theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Layla Moran:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent progress she has made on the rollout of 5G to rural communities. \p Ian Murray: Our ambition is for all populated areas, including rural communities, to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030 and I will work closely with mobile network operators who are delivering this.

We are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework in place to support investment into mobile networks and competition in the market.

In their Connected Nations Spring update, published 8 May 2025, Ofcom reports that 5G (combined standalone and non-standalone 5G) is available outside 82% of UK rural premises from at least one mobile operator, but this falls to 8% from all four operators.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Charlotte Nichols:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to (a) tackle digital exclusion and (b) ensure that people who are digitally excluded have access to (i) advice and (ii) online services. \p Ian Murray: The Digital Inclusion Action Plan sets out the first five actions we are taking over the next year to boost digital inclusion in every corner of the UK. These first actions will widen access to devices, drive digital upskilling, break down barriers to participation and get support to people in their own communities.

We are committed to ensuring that government online and digital services are as accessible as possible and are exploring how to extend the scope of the standards beyond central government into the wider public sector and looking at revising them to include inclusive service design.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Daisy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions her Department has had with email service providers on the adequacy of account recovery processes for victims of mobile phone theft. \p Ian Murray: The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not held discussions with email service providers specifically on the adequacy of account recovery processes for victims of mobile phone theft. The Home Office leads on matters relating to the consequences of crime and supporting victims, including work to tackle mobile phone theft and its associated harms. DSIT continues to engage with industry on broader issues of digital security and resilience, including the safe use of online services and the protection of personal data.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mary Glindon:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including guidance on the role of internal audit in providing independent assurance on telecommunications security risks, in the context of the review of the Telecommunications Security Code of Practice. \p Ian Murray: The Government keeps the financial health of the market under close review and Ofcom have powers to request financial information from providers. The Telecommunications Security Code of Practice provides guidance on how communications providers can meet statutory requirements to secure their networks and services. These include requirements on auditing, governance and board responsibilities. Ofcom monitor and enforce compliance with these requirements. Following detailed engagement with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Ofcom and communications providers, the Government have launched a public consultation on proposed updates to the Code, which is open until 22 October.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions he has had with Ofcom on the number of mobile phone not-spots in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Ian Murray: According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations Spring Update (8 May 2025), approximately 24% of the constituency of Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire has no 4G geographic coverage from any mobile network operator (MNO), and similarly around 20% of premises lack 5G coverage outside.

The government is working closely with the MNOs on improving mobile coverage right across the UK, including in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire. We recently upgraded and activated a Home Office mast near Kyle of Lochalsh for the Shared Rural Network and there will be further coverage improvements to come from that programme.

Our ambition is for all populated areas to have higher quality standalone 5G by 2030, and we are committed to ensuring we have the right policy and regulatory framework to support investment and competition in the market.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the number of households with copper-based broadband connections only in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Ian Murray: Using Connected Nations 2025 Spring Update data published by Ofcom, we estimate that of the 52,930 residential properties in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency, approximately 18,540 households (35%) are reliant on copper-based broadband connections, and 34,390 households have access to full fibre broadband. Most of these premises may also have recourse to connectivity through fixed wireless access.

These figures are accurate as of January 2025. The figure for copper-based connections includes broadband delivered by mixed technologies such as fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) as well as solely copper-based technologies such as ADSL.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate he has made of the number of premises without access to gigabit-capable broadband in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency. \p Ian Murray: Through its Open Market Review (OMR) process, Building Digital UK identifies premises in England and Wales with no gigabit network infrastructure and where none is likely to be developed within the next three years. This information is routinely published on the GOV.UK website. In Scotland, this process is carried out by the Scottish Government, who will hold the most up to date information on the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Additionally, the independent website ThinkBroadband.com publishes its own information on broadband coverage at a constituency level. It reports that 67.6% of premises in the hon. Member’s constituency can access a gigabit-capable connection.
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Sarah Dyke:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the delay in full Shared Rural Network rollout until 2027 on rural businesses; and what steps she is taking to mitigate this. \p Ian Murray: Ofcom is responsible for assessing the 4G coverage improvements delivered by the Shared Rural Network. Its latest published figures show that 4G now reaches over 95% of UK landmass. This means that the Shared Rural Network met its overarching target a year ahead of schedule. The delivery of the programme was always due to continue until January 2027, at which point Ofcom will assess further coverage improvements from the publicly-funded parts of the programme.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025. \p Ian Murray: The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

The Digital Inclusion Action Plan – First Steps, published in February 2025, sets out our first actions to tackle digital exclusion. While it outlines key demographic groups, it recognises that rural communities are also impacted.

