Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions his Department has had with the European Union regarding the 90-days/180-days short-stay rule within the Schengen Area for UK nationals.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
Ministers and officials from across the Government, including myself, regularly engage the EU and EU Member State counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The UK Government will continue to listen to and advocate for UK nationals.
The UK and the EU allow for visa-free, short-term travel in line with their respective arrangements for third country nationals. The UK allows EU citizens visa-free travel for up to six months; the EU allows for visa-free travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period which is standard for third nationals travelling visa-free to the EU. UK nationals planning to stay longer will need permission from the relevant Member State.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff employed in the Resilience Directorate in January 2025 have been retained within the COBR Directorate; and how many of those staff are employed at each civil service grade.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In January 2025, 74 FTE staff were employed in the Resilience Directorate. In July 2025, the Resilience Directorate, the COBR Unit and the National Situation Centre merged into the new COBR Directorate. The responsibilities of the previous Resilience Directorate, and resilience more broadly, now sit across different Cabinet Office and UK Government teams, including the COBR Directorate. Therefore, no meaningful comparison can be made with pre-merger FTE numbers.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the median and mean wait time for callers who call UKSV.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) delivers National Security Vetting (NSV) services to departments and agencies across government, police and industry. NSV remains a key element in HMG’s approach to the management of national security risk.
The median wait time in May 2026 for callers to United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) is 29 minutes and 10 seconds.
The mean wait time in May 2026 for callers to United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) is 30 minutes and 42 seconds.
UKSV are working on technical solutions to further streamline services, and implement improvements, to existing portals. We are also improving online services as an alternative to calling UKSV.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff were working in the Resilience Directorate in the Cabinet Office in: (a) January 2024, (b) July 2024, (c) January 2025 and (d) July 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
In July 2025, the Resilience Directorate merged with the COBR Unit and National Situation Centre. The new COBR Directorate is responsible for the coordination of resilience, civil contingencies planning, and crisis management across the system.
Prior to this merger, the former Resilience Directorate had the following staff employed on a full-time equivalent (FTE) basis: January 2024, 57; July 2024, 54; January 2025, 74.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will set out if a Civil Service Pension Scheme recipient is liable for the repayment of overpayments, including where the the recipient has queried the payment with the scheme administrator, and is repeatedly advised by the scheme administrator that the level of the payment is correct.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The government has a duty to recover overpaid public money to ensure the scheme remains fair and sustainable for all taxpayers. The scheme follows the HM Treasury guidance on “Managing Public Money” which requires the scheme, where possible, to recover any money that a member is not entitled to.
The Civil Service Pension Scheme pays out 732,000 pensions per month. Any potential recovery is carefully considered, including the cost effectiveness of doing so (e.g. the relative costs of recovering very small amounts). Members have the opportunity to submit evidence should they believe that either recovery should not take place or where they might require a longer repayment plan.
We recognise that being asked to repay funds can be stressful. To manage the impact on retired civil servants, the scheme administrator works individually with those affected to create manageable recovery plans. These plans focus on the member's specific ability to pay, often spreading repayments over a long period to ensure that no undue financial hardship is caused.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has considered lessons learned during the Covid-19 pandemic on (a) preparedness, (b) risk mitigation and (c) public communication in the context of its response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic and other events, such as the preparations for Brexit, have played a significant role in the way in which the UK prepares for and responds to crises. The influence of these events can be seen in the revisions to guidance, such as the Amber Book, which provides a framework for how the UK central government collectively responds to crises. The Resilience Action Plan, published in July 2025 following a review into the UK government's resilience, sets out the steps we are taking to make the UK more resilient to a wide range of risks, including international events.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the maternal mortality rate was in England in each of the last ten years.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Rt. Hon. Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 10th April is attached.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will respond to Question 109579 tabled on 29 January 2026.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A response has been issued here.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will respond to Question 109580 tabled on 29 January 2026.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
A response has been issued here.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average staffing complement is for a ministerial private office within their Department; what grades those staff are appointed at; what the typical remuneration and contracted working hours are for those posts; and what the staff turnover rate is.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The average size of a ministerial private office is 5, although some private office staff are shared between two ministers, working for both. Private office staff are found at all civil service grades from EO to SCS1. Over the last 12 months there has been an average turnover rate of circa 25% for ministerial private offices.
The base annual salary for all private office staff is set by the same policy as all civil servants in the Cabinet Office, according to their grade. A non-consolidated Private Office Allowance is payable to staff working in Private Offices; rates are grade-dependent and not linked to general pay awards.
For staff appointed to the Civil service prior to the 01 April 2013, full-time conditioned hours are 36 hours. For those appointed to a post in Cabinet Office advertised on or after 01 April 2013, or who are promoted into a role advertised on or after 01 July 2013 full-time conditioned hours are 37 hours. All Cabinet Office employees can apply for flexible working, including part time working, from their first day of employment. All staff working in ministerial private offices currently work full time hours.