Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential economic impact of decisions businesses have made on the basis of the announcement of compulsory digital ID on 26 September 2025 and 13 January 2026.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Development of the policy underpinning the national digital credential is ongoing.
We are inviting the public to have their say, including business stakeholders, in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme are awaiting retirement quotations or commencement of pension payments beyond expected timescales.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The administration transferred to Capita on 1 December 2025 and the first payroll ran successfully in the same month.
At this time Capita has not provided this information to the Cabinet Office. The focus is on working with the Cabinet Office in order to resolve queries and delays and to move to a stable service as quickly as possible.
We acknowledge and recognise that there are delays and are working closely with Capita in order to move to the expected service levels as quickly as possible. This includes providing additional support to Capita, increasing staffing by c50% over and above the number that transferred from MyCSP. It is also prioritising urgent cases.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what correspondence the Government has had with the Information Commissioner's Office on the data sharing pilot between HMRC and the Home Office.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In October 2025, the ICO Review Board observer submitted an inquiry to the DEA Secretariat regarding a news article pertaining to a data sharing arrangement between HMRC and the Home Office.
The DEA Secretariat subsequently contacted HMRC, who forwarded it to the ICO observer.
The minutes from the DEA Debt and Fraud Review Boards are also routinely published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how migration data is shared with the Office for National Statistics to inform population estimates.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of population estimates derived from the 2021 Census.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 7th January is attached.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much funding was allocated to the Civil Service LGBT Plus Network in each of the last five years.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
I refer you to the response given by Minister Gould to PQ43014 in April of this year which asked what the cost to the public purse was of this employee network.
The Civil Service LGBT+ staff network is a volunteer collaborative group of Civil Service staff. The LGBT+ network does not hold a budget, but a department can choose to provide support where there is a business case to do so. We are not aware of any such financial support. There has been no cost to the public purse of the LGBT+ network since 2020. We do not hold any records prior to this date. The LGBT+ network was created in 2003.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance has been issued to help civil servants distinguish between acceptable network activity and activity that may breach impartiality rules.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Staff Network Policy was launched on 23 September 2025 and is applicable to all cross-Civil Service Staff networks, from this date. Departments have been strongly encouraged to adopt or align to this policy for their own departmental networks. The policy establishes a consistent framework to ensure all staff networks operate effectively, in line with the Civil Service code.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 91601 on Prime Minister: Climate Change Convention, on what basis possibility is assessed in respect of publishing offsetting data.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. This takes into account a range of factors. GBNI flights are carbon offset at the end of the financial year. Information about official overseas travel is published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website, in line with the approach of successive administrations.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to publish data relating to carbon offsetting for all government flights.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government does not have a general policy of carbon offsetting flights.
Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible. The yearly payment to carbon offset flights using the G-GBNI aircraft is calculated at the end of each financial year based on the flights that have taken place to ensure accuracy.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2025 to Question 88938 on Prime Minister: Climate Change Convention, how many miles have been carbon offset in each of the last 12 months.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset where that is possible.