To ensure rural areas are not left behind and have access to digital infrastructure, we are continuing to deliver gigabit-capable broadband and 4G mobile coverage through Project Gigabit and the Shared Rural Network.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason his Department pays council tax on Ministerial residences which are deemed to be second homes. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: It has been long-standing government policy, in place for successive administrations, including for the previous government the Hon member served in, that where a minister occupies an official residence on a second home basis, the government pays the council tax.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office has spent money on social media influencers since July 2024. Influencers can be effective in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions his Department has had with mobile network operators on the (a) resilience and (b) reliability of mobile infrastructure to deliver emergency alerts during (i) power outages and (ii) network congestion. \p Dan Jarvis: The Emergency Alerts capability is reliant on mobile network operators’ infrastructure to issue alerts. Under the Communications Act 2003 and Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021, UK communications providers have a statutory requirement to take appropriate and proportionate steps to identify risks to their resilience, reduce those risks, prepare for compromises and mitigate and remedy them when they do occur. These requirements are overseen by Ofcom. The Department has regular discussions with the UK’s mobile network operators and works in partnership with communications providers to ensure that their networks remain secure, resilient, and accessible, including during emergencies.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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David Chadwick:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in receipt of Universal Credit welfare payments have (a) undergraduate and (b) post-graduate degrees in Wales. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

PQ 72041 (pdf, 99.3KB)
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the UK Emergency Alert System integrates with (a) local authority and (b) regional emergency response plans. \p Dan Jarvis: The emergency services, whose role is to warn, inform and advise the public in the event of an emergency have the Emergency Alerting capability available to them 24/7/365 upon request. The established procedures have been closely designed alongside both national and regional emergency response plans.

Regular training is undertaken with local authorities, local resilience forums, and emergency services to familiarise them with the Emergency Alert capability and requesting processes.

Emergency Alerts are just one of many capabilities available to first responders on the ground to assist them in disseminating vital information and guidance, complementing a wide range of tools at the disposal of emergency services for communicating risks to life for example local news, radio, television, social media, or door knocking.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the official statistics publication entitled UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness 2025: Technical Report, published on 23 July 2025, for what reason data on gender was collected instead of data on sex. \p Dan Jarvis: The question used by our data supplier is in line with Office for Statistics Regulation and Market Research Society guidance, and is appropriate and proportionate for the research being conducted. We will continue to keep the survey questions under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 July 2025 to Question 66653 on Military Aircraft: Costs, what the annual operating costs are of the Airbus A321-Neo aircraft, registration G-GBNI. \p Dan Jarvis: The annual fixed operating cost of the Airbus A321neo registration G-GBNI is currently £10.7m.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether changes to the Business Appointment Rules will be retrospective. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The changes to the way the Rules are administered will come into effect on 13 October. The changes announced in the 21 July Written Ministerial Statement will not be applied retrospectively.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which public body is responsible for investigating corruption in government procurement. \p Chris Ward: Tackling corruption wherever it persists is a foremost priority for this government. One key step has been appointing Tom Hayhoe as the Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner, whose role includes a focus on the procurement of PPE during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government is also bringing forward the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill which, once implemented, will give the Public Sector Fraud Authority new robust powers to investigate fraud, including procurement fraud, across the public sector.

It is the responsibility of each contracting authority to investigate corruption in their own procurement processes; the Procurement Act 2023 places a duty on them to take all reasonable steps to identify and keep under review actual or potential conflicts of interest in their procurements.

