Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance he has given to Departments on whether (a) prior performance and (b) end-of-year appraisal are a material consideration in the Civil Service promotion process.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Departments and agencies have authority to determine promotion and lateral transfer arrangements for their own staff, in addition to the personal review arrangements for their own staff outside the Senior Civil Service.

A condition of this authority is that promotion within the Civil Service must follow a decision as to the fitness of individuals, on merit, to undertake the duties concerned.

The Civil Service uses the Success Profiles framework to attract and retain talent. This framework covers the expected levels for different grades, helping people understand suitability requirements for promotion or level transfer.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2026, to Question 106624, on Civil Servants: Workplace Pensions, what steps he is taking to help tackle the (a) delays in payment and (b) backlogs in the Civil Service Pension Scheme for pensioners; and what role is HMRC taking to support the Cabinet Office in taking these steps.

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.

Angela MacDonald, Deputy Chief Executive at HMRC, is working with the Cabinet Office and Capita to lead and support delivery of a full recovery plan. This includes commitments, with milestones, to immediately deal with priority cases, restore service levels and improve communication with affected members.

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.

Capita prioritised the most urgent cases and by the end of February, all death in service cases were either settled or progressed to the final stage or awaiting a member response. The same position was reached for ill health retirement applications by mid-March.

Capita has made lump sum payments to 8,979 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.

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. The pension scheme continues to make monthly pension payments to approximately 730,000 existing pensioner members on time.

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

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Office for Value for Money: Reforming the spending control and accountability framework, published 26 November 2025, whether the Chief Secretary to the Treasury will be required to approve exit payments under the new regime that operates from April 2026.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

For contractual exit payments, any costs that exceed the Department’s delegated authority limit will need normal spending approvals. For non-contractual exit payments, the approval requirements, including the criteria for Chief Secretary to the Treasury approval, are set out in Public Sector Exit Payments Guidance on Special Severance Payments - GOV.UK.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the EU Capital Requirements Directive VI on the UK banking sector.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As with all significant financial regulation developments in other jurisdictions, HMT is considering the potential implications of the EU Capital Requirements Directive VI on the UK banking sector.

Strengthening our relationships with international partners, including the EU, is a key focus of the Government’s Financial Services Growth and Competitiveness Strategy.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK will be liable for early termination payments if it does not renew Erasmus+ for a second year.

Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury

The UK will not be liable for any termination payments should the UK choose not to associate to the Erasmus+ programme from 2028.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to extend Universal Basic Services across government.

Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Universal Basic Services is not a government policy and is not being explored by the Cabinet Office.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to page 261 of the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2024–2025, HC 1198, whether her Department considered declaring grants to Inter Mediate in 2024-25 as a related party transaction.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

No change has been made to the approach to such grants since they were first made under the previous government of which the Hon Member was part.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Explanatory Memorandum for European Union legislation within the scope of the UK/EU Withdrawal Agreement and Windsor Framework, COM(2023)201, June 2023, whether (a) Great British and (b) Northern Irish producers will be required to rename domestically-produced (i) jam and (ii) marmalade for sale in (A) Great Britain and (B) Northern Ireland as a consequence of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement; and whether other types of food will be affected by revised EU food labelling requirements.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As part of the UK-EU SPS Agreement currently being negotiated, the Government is making a sovereign choice in the national interest to align in some areas where it makes sense to do so. Once in force, the SPS agreement will mean less red tape and fewer costs for agrifood businesses trading with the EU.

As set out in the Government’s recently published announcement on legislation in scope, this is expected to include among other rules on fruit jams, jellies & marmalades ((Directive 2001/113/EC). The full list remains subject to ongoing negotiations and may therefore change.

The EU recently updated its rules on jams, jellies and marmalade, which will entail some changes to labelling of marmalade – requiring producers to label as ‘citrus marmalade’ or specify the type of citrus fruits used, which most UK producers already do.

Jam producers will need to comply with EU rules on labelling of jams, extra jams and reduced sugar jams and ensure their labelling reflects compositional requirements, which will entail change for some producers.

Under Windsor Framework commitments, Northern Ireland has already laid amending rules to implement the recent EU changes. These were laid on 20 January 2026 and will come into operation on the 14 June 2026.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, when the Kickstarting Economic Growth Mission Board has met since November 2025.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Growth Mission Board was replaced by the Growth and Living Standards Committee in November 2025. It is co-chaired by the Chancellor and the Prime Minister.

It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees - including mission boards - including their attendance, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026, to Question 119974, on Bank Notes: Design, if she will make it her policy to have discussions with the Court of the Bank of England to lobby for the retention of historic British figures from the new series of British banknotes.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

As set out in the Memorandum of Understanding between HM Treasury and the Bank of England, the Bank of England is entirely responsible for the design, production, issue and distribution of banknotes. There are no current plans to change these responsibilities.

The Bank of England will launch another consultation in summer 2026 to seek the views of the public on images for the next series of banknotes. Further detail can be found on the Bank of England’s website.

The final decision about what imagery will appear on the next series of banknotes will be made by the Governor of the Bank of England.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the responsibilities are of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister; and whether they have changed since the departure of the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister's responsibilities are available on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/people/darren-jones

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122146 on Lord Mandelson, whether the steps taken to retain material include (a) accessing tape backups or (b) turning off the auto-delete policy on Number 10 computers.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Lord Mandelson received and was given Developed Vetting with STRAP clearance.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister's statement to the House on 20 April and his answers to the questions raised in response.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 118525 on Ministers: Maternity Leave, whether Ministers providing temporary cover under the provisions of the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021 are entitled to a severance payment when they leave office.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

Ministers providing temporary leave cover, whilst a minister takes maternity leave under the provisions of the Ministerial and other Maternity Allowances Act 2021, are asked to waive their entitlement to a severance payment.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether Ministers in her Department were (a) consulted on and (b) approved the exit payment to Lord Mandelson.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

I refer the Hon Member to the answer he received on 18 March in response to Question 120384.

Found: Alex Burghart MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, HM Official Opposition, and Wendy Chamberlain

Found: Alex Burghart MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, HM Official Opposition, and Liberal Democrats