Question to the Northern Ireland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, with reference to the Answer of 14 July 2026 to Question HL1786 on United Kingdom: Northern Ireland, whether other proposals from the Safeguarding the Union policy paper have been discontinued since July 2024.

Answered by Sarah Owen - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Northern Ireland Office)

The Government is continuing to implement the Safeguarding the Union command paper and to support Northern Ireland's place in the Union: this includes the East-West Council meeting again in January 2026; the allocation of £2.25 million for Intertrade UK over the next three years; the announcement of a pilot twinning programme between schools in England and Northern Ireland; and the launch of the Northern Ireland Defence Growth Deal in April 2026, which includes a £50 million investment to support well-paid and highly-skilled jobs.

I would also refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided by my Noble Friend Baroness Anderson to HL2297 on 28 July, which further outlined how Safeguarding the Union commitments are embedded throughout the work of the Government.

Question to the Leader of the House:

To ask the Leader of the House, if he will ensure that answers to written Parliamentary Questions provide relevant hyperlinks.

Answered by Alan Campbell - Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons

It is important that Members receive full and helpful responses to parliamentary questions.

The Guide to Parliamentary Work (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guide-to-parliamentary-work), published by my office, states that “if referring to documents in the public domain, you should include the relevant extracts in your written response as well as the relevant hyperlink”.

I note the Procedure Committee’s report on Written Parliamentary Questions published today (available at: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5902/cmselect/cmproced/49/report.html), which makes reference to the use of hyperlinks. The Government will respond to the Committee’s report in due course.

In addition, I encourage Hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 27 January 2025, to Question 25755, on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, if she will place the One Year Evaluation Report in the Library.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The One Year Evaluation delivered in September 2024 contains detailed information regarding the operation and processes of the Emergency Alerts system. The capability represents a key part of the UK’s crisis response ability and therefore is unable to be shared publicly in order to maintain the integrity of the system.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, Further to the written ministerial statement, Driving Opportunity in Every Postcode, 9 September 2026, HCWS322, what is the timetable for the commencement of the Social-Economic Duty.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background, can thrive. To support this, we will commence the socio-economic duty. We are currently working towards commencement, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively. We will provide an update in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document, Frequency Asked Questions about Emergency Alerts, published by the Cabinet Office in 2023, what are the latest criteria for use of the Emergency Alert service in relation to (a) localised alerts and (b) nationwide alerts.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The threshold considerations for issuing an emergency alert include considering whether there is a risk to life, and whether those receiving the message need to take urgent action.

There is no separate criteria for issuing alerts locally and nationally.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which department is now the lead department for the Defending Democracy Taskforce.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Defending Democracy Taskforce, which I chair as Security Minister, drives a whole of government approach to the threats we face to our democracy.

The Permanent Secretary of the Home Office has recently been appointed by the Cabinet Secretary as the lead for Defending Democracy. The Taskforce is supported by a dedicated Secretariat in the Home Office who help co-ordinate this work across government.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the OneGov Delivery Agency will charge departments for its services.

Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The services transferring to the OneGov Delivery Agency are expected initially to continue to charge other government departments in accordance with existing agreements or Memoranda of Understanding. Work to establish OneGov has commenced and will consider issues such as longer-term funding models and scope of service delivery.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 20825, on Cabinet Office: Facilities Agreements, and with reference to pages 11-12 of her Department's Document entitled Civil Service facility time framework and guidance, published in April 2026 (DEP2026-0371), if she will publish the figures for the Cabinet Office facility time data for 2025-26 that are maintained by the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Facility time for 2025-26 will not be published, as it is no longer a requirement following the repeal of the Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017 in February 2026.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, Further to the written ministerial statement, Driving Opportunity in Every Postcode, 9 September 2026, HCWS322, what is the planned (a) headcount and (b) budget for the new Class Unit.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Officials are currently taking forward the implementation of the creation of a new Class Unit and closure of Social Mobility Commission to ensure a smooth, staged transition. All changes will be carried out with appropriate consultation and full support for affected staff. Changes will be handled in line with relevant policies, and in consultation with Trade Unions.

