Esther McVey

The Cabinet Office does not routinely collect data on all expenditure of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion falls within the responsibility of departments under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance.

In 2023/2024, the Civil Service conducted a one-off review of expenditure; the outcomes of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Review have been published in the CS EDI Expenditure Review Data.

Since the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024, the Cabinet Office routinely collects and publishes only external expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The 2024/2025 external expenditure was published in the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on 30 May 2025.

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The CS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure guidance remains in place.

The Office of Government Property was satisfied that the relocation to the proposed new offices better suited the requirements of the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) based on the information provided and our engagement with the Government Property Agency.

It also understood that the ICO had undertaken the relevant external consultation and impact assessments needed to assess the relocation options.

Cabinet Office approval for this property transaction comes under National Property Controls in the Office of Government Property. The value threshold meant that approval was taken at official level.

The decision to move was made by the Information Commissioner’s Office, itself, on analysis based upon HM Treasury’s Green Book principles. The move will lead to a reduction of office space and the overall rent payable. National Property Controls were satisfied by the property rationale for the move to the proposed building. It would be a matter for ICO to decide on what wider consultation on the relocation was appropriate.

Staff networks are collaborative volunteer networks, organised by staff themselves rather than the department. As a result, events are organised by staff themselves, not the department. We are aware of the following events that these networks organised in May 2025.

LGBT+ Network

• CO LGBT Network - Meeting, 13 May 11:30-11:55am

• CO LGBT+ Network - Meeting, 20 May 3:30-4pm

• CO LGBT+ Network - Meeting, 28 May 3-3:30pm

Carers Network

• CO Carers Network - Virtual Coffee Session, 20 May 12-1pm

Menopause Network

• Menopause - Support Group, 20 May 11-12pm

• Menopause - Support Group, 27 May 11-12pm

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 20 June (PQ UIN 59003).

Across government, we will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.

The department does not hold this information. The Peak Cluster’s planned CCUS project has not been identified as one of the four CCUS Clusters for support through the government’s CCUS Cluster Sequencing process and is not in receipt of any funding from the department. Consequently, the information held by the department on the project is limited at this stage.

Government has not committed any funding for the Peak Cluster project, including for the capture facilities and the offshore storage. The National Wealth Fund (NWF) is to invest £28.6 million to support the development of the Peak Cluster CO₂ transport onshore pipeline.

The department does not hold this information. The Peak Cluster’s planned CCUS project has not been identified as one of the four CCUS Clusters for support through the government’s CCUS Cluster Sequencing process and is not in receipt of any funding from the department. Consequently, the information held by the department on the project is limited at this stage.

The Peak Cluster’s planned CCUS project has not been identified as one of the four CCUS Clusters for support through the government’s CCUS Cluster Sequencing process and is not in receipt of funding from the department.

Environmental impacts are typically assessed through statutory environmental and planning processes. These include Environmental Impact Assessments, which are undertaken by developers as part of the planning application process and considered by the relevant planning authorities.

The department does not hold this information. The Peak Cluster’s planned CCUS project has not been identified as one of the four CCUS Clusters for support through the government’s CCUS Cluster Sequencing process and is not in receipt of any funding from the department. Consequently, the information held by the department on the project is limited at this stage.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DESNZ values our Staff Networks, who support colleagues in line with our ‘Inclusive’ Value. The following two Staff Network events took place in May 2025: ‘A listening circle for Trans* colleagues and allies’ and ‘Managing Pain and Fatigue at Work and Beyond’.

We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements. We aim to ensure appropriate facilities are available for all staff.

Given the significant uncertainty around the possible risks and impacts of deployment on the climate and environment, the Government is not deploying SRM and has no plans to do so.

This information is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Switching to homegrown clean energy, including renewables and other clean technologies, offers security that fossil fuels simply cannot provide. The Government recognises the challenges in moving away from fossil fuels but the only way to ensure energy security is through homegrown clean power. The Government has empowered the independent National Energy System Operator with the responsibility to carry out resilience functions across the electricity and gas systems and it will continue to work with stakeholders to improve and maintain the resilience of energy infrastructure.

The transition to net zero will be an incredible opportunity for jobs and growth all across the country. As the OBR has noted in its July 2021 Fiscal Risks Report, “the costs of failing to get climate change under control would be much larger than those of bringing emissions down to net zero”. The Government is taking coordinated action to ensure a fair and inclusive transition to clean energy and net zero, addressing workforce challenges and enabling workers to benefit from the economic opportunities.

Our priority is making it easier, clearer and more affordable for people to access new technologies and benefit from the transition.

I understand the Right Honourable Member is asking about small modular reactor technology vendors down-selected to negotiate with Great British Nuclear as part of its ongoing competition. The vendors are: GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy International LLC; Holtec Britain Ltd; Rolls Royce SMR Ltd; and Westinghouse Electric Company UK Ltd. Final decisions will be taken in the spring.

The Government is committed to ensuring new nuclear power stations, such as Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, and Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), will play an important role in helping the UK achieve energy security and clean power while securing thousands of good, skilled jobs.

Great British Nuclear (GBN), the government’s expert nuclear delivery body, is running an SMR technology selection process and is negotiating with four companies. Final decisions will be taken in the spring. GBN is working to a timeline that enables a robust process underpinned by fairness and transparency, to ensure any selected technology provides best value for money. The programme seeks to select those technologies best able to facilitate operational projects by the mid-2030s.

The UK possesses tremendous tidal resource and could play a role in balancing the intermittency of wind and solar generation as we transition towards a carbon-neutral power sector.

The UK remains the world leader in tidal stream generation technologies, with around half of the world's operational deployment of this situated in UK waters. On 3^rd September 2024, the Government announced that six tidal stream contracts were secured with a joint capacity of 28MW in Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6. The UK is on track to have over 130 MW of tidal stream capacity deployed by 2029.

The Government is also open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives.

The UK possesses tremendous tidal resource and could play a role in balancing the intermittency of wind and solar generation as we transition towards clean power.

The UK remains the world leader in tidal stream generation technologies, with around half of the world's operational deployment of this situated in UK waters. On 3^rd September 2024, the Government announced that six tidal stream contracts were secured with a joint capacity of 28MW in Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6. The UK is on track to have over 130 MW of tidal stream capacity deployed by 2029.

The Government is also open to considering well-developed proposals for harnessing the tidal range energy in the bays and estuaries around our coastlines, including barrage schemes and other alternatives.

Great British Energy will create thousands of jobs and build supply chains across the UK, including at its future head office in Scotland. Its investments will support companies across the energy industry, providing opportunities for high quality, well-paid work. We already see the diversity of projects across the UK – from wind turbine construction in Teesside and Merseyside, to nuclear power in Suffolk, tidal projects in Scotland, hydropower in Wales, solar farms in Wiltshire and offshore wind in Belfast. Every part of the UK has a role to play in delivering energy security and transition to clean power by 2030.

The Government believes that the only way to guarantee our energy security and protect billpayers permanently is to speed up the transition away from fossil fuels and towards homegrown clean energy. The creation of Great British Energy will help us to harness clean energy and have less reliance on foreign, volatile energy markets, and help in our commitment to produce all of the UK's energy from clean power sources by 2030.

In the short-term, we will continue to deliver the Warm Home Discount which provides a £150 annual rebate on energy bills for eligible low-income households. We will also invest an extra £6.6 billion in energy efficiency funding over this Parliament to upgrade 5 million homes and cut bills for families.