Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the key drivers behind the emigration of highly skilled UK (a) graduates and (b) other workers.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th October is attached.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 3.9 of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, published on 16 June 2025, HC 951, what further steps he plans to take to ensure that his Department has sufficient commercial levers to influence Capita's administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The government has taken significant steps to ensure the Cabinet Office has sufficient commercial levers to influence Capita's administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme. The new contract provides a more robust and strengthened position that includes a number of levers to address any aspects of under performance by the supplier.
Steps have been built into the new contract primarily through enhanced enforcement mechanisms, new key performance indicators, and financial penalties.
Alongside this we have increased development within the contract management functions to ensure that the overall delivery continues to meet the requirements for the scheme.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, published on 16 June 2025, HC 951, what steps he has taken to ensure that changes to (a) staffing levels and (b) other matters within the contract with Capita for the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme are effectively monitored.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The government has taken specific steps to ensure that changes to (a) staffing levels and (b) other matters within the Capita contract are effectively monitored. Key measures include setting contractual expectations for sufficient resourcing and establishing robust governance structures and reporting requirements to oversee delivery and continuous improvement.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 3.14 of the report by the National Audit Office entitled Investigation into the administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme, published on 16 June 2025, HC 951, when he expects the track my case function to be available for members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office expects the ‘Track My Case’ function to be available for members of the Civil Service Pension Scheme after the full service transition to Capita in March 2026.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information his Department holds on the profit margin obtained by MyCSP in each year of their administration of the Civil Service Pension Scheme contract.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
MyCSP is required to provide updates on profit as part of the gainshare provisions within the contract. MyCSP continues to provide this to the Cabinet Office on a six monthly basis. This information is financially sensitive and is not currently reported in the public domain.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Equality Act 2010 in ensuring that public places such as supermarkets are accessible to disabled people.
Answered by Nia Griffith
We refer the hon member to the answer given to question 36860 which can be found here https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-03-10/36860
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) existing and (b) proposed legislation complies with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the definition of biological sex.
Answered by Nia Griffith
The Supreme Court’s ruling makes clear that for the purposes of the Equality Act, the term ‘woman’ refers to a biological woman. The ruling has provided clarity for women and service providers such as hospitals, refuges and sports clubs. This Government will continue to protect single-sex spaces based on biological sex.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has already committed to supporting service providers with updated guidance; they will consult widely as they develop this. All government departments should follow the clarity the ruling provides.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much each Department has spent on legal costs in responding to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. The UK Covid-19 Inquiry is independent of government and it is right that we allow the Chair to continue her important work. The Chair is under a statutory obligation to avoid unnecessary costs in the Inquiry’s work, and she has been clear in her intention to complete her work as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Cabinet Office regularly publishes government costs, including legal costs, in responding to the Inquiry. These publications show that from the start of the 2023/24 financial year to the end of Q3 2024/25, the government has spent approximately £42.3m on legal costs.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to ensure the transparency of all spending related to the Government's response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government regularly publishes the cost to government in responding to the Inquiry. Most recently, costs for Quarter 3 2024/25 were published on 3 March 2025.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the number of 16-24 year olds not in (a) employment, (b) education and (c) training.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 13th February is attached.