentage |
2023/24 | 568 | 503 | 65 | 88.6% |
2024/25 | 634 | 563 | 71 | 88.8% |
2025/26 | 794 | ongoing | 31 (as of 23/2/26) | - |
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many participants in the Directors Leaders Scheme a) enrolled, b) completed the full programme, c) withdrew before completion and d) were removed by programme administrators in each of the last three years.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Directors Leadership Programme cohort 4 is starting from 22 April and has 35 participants.
In the last three years:
109 people were enrolled.
Everyone completed the programme
Nobody withdrew from the programme
Nobody was removed from the programme by the administration.
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 2 March 2026 to Question 108235 on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, what the (a) departments and (b) job titles are of the 90 senior civil servants recruited internally.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer to my answer to UIN 108235 from 2 March 2026.