Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to publish a further round of the UK National Action Plan for Open Government; and which department is the lead for progress on previous action plans.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office holds responsibility for coordinating the UK National Action Plan for Open Government 2024-2025, including leading progress on actions set out in the current plan. Named departments hold responsibility for specific commitments, as set out on gov.uk.
We will share a further update in due course.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department monitors the attendance of civil servants in Departmental headquarters outside of London.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Line Managers are expected to be aware of, and ensure compliance with, the minimum 60% expectation for their direct reports. This approach is the same both in and outside of London.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many full-time civil servants in his Department work a four day working week using compressed hours.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Compressed working arrangements are agreed and recorded at a team level. The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2025 to Question 25454 on 9 Downing Street: Media, whether his Department has paid OCS; and in which month's transparency data will the cost of the works be published.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Payment will be made through the Government Property Agency, and the cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2024 to Question 18212 on Prime Minister: Special Advisers, when he plans to publish a list of special advisers and their salaries.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Information on Special Adviser numbers and costs will be published in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, as was the case under the previous Administration.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the Prime Minister’s Office has held conference calls with public affairs companies; and if he will list each organisation that attended each one.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 17 March 2025, Official Report, PQ 37798.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2024 to Question 14067 on Civil Servants: Freedom of Expression, whether the (a) the Civil Service People Group and (b) Office for Equality and Opportunity are taking steps to help prevent the bullying of civil servants who express gender-critical views.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Civil Service is committed to creating a safe and supportive work environment for all its employees and will not tolerate any form of harassment, unacceptable behaviour or abuse by any party, towards any employee.
Departments have their own policies and guidance on dealing with any such behaviour.
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 press release entitled Mass cancellation of government credit cards in crackdown on wasteful spend, published on 18 March 2025, how many Government Procurement Cards were held by 10 Downing Street as of January 2025; and what is the timetable for reducing the number.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As of January 2025, 10 Downing Street held 45 Government Procurement Cards. In the Cabinet Office instructions were issued to the bank on 18 March 2025 to freeze the cards. The number of cards held by No. 10 remains under review.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2025 to Question 34459 on Government Departments: Official Cars, whether the decision on whether specific departmental officials may have use of a car from the Government Car Service is made by (a) the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster’s Private Office, (b) the Cabinet Secretary’s Private Office, (c) the Permanent Secretary’s Private Office, (d) the Cabinet Office Chief Operating Officer’s private office and (e) the Prime Minister’s Private office.
Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question 34459. The arrangements relating to officials' use of vehicles from the Government Car Service are set out in the Civil Service Management Code. In particular, section 8.2.7 states the conditions under which Permanent Secretaries may use official cars, and states that Permanent Secretaries may determine whether, exceptionally, other senior staff are allowed to use official cars on the same conditions. Departmental Private Offices will administer the allocation; ministerial private offices would not be involved in any such decisions other than in determining if a car is available.
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 his Department's press release entitled Mass cancellation of government credit cards in crackdown on wasteful spend, published on 18 March 2025, how many Government Procurement Cards are held by each (a) Ministerial and (b) senior official private office in his Department.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office has one cardholder in Ministerial Private Offices and six cardholders in senior official private offices.