Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has used the RAF 32 Squadron’s Dassault Falcon 900LX executive jets for travel inside the UK.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of protected individuals and those accompanying them within the United Kingdom.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Prime Ministers' press release entitled, Regulator axed as red tape is slashed to boost growth, published on 11 March 2025, whether (a) services and (b) offices are shared between the Payment Services Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority.

Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has carried out important work to support the UK’s world leading payments sector. However, moving forward, the Government wishes to see a more streamlined regulatory environment with minimal overlap between regulators’ responsibilities. That is why the Government has announced its intentions to consolidate the PSR and its functions primarily within the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The Government will consult on the detail of this proposal in the summer and legislate as soon as possible.

These questions are matters for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is independent from Government. The FCA will respond to the Honourable Member by letter, and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40573 on Alex Chisholm, for what reasons the final advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, dated 30 October 2024, was not published before 12 March 2025.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments is operationally independent of government and is responsible for publishing its advice on applications once the appointment or employment has been taken up or announced by the applicant.

In this case, the Committee has publicly stated that the timing of the publication of the advice on GOV.UK was impacted by staffing issues within the Secretariat.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the value is of the severance payment to the outgoing director of communications.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

It is a longstanding policy not to comment on individuals. The Model Contract for Special Advisers is published online and details the circumstances in which severance is payable.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the abolition of NHS England will require (a) primary legislation, (b) secondary legislation and (c) no legislation.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Ministers and senior Department officials will work with the new executive team at the top of NHS England, led by Sir Jim Mackey, to jointly lead this transformation.

Primary legislation will be required, and we intend to bring this forward when Parliamentary time allows.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40907 on Business: Regulation, what metric is used for the 25% reduction from 2005 to 2010; whether it was gross or net of EU regulation; and if he will provide a relevant hyperlink or source to that reduction.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Administrative Burden Reduction Programme of 2005-10, which delivered a total reduction of 26.62% by May 2010, defined the administrative costs of regulation as “the annual recurring costs of administrative activities that businesses and the third sector are required to perform, in order to comply with the obligations that are imposed through central government regulation.” The programme calculated these administrative costs net of EU regulation. The final report is available at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/simplifying-regulation-and-administration-of-businesses-final-report

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to uphold the Nolan principles on standards in public life in public appointments.

Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

All appointments are made in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments which states that all public appointees uphold the standards of conduct set out in the Seven Principles of Public Life. All terms of appointment specify that individuals adhere to the Nolan Principles throughout their appointment and compliance is monitored on an ongoing basis.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether officials in his Department are allowed to use DeepSeek.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2025 in response to question UIN 38348.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether there is a framework agreement in place for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office published the Infected Blood Compensation Authority Framework Document on 10 March 2025. The document is publicly available on gov.uk, and can be found here:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67cecb66df94702964916071/IBCA_Framework_Document.pdf.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 July 2024 to Question 1283 on Public Finance, whether there have been recent reviews of the process outlined in the Cabinet Manual for access talks.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The process for access talks remains as set out in the Cabinet Manual; these arrangements have not been formally reviewed since publication.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21685 on Civil Service: Pensions, if he will publish the most recent Employer Pension Notice from the Cabinet Office to Government departments on the disclosure of Senior Civil Servants' pensions under their financial reporting requirements.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The most recent Employer Pension Notice (EPN), EPN 727, was published on the Civil Service Pension website on 31 January 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 13804 on Civil Service: Workplace Pensions, if he will list the non-Civil Service organisations whose employees are eligible for the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A list of the non-Civil Service organisations whose employees are eligible for the Civil Service Pension Scheme is available in the public domain and can be found on the member section of the Civil Service Pension website.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 14 January 2025 to Question 22040 on Government departments: trade unions, which unions pay their trade union membership subscriptions via check-off in the Cabinet Office; how many members pay in that way; and at what cost to his Department.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not deduct trade union subscriptions from staff via payroll.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 38758 on Cabinet Office: Contracts, whether the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service was involved in the approval of payments to the Boston Consulting Group in March 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service is not involved with the process for the approval of payments to suppliers. The purchase to pay process is managed between the Cabinet Office Finance team and the respective Contract Manager.

At the time of this work, the Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service was a member of the CO Investment Committee which was responsible for the approval of whole life investment spend for projects and programmes over £1m. In addition to this, all professional services spend over £100k required the approval from the Investment Committee and the Minister for Cabinet Office.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality: Publication Guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will add large social media companies including (a) X, (b) Meta and (c) Tik Tok to Annex C.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office publishes a monthly register of all gifts and hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity. This includes gifts and hospitality received by social media companies.

