Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether the Prime Minister has issued, or intends to issue, a direction or agreement under section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 to give the Civil Service Commission new statutory functions relating to the Business Appointment Rules.

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

The Rt. Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, Minister for the Cabinet Office and His Majesty’s Paymaster General, on behalf of the Prime Minister, exchanged letters with Baroness Stuart, the First Civil Service Commissioner, in July 2025 to confirm the Commission’s agreement to accept new functions under section 17 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. This correspondence can be found here: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/first-civil-service-commissioner-responds-to-the-minister-for-the-cabinet-office-on-proposed-changes-to-the-role-of-the-civil-service-commission/

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether appointments to the new Ethics and Integrity Commission will be made under a Public Appointments Order in Council; and which Minister will be responsible for approving those appointments.

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

Independent appointments to the Commission will be subject to the Public Appointments Order in Council. Cabinet Office Ministers will be responsible for the appointment of members to the Commission.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether the Civil Service management code or Civil Service code will be amended to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ functions to the Civil Service Commission.

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

The Civil Service Management Code will be updated in due course to reflect the transfer of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments' functions to the Civil Service Commission.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether they will publish all individual decisions or recommendations relating to the application of the Business Appointment Rules by (1) the Civil Service Commission in respect of former civil servants and special advisers, and (2) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards in respect of former ministers; and if not, what criteria will govern decisions on publication.

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

The Business Appointment Rules set out the expectations on publication which will continue to apply once the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments’ functions are transferred to the Civil Service Commission and Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether former ministers who left office while the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments was operating will now receive retrospective advice in relation to business appointments from the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

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

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments will continue to process and provide advice on applications it receives from former ministers until its closure. Advice on applications after the Committee closes will be provided by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), what the line management structure will be of (1) the Ethics and Integrity Commission, and (2) the secretariat supporting the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards; and whether those staff will report to a named senior civil servant in the Cabinet Office.

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

Line management for the secretariat of the Committee on Standards in Public Life - which will be established as the Ethics and Integrity Commission - and for the Independent Adviser Secretariat sits in the Propriety and Constitution Group of the Cabinet Office. There are no current plans to alter these arrangements.

The EIC, as with CSPL, will remain an independent Advisory Non-Departmental Public Body of the Cabinet Office, led by its Chair and other officeholders. The Independent Adviser remains an independent office-holder, as set out in the role's existing terms of reference.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether they will publish the audit findings by the Civil Service Commission on the application of Business Appointment Rules below senior levels; and what redress will be available to applicants in the event that a department is found to have applied the rules inconsistently.

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

The Government's policy is set out in the Written Ministerial Statement. Further details will be shared with Parliament in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether they intend to retain political members nominated by opposition parties on the Committee on Standards in Public Life, as under current arrangements.

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

Yes. This is laid out in correspondence between the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, available on GOV.UK here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/correspondence-between-the-minister-for-the- cabinet-office-and-the-chair-cspl-on-the-ethics-and-integrity-commission

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HL9197 and HL9244), why the Prime Minister raised human rights issues with Saudi Arabia but not Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman.

Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK and the Gulf countries have close and long-standing relationships. We benefit from a genuine and open dialogue and work together on matters of shared interest in a variety of fora. The depth of our relationships allows us to work together constructively, raising points of difference as and when they arise. The answers provided in HL9197 and HL9244 relate to statements following meetings with our Gulf partners, and included non-exhaustive summaries of the issues discussed. The United Kingdom remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of human rights around the world. Continued progress is in the interest of the UK, the Gulf and the international community.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), whether the new Business Appointment Rules administered by the Civil Service Commission will apply to all special advisers, including those below Senior Civil Service Pay Band 2, or only to those previously covered by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

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

The Special Adviser Code of Conduct sets out that Special Advisers are subject to the Business Appointment Rules for civil servants. Special advisers that currently submit applications to ACOBA will, following the transfer of functions, submit applications to the Civil Service Commission. All other Special Advisers will follow their usual process as set out in the Business Appointment Rules guidance.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 21 July (HLWS867), what legal mechanism will be used to require a minister to repay severance payments following a breach of the Business Appointment Rules.

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

The Ministerial Code is clear that the Business Appointment Rules apply to former ministers after they leave office.

Ministers will also be expected to sign waivers to confirm that they will repay their severance payment in the event they are found to have seriously breached the Business Appointment Rules.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 22 July (HL9221), what was the overall cost to date of implementing the Northern Ireland Protocol and Windsor Framework, including the individual capital costs of constructing inspection centres at ports in Northern Ireland; and what were the costs of operating those centres.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In accordance with the Statement of Funding Policy on funding the devolved Governments (copy attached), the Government maintains its commitment to fund direct costs associated with reaching the required level of compliance to implement obligations under the Windsor Framework. A full breakdown of devolved funding can be found in Block Grant Transparency, the next update to which will be published in due course.

The Government has committed to a maximum funding allocation of £192.3 million for all the facilities at the four ports. Of this allocation, Defra has spent £111.3 million up to 30 June 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent on 9 July (HL Deb col 1326), what is the timeline for completing assessments under the Procurement Act 2023 of suppliers who have engaged in poor performance or professional misconduct.

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

The timeline for completing assessments of suppliers who have engaged in poor performance or professional misconduct is dependent on the circumstances of each individual case.

The impact of the Horizon scandal on postmasters and their families has been horrendous. The Government is determined to hold those responsible to account and will continue to seek to make rapid progress on compensation and redress. Fujitsu’s role in Horizon is one of the issues currently being reviewed by Sir Wyn Williams’s statutory inquiry. The Government are carefully considering volume 1 of the report. Once the inquiry has established the full facts, we will review its final report and consider any further action, where appropriate.

In January 2024, Fujitsu committed to withdraw from bidding for contracts with new government customers until the Post Office Horizon inquiry concludes. It will bid for work with existing government customers only where it already has a contract with them or where there is an agreed need for Fujitsu’s skills and capabilities.

Individual contracting authorities are responsible for the award and management of contracts. With regard to scrutiny during procurement processes, the Procurement Act 2023 enables and, where appropriate, requires the exclusion of suppliers where they pose particular risks to public procurement. The Cabinet Office has issued substantial guidance for departments, available on gov.uk. The exclusions regime provides a framework within which contracting authorities must consider a supplier’s recent past behaviour and circumstances (or their presence on the debarment list) to determine whether it should be allowed to compete for or be awarded a public contract.

The National Procurement Policy Statement asks contracting authorities to ensure they have the appropriate procurement and contract management skills and capability necessary to deliver public contracts and encourages the use of collaborative procurement frameworks, where appropriate, to deliver value for money.

To provide transparency, the government regularly publishes Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for its most important contracts, and the performance of the vendor against those KPIs.

Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what has been the total expenditure on air travel since 5 July 2024 between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for: (1) the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; (2) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; and (3) Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent.

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

Since 5 July 2024, the total cost of expenditure on air travel between Great Britain and Northern Ireland for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland is £17,972.56, for the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State it is £12,483.01. My total air travel expenditure is £817.27.

Found: Yours sincerely, Baroness Anderson of Stoke on Trent Baroness-in-Waiting

Found: was the subject of the next group of amendments.155) In responding to the debate, Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

Found: Letter dated 16/07/2025 from Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent to Lord Caine regarding The Justice

Found: Speaking in the House of Lords in July 2025, UK Government Minister Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent

Found: In a House of Lords debate in April 2025, UK Government Minister Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on- Trent