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, no matter their background, can thrive. One of the Class Unit’s early priorities will be the socio-economic duty. We are currently working towards commencement, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively. Further announcements about the new unit’s role and responsibilities will be shared in due course.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Written Statement of 9 September 2026 on Driving Opportunity in Every Postcode, HCWS322, what the current headcount staff of the Social Mobility Commission is; and how many of those staff will be transferred within the Civil Service (a) in the interim as it is wound down and (b) following its abolition.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Officials are currently working through the implementation of the creation of a new Class Unit and closure of Social Mobility Commissioner to ensure a smooth, staged transition. All changes will be carried out with appropriate consultation and full support for affected staff. Changes will be handled in line with Cabinet Office policies, and in consultation with HR and Trade Unions.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance (a) her Department and (b) NHS England has given on whether socio-economic background of the patient can be a material consideration by the NHS when prioritising patients for elective care; and what use the NHS makes of social value judgments when prioritising.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

All waiting lists are subject to clinical prioritisation at a local level. The National Health Service triages patients waiting for elective care, including surgery, so that the order in which they are seen reflects clinical judgement of need as well as taking into account overall wait time.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Home Office's transparency data entitled Small boat arrivals: last 7 days, updated on 9 September 2026, has the status of official statistics; and whether the UK Statistics Authority has reviewed data reporting by the Home Office.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th September is attached.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many special advisers in Government have the title of Chief of Staff.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Lead Special Advisers in departments may be titled ‘Chief of Staff’ to their appointing minister. Therefore there are approximately 17 Special Advisers with the title of ‘Chief of Staff’.

This does not change these individuals’ terms of employment. As per paragraph 2 of the Model Contract for Special Advisers (Job title and duties) which can be found on GOV.UK, the formal job title of all special advisers is ‘Special Adviser’.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether all (a) departments and (b) arm’s length bodies, including NHS England, are to act in line with the Government’s revised approach to prioritising British jobs and growth in public procurement; and whether (i) the Department of Health and Social Care and (ii) NHS England (A) have or (B) will have any exemption from that approach with regard to NHS England’s 2027 carbon reduction plan requirements.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The government has been clear that all departments should use public procurement to deliver jobs and skills opportunities.

Procurement Policy Notes (PPNs) are applicable to Central Government Departments, Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies unless otherwise stated in the PPN.

All other public bodies are routinely encouraged to adopt PPNs.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Further to the written statement of 1 September 2026, HCWS296, on Canada’s entry I to force with the UK in CPTPP, what steps are being taken to ensure that the EU/UK reset supports the ability of the United Kingdom to maintain its existing free trade deals and sign new ones with non-EU countries and organisations.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK and EU are committed to building a closer relationship and are negotiating agreements that will boost trade, enhance energy security and create opportunities for young people. The government will ensure that these agreements are consistent with its wider international obligations.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2026 to Question 20855 on Civil Service Commission: Conflict of Interests, whether the Civil Service Commission informed the Minister for the Civil Service that responsibility for determining complaints under the Recruitment Principles, Civil Service Code appeals and departmental audit scores had been delegated to the Chief Executive.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the hon. Member to the response to Question 20845.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 19 March 2026, to Question 116770, whether Cabinet Office's Direct Ministerial Appointments portal entries on gov.uk should be amended once the Direct Ministerial Appointment leaves their post.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The responsibility for the publication of information on Direct Ministerial Appointments on the announcement portal rests with individual sponsor departments. The primary function of the portal is to bring together, into a central resource, announcements of new Direct Ministerial Appointments from across government. While the portal records the expected length of term of individual new appointments, it does not record actual end dates for those appointments that come to an end. Questions about the status of individual appointments would be for sponsor departments.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any unused Ministerial residences in Admiralty House are paying the empty homes council tax premium to Westminster City Council.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Council tax premiums for empty homes do not apply to the Ministerial residences in Admiralty House.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 7 September 2026, to Question 20824, on Civil Servants: Nationality, what was the nationality of each (a) job applicant, and (b) employed applicant, for roles in the EU Relations Secretariat in the period for which information is held.