The Government keeps the guidance on Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality under review. There are no current plans to include representatives of social media companies under the guidance for senior media figures.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Honours Committees handbook.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Honours Committees handbook is a document used on their appointment to induct independent committee members and chairs to the honours system and the committee process.

More information on these can be found on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25447 on Propriety and Constitution Group, whether civil servants in Propriety and Constitution Group have been awarded bonuses in the last 12 months.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

A total of 97 individuals have been awarded bonuses between April 2024 and March 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on political activity by deputy lieutenants.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

The Cabinet Office does not issue guidance on the performance of their duties to deputy lieutenants. However the Association of Lord-Lieutenants provides guidance to Lord-Lieutenants on political activity for all Lieutenancy officers.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 5 December 2024 on Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, HCWS285, if he will make it his policy to establish a unit to monitor the Government's progress in meeting the targets set out in the Plan for Change document.

Answered by Ellie Reeves - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)

A specialist Mission Delivery Unit has already been set up in the Cabinet Office to support delivery of the Missions. It advises the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the delivery of the government’s five missions and the milestones set out in the Plan for Change.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26195 on European Court of Justice, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the jurisdiction of European Court of Justice rulings in the UK.

Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office

There has been no change in the jurisdiction of European Court of Justice rulings in the UK. I have regular exchanges with my EU counterparts on our obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has taken steps to reduce his business travel since 4 July 2024.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Travel plans will always vary and are decided with consideration of the best use of a Minister’s time and in the interests of the taxpayer. Security considerations are also taken into account.

As was the practice under the previous Administration, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on gov.uk.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Security and Intelligence Agencies Financial Statement 2023-24, for what reason the administration cost estimate for 2023-24 was higher than the outturn; and what assessment he has made of the accuracy of financial planning for the Security and Intelligence Agencies.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As has been the policy of successive governments, the government does not comment on matters relating to the intelligence agencies. The Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament scrutinises the policies, expenditure, administration and operations of the intelligence agencies on behalf of Parliament.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 April 2025 to Question 40914 on Prime Minister: Email, what his Department's policy is on how long emails that are (a) received by 10 Downing Street, (b) not explicitly placed on the official record keeping system and (c) stored on the Downing Street exchange server should be retained.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As under successive administrations, routine emails are held for no longer than 90 days on the email system at which point they are automatically removed from staff mailboxes. This is in line with the Code of Practice on the management of records.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, for what reason the Imperial War Museum has decided to close the exhibition of VC and GC medals in the Lord Ashcroft Gallery; and whether Ministers were consulted.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010.

I was informed of the decision to close the Gallery shortly before it was made public. Ministers were not consulted on the decision as national museums are operationally and curatorially independent from the Government. Since that announcement, I have spoken with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft himself. I continue to support Lord Ashcroft to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection.

The Museum has made the decision to use the space for a new gallery focusing on conflict since the Second World War. It is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when Ministers were informed by the Imperial War Museum of the closure of the Lord Ashcroft Gallery.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010.

I was informed of the decision to close the Gallery shortly before it was made public. Ministers were not consulted on the decision as national museums are operationally and curatorially independent from the Government. Since that announcement, I have spoken with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft himself. I continue to support Lord Ashcroft to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection.

The Museum has made the decision to use the space for a new gallery focusing on conflict since the Second World War. It is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Imperial War Museum on its decision to close the Lord Ashcroft Gallery.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Victoria and George Crosses tell stories of bravery and courage which form an important part of our national history. The Lord Ashcroft Gallery, which houses Lord Ashcroft’s personal collection of these medals along with others belonging to the Imperial War Museum and other private owners, has been well-loved since its creation in 2010.

I was informed of the decision to close the Gallery shortly before it was made public. Ministers were not consulted on the decision as national museums are operationally and curatorially independent from the Government. Since that announcement, I have spoken with both the Museum’s leadership and with Lord Ashcroft himself. I continue to support Lord Ashcroft to try and find a new permanent home for his remarkable collection.

