First elected: 4th July 2024
Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.
If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.
If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).
These initiatives were driven by Rupert Lowe, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.
Rupert Lowe has not been granted any Urgent Questions
Rupert Lowe has not been granted any Adjournment Debates
Rupert Lowe has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Rupert Lowe has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Government is committed to tackling all forms of hate crime, and ensuring that police and prosecutors can spend their time dealing with the issues that matter most to our communities.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has existing guidance on communications offences. As with all guidance, they keep that guidance under regular review. This guidance explains the relevant law and how the CPS applies that law, including to offences committed online which constitute hate crime. It includes clear protections and provisions for the fundamental right of freedom of speech.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2 December is attached.
As was the practice under the previous Government, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
All Government Departments are responsible for determining their own requirements for language services and ensuring these deliver good value for money for the taxpayer.
Details on how much is paid to individual suppliers, including thebigword, is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.
As is longstanding practice, information about official overseas ministerial travel will be published as part of the Cabinet Office transparency returns and made available on the GOV.UK website.
The Cabinet Office does not hold information relating to other Departments’ expenditure.
The Cabinet Office has not incurred any spend with DA Languages in each of the last ten years.
There are currently no plans for a Department for Government Efficiency. The Budget set out plans for an Office for Value for Money which will work alongside other reforms such as the 2% Efficiency target aimed at improving savings, efficiency and productivity for all government departments by using technology more effectively and joining up services. Together, these reforms will deliver change for working people.
Details of all Government contracts, including the procurement procedure used, are published on Contracts Finder, and Find a Tender above a certain threshold. Details can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder
Information on how many civil servants were dismissed for poor performance is not available centrally.
The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 12 November is attached.
The UK Government does not comment upon operational security matters.
Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data
Civil Service Turnover data is published annually through the Civil Service statistics: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024
Civil Service departments are responsible for managing their own workforces and ensuring they have the right skills to deliver the Government’s priorities. The Civil Service People Plan commits to ensuring the best people are working in Government, and that the Civil Service offers an enriching career path which rewards excellence in public service.
No staff in 10 Downing Street have the word ‘diversity’ in their job title.
The Cabinet Office does not hold data on losses of hardware by other government departments.
The Cabinet Office only holds data on the loss of laptops, mobile phones and MiFi/tablets by Cabinet Office staff, including staff working for the Crown Commercial Service, the Government Property Agency, and the Office for the Secretary of State for Scotland (to whom the Cabinet Office supplies the IT platform and IT equipment only)
since 2018. This data is provided below.
The data does not include Number 10, which has separate supply arrangements in place.
Information on the value of the hardware lost could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Cabinet Office staff are responsible for keeping all portable devices assigned to them safe and secure and must immediately report any loss or damage of their IT equipment. When losses are reported, devices are disabled to ensure they are unable to access any Cabinet Office data.
Year | Laptop | Mobile Phone | MiFi/Tablet |
2018 | 54 | 80 | 8 |
2019 | 86 | 176 | 27 |
2020 | 57 | 114 | 11 |
2021 | 49 | 118 | 7 |
2022 | 63 | 147 | 7 |
2023 | 54 | 157 | 12 |
2024 | 66 | 154 | 109 |
Please see the documentation published at the following location which provides details on the number of civil service staff employed in the communication profession: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics
For reference, public relations is classified as a subset of communications.
The information requested is not centrally held.
For the properties operated by the Government Property Agency (GPA), where flag flying forms part of its service, all buildings with flagpoles have the union flag. In addition, buildings will have a variety of other flags depending on their function in Government. The GPA also has a procured service whereby non-stocked or ad hoc flags can be provided and hoisted by a specialist company for the required duration.
Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.
Cost and asset data relating to these questions are not held centrally by the Government Property Agency.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 8th November is attached.
Official receptions in 10 Downing Street are hosted by Ministers across Government, with details published each quarter as part of the Government's transparency returns. The cost of hospitality in 10 Downing Street is published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts.
Departments are required to report to the Cabinet Office on an annual basis the number of confidentiality clauses used in connection with special severance payments, however full information on the use of non-disclosure agreements is held by individual departments.
Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024
The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.
10 Downing Street hosts a variety of events and catering is tailored accordingly, often using events to showcase British produce.
This information is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. Each department is responsible for the management of their workforce.
It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the response to it. 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. Quarterly financial reports are published every quarter on the official UK Covid-19 Inquiry website.
The performance management process for Senior Civil Servants already provides the opportunity for performance related pay to recognise high performance.
The UK Commission on Covid Commemoration was established on 21 July 2022 to secure a broad consensus from across the whole of the United Kingdom on how to commemorate the COVID-19 pandemic and mark this distinctive period in our history at a UK and community level. The Commission submitted its report to the Government in March 2023 and came to a close on 31 March 2023. Eleven Commissioners were appointed to serve on the Commission. The Commissioners were not remunerated.
