theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the trends in local authority funeral and cremation fees and charges since 2015. \p Alex Davies-Jones: Local authority cemeteries and crematoria are managed by individual councils, who are responsible for setting their own budgets and making decisions on local services in line with community priorities. In line with this principle, local authority burial and cremation authorities have the power to set their charges at levels they consider to be appropriate. This allows flexibility to reflect local needs.

The Government provides some support to people who are unable to meet the costs of a funeral. The Funeral Expenses Payments scheme provides a significant contribution towards the cost of a simple, respectful funeral arranged by recipients of certain income based benefits or tax credits. The scheme pays necessary burial and cremation costs in full, as defined by legislation, plus up to £1000 for other expenses such as the cost of a coffin, church and funeral director fees, Scotland has a similar scheme, the Funeral Support Payment scheme.

Support for funeral costs for all young people under 18 is provided by the Children’s Funeral Fund for England, with similar schemes in Scotland and Wales.

Interest-free Social Fund Budgeting Loans and Universal Credit Budgeting Advances can also be used for funeral expenses. Further financial support is available through Bereavement Support Payments which help working age people whose spouse or civil partner dies.
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Lee Barron:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department will publish the conclusions of the consultation on the regulation of the debt enforcement sector. \p Jake Richards: People in debt deserve to be treated fairly. That is why the Government is supporting the Enforcement Conduct Board’s work to make sure anyone facing enforcement action is treated fairly. We will respond to our consultation about regulation of the enforcement sector soon, which forms part of our wider work to build a more sustainable enforcement sector for everyone.
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Liz Jarvis:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for Child Maintenance Service appeals that proceed to a Tribunal. \p Jake Richards: Data on Tribunals performance is published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis. Receipts, disposals and the outstanding caseload for individual Chambers in the First-tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics.

Appeals against Child Maintenance Service decisions are heard by the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal, which is part of the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal.

The Ministry of Justice is working to reduce the outstanding caseload across the Social Entitlement Chamber of the First-tier Tribunal, which includes the Social Security and Child Support jurisdiction. This is key to reducing the waiting time for tribunal hearings.

The Department continues to invest in improving tribunal capacity and productivity through the recruitment of additional Judges, the deployment of additional Legal Officers to actively manage cases, the development of new, modern case management systems, and the use of remote hearing technology where appropriate. If an expedited hearing is requested, a Judge or Legal Officer will consider this, taking all the circumstances into account.

We expect these actions to have a positive effect, improving timeliness and overall performance of the Tribunal in Child Maintenance Service appeals, and the Social Entitlement Chamber more broadly.
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Liz Saville Roberts:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he can provide an update on the potential establishment of a residential women’s centre in Swansea. \p Jake Richards: Planning approval for the Residential Women’s Centre at the Trehafod site in Cockett, Swansea, was granted by the Welsh Government’s Planning Environment Decisions Wales in August 2023.

We are continuing to consider how the Residential Women’s Centre in Swansea could be delivered.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department holds on the ethnicity of individuals convicted under section 1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018; and what steps are being taken to monitor and address any disparities. \p Jake Richards: The Ministry of Justice routinely publishes data on the number of convictions at criminal courts for an assault on an emergency worker by age and ethnicity in England and Wales. This data can be found in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: Criminal Justice Statistics. This data is part of a range of data produced by the Ministry of Justice which includes a broader review of ethnicity and the criminal justice system.

Data on those with a mental health condition or a neurodivergent profile is not collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice. Where an individual is convicted, sentencing guidelines stipulate that the court must consider issues of neurodiversity at sentencing, taking an individualistic approach, recognising that the levels of impairment caused by any condition will vary significantly between individuals.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 86052 on Government Departments: Social Media, how much has been spent through those two agencies on social influencers since 4 July 2024. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As digital and social media become central to how people consume information, Government is adapting its communications approach to meet audiences where they are. Digital and social media channels enable us to reach audiences more cost-effectively, delivering better value from communications budgets.

The total spent by the Cabinet Office on influencer marketing from 4 July 2024 to present is £280,068.11. Please note this figure is subject to the exchange rate at the time of completing this request.

The Government Communication Service has commissioned the following influencer market campaigns, with total costs (inclusive of agency fees) listed:

New Media Unit - Free School Breakfast Clubs: £48,530.00 (February - September 2025)

New Media Unit - National Living/Minimum Wage: £17,500.00 (March 2025)

New Media Unit - Warm Homes: £24,000 (November - December 2025)

GREAT Campaign - Audacious Kingdom: £117,000.00 (September 2023 - May 2025)

GREAT Campaign - Greater Together: £111,216.75 (March 2025 - present)

These campaigns are used to raise awareness about government schemes and initiatives and promote the UK internationally.

