Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Government People GroupCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39575More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 18401 on Government People Group: Civil Service, what is the (a) remit and (b) function of the 836 staff in the Government People Group; and what the annual
Answer: The remit and function of Government People Group (GPG) is set out on gov.uk. The annual staffing cost of all Civil Servants employed by GPG is estimated to be £49.5m for 2023/24, the last full financial year for which data is available. This excludes the...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordKatharine BirbalsinghDepartment for EducationTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what date the minutes of her meeting with Katharine Birbalsingh were (a) written and (b) edited.
Answer: All Ministerial meetings related to government business have a private secretary present to take a readout of the conversation.In line with the Cabinet Office guidance on taking minutes, published under the previous administration, a readout is drafted du...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39127More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many business units are in his Department; what the names are of those business units; what their allocated full-time equivalent headcounts were for each month in 2024-25; and what their actual headcounts we
Answer: The information you requested can be found from the quarterly transparency publication on Cabinet Office structure which can be found via the following link: Organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries - data.gov.uk
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordVetting: StandardsCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39126More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what ways he plans to use funding previously allocated to the Vetting Transformation Programme to improve United Kingdom Security Vetting.
Answer: The funding for the Vetting Transformation Programme (VTP) was provided by United Kingdom Security Vetting (UKSV) customers. Prior to the closure of the VTP, investments were made in digital system enhancements, resulting in increased assurance and improv...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: SecondmentCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39125More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release on making the state more like a start up, published on 9 December 2024, what his target is for the number of secondments; and over what time period.
Answer: Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are encouraged as a means of bringing in individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of ...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39124More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14635 on Prime Minister: Official Gifts, if he will list the gifts and hospitality received by the Prime Minister within the remit of the Ministerial Code r
Answer: Any hospitality or gifts received by Ministers in their ministerial capacity is declared in accordance with the Ministerial Code. The Cabinet Office publishes details of ministers’ hospitality and gifts on a monthly basis. Hospitality and gifts received b...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39123More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of (a) 26 November 2024 to Question 14635 on Prime Minister: Official Gifts and (b) 21 January 2025 to Question 24487 on Members' Interests, where the Register of Members’ Financial Intere
Answer: Any hospitality or gifts received by Ministers in their ministerial capacity is declared in accordance with the Ministerial Code. The Cabinet Office publishes details of ministers’ hospitality and gifts on a monthly basis. Hospitality and gifts received b...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Political ImpartialityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39122More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29025 on Department for Work and Pensions: Political Impartiality, what her Department's timetable is for the conclusion of the local investigation
Answer: The DWP will not comment further on matters pertaining to individual members of staff.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: EqualityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39121More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 29146 on Department for Work and Pensions: Equality, if she will list (a) each item of expenditure on (i) specific equality and diversity training
Answer: DWP is committed to being an inclusive employer with a workforce that is representative of the communities and customers we serve. To support with these commitments, we have invested a total of £69,198 in supporting our employees with specific equality an...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordOfficial Residences: Repairs and MaintenanceCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39120More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) restoration, (b) renovation and (c) building works are currently taking place at No. (i) 10, (ii) 11 and (iii) 12 Downing Street.
Answer: A repair project is underway to preserve the integrity of this Grade 1 listed building. This followed a survey in December 2023 which indicated that work must be completed for safety reasons, with the work commencing in January 2024. Repair of exterior wi...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office and Labour Party: Data ProtectionCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39119More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has agreed a data protection agreement between the Cabinet Office and the Labour Party.
Answer: Discussions on a data protection agreement between the Cabinet Office and the Labour Party are in progress.
