Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how long it took for the National Security Advisor to be vetted after his appointment.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
Individuals appointed as National Security Adviser go through an extensive process which includes National Security Vetting (NSV). National Security Vetting for the current National Security Adviser was conducted to the usual standard set for Developed Vetting.
It is long-standing practice that the government does not comment on individual vetting cases.
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 31 March 2025 to Question 40911 on Government Departments: Social Media, if he will update the guidance to require Ministers to declare (a) hospitality and (b) other meetings with senior media executives from (i) X, (ii) Meta and (iii) Tiktok.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
I refer the Hon Member to my previous answers [41868 and 40911]. Details of ministers’ official meetings with all external individuals and organisations are published on a quarterly basis.The Cabinet Office also publishes a monthly register of all gifts and hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity. There are no current plans to include representatives of social media companies under the guidance for senior media figures.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) the Government Car Service have issued to Ministers on the provision of official cars for travel inside London.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The arrangements relating to the usage of vehicles in the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
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 21 January 2026 to Question 105705 on Civil Servants: Redundancy, if he will publish the data on projected exits collated through the management of the Redundancy and Compensation control process.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office collects some data on projected exits through its management of the Redundancy and Compensation control. This data can not be published and remains confidential.
Asked by: Baroness Buscombe (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role the National Security Adviser has had in UK Government engagement with the government of the United States of America since 20 January 2026.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The National Security Adviser engages with a range of states and organisations as part of his role providing advice to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet on national security matters, including the United States which remains our most important security partner. Such meetings are often sensitive in nature, and the Government does not routinely comment on them or their content.
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 make an assessment of the adequacy of the compliance of (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers with the guidance entitled Non-corporate communication channels for government business, published on 30 March 2023.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The current guidance was issued under the previous government. As part of this government’s commitment to raise information security standards, we plan to review both the way that non-corporate communication channels are used in Government and the 2023 guidance itself to reflect the changes in the ways we use technology.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date did his Department receive a written report from Lord Glassman regarding the nature of the relationship between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There is no record of receipt of Lord Glasman’s report in the Prime Minister’s Office.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister was the appointing Minister of Lord Mandelson as Head of Mission.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As Ambassador to the United States, Peter Mandelson was appointed by the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what formal title and position John Pond held on 2 August 2009 within Downing Street.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It would not be appropriate to comment on individual staffing matters.
Asked by: Alex Burghart (Conservative - Brentwood and Ongar)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether voluntary disclosures by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment will be treated as indicative of the proper scope of disclosure under the Government response to the Humble Address of 4 February 2026.
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.