To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


View sample alert

Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Ministers: Pay
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is a cap on the combined total for ministerial salaries in any financial year.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

  • Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

  • The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

  • The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

  • The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

  • The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

  • Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

  • The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

  • The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

  • The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

  • The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.


Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.


Written Question
Minsiters: Pay
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have asked to forego a ministerial salary, either full or in part; and who were those ministers.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

  • Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

  • The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

  • The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

  • The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

  • The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

  • Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

  • The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

  • The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

  • The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

  • The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.


Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.


Written Question
Ministers: Pay
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 ministers have been asked to forego a ministerial salary; and what were the reasons for those requests.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

  • Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

  • The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

  • The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

  • The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

  • The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

  • Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

  • The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

  • The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

  • The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

  • The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.


Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.


Written Question
Ministers: Pay
Thursday 28th March 2024

Asked by: Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since 2015 a minister has foregone a ministerial salary at the request of the Cabinet Office.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

The number of ministerial salaries available to the government at any one time is 109. This is a statutory limit governed by the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975.

It is routinely the case that some ministers will be asked to serve in an unpaid capacity given the statutory limitations on the number of available salaries. A list of ministers who are currently serving in an unpaid capacity are as follows:

  • Richard Holden MP, Minister of State (Minister without Portfolio) in the Cabinet Office (receives a salary from the Conservative Party)

  • The Rt Hon John Glen MP, Minister of State and Paymaster General, Cabinet Office

  • The Lord Johnson of Lainston CBE, Minister of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

  • The Earl of Minto, Minister of State at the Ministry of Defence.

  • The Rt Hon. the Earl Howe, Minister of State and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords.

  • The Rt Hon. the Lord Benyon, Minister of State, jointly at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

  • Andrew Griffith MP, Minister of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Baroness Barran MBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Government Equalities Spokesperson in the Lords.

  • The Lord Douglas-Miller OBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

  • The Lord Markham CBE, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health and Social Care.

  • The Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice

  • The Viscount Camrose, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

  • The Lord Offord of Garvel CVO, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade.

  • The Lord Cameron of Lochiel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Scotland Office.

  • The Lord Roborough, Lord in Waiting (Government Whip)

The list of all government ministers on GOV.UK is updated following each reshuffle. The current government list is on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/ministers.

It would be a significant undertaking to calculate the exact number of unpaid ministers since 2015, especially given some ministers have dual roles (where they are paid in one role but not in another) such as if they hold more than one ministerial position. We can estimate however that over the last decade, this number has been approximately 10-20 at any given time.

It is ultimately for the Prime Minister to decide how to organise the executive and which ministers are paid a salary. While the Cabinet Office provides advice to the Prime Minister on the number of salaries available, the department does not decide the allocation of salaries.


Ministers are continuing to voluntarily waive part of their salaries, foregoing any pay increase to their Ministerial salaries. This means ministers in the Commons’ salaries have not increased since 2010; and ministers in the House of Lords have received frozen salaries since 2019. Further information is published on GOV.UK at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ministerial-salary-data.


Written Question
Territorial Waters: Wales
Wednesday 27th March 2024

Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)

Question to the Wales Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the past 12 months with Welsh Ministers on issues relating to the trawling of the sea bed for rare minerals within territorial waters of the Welsh coast.

Answered by Lord Harlech - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

UK Government Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Government Ministers on a wide range of issues. In addition, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs engages regularly at official level with the Welsh Government on areas of shared interest, including marine licensing.

The licensing regime for mineral extraction from the seabed within Welsh waters is a devolved matter for the Welsh Government, and therefore the responsibility of Natural Resources Wales (NRW).


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Legal Costs
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse was of legal (a) support and (b) representation to Ministers in his Department in relation to their official conduct in each of the last three years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Such information is not centrally recorded or collated in the form requested. More generally, I would refer the hon. Member to the long-standing policies on legal expenditure, as set out recently by Cabinet Office Ministers on 12 March 2004, Official Report, PQ 17709 and 12 March 2024, Official Report, House of Lords, Cols. 1901-1904.


Written Question
Gardens: Waste Disposal
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which local authorities (a) charged for collection of garden waste and b) provided a free garden waste service in 2023/24.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold this data.

Under section 45(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 waste collection authorities are permitted to charge a reasonable amount for the collection of garden waste.

Local Authorities are best placed to determine the effective delivery of local services.


Written Question
Gardens: Waste Disposal
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of local authorities that charged an annual fee of (a) less than £30, (b) £30.01- £40, (c) £40.01- £50, (d) £50.01- £75, (e) £75.01- £100.00 and (f) £100.01 or more for the collection of garden waste in the 2023-24 financial year.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs does not hold this data.


Written Question
Fire Prevention: Departmental Coordination
Monday 25th March 2024

Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to coordinate activity across Government in order to improve the UK’s preparedness for extreme wildfire events.

Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office are the lead Government Department for Wildfire Response and own the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) wildfire risk.

This Wildfire Framework outlines the work being undertaken to improve the UK’s preparedness for wildfires in England. The Home Office works closely with other departments and key stakeholders including Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities to mitigate the risk of wildfire.

The Home Office have committed to scoping a wildfire strategy and action plan by mid 2024, with support from Defra and its agencies. This commitment is outlined in the third National Adaptation Plan.

The Home Office maintains regular engagement with National Bodies including the National Fire Chiefs Council and England and Wales Wildfire Forum to monitor and review sector led improvements to wildfire response and mitigation.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Fraud and Maladministration
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report entitled Cross-Government Fraud Landscape: Annual Report 2022, published on 21 March 2023, what the basis is of the increase in detected error in his Department rom £9.5m in 2019-20 to £15.9m in 2020-21.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In reference to the hon. Member’s question, the Fraud Landscape Report figures were reported to the Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA, formerly the Counter Fraud Centre of Expertise) as part of established reporting cycles.

The Government defines error as losses arising from unintentional events, processing errors and official Government errors - such losses are judged as without fraudulent intent.

Since 2014, Fraud Landscape Reports show an increase in both detected fraud and error across government. This is in line with the Government's explicit objective to find more fraud in the system. By detecting more, we can understand fraud better - and deal with it better.

The Defra detected error in 2019/20 was published in the Fraud Landscape Bulletin and in 2020/21 was published in the Fraud Landscape Report. The reasons for any increase are set out in these documents as well as in our Annual Report and Accounts 2021-22.

The PSFA assists ministerial departments and public bodies in their delivery of specialist fraud activity. In its first year it delivered £311 million in audited counter fraud benefits.