Answered by Hamish Falconer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Individual data regarding the nationality of job applicants and successful appointees cannot be provided, as this information is confidential. However, data on the wider Civil Service, including nationality, is published regularly on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any Mission Boards are operational.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Mission Boards were established under the previous administration and their operation was the responsibility of the lead Secretaries of State.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 7 September 2026 to Question 19361 on Public Appointments: Equality and of 8 September 2026 to Question 20975 on Civil Service Recruitment, whether the socio-economic background of an applicant is a material consideration or determining factor in the appointment process for civil servants through the (a) Civil Service Masterclass and (b) the listed Going Forward into Employment recruitment schemes.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Socio-economic background is one of the considerations that determines whether individuals can apply for the Going Forward into Employment pathways listed below.

• DCMS Learn & Grow Pathway

• DWP Social Mobility Apprenticeship

• Crown Prosecution Service Diversifying CPS Careers

• MHCLG Masterclass Pathway (sometimes referred to as the Civil Service Masterclass)

• Home Office Pathway to Employment

More information on GFiE Pathway opportunities for people from Low Social Mobility Backgrounds can be found on the GFiE Civil Service Careers site: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/gfie-pathways/#social-mobility. This site is visible in the public domain.

Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2026 to Question HL2133, on International Court of Justice, whether the Government made oral arguments to the International Court of Justice once the 2023 statement was withdrawn.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Minister of State (Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade)

The Government strongly supports the International Labour Organization’s work and values its role in upholding and enhancing workers’ rights globally. We also fully respect the independence of the International Court of Justice and its vital role in upholding the rule of law.

On 7 October 2025, the Government delivered its oral statement before the International Court of Justice in the oral proceedings concerning the right to strike under ILO Convention No. 87, the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention 1948.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 16041, on Treasury: Furniture, what comparative assessment HM Treasury’s PFI team has made of the value for money of the cost of the picnic and outdoor furniture (a) purchased via the PFI company and (b) purchased directly from a retailer such as B&Q.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

HM Treasury occupies accommodation at the Government Offices Great George Street, which is managed by the Government Property Agency (GPA). Decisions relating to the procurement of furniture for shared areas are a matter for the GPA.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the OSCAR II database holds information on departmental spending on communications, marketing and advertising.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with HM Treasury)

Financial information explicitly recording Communications and Advertising expenditure is not held centrally within OSCAR. OSCAR records Marketing expenditure against the Chart of Accounts code "EXP - PURCHASE OF GOODS/SERVICES - MARKETING & MEDIA".

There are no separate expenditure codes specifically attributed to Communications or Advertising activity; however, departments may include these items of spend within this aggregate account on OSCAR.

Individual departments may hold more detailed information on expenditure recorded against this code, or the specific items of expenditure being enquired about, within their own finance systems.

The most recent OSCAR data are published as part of the OSCAR annual release: November 2025 - GOV.UK, which can be accessed online.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the the potential impact of the change in the social time discount rate announced on 7 September 2026 to the total cost of the Chagos deal over the 99 year period.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The value of payments under the UK-Mauritius Agreement were set out by the UK government at the time of signature and have not changed. What has changed is the Social Time Preference Rate applied in the calculation of the forecast net present value, which applies to all long-term government investments of this nature. The forecast real value of payments under the treaty remains £101 million per annum in today's money.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 8 January 2026 to Question 101383, on Government Actuary's Department: Freedom of Information, if he will ask the Government Actuary's Department to update the Chagos calculation chart further to the change in the social time discount rate announced by HM Treasury on 7 September 2026.

Answered by Uma Kumaran - Assistant Whip

The value of payments under the UK-Mauritius Agreement were set out by the UK government at the time of signature and have not changed. What has changed is the Social Time Preference Rate applied in the calculation of the forecast net present value, which applies to all long-term government investments of this nature. The chart was produced to calculate the forecast costs of payments under the Treaty at the time of signature. The forecast real value of payments remains £101 million per annum in today's money. There are no plans to ask the Government Actuary's Department to update the chart.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of annual cost of requiring social value obligations.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The Ministry of Defence commercial policy requires the application of the Cabinet Office Social Value Model to all in-scope procurements conducted under the Procurement Act 2023, which was enacted by the last Government.