The Museum has made the decision to use the space for a new gallery focusing on conflict since the Second World War. It is common practice for museums to update their galleries and displays periodically in order to make the most of the wide range of collection items they hold, and to explore new ways of communicating vital histories to the public.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the headcount of the civil service was in (a) June 2024 and (b) the latest period for which data is available.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Headline civil service employment statistics on both an headcount and full-time equivalent basis (FTE) are published quarterly by Office for National Statistics (ONS) as part of their Public Sector Employment Statistics release and are available at the following web address:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/previousreleases

These statistics show that as at June 2024 civil service headcount stood at 546,000. The latest figures available are as at December 2024 where headcount was 548,000.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40911 on Government Departments: Social Media, if he will make it his policy to update the guidance for (a) special advisers and (b) senior officials to define senior media executives as those from (i) X, (ii) Meta and (iii) Tiktok.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

I refer the honourable member to the answer provided on 31 March in response to Question 40911.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the (a) framework agreements and (b) memorandums of understanding between his Department and (i) the UK Statistics Authority and (ii) Office for National Statistics on (A) how Parliamentary Questions about those organisations should be answered and (B) other matters.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The 2020 MoU between Cabinet Office and the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) is published on gov.uk (here). The Office for National Statistics is part of UKSA and does not have its own MoU. There is no separate Framework Agreement.

A revised MoU is due to be published in 2025.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance to other Departments on reducing spending on leadership training.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office has not issued any guidance to departments about reducing spending on leadership training. Good leadership and management skills will be needed to deliver the Plan for Change and realise the government’s ambition to reshape the state. A cross-Civil Service leadership and management curriculum is being developed to support the standards expected for leadership and management. We are working to ensure this is delivered in the most impactful and cost effective way.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers are required to declare trade union meetings in transparency returns.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Meetings with external organisations and individuals are declared quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Published declarations include official meetings with trade unions, subject to any exemptions listed in the Guidance.

Updated guidance on ministers' meetings was published to GOV.UK on 30 January 2025 at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance/ministers-overseas-travel-and-meetings-publication-guidance.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of abolishing NHS England for (a) Civil Service Compensation Scheme payments and (b) other redundancy costs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is a should cost model prepared on abolishing NHS England.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We recognise that there may be some short-term upfront costs as we undertake the integration of NHS England and the Department, but these costs and more will be recouped in future years because of a smaller and leaner centre. By the end of the process, we estimate that these changes will save hundreds of millions of pounds a year, which will be reinvested in frontline services.

As we work to return many of NHS England’s current functions to the Department, we will ensure that we continue to evaluate impacts of all kinds.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the consultation document on ethnic and disability pay gap reporting, published on 18 March 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including a question to consultation respondents on the costs to employers of the new measures.

Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)

The public consultation seeks views on the proposed approach to mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting in order to inform the drafting of the legislation.

We are separately engaging with a wide range of organisations, including employers, and gathering evidence in a more systematic manner on the likely costs and benefits of the proposed reporting requirements. This work will inform the impact assessment that will be published alongside the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14973 on Civil Service: Equality, if he will list each exemption reported by Departments since 14 May 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Any reported exemptions will be published in due course.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, published on 14 May 2024, whether any exemptions have been approved since 30 May 2024.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

One exemption has been approved by the Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office.

Details of external EDI expenditure will be reported in due course, as per the EDI Expenditure Guidance requirements.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14113 on the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee, whether Permanent Secretaries on the Committee are bound by its decisions on remuneration, and what mechanisms are in place to manage potential conflicts of interest.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The role of the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee (PSRC) is to provide an annual independent assessment about the performance of individual Permanent Secretaries and make recommendations to the Prime Minister on pay awards for Permanent Secretaries. The Cabinet Secretary and other Permanent Secretary members of the Committee are bound by the Prime Minister’s decisions on pay.

To prevent any conflicts of interest, the non-civil servant members of the Committee make proposals on the performance of the Cabinet Secretary and other Permanent Secretary Committee members.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29029 on FCDO: Speeches, what guidance his Department has issued on whether substantive and scripted Ministerial speeches in government buildings which are not ministerial residences can include party political content where such speeches are being broadcast live using government resources.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As outlined in the Ministerial Code, Government property should not generally be used for work that is in its essential nature about constituency or party political activities. The Permanent Secretary at the FCDO has explained that the essential nature of the speech in question was not party political. In line with the Government Communication Service Propriety & Ethics guidance, party political messaging should be removed before publication on gov.uk and was in this case.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has a target to reduce the headcount size of the (a) Cabinet Office and its agencies and (b) Civil Service in 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Prime Minister has set out his ambition to deliver long-term, impactful changes to reshape the British state and the Government is taking forward a number of measures to deliver greater efficiency and transformation in the Civil Service. Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlement it agreed with HMT in the first Phase of the Spending Review that concluded with the Autumn Statement 2024.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Government is committed to cutting bureaucracy across the state, in order to focus government on the priorities of working people and shift money to the frontline. As part of this, the Prime Minister announced the abolition of the arms-length body NHS England. The Government has also announced the first zero-based review of government spending in 17 years, with departments expected to go line-by-line to find savings and efficiencies, including in bodies and agencies that they sponsor.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to other Departments on methods for monitoring workplace attendance.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

As separate employers, it is for each department to determine methods for monitoring workplace attendance of employees. Current Civil Service guidance requires Civil Servants to attend the office or work face-to-face with colleagues at least 60% of the time. Considerations for monitoring workplace attendance, for example advice on GDPR compliance, has been provided to departments.