The Procurement Review Unit within the Cabinet Office has responsibility for investigating contracting authorities’ compliance with the Procurement Act 2023 and investigating suppliers where their behaviour or circumstances mean that, potentially, they should not be allowed to participate in procurements or be awarded public contracts, for example because they have been convicted of certain bribery or fraud offences.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) UK Statistics Authority and (b) Office for National Statistics has a remit over the Government’s statistical (i) classification and (ii) reporting of (A) defence spending and (B) security and resilience spending, in the context of the new 5% NATO targets. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

PQ 71223 (pdf, 92.3KB)
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Alex Burghart:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-Party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon Member back to PQ54767 and PQ69066.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 64568 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, what the planned timetable is for the UK Statistics Authority to respond substantively to Part (a) 1 and (b) 2 of the review. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

PQ 71197 (pdf, 96.9KB)
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 22 August 2025 to Question 69070 on Syria: Inter Mediate, what meetings the Prime Minister’s National Security Adviser has had with Inter Mediate. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the member back to PQ 73311.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54804 on Public Bodies: Statistics, whether the (a) UK Statistics Agency and (b) ONS have reviewed the use of Social Time Preference Rate discounting by the Government in the context of the cost of the Chagos Islands deal. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

PQ 70487 (pdf, 91.0KB)
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the responsibilities are of the National Situation Centre. \p Dan Jarvis: The National Situation Centre – established in 2021 – provides situational awareness for crisis response and national resilience. It is regarded internationally as a benchmark for Government use of data in crisis. The National Situation Centre is part of COBR.

The National Situation Centre ensures that ministers and officials have access to relevant and timely data for decision making. More than 700 anonymised and aggregated data sets have been mapped or ingested and, at short notice, analysis can be produced for almost 90% of risks identified in the National Risk Register. Dashboards are hosted on a dedicated secure platform, built by the National Situation Centre, and are shared across government and with the devolved governments. A number of bespoke reporting tools have either been created or are under development to provide insight into the most serious risks.

The National Situation Centre has also developed a “digital National Risk Register” platform to interrogate the impacts of a risk, or a number of risks. It allows users to see the impacts which the materialisation of a risk may cause and immediately determine which of those impacts are compounded if multiple risks were to occur concurrently. If a new pandemic were to emerge, we would be able to consider complex, concurrent scenarios in minutes.

The National Situation Centre is also responsible for sending Emergency Alerts to mobile phones, as part of the COBR process.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70748 on Disinformation, what (a) outputs and (b) reports on disinformation have been produced by the Government Communication Service using the Storyzy service. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Government Communication Service (GCS) has not produced any standalone reports on disinformation using Storyzy.

The tool is used to assess factually incorrect information during crises or threats to national security/public safety that may require a government communications response.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Office for National Statistics has made a recent assessment of the Office for Budget Responsibility's GDP deflator forecasts. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 29th August is attached.

PQ 70503 (pdf, 89.8KB)
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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide a breakdown of Government spending on advertising via social media platforms broken down by Department, over the last 12 months. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As with any media planning approach, channels are selected based on their ability to engage with relevant audiences in alignment with the government's strategic objectives.

The Cabinet Office is consistently tracking and reviewing spending on communications to ensure efficiency and that the appropriate strategy is implemented. We will not spend more than is needed to be effective and ensure best value for the taxpayer.

Please see the breakdown below of spend on social media broken down by department between 1st August 2024 and 31st July 2025.

Please note that this may not be the complete spend as the Cabinet Office does not centrally manage Departmental social media spend directly.

Department

Spend on social media platforms

CABINET OFFICE

£917,392.78

DEPARTMENT FOR ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

£108,685.84

DEPARTMENT FOR CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

£55,776.43

DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION

£5,790,404.71

DEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT

£853,893.06

DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS

£1,174,253.06

DEPARTMENT FOR ENERGY SECURITY AND NET ZERO

£168,576.98

DEPARTMENT FOR BUSINESS AND TRADE

£2,932,130.17

DEPARTMENT FOR SCIENCE INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY

£145,503.62

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

£1,689,076.17

UK EXPORT FINANCE

£336,808.09

FOREIGN COMMONWEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

£455,653.02

HM REVENUE AND CUSTOMS

£1,692,096.15

HOME OFFICE

£1,655,160.54

MINISTRY FOR HOUSING COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

£528,370.47

MINISTRY OF JUSTICE

£1,605,710.08

MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

£5,938,304.99
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, if he will publish the audit findings by the Civil Service Commission on the application of Business Appointment Rules below senior levels. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Civil Service Commission is operationally independent of Government. The publication of information about the Commission’s audit activity in respect of the application of Business Appointment Rules below the most senior grades will be a matter for the Commission.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 June 2025 to Question 58669 on Cabinet Office: Lanyards, what was the (a) artwork and (b) branding on the 6,376 lanyards purchased for £5,069.99. \p Chris Ward: As was the case under the previous administration, the Cabinet Office issues standard Cabinet Office branded lanyards to staff as a default.