Suppliers should not assume that costs associated with delivering social value commitments will be passed on to the contracting authority.

Contracting authorities are encouraged to consider whether it is appropriate to cap tendered prices to ensure that the delivery of social value does not result in additional costs that fail to represent value for money.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 20813, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK/EU reset and new financial obligations to the EU on changes to the profile of payments to and from the EU.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As announced on 17 December 2025, the UK has agreed to join the Erasmus+ programme in 2027 at a 30% discount compared to the default terms of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). This will require a payment of c. £570m. The UK’s existing financial obligations to the EU under the Withdrawal Agreement and the TCA are unchanged. The Government will continue to assess the financial implications of any further commitments as the relevant arrangements are negotiated and implemented.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what, if any, is the statutory basis for the operation of the UK Emergency Alert service in (a) England and Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Emergency Alert capability was brought into place in 2023 under the previous government. It was signed off by the Cabinet Office, where the honourable Member asking this question was, at the time, a minister.

As he will know, the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) Part 1 places duties on Category 1 and 2 emergency responders to have arrangements in place to warn the public of emergencies and to provide advice and information.

The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR) permits the government to test and operate an emergency alerting system.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for the Prime Minister and Cabinet will be a separate accounting entity to her Department; and which Accounting Officer is answerable to Parliament for its expenditure.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Accounting officer responsibilities for the Cabinet Office group will be published in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the press release, "Emergency Alert to be sent to England and Wales as Government steps up wildfire response with funding, military support and BBQ ban", 14 August 2026, for what reason the Welsh language version was distributed in Wales before the English language version.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

In Wales, the alert was sent in Welsh followed by English in order to fulfil our legal responsibilities under the Welsh Language Act 1993.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England plans to take steps to align its approach to procurement with the Cabinet Office's Procurement Policy Note 026 published on 5 August 2026, including its approach to carbon reduction requirements in NHS procurement.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This autumn, the Cabinet Office will publish technical guidance setting out how the revised Social Value Model will be implemented. This will apply to all in-scope organisations, including the Department and NHS England. NHS England will continue to provide guidance to National Health Service trusts on the application of social value in the procurement of NHS goods and services through the NHS Social Value Playbook.

In the meantime, as a leading employer across the country, the NHS continues to play its full part in supporting growth, training, and employment in local communities, in line with the Government's economic goals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 24 June 2026 to Question HL942 on NHS: Procurement, the Cabinet Office's document entitled Procurement Policy Note 026, published on 5 August 2026, and with reference to the statement on X by the Prime Minister published on 6 August 2026 on the award of public sector contracts, what changes to (a) Departmental and (b) NHS procurement processes will now be applied to reflect that approach; and whether the NHS Social Value Playbook will be revised.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

This autumn, the Cabinet Office will publish technical guidance setting out how the revised Social Value Model will be implemented. This will apply to all in-scope organisations, including the Department and NHS England. NHS England will continue to provide guidance to National Health Service trusts on the application of social value in the procurement of NHS goods and services through the NHS Social Value Playbook.

In the meantime, as a leading employer across the country, the NHS continues to play its full part in supporting growth, training, and employment in local communities, in line with the Government's economic goals.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether staff in (a) her Department and (b) NHS England are on the same or different pension schemes; and whether staff in each organisation have pay progression.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department, as part of the Civil Service, applies pay in line with the Civil Service Pay Remit Guidance, which does not permit contractual pay progression, and provides access to the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

NHS England, as an Arm's Length Body, uses National Health Service pay frameworks, which can include contractual pay progression, and provides access to the NHS Pension Scheme.