Additionally, HQ Occupancy data collection enables the Cabinet Office to gain a general understanding of each department’s position to ensure efficient and effective use of the estate. The latest headquarters occupancy data for each Government department is available publicly on gov.uk

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14704 on Remuneration Committee, what the (a) terms of reference and (b) remit are of that Committee.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Government Commercial Organisation (GCO) Remuneration Committee's remit focuses on overseeing all aspects of remuneration for GCO staff, including setting strategic direction for remuneration and reward, and ensuring pension administration is managed correctly.

A summary of the terms of reference is below:

GCO Remuneration Committee - Summary Terms of Reference (TOR)

1. Membership

The Committee will comprise five members: - two Non-Executive Directors (NEDs), of whom one will be the Committee Chair; - the Government Chief Commercial Officer (GCCO); and - two independent members comprising a senior Cabinet Office (CO) HR representative and a HM Treasury representative.

2. Authority

The Committee is authorised to approve the remuneration of the GCO’s employees.

3. Remit

The Committee will act on a collective basis, and has collective responsibility for overseeing the total reward of GCO employees covering all aspects of terms and conditions within the GCO.

4. Duties

4.1 In support of delivering against the remit of the Committee, the following duties will apply: - The Committee will seek to ensure that the GCO reward structure continues to be competitive, in order to attract, retain and motivate employees within the constraints and parameters set by HM Treasury and the Civil Service Board.

In addition, the Committee will:

- Have access to the appropriate personal reward and performance information and have the sufficient resources in order to carry out its duties, including access to relevant experts and advice as required.

- Be provided with appropriate and timely training, both in the form of an induction for new members and in light of any GCO or wider Civil Service changes on an ongoing basis as and when required

5. Role of members in supporting the Committee’s work

Effective corporate governance requires that Committee members abide by certain principles when making their own contributions to the Committee’s work, including:

a. working cooperatively with fellow Committee members in the GCO’s best interests.

b. allocating sufficient time to discharge their responsibilities effectively.

c. reaching a view on issues based upon proper and impartial consideration of the facts presented and not on the basis of predetermined or partisan views.

d. supporting corporate decisions whatever one’s personal view on the matter.

e. respecting any decision of the Committee that an item of business should remain confidential unless there is a legal requirement to waive confidentiality.

f. declaring any potential conflict of interest arising from discussions of business or from other aspects of membership and, where appropriate, recusing themselves from discussions of business.

6. Secretariat

The GCO will provide the secretary to the Committee and will ensure that the relevant information and papers are issued to members in a timely manner to enable full and proper consideration to be given to the issues.

7. Meetings

The Committee will have a minimum of two meetings a year, with meeting dates agreed annually with the Chair. Meetings of the Committee may have to be moved / amended as required by the relevant GCO remuneration and people policies.

The secretariat will record actions and decisions of all committee meetings, including the names of those present. They will also make a record of any out of Committee decisions and actions.

8. Other matters

The quorum necessary for any approval or recommendation will be three, including at least one Non-Executive Director and matters can be considered, and recorded, out of formal Committee meetings.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has a target for a reduction in the size of the headcount of (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the Civil Service in 2025.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Prime Minister has set out his ambition to deliver long-term, impactful changes to reshape the British state and the Government is taking forward a number of measures to deliver greater efficiency and transformation in the Civil Service. Each department will take a decision on its individual size and shape as per the financial settlement it agreed with HMT in the first Phase of the Spending Review that concluded with the Autumn Statement 2024.

The Prime Minister has announced that the Government is committed to cutting bureaucracy across the state, in order to focus government on the priorities of working people and shift money to the frontline. As part of this, the Prime Minister announced the abolition of the arms-length body NHS England. The Government has also announced the first zero-based review of government spending in 17 years, with departments expected to go line-by-line to find savings and efficiencies, including in bodies and agencies that they sponsor.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on recruitment consultants for public appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments since 4 July 2024; and on which firms.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since 4 July 2024, the Cabinet Office has spent £17,600 on recruitment consultants for public appointments regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This was paid to Hays Recruitment Agency to retain their services for the recruitment of a Judicial Member to the Senior Salaries Review Body.

