Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will amend the gov.uk biography page for the Director General, Digital Centre Design to include previous employment by the (a) Labour Party and (b) Rt hon. Member for Hove and Portslade.

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

The biography is in line with GDS guidance and contains an appropriate level of detail, similar to others in similar roles in government. Emily’s appointment is well documented and in the public domain.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Public Digital provided advice on the transfer of the Government’s digital and data function to his Department.

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

Public Digital did not provide any advice to DSIT on the merits of the Machinery of Government (MoG) change.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 6107 on Emily Middleton, what the business need was for appointing the Director General, Digital Centre Design under recruitment principles Exemption 1.

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

Ms Middleton was appointed under Exemption 1 of the recruitment principles on the basis of immediate need and with the required specialist skills to meet government priorities. The priority role was required off the back of Machinery of Government changes, with a key requirement to develop the scope and design of the new digital centre of government, including its overall strategy and blueprint for delivering a modern digital government. This case for exceptional appointment was set out in the request for Civil Service Commission approval, which was released on 24 September 2024 (FOI 2024/00289) as Annex A and agreement for this to be pursued under exception 1 can be found in annex C.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether individual contracts to Public Digital have been awarded through open competition since July 2024 .

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

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder).

Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service. This includes a note of the winning supplier. (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question HL1281 on Emily Middleton, on what date the declaration of interests was made.

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

The Propriety and Ethics team were contacted about Ms Middleton’s previous employment on 10 July 2024, this is shown in FOI2024-00289, Annex D.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when the temporary role of the Director General, Digital Centre Design expires.

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

As per released documentation, in FOI2024-00256-Annex E Ms Middleton’s appointment was approved for two years, until 15 July 2026.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70873, whether her Department has commissioned the use of hotel accommodation in the London Borough of Havering for the purpose of housing asylum seekers since 10 February 2025.

Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)

No new hotels have been commissioned to accommodate asylum seekers in the London Borough of Havering since 10 February 2025. When a hotel has been identified for use as contingency accommodation, Home Office officials will write to the local authority Chief Executive and the constituency MP to inform them of plans to accommodate asylum seekers there.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the SFIA rate card in Annex 5 of the signed Work Order for Project_7114, published on Contracts Finder on 9 July 2025, if he will (a) publish the underlying rate card and (b) disclose any mark-up charged by Bloom Procurement Services Ltd on rates paid to Public Digital Ltd.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

This information is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be disclosed.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to contract reference Contract_17123 for the Public Sector Reform Test, Learn and Grow Strategic Delivery Partner, how many suppliers were invited to bid for the contract through Bloom Procurement Services Ltd; and whether Public Digital Ltd was directly nominated.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

8 Suppliers were invited to bid for the work order through Bloom Procurement Services Ltd and all 8 of the suppliers were directly nominated.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commission an investigation by the Government Internal Audit Agency into contracts awarded to Public Digital since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government Internal Audit Agency sits within HM Treasury. The Procurement Review Unit (PRU) sits within Cabinet Office and is responsible for the new oversight powers introduced by the Procurement Act 2023 (PA23) (which commenced on 24 February 2025) which governs the award of public contracts. The PRU has not received a referral to investigate contracts awarded to Public Digital.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will itemise each (a) contract awarded and (b) payment made to Public Digital by his Department since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

All contract award information is available on Contracts Finder - https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk.

All CO spend information above £25,000 is published on a monthly basis and is available on Gov.Uk - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what her Department's planned timetable is for the implementation of outstanding provisions in the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022.

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

As set out in the Written Ministerial Statement [made by the former Minister for Data Protection and Telecoms], we intend to implement the remaining provisions of the Product Security and Telecommunications Infrastructure Act 2022 as soon as possible. Subject to considering the consultation responses, we intend to finalise s61-64 of the Act, relating to renewal agreements, by the end of the year.