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Press ConferencesCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39118More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answers of 14 January and 20 February 2025 to Questions 22185 and 30473 on Prime Minister: Furniture and Prime Minister: Press Conferences, for what reason a Labour Party lectern was used at the
Answer: This was an official government event organised by officials and special advisors, as has been the case under successive administrations and in line with the relevant guidance. The lectern was loaned by the Labour Party.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: AviationCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39117More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many flights using Government (a) owned and (b) chartered planes the Prime Minister has taken in the United Kingdom since 4 July 2024.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 6 March 2025, Official Report, PQ 34453.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Corporate HospitalityCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39116More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document entitled Cabinet Office: The Rt Hon Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP Gifts - 5 July to 31 October 2024, published on 19 February 2025, on what date the Prime Minister purchased the Taylo
Answer: Gifts and hospitality declarations are made in line with guidance in the Ministerial Code.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Official HospitalityCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39115More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data entitled Rt hon. Sir Keir Starmer KCB KC MP and Rt hon. Rishi Sunak MP official charity receptions, July to September 2024, updated on 30 January 2025, if he will publish
Answer: As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record10 Downing Street: Cleaning ServicesCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39114More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when 10 Downing Street cleaners are due to strike; and whether temporary cover will be organised for the Prime Minister’s (a) offices and (b) residence during the strike action.
Answer: The PCS trade union is in dispute with ISS and G4S. As is longstanding practice, the Government does not provide an ongoing commentary on industrial disputes.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: EqualityMinistry of DefenceTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39113More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 21390 on Armed Forces: Equality, whether the previous Government commissioned a review into equality, diversity and inclusion (a) policies and (b) spending in
Answer: In February 2024 the previous Government commissioned a review into equality, diversity and inclusion policies in the Armed Forces. This review did not extend to equality, diversity and inclusion spending in the Armed Forces, and was separate to the revie...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDefence: Environment ProtectionMinistry of DefenceTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39112More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the consultation entitled UK Green Taxonomy, published on 13 November 2024, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of a green taxonomy on trends in the level of divestment in the
Answer: The proposed green taxonomy aims to promote market integrity and transparency, and mobilise further investment to help the UK achieve its sustainability goals. This Government has been clear that we see no conflict between sustainable investment and inves...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: StaffDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 19 February 2025 to Question 30700 on Department for Business and Trade: Staff, how many officials in his Department worked in roles relating to international trade in each ye
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) operates a flexible resourcing model to support for matters relating to international trade, and not every employee in scope solely supports this function, full time. DBT defines the scope of this question to be...
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal ExperimentsHome OfficeTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37318More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many animals were housed in UK (a) laboratories, (b) breeding centres and (c) universities but not used in scientific procedures in 2023; and how many animals were not used in scientific procedure
Answer: The available data in this area was most recently set out in Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023, published on 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordNHS: DrugsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 11 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 37317More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to ensure that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency uses (a) placenta-on-a-chip and (b) other modern test methods in drug testing.
Answer: In the development of new medicines, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not, itself, carry out experimental studies. Its role is to review reports of studies supplied by drug developers characterising safety and potential ...
Answered 19 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordLarge Goods Vehicles: TaxationTreasuryTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36796More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will postpone changes to taxation to double-cab pick-up trucks for 12 months.
Answer: Double Cab Pick Up vehicles (DCPUs) have been treated as goods vehicles for tax purposes, rather than cars. Following a judgement by the Court of Appeal, Double Cab Pick Ups must be treated as cars, rather than goods vehicles, for certain tax purposes, ba...
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCompanies: AuditDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36795More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring the largest (a) private and (b) public companies to publish a triennial Audit and Assurance Policy mandating them to report (i) intern
Answer: The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Governme...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic InterestDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36794More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to widen the definition of a public interest entity to include the largest companies not listed on the main London Stock Exchange.
Answer: The Government’s plans to widen the definition of a Public Interest Entity were announced in the King’s Speech.
Answered 18 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordConstruction: AuditDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 10 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 36793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps he is taking to help resolve issues around the administration of ISG; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring construction firms awarded major public infrastru
Answer: The Government announced that it would publish a draft audit reform and corporate governance bill in the King’s Speech, which is expected to include extending enhanced Public Interest Entity audit requirements to very large private companies. The Governme...
Answered 17 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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