Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether due diligence undertaken by his Department for the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Ambassador considered (a) Lord Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and (b) Global Counsel’s work in China.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.
I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Boosting British jobs and skills key for firms to win major infrastructure projects, published on 16 June 2025, if he will publish an impact assessment for that policy.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This Government is committed to supporting British jobs and industry. As part of this, we have consulted on further reforms to public procurement. If appropriate, impact assessments will be undertaken following our response to the consultation, in accordance with the Better Regulations Framework.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77118 on Lord Mandelson, if he will place in the Library a copy of the due diligence undertaken by his Department on Lord Mandelson before his appointment.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Due diligence was undertaken prior to the appointment of the former Ambassador to the United States, and was part of an established process to collate relevant information as part of the identification and selection of the appointee.
In line with the practice across multiple administrations, the government does not publish such material.
I refer the Hon. Member to the Cabinet Secretary’s letter of 30 October 2025 to the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee, which sets out the process and information contained in the due diligence report: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50019/documents/269409/default/
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the Infected Blood Compensation Authority claims process is accessible to people whose historic NHS records are difficult to locate.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Given the historic nature of the infected blood scandal, the Government recognises that not all medical records will still be available. The Compensation Scheme has been designed to minimise as far as possible the burden on those applying, and eligibility for compensation will be determined based on the balance of probabilities. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed. The role of IBCA’s claim managers includes helping individuals who are claiming to gather information, including medical evidence where available, to support their claim.
Asked by: David Simmonds (Conservative - Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Minister who occupy Ministerial residences as second homes and have council tax paid (a) have restrictions on the number of days that they can occupy the property each week.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There are no such restrictions imposed.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much (a) their Department and (b) its arm’s length bodies have spent on (i) installing electric vehicle charging facilities and (ii) purchasing electric vehicles since 4 July 2024; and what estimate their Department has made of the difference in capital cost between (A) the electric vehicles purchased by their Department and (B) comparable (1) petrol and (2) diesel models.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department and its arm’s length bodies have not incurred any expenditure on the installation of electric vehicle charging facilities since 4th July 2024.
Since 4th July 2024, the Department and its arm’s length bodies have spent £221,472.32 on the purchase of electric vehicles. These purchases were made for the Government Car Service (GCS) Ministerial fleet. The GCS services Ministers from across departments.
The Department has not made an estimate of the difference in capital cost between the electric vehicles purchased and comparable petrol or diesel models.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to establish (a) accountability and (b) oversight mechanisms for the (i) storage and (ii) use of personal data under future digital identity card policies.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Inclusion, usefulness, and security are the principles guiding the new digital ID. The digital ID will draw on the best practice of cyber security from around the world and we have begun engagement with the UK’s leading security experts—including the National Cyber Security Centre.
The digital ID programme will respect all existing UK laws, including GDPR, so that any data sharing is necessary for the purposes of the activity and only the minimum amount of data is shared. We will launch a full public consultation on all these proposals in the new year.
Asked by: Perran Moon (Labour - Camborne and Redruth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) consent for data sharing and (b) other privacy rights are upheld in the implementation of future digital identity card systems.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Inclusion, usefulness, and security are the principles guiding the new digital ID. The digital ID will draw on the best practice of cyber security from around the world and we have begun engagement with the UK’s leading security experts—including the National Cyber Security Centre.
The digital ID programme will respect all existing UK laws, including GDPR, so that any data sharing is necessary for the purposes of the activity and only the minimum amount of data is shared. We will launch a full public consultation on all these proposals in the new year.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to ensure that (a) cloud hosting, (b) data processing and (c) other core components of the proposed digital ID system are under sovereign UK control.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Data associated with the Digital ID system will be held and kept safe in secure cloud environments hosted in the United Kingdom.
The Government will work closely with expert stakeholders to make the programme effective, secure and inclusive, including taking insights from previous IT projects where appropriate.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much has the Cabinet Office spent in John Lewis since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office procures furniture, furnishings, and work-related items from a range of suppliers. It is sometimes the case that required items can be procured cheaper at great British brands such as John Lewis. This has been the practice under previous administrations. Value for money is always central to purchase decisions.