Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 10 April 2026, to Question 115548, on Diplomatic Service: USA, whether all the internal government evidence and papers relating to the investigation into the Consul General to New York have been destroyed or retained for the purposes of public records legislation.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
HR documents are retained in line with the Cabinet Office Information and Records Policy. The Cabinet Office Records Selection Policy sets out which records the Cabinet Office will select for permanent preservation.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 23 April 2026 to Question 124822 on Proof of Identity: Digital Technology, what the budget is for travel, subsistence and accommodation for the People’s Panel; how many people will be recruited to join that panel; in what location the hotels will be located; and whether subsistence for members and convenors will include allowance for alcoholic drinks.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
120 members of the public have been recruited to the People’s Panel on Digital ID, using the methodology outlined in PQ 119977.
In line with standard practice, the costs of economy travel, accommodation, meals and reasonable adjustments to enable inclusive participation in the process will be covered. The costs of alcohol are not included for participants or convenors. All in person sessions take place in Birmingham.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what Civil Service grade was Downing Street’s John Pond.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 3 February 2026, Official Report, PQ 110410.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the annual cost is of joining the EU's loan scheme for Ukraine.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Prime Minister has announced the UK’s intention to begin negotiations to participate in the European Union’s €90 billion Ukraine loan initiative, underlining the growing defence ties between the UK and the EU, boosting Ukraine’s defences, and unlocking opportunity for British firms to access future contracts. The exact terms will be subject to negotiation.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost of the new Trade Union Facility Time Framework to the Civil Service.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The updated Civil Service Facility Time Framework and Guidance recommends that facility time expenditure remains limited to 0.1% of a department’s pay bill, and that trade union representatives spend at least 50% of their time delivering their official Civil Service role.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what methodology is used to calculate severance payments to departing (a) Permanent and (b) Cabinet Secretaries where they depart before the end of their fixed term contract.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service Compensation Scheme provides the terms for paid exits in the Civil Service. They apply to all civil servants, unless otherwise stated in their contracts of employment. This includes in circumstances where a fixed term agreement is brought to an end prior to the originally anticipated end date. The details of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme are provided on the Civil Service Pension Scheme Administrators website.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the answer of 28 April 2026 to Question 129093 on Public Sector: Procurement, whether departments’ insourcing strategies will be published on gov.uk.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The introduction of departmental insourcing strategies is a key component of realising the government’s commitment to delivering the biggest wave of insourcing in a generation. The Government will shortly set out more detail on this but I can confirm that departments will make their insourcing strategies publicly available.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average workplace attendance is in his Department on Fridays.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
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.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister’s speech to the USDAW trade union on 27 April 2026 was a (a) party political or (b) government event; and whether it was organised by (i) civil servants, (ii) the Labour Party or (iii) special advisers.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
This was an official government event organised by civil servants and special advisers, in line with the relevant guidance.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 10 April 2026 to Question 120619 on Lord Mandelson, whether the Gordon Brown correspondence on Lord Mandelson is within the scope of the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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.