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 4 March 2026, to Question 111932, on Lord Mandelson, what assessment has been made of why the letter from Lord Glasman to the Prime Minister's Office on the probity of Lord Mandelson was not copied across to the official record.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 9 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 111932.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of UK GDPR data protection principles on his Department's disclosure of Lord Mandelson's personal information under the humble Address.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, and the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 16th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.
All relevant material is being prepared for publication, including the appropriate checks relating to national security, international relations, legal privilege and the protection of personal data.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse is of advertising the Digital ID consultation on podcasts.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The digital ID consultation is open to the public, and its success is hinged on open and transparent participation. We have a duty to reach as broad a population as possible and have worked with media partners in order to ensure that the public are aware of the consultation and how to participate. For this campaign, we’ve worked with two podcast partners: Acast and Audioboom, with a combined spend of £62,817 for the duration of the 12 week consultation.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the number of claimants to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme who have less than 12 months to live; and whether they are being prioritised.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
IBCA are prioritising claims for those who are sadly nearing the end of their lives, followed by older age groups, as recommended by the Infected Blood Inquiry.
Based on community feedback, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is prioritising claims for people who have been told by a medical professional that they may have 12 months or less to live. This is regardless of whether they are infected, affected, a beneficiary of an estate of a deceased infected person, or registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme. IBCA collects information regarding this via their registration service, allowing them to prioritise claims appropriately.
The delivery of compensation is a matter for the IBCA as an operationally independent body. IBCA publishes regular updates on its website of the progress made in delivering compensation, including how many individuals have received compensation payments across all groups. The latest update can be found here: https://ibca.org.uk/statistics/registration-and-compensation-progress-update-9-April-2026.
Asked by: Gavin Robinson (Democratic Unionist Party - Belfast East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) capacity of and (b) progress within the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As of 9 April, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) has paid over £2 billion in compensation. As of 1 October 2025, IBCA had asked every living infected person who is registered with a support scheme to come forward and start their claim. IBCA has now opened the service for the first claims from infected people who were never compensated, deceased infected people, and living affected people. This met the Government’s targets for compensation delivery in 2025.
With each new cohort, IBCA are starting small, allowing them to learn what additions to the claim service are needed. This will allow them to open their service to more people as the service is built around specific needs. Whilst the roll out of the scheme is an operational decision for IBCA as an independent body, the Government fully supports its commitment to moving forward as swiftly as possible.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to 18 March 2026, to Question 118534, on Morgan McSweeney, whether (a) Paul Ovenden, (b) Matthew Doyle and (c) Morgan McSweeney were subject to an offboarding procedure in relation official government information held on non-corporate devices; and whether significant information for the public record was transferred to an appropriate official system.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
There is an established system for Special Advisers in place for the management of official government information held on non-corporate devices during the departure process. The policy covering non-corporate communication channels is published 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, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 115555 on Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, if he will make it his policy to review the terms of reference of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to allow a review the conduct of a former Minister, including to determine whether there was a serious breach of the Ministerial Code that would trigger the forfeiture of a Ministerial severance payment.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The terms of reference for the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards are set out in the Ministerial Code and are a matter for the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether civil servants relocated to Canary Wharf count as having moved out of central London for statistical purposes.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Civil servants who have been moved to Canary Wharf do count as having been moved out of Central London. Utilising estate capacity in Outer London reduces pressure on Whitehall estate and ensures that we have accessible working spaces across the capital. However, only roles which move out of London entirely are counted as role relocations under the Places for Growth programme.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on the governance and accountability of the NHS Business Services Authority.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Cabinet Office Ministers have not met with DHSC to discuss the governance and accountability of the NHS Business Services Authority.
Asked by: Ruth Cadbury (Labour - Brentford and Isleworth)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the evidence given by Paymaster General at the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee session on 28 January 2026, what the estimated cost is of his Department providing (a) loans and (b) compensation to individuals impacted by delays to the civil service pension scheme.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office awarded the contract to administer the Civil Service Pension Scheme to Capita in November 2023 under the previous government.
The issues and delays facing a number of civil servants and pension scheme members in receiving their pension quotes are unacceptable. I want to reassure you that this Government has taken firm action to help put things right as soon as possible. We have agreed a clear recovery plan with Capita, which includes specific milestones and accountability targets for delivery. For priority cases, we have deployed additional resources and improved communication with affected colleagues, so that staff, both former and serving, receive the quality of service and support they deserve.
Existing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) have been enhanced and strengthened to deliver improved performance and higher penalties for failure, including financial penalties. These have already applied in respect to Capita's performance with recent issues and delays in administering the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
To provide immediate financial support to those who may need it, arrangements are in place for interest-free bridging loans typically up to £5,000 or £10,000 in exceptional cases to most recent retirees facing payment delays. This is alongside interim lump sum payments being made to provide immediate funds to retiring members. Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,747 members, the majority of whom have retired but are not yet receiving their pension, and are on track to bring these members into regular pension payments by the end of April. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time. It should be noted that these are loans and expected to be recovered and are provided by the employer and not the Cabinet Office, therefore no estimate is available.
As of 24 March 2026, government employers have reported that 869 of these Transition Support Loans have been distributed, to a total value of £4.58 Million.
Interest will be paid on delayed benefits to avoid financial loss by members. In addition, the existing statutory complaints process evaluates claims for financial losses, as well as distress and inconvenience caused, on a case-by-case basis to determine whether compensation is due. This ensures that any retiree who provides evidence of extra costs, such as bank penalties or interest charges caused by the delay, is fairly assessed. This process is run in accordance with the standards set by the Pensions Ombudsman and no estimate is available.
The latest position of the Civil Service Pension Recovery Plan Update is available at this weblink: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-pension-recovery-plan-updates