Any future decisions on pay and terms and conditions following the abolition of NHS England will be subject to formal consultation with recognised Trade Unions, and we will not give a running commentary on those discussions.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to her department's publication entitled Machinery of Government changes: Fact Sheet, what the forecast operating cost of the OneGov Delivery Agency is for 2026-27 and 2027-28, and what set-up costs have been incurred to date.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The OneGov Delivery Agency is yet to be formally established. Work is underway to establish the agency for 1 April 2027. Its future budget for 2027-2028 will be determined as design work progresses. Costs incurred during the current year 2026-2027 will be absorbed in existing Cabinet Office budgets.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any assessment has been made of the number of mobile phones where the users have turned off government and emergency alerts in their phone settings.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

Emergency Alerts operate on cell broadcast technology, which does not require or gather any information from individual handsets. Therefore, it is not possible to validate which handsets have opted out in their phone settings.

Emergency alerts contain life-saving information and should be kept switched on for safety. However, individuals can opt out. For example, victims of domestic abuse with concealed phones may find it appropriate to opt out of receiving Emergency Alerts. Information on opting out can be found at https://www.gov.uk/alerts.

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 28 July 2026 to Question HL2133, on International Court of Justice, what non-privileged advice and guidance he has given to the Government on the weight to be given to advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice.

Answered by Andy Slaughter - Solicitor General (Attorney General's Office)

The Law Officers’ Convention applies to advice which may or may not have been given by the Law Officers, or requested of the Law Officers, and the Convention applies to your question.

The Law Officers’ Convention can be found at paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May:

“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 13 October 2025]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2026 to Question 21055 on Lord Mandelson, for what reason no documented material from the review by the General Counsel to the Prime Minister was contained in the humble Address.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1 June 2026 in response to the Humble Address, in particular the section entitled 'Government methodology in complying with the Humble Address' in the document laid before Parliament.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 24 January 2024, to Question 10668, on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, what is the additional or marginal cost to the public purse of issuing a nationwide Emergency Alert.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office is committed to delivering value for money to the public. There is no additional or marginal cost of issuing a nationwide Emergency Alert; the most recent activation of the Emergency Alert capability on 14 August was issued at no cost to the taxpayer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 27 January 2025, to Question 25755, on Emergencies: Mobile Phones, whether there will be an evaluation report produced for the use of the UK Emergency Alert service on 14 August 2026.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

It is important to note that every Emergency Alert is carefully coordinated with responding public bodies and agencies. Each request is evaluated by the Cabinet Office on a rigorous, case-by-case basis to ensure it is necessary for public safety.

The Cabinet Office carries out an internal review of every activation and test of the system. We are committed to learning from this experience and are currently reviewing the thresholds and operational protocols for future alerts to ensure they remain a proportionate and effective tool for preserving life. The National Fire Chiefs Council observed a decrease in wildfire responses in the 72 hours following the broadcast, suggesting the alert played a vital role in preventing further incidents.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the gross operating cost and full-time equivalent headcount was in 2024-25 for each of (a) the Government Recruitment Service, (b) civil service shared services, (c) the Government Car Service, and (d) UK Security Vetting.

Answered by Sally Jameson - Parliamentary Secretary and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Cabinet Office) (Jointly with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The 2024/25 gross operating costs are as follows:

As of 31st March 2025 (end of year 24/25) full-time equivalent headcount is as follows:

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what net saving to the departmental expenditure limit her Department expects from the July 2026 machinery of government changes in each of the next three years, and how much of that saving was already factored in to pre-existing plans.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

In line with usual practice, administrative costs to implement Machinery of Government changes will be met within existing departmental settlements, and should not affect the spending power of either the transferring or receiving department.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 28 July 2026, to Question 16155, on Intelligence Services: Summer Internship Programme, what consideration was given to the the eligibility require for the scheme.

Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)

I refer the Honourable Member to the response to Question 16155 of 28 July 2026.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate her Department has made of the gross annual administrative cost of No10 North; and whether it will be funded from the existing (a) Cabinet Office, (b) HM Treasury or (c) MHCLG budgets.

Answered by Mark Ferguson - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Gross annual administrative costs cannot yet be provided. The costs for running No.10 North will be found from existing departmental budgets. Teams transferring into No.10 North from other Government Departments as part of machinery of Government moves are expected to transfer with the relevant budget currently available to them.

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