The Commission spent £9,942 excl VAT. In addition to this, the Commission was supported by a team of four Cabinet Office officials, who were the Secretariat to the Commission and managed its budget.
Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy data is collected and published on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Post-election period, publications now happen on a quarterly basis.
Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here.
Civil Service Statistics (Table 35) provides information on the number of civil servants earning over £100,000 and in other bandings. The latest information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024
The previous administration did not publish a 2023 list. The Cabinet Office will publish this in due course following the usual process.
It is important that lessons are learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic and the response to it. 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.
Cabinet Office does not routinely collate information on specific words within job titles and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
The previous Government spent up to £400 billion on pandemic related interventions and programmes including 11.7 million employees that were furloughed through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, at a cost of £70 billion. 2.9m people on the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme received grants at a cost of £28bn.
The Chancellor has announced that she will appoint a Covid Corruption Commissioner, fulfilling a manifesto commitment. The main focus of the Commissioner will be pandemic PPE contracts. They will make sure everything that can be done, has been done, to get the public purse what it is owed.
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry has now been established. As set out in its Terms of Reference, the Inquiry will examine, consider and report on preparations and the response to the pandemic. In doing so, the inquiry will help identify lessons learned. The Inquiry published its Module 1 report, focussing on resilience and preparedness in July 2024. The government will carefully consider the Inquiry’s findings and recommendations, and will respond within six months.
Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here:
Ministers - DBT: ministerial gifts, hospitality, overseas travel and meetings - GOV.UK
Senior Officials - DBT: senior officials’ business expenses, hospitality, and meetings - GOV.UK
Official statistics on company incorporation and liquidation are published quarterly. These are made publicly available online by Companies House. We have excerpted and reproduced the relevant figures for your convenience below:
Date | Incorporations | Total Liquidations |
2024 Jan-Mar | 244,717 | 7,622 |
2024 Apr-Jun | 217,815 | 9,115 |
2024 Jul-Sep | 191,683 | 8,658 |
The most recent complete datasets can be found here:
Incorporated companies in the UK July to September 2024 - GOV.UK
Statistics for previous periods are available here.
Since its creation on 7 February 2023 and up until 31 March 2024, the Department for Business and Trade has incurred no first-class air travel expenditure as it is not permitted under the travel policy.
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost.
Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.
Businesses have drawn a total of £46.59 billion under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. 12.97% of facilities by volume have been repaid and 59.44% of facilities by volume are on schedule. 19.77% of facilities by volume have been settled under the Government guarantee. The Department publishes performance data on the COVID-19 loan guarantee schemes on a quarterly basis.
The final year-end outturn is recorded in OSCAR II for years 22-23 and prior. The 23-24 data is still pending final updates based on the finalisation of DBT’s accounts for 23-24.
The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.
The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.
The Department collects data on its energy use, broken down by energy source, and reports this to Defra on a quarterly basis as part of the Greening Government Commitments.
Data on minister’s overseas travel and on senior civil servant’s business expenses is published on a quarterly basis. This can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/desnz-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-meetings-april-to-june-2024
The final list of COP29 delegates should be published by the UNFCCC shortly. The UK delegation includes officials (some already based in Baku) and Ministers as well as businesses, Arm’s Length Bodies, Devolved Administrations, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, parliamentarians and civil society speakers. Many attended at their own cost, with the UK providing accreditation. The Government currently estimates that nearly 470 people have attended COP29 in person with UK accreditation.
Until travel and expense claims are confirmed, the overall cost of Departmental attendance cannot be calculated. The Department will not hold this information for other Government departments.
The UK Pavilion and Delegation Office are fully funded through private sector sponsorship.
Data showing the value and volume of coal imported into the UK is presented in the following table:
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
UK coal imports (million tonnes) | 5.4 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 2.9 |
Value of UK coal imports (£m) | 574 | 318 | 470 | 1,573 | 519 |
Source: HMRC trade data |
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The Government has worked constructively with the regulator on the issue of standing charges, and we are committed to lowering the cost of them.
The setting of standing charges is a commercial matter for suppliers. Ofgem’s recently published discussion paper sets out the options for how standing charges could be reduced, including by moving supplier operational costs off standing charges onto the unit rate, increasing the variety of tariffs available for consumer in the market, and in the longer term, reviewing how system costs are allocated.
We will continue to support Ofgem in this work and ensure that standing charges are reduced.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not routinely collate information on specific words and collating this information would come at a disproportionate cost. Information on spending and staffing can be found in the Department's annual report and accounts.
The Department is committed to promoting Equality, Diversity and Inclusion through its diversity networks.