Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the level of UK investment generated by the GREAT campaign since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I refer the hon. member to the PQ 63750.
The campaign uses a comprehensive evaluation framework with timeframes for results tailored to each participating organisation's activities. Evaluation results for the GREAT Britain & Northern Ireland Campaign have not yet been finalised for financial year 2024/25.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will reintroduce Lords Spiritual from the Church of Ireland to the House of Lords.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Bishops of the Church of Ireland previously sat in the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual, from the coming into force of the Union with Ireland Act 1800 until the disestablishment of the Church in 1871. Given the Church of Ireland is no longer part of the established church, there are no plans to reintroduce Church of Ireland bishops to the House of Lords as Lords Spiritual.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date (a) was the last and (b) is the next meeting of the Honours and Appointments Secretariat.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The UK Honours and awards system does not comprise a committee or administrative team known as the Honours and Appointments Secretariat, which was the previous name of the Honours and Memorialisation Secretariat. This team holds weekly team meetings.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) unauthorised and (b) sickness absences there were in the civil service in each of the last five years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Sickness absence data for the Civil Service is published annually, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence.
Individual departments are responsible for managing their workforces, including any instances of unauthorised absence. This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal on his Department.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In May, the UK concluded a landmark economic deal with the US. This deal protects jobs in the automotive, steel, aluminium, pharmaceutical and aerospace sectors - sectors that employ over 320,000 people across the UK. In addition, an estimated 260,000 jobs are supported by the auto industry in the wider economy. The Government remains focused on making sure British businesses can feel the benefits of the deal as soon as possible.
Government is continuing discussions on the UK-US Economic Prosperity Deal which will look at increasing digital trade, enhancing access for our world-leading services industries and improving supply chains. My Department will continue to support the ongoing negotiations with the US, led by the Department for Business and Trade.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54812 on Government Departments: media, if he will list the 180 companies that expressed an interest in providing external public relations under the RM6364 Media and Creative Framework.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The procurement process under RM6364 Media and Creative Framework is currently live. As such, we are unable to disclose details of the interest expressed by individual companies at this stage, as doing so would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Crown Commercial Service and the bidders engaged in the bidding process. Further information will be made available in accordance with procurement confidentiality and competition rules as the process progresses. The agreement is due to be awarded in December 2025.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366 on Cabinet Office: staff, whether his Department has a target for (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory exits; and what communications have been sent to civil servants on this matter.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366, in line with the 2025 Spending Review, we are restructuring the Cabinet Office into a more strategic, specialised, and smaller department to achieve £110 million in annual expenditure savings by the 2028/29 financial year. Our focus is on identifying budgetary savings rather than meeting a specific headcount target.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse for Senior Civil Service pay in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The latest paybill information for the Senior Civil Service can be found in the 2025/26 annual report by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54822 on Cabinet Office: Directors, whether Baroness Casey will be a member of the Cabinet Office Board.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. member to PQ 54822.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the potential impact of reducing GREAT campaign funding on economic growth.
Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I refer the hon. member to the PQs 63750 and 64200.
In 2025/26, GREAT has allocated its budget to maximise the economic returns that the programme can deliver with the available resources. This includes delivering targeted campaigns and events in high-priority markets to continue to drive international trade, investment, tourism and student recruitment for all nations and regions of the UK.