Please note, some data has been withheld due to commercial and wider sensitivities.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 70512 on Government Hospitality: Wines, whether the wines were purchased for (a) 10 Downing Street and (b) his Department. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 13 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 70512.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for the total budget and number of staff of the Government Communication Service. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Government Communication Service (GCS) conducts an annual data collection, requesting government organisations to submit accurate and timely returns. It should be noted that some organisations may have undergone significant changes since the data was collected in July 2025.

At the time of the 2025 annual Government Communications data collection, the total figure for staff in the Government Communication Service is 6,150 across the profession in all departments and ALBs. The total budget is not held centrally in the Cabinet Office.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Communications Service collects, stores, or processes data from social media accounts under the RESIST framework. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Government Communication Service (GCS) monitors publicly available media posts, under strict controls, to measure communication effectiveness, understand public narratives, and address potential mis/disinformation.

GCS does not access private information or monitor individuals, but collects, stores, and processes data from public social media posts.

Reports may include examples of high-performing public content relevant to government priorities, and adheres to a published Privacy Notice (link below) outlining the legal basis for monitoring.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/privacy-notice-social-and-digital-media-analysis/privacy-notice-social-and-digital-media-analysis

GCS uses commercially available automated and AI tools, such as Storyzy, procured via the civil service framework, for information environment analysis; no external contractors are used.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the members are of the Cabinet Office Sustainability Steering Group; when the group was established; how often it meets; and what its terms of reference are. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office Sustainability Steering Group consists of the Head of Sustainability and Deputy Directors from Human Resources, Property, Procurement, Digital and Finance. The Group was formed in July 2024 and meets quarterly.

The Terms of Reference for the Group are to focus on delivering the ESG sustainability strategy at a business unit level, including accountability for tracking individual function-level sustainability targets, oversight of sustainable initiatives, monitoring and reporting to the People & Operations Committee (POpsCo), setting the direction of the sustainability strategy, oversight of compliance with Greening Government Commitments (GGCs), Task-Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), Environment Principles Policy Statement (EPPS) and Green Book.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister will make it his policy to ask the (a) Rt hon. Member for Ashton-under-Lyne, (b) Rt hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley, (c) hon. Member for Hampstead and Highgate and (d) hon. Member for Bethnal Green and Stepney to donate a book to Gladstone's Library. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Gladstone's Library, based in North Wales, was established by William Ewart Gladstone and is the only Prime Ministerial library in the UK.

There has never been a formal practice of former ministers donating books to the library, excluding the The Gladstone Foundation Collection which holds Gladstone’s original library.

Any decision to do so would not be a matter for the government. I would refer the Hon Member to the Gladstone's Library website, which states that "Gladstone’s Library is currently closed to all donations" to their collection.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 21 October 2025, to Question 82339, on Ministers: Official Cars, what was the total expenditure on Ministerial cars across government in July 2025. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the response given to Question 90730, tabled on 13th November 2025. The total expenditure on ministerial cars across government in July 2025 was £483,474.31.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of Counter Terrorist Checks (CTC) and Security Checks (SC) have been completed within 25 days in each of the past six months. \p Dan Jarvis: United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) continues to meet its agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across each product type, including Counter Terrorist Checks (CTC) and Security Checks (SC).

These UKSV KPIs are established and reviewed on a regular basis with departments, and are subject to ministerial oversight, to balance operational demand whilst maintaining assurance in national security safeguards.

In line with the practice followed by successive administrations, the Government does not otherwise comment on security matters.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the October 2025 variation to his Department's contract with Goaco Group Ltd is within the scope and value thresholds of the Digital Outcomes and Specialists 6 framework; and whether the modification has been treated as a new contract. \p Chris Ward: The Digital Outcomes and Specialists 6 (DOS 6) Crown Commercial Service framework permits the use of non-UK-based suppliers, subject to the buyer's prior consent being obtained.