On 6 April, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced a ban on unnecessary branded merchandise. Whilst it was agreed that some expenditure on merchandise items is necessary for operational purposes (for example, security lanyards), all of these orders were made prior to this government’s ban on unnecessary branded merchandise.

The (a) artwork and (b) branding for the 6,376 lanyards purchased prior to this ban, stated in Question 58669, is as follows:

‘reflex blue plain stock’ lanyards

blue lanyards with the Cabinet Office crest and the words "College for National Security" printed on them.

plain purple lanyards, with the Cabinet Office crest and "FS Conference 2024 Committee" printed on them

lanyards featuring a blue style with white print displaying "Crown Commercial Service" and the Crown logo, with metal hooks for attaching passes

“Phase 2 Grenfell Tower Inquiry” with lanyards with Team Member printed in black and 2 colour logo to face

“Government Project Delivery” lanyards printed in full colour to both sides

“Cabinet Office Digital” lanyards printed in full colour to both sides

"100 Year Partnership between Ukraine and the UK" lanyards printed with four colour logo
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, who will be responsible for determining whether a former minister has seriously breached the (a) Ministerial Code and (b) Business Appointment Rules. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As set out in the Ministerial Code, the Prime Minister is the ultimate judge of the standards of behaviour expected of a minister and the appropriate consequences of a breach of those standards.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether he plans to reconstitute the Joint Operations Committee. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Framework Document between the Cabinet Office, the Civil Service Commission, the Advisory Committee for Business Appointments (ACOBA) and the Commissioner for Public Appointments sets out the broad governance framework for the Independent Offices, including the role of the Joint Operations Committee established by those organisations.

The Framework Document will be updated to reflect the changes announced in the Written Statement on 21 July and will set out the governance arrangements of the Civil Service Commission and Commissioner for Public Appointments, following the closure of ACOBA.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Written Statement of 21 July 2025 on Government of service, HCWS870, whether he plans to increase the remuneration for the (a) First Civil Service Commissioner and (b) chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The remuneration of the First Civil Service Commissioner and the chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life will be set out in the annual reports and accounts for those organisations in the usual way.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the written statement of 21 July 2025 entitled Government of service, HCWS870, whether he plans to make any changes to the House of Lords Appointments Commission. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon. Member to the written statement by the Prime Minister of 19 June 2025 (HCWS718), which sets out the Government's position on appointments to the House of Lords, including the role of the House of Lords Appointments Commission.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Ministers are asked by (a) his Department, (b) the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Interests and (c) their Department whether they have a criminal record prior to their Ministerial appointment. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers. Any conversations held take place in confidence. All ministers are expected to adhere to the high standards of conduct set out in the Ministerial Code.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Government will make it its policy to ensure that the former Deputy Prime Minister is not given a severance payment. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: This Government has introduced reforms to Ministerial severance pay to ensure severance payments are proportionate and fair. These changes will come into effect from 13 October.

In the interim, while this is implemented, decisions as to whether a Minister accepts a severance payment is for the outgoing Minister.
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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 71219 on Lobbying: Official Hospitality, if she will publish the relevant guidance on holding departmental receptions at the offices of consultant lobbying firms. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Ministerial Code is published on GOV.UK. Guidance from the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists is published on the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists’ website.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) Office for National Statistics and (b) Social Mobility Commission classify the socio-economic background of a firefighter. \p Josh Simons: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 11th September is attached.

