Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Chair of Ofcom is independent from His Majesty’s Government.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.

The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.

The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.

The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the specification and criteria for the next Chair of Ofcom.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.

The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.

The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.

The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is compliant with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.

The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.

The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.

The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what representations her Department has received on candidates to be the next Chair of Ofcom.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is committed to ensuring that the appointment of the Chair of Ofcom is fully compliant with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments and the department is following the Code on Public Appointments including the principles of fairness, openness and merit.

The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based.

The Secretary of State for DSIT engages regularly with the SoS for DCMS about a range of matters.

The recruitment process will be conducted in full compliance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments, ensuring it is fair, open and based on merit. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology treats all information about candidates for the Chair of Ofcom as strictly confidential.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to BBC article entitled Tax rises could push food prices higher, warn supermarkets, published on 26 October, what steps she is taking to work with retailers to mitigate the impact of food inflation.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government has announced a Food Inflation Gateway to assess and monitor regulation that could add to food prices. This will improve coordination and give food businesses a clear line of sight on upcoming regulatory changes, helping to keep costs down

The Government is also negotiating an agri-food agreement with the EU to reduce trade frictions, which is expected to save businesses up to £200 per fresh food shipment, helping to limit cost pressures across supply chains.

In addition, supermarkets will see a reduction in their total business rates bills in 2026/27 compared with 2025/26, and this will be kept under review at the next revaluation. The Office for Budget Responsibility does not expect changes in business rates to have a material impact on food inflation.

Overall, the OBR’s forecast shows government policy will reduce CPI inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2026/27. This is the biggest near-term reduction in inflation due to government policy ever forecast by the OBR at a single fiscal event, outside of a crisis.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Chair of Ofcom will include a member who is independent of Government; and if she will publish the names of panel members.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The advisory assessment panel for the appointment of the new Ofcom Chair is constituted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. In consultation with the Commissioner for Public Appointments, the panel includes a Senior Independent Panel Member who does not hold a ministerial or departmental role, and whose remit is to provide assurance that the process is fair, open and merit-based. The names of all panel members are included in the role advert which is published on gov.uk.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to BBC article entitled Tax rises could push food prices higher, warn supermarkets, published on 26 October, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of an increase in business rates on food inflation.

Answered by Dan Tomlinson - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

HM Treasury does not produce forecasts of the UK economy. Forecasting the economy, including the potential impact of Government policy decisions, is the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which published its latest forecast on 26 November 2025. The OBR publishes estimates of the impact of policy decisions, however the potential impact of an increase in business rates on levels of food inflation was accessed not to have a material impact.

The OBR’s forecast shows wider government policy will reduce CPI inflation by 0.4 percentage points in 2026/27. This is the biggest near-term reduction in inflation due to government policy ever forecast by the OBR at a single fiscal event, outside of a crisis.

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