The modification, following publication of the variation in October 2025, does not constituent a new contract.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Tim Allan has met with representatives of Strand Partners since his appointment as a Special Adviser. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: On starting his role, Mr Allan recused himself from engagement with Strand Partners in relation to the firm’s business, and from involvement in any procurement relating to Strand Partners during his period of employment.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Prime Minister will set out the full terms of his recusal on football matters agreed with the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon Member to the Prime Minister’s letter to the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards on the 12 November which provides details of the relevant recusal arrangements.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 139 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, what (a) works were undertaken and (b) items were purchased as part of the refurbishment of the Downing Street estate; and which Downing Street properties it relates to. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 27 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 85501.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to page 24 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, if he will break down the compensation offers by category of claimant; and what proportion have been accepted and paid. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: As of 23 September 2025, as referenced in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025, 1,926 individuals, who are infected and registered with a support scheme, had received an offer. By this date, 1,507 individuals, constituting 78% of those with an offer, had accepted their offer and been paid.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) published their latest statistics on 20 November. As of 18 November, 2,777 individuals who are infected and registered with a support scheme have received an offer. 2,446, constituting 88% of those with an offer, have accepted their offer. The full compensation progress update can be found here: https://ibca.org.uk/statistics/compensation-progress-updates-20-november-2025.

IBCA expects to open to further cohorts (those infected people not registered with a support scheme, the estates of deceased infected people, and affected people) in November and December.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Memorandum of Understanding between HMRC and the Cabinet Office on the exchange of information for honours probity checks, dated 21 March 2017, remains in force following the expiry period set out at paragraph 9.1 on page 6 of that document; and whether any updated or replacement Memorandum has been agreed between the departments. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: In order to protect the integrity of the honours system, the Cabinet Office carries out probity checks with a number of government departments to ensure that honours recipients are in good standing. HMRC provides the Cabinet Office with a minimal disclosure of information in the form of a risk rating of low, medium and high without disclosing any underlying detail about the tax affairs of an individual being considered for an honour.

As per the 2023 Memorandum of Understanding, which superseded the previous 2017 version, the Cabinet Office will only hold the information provided by HMRC for a maximum of 12 months following the publication of an honours list. The Cabinet Office therefore only has access to the HMRC rating during this timeframe. HMRC's risk rating reflects their view on an individual's tax behaviour. Cabinet Office takes this information into account, alongside information provided by other government departments, to inform the honours committees' recommendations.
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James Cartlidge:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to appoint a Minister for Homeland Security. \p Dan Jarvis: Overall responsibility for national resilience, national security and cross-government coordination sits with the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister in the Cabinet Office. In addition, the Security Minister’s role is now split across the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, the purpose of which is to improve coordination across Government on national security. The Government's priorities for these areas are detailed in the Resilience Action Plan and the National Security Strategy.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Nominations Committee was established for the 2025–26 reporting year; who its members are; who chairs it; and what its terms of reference are. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Nominations Committee membership, including the chair, is made up of Cabinet Office Non-Executive Board Members. The draft terms of reference will be approved by the committee in its first meeting in early 2026 and are consistent with section 4.5 of the Corporate Governance in Central Government Departments Code of Good Practice.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many investment proposals have been considered by the Cabinet Office Investment Committee since July 2024; how many were approved; how many were rejected or deferred; and what the total whole-life expenditure associated with those approvals was. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Since July 2024, the Investment Committee has considered a total of 39 business cases. All of these business cases were approved, subject to specific conditions. Spending approvals can specify a range of expected expenditure, and may be lower than the overall whole-life cost of the project. The cumulative approximate whole-life cost of these approved cases amounts to a maximum of £26.91 billion. This includes funding for the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, who the Members were of his Department's Executive Committee in 2024-25; and how many meetings each member attended. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The following individuals were members of the Executive Committee (ExCo) at the conclusion of the Financial Year 2024-25.

Cat Little, Permanent Secretary and Principal Accounting Officer (Chair)

Madeleine Alessandri, Head of the Joint Intelligence Organisation

Sarah Harrison, Chief Operating Officer

Matt Collins, Deputy National Security Adviser

Darren Tierney, Director General, Propriety, Ethics & Constitution Group

Fiona Ryland, Government Chief People Officer

Vincent Devine, Government Chief Security Officer

Andrew Forzani, Government Chief Commercial Officer

Simon Baugh, Chief Executive, Government Communication Service

Emma Churchill, Director General, Economic & Domestic Secretariat

Jonathan Black, Deputy National Security Adviser and Director General, European & Global Issues

Kunal Patel, Deputy Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister, No.10

Caroline Patterson, Chief Financial Officer

Rebecca Hedges, Acting Chief People Officer

Elinor McDaniell, CO Strategy Director

Fleur Johnson, Strategy Director, National Security Secretariat

Membership varied throughout this period, and also included the following individuals at various points.

