Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria are used by his Department to determine which public systems require mandatory zero-trust security measures.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The Department applies a risk-based assessment framework, underpinned by secure by design methodology including structured threat modelling, to determine which public systems require mandatory zero-trust security measures. Systems handling sensitive data, supporting critical services, or presenting elevated threat exposure are prioritised. This approach ensures that zero-trust controls are applied proportionately, focusing effort on the environments with the highest risk profile.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of local strategic delivery plans for early childhood outcomes under the Test, Learn and Grow programme in (a) Buckinghamshire and (b) Milton Keynes.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Test, Learn & Grow programme is modelling and scaling an approach to public service reform and mission delivery that closes gaps between policy, delivery and service users, and speeds up learning and improvement.
In July, the Programme announced the 10 places that it will be working with in England. These are: Barnsley, Wakefield, Manchester, Liverpool, Sandwell, Northumberland, Essex, Plymouth, Nottingham, and within London. Challenges the teams will look at will include increasing the uptake of Best Start Family Hubs to support parents and young children - and this is currently being scoped with input from the Department for Education, Cabinet Office and local partners.
The Programme is committed to spreading practice and insights to local authorities across the country and will ensure that this opportunity is available to Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to bring forward legislative proposals to set statutory targets for levels of SME participation in public sector procurement.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government is determined to ensure the £385 billion of public money spent on public procurement annually, delivers economic growth and supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The Government previously announced that all departments would set SME spend targets, and now plans to expand that requirement to the wider public sector - further prioritising and boosting spending with SMEs.
The Government is analysing responses to our recent public consultation on further reforms to public procurement processes. These proposals aim to drive economic growth, support small businesses, and better support innovation. We will publish our conclusions and further actions to improve public procurement in due course.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, over what timeframe his Department plans to evaluate the outcomes of the Summer Internship Programme for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
Our first cohort of interns will be joining in Summer 2026 so we anticipate impacts will begin to be visible on the Autumn 2027 Fast Stream intake as participating students graduate from university and seek to join the programme. We will continue to publish Fast Stream recruitment data on an annual basis.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria his Department plans to use to assess eligibility for the Summer Internship Programme for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The refocused Fast Stream Summer Internship scheme will give talented undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the Civil Service is like. We will assess eligibility for the summer internship scheme based on parental occupation at the age of 14. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) identifies this as the most accurate measure of socio-economic background.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what criteria the Cabinet Office uses to prioritise national risks within the Government Resilience Framework.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The UK Government Resilience Action Plan takes an ‘all hazards’ approach, focusing on improving the general resilience of the nation to all risks, and investing in common systems and tools to respond. The wide range of specific risks the government plans for are continually assessed in the National Security Risk Assessment, which now operates on a dynamic model and incorporates challenge through a refreshed Expert Advisory Programme.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the role of local resilience forums are in delivering the objectives of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The UK government recognises the foundational importance of Local Resilience Forums to our national resilience. The Resilience Action Plan sets out our plans to strengthen the public sector resilience system through the roll-out of further data to support local partners to plan for and respond to risks more effectively.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that resilience (a) standards and (b) benchmarks are applied consistently across government departments.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government.
The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.
The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will report departmental progress against the commitments in the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government.
The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.
The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what governance structures he has put in place to oversee the cross-government implementation of the UK Government Resilience Action Plan.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare
The UK Government Resilience Action Plan is underpinned by well-established Cabinet Office governance structures, including the National Security Council (Resilience), which oversee the implementation and delivery of resilience matters across UK government.
The action plan announced new assurance measures to raise resilience standards across government, refreshed expectations for Lead Government Departments will clarify roles and responsibilities, and the UK Resilience Academy will convene expert panels to scrutinise government plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies.
The Cabinet Office will continue to report on resilience progress with an annual statement to Parliament on resilience.