PQ 76591 (pdf, 122.8KB)
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish guidance for civil servants on conduct in the pre-election period prior to (a) UK parliamentary and (b) devolved legislature by-elections. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: There are no plans to publish guidance for civil servants on conduct in respect of UK parliamentary by-elections or devolved legislature by-elections. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants and civil servants are expected to adhere to these standards at all times.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 June 2025 to Question HL7884 on Government Departments: Advertising, whether government advertising is permitted on the Unherd website. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework. As there has not been an assessment made on the suitability of advertising on Unherd, departments are not permitted to advertise in this way.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) the Government Communications Service has made of the effectiveness of government press offices with large numbers of staff. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Spending Review announced that all departments will reduce their administration budgets by at least 16% in real terms by 2029-30. As part of standard operational management, Cabinet Office regularly reviews the structure, capacity, and performance of communications teams across the department to ensure they are appropriately resourced and configured to meet departmental and cross-government communication needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the FOI Internal Review response IR2025/05101 of 29 May 2025, if he will make it his policy to reduce the size of the Government Communication Service. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Government Communications Service (GCS) is in the process of completing its annual data collection of the Government Communications profession.

In GCS, we are constantly focused on providing value for money to the taxpayer. The Spending Review announced that all departments will reduce their administration budgets by at least 16% in real terms by 2029-30. Departmental comms teams are employed by their department who apply the Gov Comms standards and best practice to maintain the most efficient and effective operation.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Work Order for Project_7114 published on Contracts Finder on 9 July 2025, how value for money will be assessed in relation to (a) strategic storytelling, (b) coaching and (c) experimental design and evaluation referenced in the contract scope. \p Josh Simons: The Test, Learn & Grow programme is modelling and scaling an approach to public service reform and mission delivery that closes gaps between policy, delivery and service users, and speeds up learning and improvement. Work is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership. The value for money of the contract scope will be assessed both through comprehensive programme and place-level evaluations delivered by the Government Outcomes Lab at the University of Oxford, which is part of the Partnership, and through broader contract management and oversight by the Cabinet Office.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in the (a) Cabinet Office and (b) Civil Service claim a London weighting on their salary, in the most recent period for which data is available. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office does not have a London Weighting Allowance. There are separate London and National pay ranges. An individual’s pay, paid as a salary, is determined by the location of their designated office, as set out in their contract.

Decisions on pay, including London weighting, are delegated to individual departments for grades below the Senior Civil Service (SCS); data on London weighting is not collected centrally. The SCS pay framework is managed centrally and only operates a national pay range.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Charlie Dewhirst:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his policy is on the (a) re-use and (b) disposal of branded (i) goods and (ii) signage out of date following machinery of Government changes. \p Chris Ward: The Cabinet Office does not issue guidance on the re-use and/or disposal of branded goods and signage made obsolete as a result of Machinery of Government changes. It is the responsibility of individual departments to ensure their branded assets are managed appropriately following changes in government structures.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps their Department is taking to implement the guidance entitled The government’s approach to rural proofing 2025, published on 15 May 2025. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government has made a commitment that all policy decision-making should be rural proofed. Rural proofing ensures that rural areas are not overlooked and that the intended outcomes are deliverable in rural areas.

Defra leads on rural proofing, but individual departments are responsible for ensuring that their policy decision-making is rural proofed.

Rural proofing is important because rural communities are an important part of the economy. Rural areas are home to around one-fifth of England’s population and half a million registered businesses.

Policy outcomes in rural areas can be affected by economies of scale, distance, sparsity and demography. That is why it is important that government policies consider how they can be delivered in rural areas. Rural proofing ensures that these areas receive fair and equitable policy outcomes.

Our department takes its obligation to rural proofing seriously. Through the Arts Council England, funding to Rural areas has increased to around £44 million a year to 110 organisations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Mr Andrew Snowden:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to support councils to improve the availability of activities for young people during (a) evenings, (b) weekends and (c) school holidays. \p Stephanie Peacock: In 2025/26, DCMS is investing £28 million to increase young people’s access to more and better enriching activities. This includes programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and Uniformed Youth Fund. As part of the Uniformed Youth Fund, DCMS funded the Volunteer Police Cadets to increase its capacity and reach a greater number of young people in Fylde.

DCMS is also investing £8 million to support local authorities through the Local Youth Transformation Pilot, which aims to rebuild a high-quality offer for young people across England.