Gareth Rhys Williams, Chief Commercial Officer

Marco Salzedo and Clare Gibbs, Interim Representatives, Government Commercial Function

Kathryn Al-Shemmeri, CO Chief People Officer

Tom Read, CEO, Government Digital Service

David Foley, Director, Public Bodies

Rich Hornby, Chief Financial Officer

Jean-Christophe Gray, DG Delivery Unit

Laura Gilbert, Chief Data Analyst

Tim Barrow, Foreign Policy and National Security Adviser

Elizabeth Perelman, Director General, Public Sector Reform and Efficiency

Collated attendance information is not held and providing it would incur a disproportionate cost.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants within the Government Communications Service are engaged in identifying, categorising, or responding to social media content critical of government migration policy. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The Cabinet Office's GCS team has three staff members responsible for media and social media analysis. While their analysis is not specifically focused on migration, the topic may arise as part of wider thematic reporting. We cannot provide information on GCS staffing levels or responsibilities within other government departments.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ask government departments not to use the phrase devolved nations when referring to devolved administrations or legislatures. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Yes. This is already the Government's position. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should be referred to by name or collectively as nations. Certain powers are devolved to institutions within those nations, which benefit from having two governments serving them. The nations, as constituent parts of this United Kingdom, are not devolved.
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Matt Western:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when his Department plans to publish the National Cyber Strategy. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the response given to Question 80985, tabled on 10th October 2025.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to pages 8 and 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether the Department’s target to reduce headcount by up to 1,200 roles has been met in part through the reclassification or exclusion of Government Commercial or Fast Stream staff from Cabinet Office workforce totals. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: The statement on page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 only refers to the staff included in section 2.12. Diversity and inclusion and does not refer to data provided in earlier sections on departmental headcount. These individuals are included in the departmental headcount on Page 99 under the 4,370 Cabinet Office staff recharged to other government departments and therefore has no impact on the Department’s target to reduce headcount by up to 1,200 roles.
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Tim Farron:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many deaths in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales were attributable to (i) alcoholism, (ii) obesity, (iii) air pollution and (iv) smoking in the latest year for which data is available. \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 18th November is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 138.8KB)

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 138.8KB)
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any offshore subcontractor resources associated with his Department’s Central Digital Platform contract (a) are located in and (b) have supply-chain links to jurisdictions designated by the National Cyber Security Centre as high-risk for data-security purposes, including China. \p Chris Ward: The original contract for the Provision of Support and Maintenance for the Central Digital Platform was awarded following a competitive tender process conducted under the Digital Outcomes and Specialists (DOS) 6 Framework. The Voluntary Ex Ante Transparency (VEAT) notice was published to give notice of our intention to vary the contract. There was a clerical error when publishing the VEAT which inadvertently led to the notice advising that the change was in response to extreme urgency. This was not the case and the decision was made purely on the grounds of value for money.

No subcontractor resources which are deployed under the contract are located in or have supply-chain links to jurisdictions designated by the National Cyber Security Centre as high-risk for data-security purposes.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of civil servants have working class backgrounds. \p Anna Turley: As committed in the Declaration on Government Reform and in order to better serve the public, the government must ensure it draws on the talent of people from the widest possible range of geographical, social and career backgrounds. We will make sure that citizens who have experienced disadvantages in their early lives are able to flourish in public service.

According to the Civil Service People Survey 2024, 33% of civil servants responding to the survey come from a working class background. Specifically, based on the NS-SEC index for parental occupation, 30% of respondents to the survey were from a routine background and 3% from a never worked one. To note that these figures are based on the 60% of civil servants that completed the survey in 2024.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2025, to Question 40580, on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, what is the current target date for the publication of the 2024-25 statistics by the Cabinet Office, based on the standards timelines for this dataset. \p Anna Turley: The public-sector trade union facility time data for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 was published on 27 November 2025.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Publication of Special Adviser Interests 2024-2025, published in 17 July 2025, what shareholdings Varun Chandra has declared. \p Anna Turley: There is an established system in place for the declaration and management of special advisers' interests. As has been the case under successive administrations, interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance has been given to Departments and Arm's Length Bodies on trade union facility time for union learning representatives. \p Anna Turley: The Cabinet Office provides guidance to departments on the subject of facility time for trade union learning representatives within its facility time framework. This guidance simply outlines the statutory rights of these representatives.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, further to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, page 33, whether the external audit for ISO 14001:2015 accreditation identified any non-conformities or required actions; and if he will publish the audit’s results. \p Anna Turley: The Cabinet Office was found to have no nonconformities and no required actions. Currently, there are no plans to publish ISO14001:2015 audit results as they contain sensitive information for the building management.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) Commons Ministers, (b) Lords Ministers or (c) special advisers are eligible for any form of salary sacrifice in relation to additional voluntary contributions to their pensions. \p Anna Turley: There is no eligibility for any form of salary sacrifice in relation to additional voluntary contributions to pensions for (a) Commons Ministers, (b) Lords Ministers, or (c) special advisers.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the recruitment process was for the new Director General of the Propriety, Ethics and Constitution Group; and whether it is a permanent promotion. \p Anna Turley: The appointment of the interim DG, Propriety and Constitution in August was a temporary promotion. A full recruitment campaign will be launched in the new year.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

