Charlie Dewhirst

The Government has committed to speeding up decision making and delivery for the British people. As part of this, a proportionate approach is being taken to equalities impact assessments, so that they improve policy and outcomes. Guidance for public authorities is already available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities.

White disadvantaged boys are consistently among the lowest performers on average over every key stage. This Government is committed to breaking the link between young people’s backgrounds and their future success.The Every Child Achieving and Thriving white paper outlines a coordinated plan to improve outcomes for disadvantaged children. This includes rebuilding early family support, reforming how disadvantage funding is targeted, and launching two place-based missions.

The current gender pay gap reporting guidance was drafted in order to reduce the burden on business, and be mindful of variations in their data collection processes.

We recognise that the terms “male”, “female”, “men” and “women” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a person’s biological sex, and that this has implications for the guidance provided on gender pay gap reporting.

As currently set out on the “Preparing your data” guidance page, we are reviewing the relevant section of this guidance. Further updates on this will be provided shortly.

There is no list of gender identities recognised by the Government.

When the call for input on single-sex spaces guidance was commissioned, the previous Government did not seek consent from organisations to publish the responses. Consequently, we will not be placing the responses in the Library.

We shared all the submissions that met the criteria of the call for input with the independent EHRC. The EHRC have since concluded their regulatory action, which can be read about here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/media-centre/ehrc-concludes-regulatory-action-single-sex-space-policies.

The membership of the following current groups and networks is based on direct ministerial appointments by Equalities Ministers, some of which were made under the previous administration. None of these appointments are remunerated and time commitment varies between groups and individuals.

British Sign Language Advisory Board (serving for 3 years): https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-boosts-opportunity-for-deaf-people-with-refreshed-bsl-advisory-board

Disability and Access Ambassadors (serving for up to 3 years): www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-disability-and-access-ambassadors

The Disability Unit Regional Stakeholder Network (serving for up to 3 years): www.gov.uk/government/groups/disability-unit-regional-stakeholder-network

The Race Equality Engagement Group (appointed in May 2025 for 12 months with the possibility of an extension): www.gov.uk/government/groups/race-equality-engagement-group#members

The Women’s Business Council (serving for up to 3 years): www.womensbusinesscouncil.co.uk/members/

The ‘Writing about ethnicity’ style guide is kept under review, in order to ensure it aligns with government communication preferences.

The guide was updated by the Office for Equality and Opportunity in October 2024.

Dr Stephenson has been selected as the Government Preferred Candidate for the next EHRC Chair, following a fair and open process, in line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments. As per the Code, all candidates were asked to declare any conflicts of interest they held as part of the interview process. We will continue to follow the Code as the process continues.

In April 2023, the previous government issued guidance on positive action in the workplace (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/positive-action-in-the-workplace-guidance-for-employers/positive-action-in-the-workplace). This sets out the differences between positive action and positive discrimination and what is permitted under the Equality Act 2010.

Details of ministers’ and senior officials’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published in due course.

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles to its ministerial cadre/officials, as under previous administrations.

The Attorney General’s Office is currently allocated two vehicles including allocated and shared vehicles.

For security reasons specific details of allocations including make and model of vehicles are not issued.

The average cost to a department for a single DPC (Department Pool Car) in 2024/25 financial years is £108K per annum.

The Government Car Service (GCS) offers vehicles to government departments as a shared resource. Each department independently determines the allocation of these vehicles.

The arrangements relating to the using of vehicles in the Government Car Service is set out in the Civil Service Management Code.

There has been no change in this policy since the general election.

Senior Civil Servants who consistently fail to perform to the required standard must be placed on performance development plans and we have introduced cross government consistency check meetings to ensure data is better shared across departments. Departments are responsible for setting recruitment arrangements within their organisation, in line with the recruitment principles, and can choose to limit eligibility by restricting those subject to formal poor performance procedures from applying.

Missions remain a priority across Government departments, in line with the strategy set out in the Plan for Change.

The process for the fact-finding exercise undertaken by the Cabinet Office was set out in the Government’s response to the Urgent Question on 23 February 2026.

The work subsequently undertaken by the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards is set out in his advice to the Prime Minister of 27 February 2026 which is published on GOV.UK.

The UK is committed to harnessing the potential of AI to support growth and innovation. We face similar challenges to the EU and are cooperating on AI under the Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

The government’s ambition is to make the UK a global destination for digital assets, including through a competitive regulatory regime for cryptoassets that balances protecting consumers with allowing innovative firms to invest and grow. We consider that it is in the UK’s national interest to retain the ability to make the rules which govern our financial services sector – supporting open, globally competitive markets while safeguarding financial stability. However, we regularly discuss our respective approaches through the EU-UK Financial Regulatory Forum.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s statement and release of information on 1st June, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The documents published in the first and second tranches contain the entirety of the documents the Government has available for disclosure, except those being withheld at the request of the Metropolitan police.

The Cabinet Office does not centrally collect or hold data on average workplace attendance for specific days of the week, and therefore the information requested is not held. The monitoring of individual office attendance remains a delegated responsibility managed locally by line managers and business units to ensure compliance with the minimum 60% attendance expectation.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 3 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 110410.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer given on 20 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 113723.

This was an official government event organised by civil servants and special advisers, in line with the relevant guidance.

I refer the Honourable Member to the response to PQ 74185

I refer to my answer for 113705. In accordance with data protection regulations, we do not provide information about candidates in Civil Service recruitment processes.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, the statement made by the Prime Minister on 20 April, and the Government’s response to the debate of 21 April, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23 February and the Government’s statement on 11 March which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with urgency and transparency ensuring proper process is rigorously followed.

The Cabinet Office holds within its records 118 emails which include the ‘John Pond’ email address. Cabinet Office records are transferred to The National Archives in the usual way, in accordance with Section 3 (4) of The Public Records Act, 1958.

The Cabinet Office holds within its records 118 emails which include the ‘John Pond’ email address. Cabinet Office records are transferred to The National Archives in the usual way, in accordance with Section 3 (4) of The Public Records Act, 1958.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

As per the statement from the Metropolitan Police on 4th February 2026, they are asking us to refrain from publishing any relevant documents that could prejudice their investigation. We do not comment on ongoing police investigations. The Government stands ready to support the police in whatever way it can.

The Government does not comment on the resourcing decisions taken by the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC).

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.