Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on the 9 April (HL6179), how many non-civil servants are employed by the Cabinet Office on zero-hours contracts as at 1 April.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Non-Civil Servants are not employed by the Cabinet Office. Where non-Civil Servants are required, they are engaged via routes other than employment contracts such as contracts for Contingent Labour via a third-party agency. While the Cabinet Office also makes a number of public appointments and direct ministerial appointments, the individuals appointed to such roles are public office holders and not employees.

Cabinet Office has 423 Contingent Labour workers on zero hour contracts as at 28 April 2025 via the contract Cabinet Office has with Alexander Mann Solutions Ltd.

The Cabinet Office uses zero hours contracts to selectively manage temporary demand. To end exploitative zero hours contracts, under the government’s plans to Make Work Pay legislation will be brought in to give workers on zero hours contracts and workers with a ‘low’ number of guaranteed hours, who regularly work more than these hours, the ability to move to guaranteed hours contracts which reflect the hours they regularly work over a 12-week reference period.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 17 March (HL5387), what the estimated cost was of answering that Question in full; whether an assessment of that cost was conducted in accordance with the guidance in the Guide to Parliamentary Work; and whether they will now place a copy of that assessment in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Assessing what constitutes a project's original baseline would require making a case by case assessment for each of the 227 major projects in order to determine which baseline should be used as a reference point. Making this case by case assessment would have exceeded the current disproportionate cost threshold as set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work. We have no plans to place a copy of this assessment in the Library of the House.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 7 April (HL6018), and to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office on 21 October 2019 (HC463), why it was possible, in the case of the latter, to provide a full list of Permanent Secretary-level appointments, but not in the case of the former; and whether they will now provide a corresponding list of current Permanent Secretary-level appointments, including whether each appointment is fixed-term and its expiry date.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Since 2014, permanent secretary appointments have been made on the basis of a five year fixed tenure; this is set out in contracts of employment. There is no automatic presumption in favour of renewal, but renewals are possible at the discretion of the Prime Minister.

The table below sets out the tenure end dates of the current permanent secretary group.

*Andrew Goodall is on secondment from NHS Wales

**Andy Start is on a Fixed Term contract

*** Tamara Finkelstein, Jenny Harries and Sarah Munby are leaving the Civil Service in Summer 2025, and therefore before their tenure end date

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 10 April (HL6032) , what is their estimate of the annual cost of each of the 26 arm's-length bodies which they have confirmed are in the process of being set up.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Departments are responsible for assessing the potential costs of proposed new bodies as part of their business case development. The Cabinet Office does not centrally estimate costs for departments’ proposals.

The government is conducting a full line-by-line Spending Review which will cover the costs of proposed and existing ALBs to ensure value for money is being delivered for the taxpayer.

On 6 April, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced a full review of all arm’s length bodies to ensure their existence can be strongly justified against key principles. Any future decision to set up any new ALBs would need to demonstrate alignment with these principles and follow the joint HMT and Cabinet Office approval process for new bodies.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 7 April (HL6019), whether the Cabinet Office holds unpublished internal guidance on the performance management process for Permanent Secretaries; and, if so, whether they will place a copy of that guidance in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

There is no unpublished internal guidance on the performance management process for Permanent Secretaries. The process follows the principles outlined in the performance management guidance for Senior Civil Servants which is published on GOV.UK: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67a391127da1f1ac64e5ff25/Final_2025-26_SCS_PM_Framework_published.pdf

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 15 April (HL6395), whether the Cabinet Office holds a central record of the names of the secretaries assigned to support each Cabinet committee listed in the List of Cabinet Committees, published on 21 October 2024; and, if so, whether they will place a copy of that record in the Library of the House.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Cabinet Secretariat works on behalf of the Cabinet Secretary to support Cabinet committees. The Cabinet Office has no plans to place a list of all the officials working in the Secretariat in the Library of the House.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 6 March (HL5057), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the comprehensive fraud risk assessments undertaken for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) is committed to being open and transparent, however, fraud risk assessments are sensitive documents, therefore they are not intended for public release.