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Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 74279 on Prison Officers: Social Class, whether (a) the Social Mobility Commission and (b) Office for National Statistics classifies prison officers as (i) working class or (ii) a different social-economic classification. \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 the 24th November is attached.

Letter from the National Statistician (pdf, 125.1KB)
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_349

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the contract for the One Big Thing 2024 platform and evaluation was procured; and whether Wazoku was appointed through open competition. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: Access to the Wazoku Platform for One Big Thing 2024 was provided through an existing contract between Wazoku and the Ministry of Defence (MoD). MoD had access to unlimited external licences, which they made available to the Cabinet Office for use for One Big Thing.

The evaluation was done internally in the Cabinet Office by the Joint Data Analysis Centre.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_350

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 76602 on 10 Downing Street, and further to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC 1372, 23 October 2025, if he will provide a breakdown of the expenditure, by individual item purchased and by the type of works, from public funds under the annual allowance, as set out in page 139 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 27 October 2025, Official Report, PQ 85501.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_351

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 10 October 2025 to Question 70481 on Government Communication Service: Recruitment, how much was spent on Odgers for the recruitment of the Director of the Government Communications Service. \p Anna Turley: Details of the contract award to Odgers and value are available here: Executive Search for Director of Communications - Contracts Finder
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_352

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) salary sacrifice arrangements and (b) Shared Cost Additional Voluntary Contributions are offered to members of the civil service’s (i) Alpha and (ii) Partnership scheme. \p Anna Turley: Salary sacrifice is not available in respect of member contributions to the Civil Service Pension Schemes including alpha and Partnership schemes.

Shared cost Additional Voluntary Contributions are not available to members of alpha or Partnership.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_353

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2025 to Question 75367 on Cabinet Office: Equality, which diversity networks in his Department are eligible for diversity network time. \p Anna Turley: The Cabinet Office has a number of diversity networks listed below. Currently only chairs of diversity networks are offered up to 10% of their time for network related actvities.

Diversity Networks

All Ages Network- EngAge

Carers network

Christian Network

Disability Network (ABLE)

Faith and Belief Forum

Women in Digital network

Flexible Working network

LGBT+ network

Gender Equality network

Menopause network

Neurodiversity network

Race Equality (CORE) Network

Parental Support Network

Social Mobility Network
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_354

Mike Wood:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 30 October 2025 to Question 83796 on Government Departments: Directors, which directors have left the civil service. \p Nick Thomas-Symonds: This information is not held centrally by Government Communications.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_355

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether applicants for Civil Service jobs have to declare any previous dismissals from the Civil Service as a result of misconduct or performance on their application. \p Anna Turley: The Civil Service expects all applicants to maintain the highest standards of honesty and integrity throughout the recruitment process.

Successful applicants are required to provide a complete and accurate employment history. Departments are responsible for ensuring pre-employment checks are undertaken to verify this information, which include previous employment in the Civil Service and the reasons for its cessation, including dismissals due to misconduct or performance.

Failure to provide a truthful and complete account of employment history, or the deliberate omission of material facts, may result in the withdrawal of a job offer or subsequent disciplinary action if discovered after appointment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_356

Jim McMahon:To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on legal advice for Freedom of Information requests which were first declined and subsequently provided following challenges by (a) internal review, (b) Information Commissioner ruling and (c) first tier tribunal ruling in the last 12 months. \p Chris Ward: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_357

Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Drax's sourcing from old growth forests in Canada on the UK's environmental and sustainability commitments. \p Michael Shanks: Large-scale biomass generators must comply with sustainability criteria which include wide ranging environmental protections regarding biodiversity, legal and sustainable harvesting, maintenance of forest productivity, and social criteria pertaining to indigenous land rights and worker health and safety.