The appointment of Hays Recruitment Agency was agreed by a Minister of the previous administration in March 2024, in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments. The contract concluded in October 2024, following the appointment of a new Judicial Member.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2024 to Question 20833 on 10 Downing Street: Art Works, whether she plans for the portrait of Queen Elizabeth I to be permanently installed in 11 Downing Street.

Answered by James Murray - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government Art Collection is a working collection, used across government buildings in the UK and the global estate, which means that artworks may change their display location from time to time in response to new display steers and requests.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff were signed off absent due to stress in his Department in the most recent week for which data is available.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024-report#by-organisation

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 39120 on 10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, what the budget is for the works; whether the works (a) required planning permission and (b) are structural; and what the nature of the repair works is other than to the external window frames.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

A repair project is underway to preserve the integrity of this Grade 1 listed building. Maintenance of the roof will be carried out alongside repair of exterior window frames. This followed a survey in December 2023 which indicated that work must be completed for safety reasons, with the work commencing in January 2024. The repairs are not structural and did not require planning permission. The cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on (a) the (i) determination and (ii) authorisation of ex officio membership of pay review bodies, (b) whether people can sit on multiple pay review bodies and (c) other relevant matters on ex officio membership of pay review bodies.

Answered by Abena Oppong-Asare - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The Cabinet Office does not hold any guidance in relation to those appointed to a pay review body as an ex-officio member. The Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) is the only pay review body with ex-officio members. All members of pay review bodies are public appointments, who adhere to the governance code sent out by the Commissioner for Public Appointments.

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question HL4540 on Local Government: Equality, whether (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) the Office for Women and Equality and (c) the Equality and Human Rights Commission consider that being gender fluid or gender neutral constitutes the protected characteristic of gender reassignment.

Answered by Nia Griffith - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Wales Office)

The Equality Act defines the protected characteristic of gender reassignment as a person that is proposing to undergo, is undergoing or has undergone a process (or part of a process) for the purpose of gender reassignment.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2025 to Question 39577 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the succession select tool on external recruitment to senior civil service roles.

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

Succession Select is an internal search tool used to support talent management within the existing Senior Civil Service (SCS) digital workforce. It is not used as part of the recruitment process, nor does it influence external appointment decisions. Accordingly, the Government has not made a formal assessment of its impact on external recruitment.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2025 to Question 34451 on Center for Countering Digital Hate, whether (a) her Department and (b) the National Lottery has previously funded the Center for Countering Digital Hate.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not provided funding to the Center for Countering Digital Hate, either directly or through National Lottery funding.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he plans to publish a response to the Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, published on 19 March 2025; and whether he plans to issue guidance to Departments on implementing the recommendations in the report.

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

The government has now published the independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender commissioned by the previous government.

Individual departments are considering the findings in light of ongoing policy work in this area.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2025 to Question 32047 on Space Debris, what the nature is of the regulatory reform that will help mitigate the risks from space debris.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

Following the May 2024 Space Regulatory Review, the new government is implementing a package of space regulatory reforms to achieve seven outcomes, including ensuring a safe, secure and sustainable space environment. Government is undertaking research into the impacts of several technical options to help mitigate the risks from space debris, such as reducing post-mission disposal timelines. Government is also supporting the development of independent British standards for space sustainability and has conducted an innovative regulatory sandbox for rendezvous and proximity operations to provide greater clarity and certainty in enabling regulation for future missions which could de-orbit debris.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 31 March 2025 to Question 40580 on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, whether he plans to revoke the The Trade Union (Facility Time Publication Requirements) Regulations 2017 following the passage of the Employment Rights Bill.

Answered by Gareth Thomas - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Trade Union Facility Time Publication Requirements Regulations 2017 will be automatically revoked when section 13 of the Trade Union Act 2016 is repealed pursuant to clause 63 of the Government’s Employment Rights Bill, as they were made under powers included in that section.

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Senior Civil Service roles in the Cabinet Office have been permanently filled by people who were initially appointed on an interim or temporary basis by grade in the last 12 months.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

Since 24 March 2024, 7 Senior Civil Service roles in the Cabinet Office have been permanently filled by people who were initially appointed on an interim or temporary basis in the last 12 months.

Found: England” insert “or Wales” _1 Andrew Griffith Rebecca Harris Joy Morrissey Mr Gagan Mohindra Mike Wood

Found: _NC6 Rebecca Smith Mike Wood .

Found: _NC6 Rebecca Smith Mike Wood .