Additionally, the Department for Education has confirmed over £600 million for the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) Programme for the next three financial years (from 2026/27), delivered by local authorities to provide healthy meals, enriching activities, and free childcare places to children from low-income families during school holiday periods.

In Autumn, we will publish the National Youth Strategy, which we have co-produced with young people and the sector. The Strategy will outline a long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the press release entitled Prime Minister unveils new opportunities for young people to re-connect with their communities, published on 5 August 2025, how much additional funding will be available in Bedfordshire. \p Stephanie Peacock: DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund launched Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund, a £19 million joint investment, to provide youth organisations with funding to deliver additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. Wards who were eligible for the Million Hours Fund in Bedfordshire can be found here.

Additionally, organisations in Bedfordshire are eligible to apply to the Adventures Away from Home Fund which will support organisations to deliver outdoor learning experiences for disadvantaged or vulnerable young people. Funding by area will be known once all awards have been made. Applications are open until Friday 26th Sept 2025 through the UK Youth website.

Bedfordshire is not eligible to apply for the Better Youth Spaces Fund nor a participant in the pilot phase of the Local Youth Transformation programme. However, local areas who were not selected this year may not be excluded from participating in any future rounds depending on geographical eligibility.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Sir Geoffrey Cox:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether she has had discussions with Sport England on the (a) promotion and (b) development of (i) padel and (ii) pickleball as national sports. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Secretary of State and I have regular discussions with Sport England, on a range of topics including the promotion and development of the sporting offer across England. Whilst we haven’t discussed these sports specifically, DCMS officials have discussed the promotion and development padel and pickleball with Sport England.

It is positive to see the growth of many emerging sports such as padel and pickleball.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, how many churches are listed places of worship. \p Marsha De Cordova: There are approximately 16,200 Church of England churches, over 12,000 of which are listed. Of those listed churches, around 4,300 are listed at the highest level of Grade 1, making the Church of England responsible for about half of the Grade I listed buildings in the country.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Alex Brewer:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support rural pubs in North East Hampshire constituency. \p Kate Dearden: The Government recognises the vital role that rural pubs, including those in North East Hampshire constituency play in supporting local communities.

In April, the Government established the Licensing Taskforce, bringing together representatives from the hospitality industry to help shape reform. The Government’s response published on 31 July sets out proposals for a new National Licensing Policy Framework designed to simplify outdated licensing rules and protect long-standing venues from noise complaints.

We’re reforming the business rates system to support high streets, including permanently lower rates for retail, hospitality and leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. We’ve also launched a Hospitality Support Scheme to co-fund projects aligned with DBT and Hospitality Sector Council priorities such as Pub is The Hub to encourage local investment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Sir Geoffrey Cox:To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that rural hospitality businesses are adequately supported in the context of (a) rising wholesale food prices, (b) energy costs, (c) increased (i) wage and (ii) NIC pressures and (d) insurance premiums. \p Kate Dearden: Government fully recognises the importance of hospitality businesses in rural communities, that’s why we’re providing support through a range of measures to ease pressures.

We continue to monitor key agricultural commodities and work with the hospitality sector, supported by the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which tracks prices, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.  The Zero Carbon Services Hospitality trial offers free energy and carbon-reduction advice. We will introduce permanently lower business rates for Retail, Hospitality and Leisure properties with a rateable value under £500,000. The Employment Allowance has been increased to £10,500, meaning 865,000 employers will pay no National Insurance Contributions enabling businesses to employ up to four full-time staff on the National Living Wage without incurring employer NIC costs. While insurers make commercial decisions based on risk assessments, the Financial Conduct Authority requires firms to offer fair value and monitors compliance, acting where necessary.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-09-23)

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Alison Bennett:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to review Disability Living Allowance criteria for children with severe dietary conditions. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The department has no plans to review the criteria for children with severe dietary conditions.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available to children under the age of 16 who, due to a disability or health condition, have mobility issues and/or have care needs which are substantially in excess of a child the same age without the disability or health condition.

Entitlement to DLA depends on the extent to which a child needs help with personal care, needs supervision or has difficulties with walking. It is the effects of the condition and the needs arising from those effects that are important, rather than the child’s particular diagnosis.