We have enhanced protections under the new contract for difference which takes effect from 2027 and prohibits the use of primary material derived from primary and old growth forests. Any breaches would result in significant financial penalties for Drax and could lead to termination of the contract.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

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Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, to publish all assessments his Department has made of the implications for UK energy security of importing approximately 40% of the UK’s energy in the last five years. \p Michael Shanks: The Department and Ofgem jointly publish annual statutory security of supply reports, which provide a comprehensive assessment of the availability of secure and affordable electricity, gas and oil to meet the UK’s energy needs. These reports consider the contribution of both domestic production and imports to the UK’s overall energy security. The link to the most recent report is included below.

Statutory security of supply report: 2024 - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_359

Mr Richard Holden:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will take steps to prioritise domestic oil and gas production over imports. \p Michael Shanks: Our priority is a fair, orderly transition to homegrown clean energy to ensure energy security and protect billpayers.

Further oil and gas exploration and production licences would not meaningfully increase UK production levels, nor would they change the UK’s status as a net importer of oil and gas. The UK benefits from a secure and diverse energy system, drawing on multiple sources to reduce reliance on any single supply.

Our ‘North Sea Future Plan’ sets out how we will implement our manifesto commitments in relation to domestic oil and gas production.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_360

Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what consideration his Department has given to aligning the UK’s net zero policies with commitments to communities impacted by historical UK-linked emissions. \p Katie White: The Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan, published on 29 October, sets out how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in line with the landmark 2008 Climate Change Act. In the UK, the Government’s approach to the transition is built on the principle of fairness – for households by ensuring energy security and protecting billpayers, and for workers by ensuring decarbonisation is a route to reindustrialisation. The UK is committed to working with other countries and groups across the world to maintain momentum on climate change, and also to ensure that workers and communities globally benefit from the economic transition to net zero.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_361

Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he has taken to work with local authorities to prepare elderly social housing residents for cold temperatures. \p Martin McCluskey: The Warm Homes: Social Housing Fund (WH: SHF) (Wave 3) will upgrade a significant amount of the social housing stock below EPC C up to that standard, delivering warm homes and tackling fuel poverty. Delivery began in April 2025 and will deliver up to £1.29 billion to 143 projects across England.

Wave 3 was open to all registered providers of and charities providing social housing except the West Midlands and Greater Manchester Combined Authorities which received 13.5% of this funding through their Integrated Settlements.

The affordability crisis is the biggest issue facing this country. That is why we have acted in the Budget to take £150 of costs off people’s energy bills.  On top of this, support is available through the Warm Home Discount schemes which provide eligible low-income households across Great Britain with a further £150 off their winter energy bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_362

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, when his Department expects to reach a decision on the potential transfer of the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme reserve; and if he will publish a timeline for implementation. \p Chris McDonald: The Chancellor announced in the budget the transfer of the full reserve of £2.3bn which will increase member incomes by 41%.

Implementation is a matter for the Trustees but we understand they have put processes in place so that the first payments will be made on 23 December.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-12-02 conversation_363

Adam Jogee:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to tackle rising temperatures. \p Katie White: Tackling climate change is at the heart of this Government’s clean energy superpower mission.

On 29 October we published the Carbon Budget and Growth Delivery Plan which sets out in detail how the UK will continue to reduce emissions in a way that lowers bills and secures good jobs, in line with the Climate Change Act 2008.

With the UK contributing 1% of global emissions, collaboration with other countries is critical. That is why my Rt hon Friend the Prime Minister led the UK’s COP30 delegation and the UK pushed for the transition away from fossil fuels and deforestation that is needed to keep our goal of limiting global temperature rises to 1.5 degrees in reach.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-12-02)

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Freddie van Mierlo:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps is he taking to ensure the transition to green energy is cost efficient for (a) his department with i. transmission systems, ii. distribution systems and iii. energy sources, and (b) consumers with i. heat pumps, ii. EV chargers and iii. insulation. \p Michael Shanks: Network regulation is a matter for Ofgem, who regulates network operators through a price control process. Government supports Ofgem in developing a price control that delivers the transition to clean energy, while maximising value for money for consumers. Ofgem has a duty to protect the interests of consumers, whilst maintaining the financial stability and resilience of the transmission and distribution network operators.

As all households move towards clean heat technologies, low income and fuel poor households will need more support to enable them to make greener choices. Government is focused on incentivising moves to cleaner, affordable heating and making this attractive and easy for the public. Our Warm Homes Plan will support investment in heat pumps and other energy efficiency upgrades to help cut bills.