Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Government Bills: Impact AssessmentsLeader of the HouseTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23890More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, if she will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that all Departments publish impact assessments to Bills when they are published at first reading.
Answer: The Government is committed to ensuring Parliament has the information it needs to hold the Government to account and to understand the impact of legislation. When a bill is published the Explanatory Notes include information regarding any financial impli...
Answered 17 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: FlagsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23889More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 22 November 2024 to Question HL2411 on FCDO: Flags, how much has been spent on lighting up his Department’s buildings in relevant colours sinc
Answer: The FCDO's joint headquarters at King Charles Street in London and Abercrombie House in East Kilbride have been illuminated with coloured lighting on 3 occasions since 5 July 2024. These occasions were: in support of Southport victims (3-4 August, lit in ...
Answered 23 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: FlagsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what flags other than the Union flag will be flown from his Department's buildings in London in 2025; and on which dates each flag will be flown.
Answer: The FCDO's flag flying schedule for all our buildings at home and overseas is agreed by the Permanent Under-Secretary. The FCDO's flag flying policy is that all our buildings should fly the Union flag, as appropriate, throughout the year on working days d...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: TikTokCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23887More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14636, on Prime Minister: Tiktok, what meetings Downing Street special advisers have had with (a) senior media executives and (b) other executives from Tikt
Answer: In line with longstanding process, relevant meetings are declared in the Special Advisor transparency publications.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Members' InterestsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23886More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Register of Members' Financial Interests, on what dates he stayed in Lord Alli's accommodation since becoming Prime Minister.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the Prime Minister's entry in the Register of Members' Financial Interests.
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHonours: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23885More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, what discussions he had with the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the closure and reopening of competitions fo
Answer: The Commissioner for Public Appointment regulates appointments listed on the Order in Council. Honours Committee appointments are not listed on the Order in Council. The Order in Council was last updated in November 2023. As appointments to the Honours Co...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record10 Downing Street: Repairs and MaintenanceCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23884More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of repainting the Downing Street media room.
Answer: Information will be published in due course in the Cabinet Office’s dataset detailing expenditure above £25,000, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-spend-data.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Finance: BrexitTreasuryTabled 14 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23883More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Answer of 12 April 2024 to Question HL3689 on EU Budget: Contributions, if she will make an estimate of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on the public finances in financial years (
Answer: Since the previous response on 12 April 2024 to Question HL3689 on EU Budget Contributions, the UK has received two invoices from the EU relating to the Financial Settlement under the Withdrawal Agreement, which was agreed by the then previous government ...
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGreen BeltMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23488More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many grey belt planning applications have been submitted since 12 December 2024.
Answer: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government annually publish statistics showing the extent of England’s Green Belt, including changes resulting from land being released from, or added to, the Green Belt. These statistics can be found on gov....
Answered 6 Feb 2025
Original Parliament recordDuchy of Lancaster: Employers' ContributionsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23487More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the proposed increase in employer National Insurance contributions on the Duchy of Lancaster.
Answer: Information about the Duchy of Lancaster's accounts will be published by the Duchy in the usual way.
Answered 22 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Media Unit: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23486More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question HL2339, on Cabinet Office: TikTok, how many staff are assigned to the New Media Unit; whether it includes special advisers; and whether it is based in
Answer: The New Media Unit will initially draw expertise through departmental staff loans and will sit within the Cabinet Office with oversight from the Prime Minister's Office.
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: SlackDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether Slack is permitted as an (a) corporate and (b) non-corporate communication channel in Government.
Answer: There is no specific policy on use of Slack across Government.Slack is used by Digital, Data and Technology Professionals in Departments for cross Government communication.The Central Digital and Data Office have set out the Technology Code of Practice
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFair Work Agency: Public AppointmentsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23484More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he plans to include appointments to the Fair Work Agency in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair appointment will be classified as a significant appointment.
Answer: The Employment Rights Bill is the first stage of Fair Work Agency implementation, and we will publish further details around the establishment of the FWA in due course. We will make the FWA Chair appointment in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governa...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordSkills England: StatisticsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23483More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to lay an Official Statistics Order to designate Skills England’s statistical outputs as official statistics.
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 13th January is attached.
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record11 Downing Street: Council TaxCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23482More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Ministerial residence in 11 Downing Street pays council tax as a (a) sole or main residence, (b) single person discount and (c) second home.
Answer: The Prime Minister is allocated the flat in 11 Downing Street and personally pays full council tax.
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: DirectorsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23481More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued recent guidance on the appointment of consultant lobbyists as non-executive directors of Government Departments.
Answer: There has been no change to the guidance or rules relating to the appointment of non-executive directors of Government Departments since the General Election.
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Security AdviserCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23480More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 December 2024 to Question 20828 on the National Security Adviser, whether the new National Security Adviser (a) attends, (b) chairs and (c) otherwise participates in any Cabinet (i)
Answer: It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its committees, their attendance, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly. The appointment of special advisers is at the di...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) BillCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23479More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Secretary Letter to UK Government Ministers of 3 October 2024 on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, for what reason Ministers were told not to take part in the public deb
Answer: The Cabinet Secretary’s letter set out for Ministers the Prime Minister’s decision on the government’s approach to legislation on assisted dying. As the letter said, collective responsibility on the merits of this Bill have been set aside and the Governme...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordAdmiralty HouseCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23478More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 10698 on Ministers: Official Residences, who was allocated Admiralty House on a time limited basis.
Answer: Between 9 September 2024 and 4 November 2024 one of the flats in Admiralty House was allocated to the Secretary of State for Defence, on a limited time basis.
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordHonours: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23477More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, if he will list the assessment panel members for each of those competitions (a) before they closed and (b) after they
Answer: Pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024 to Question 14712 on Honours: Public Appointments, the assessment panel members for each of the competitions mentioned (a) before they closed and (b) after they re-opened are as follows: (i) Community and Volunta...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLord MandelsonForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23476More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish Lord Mandelson's declaration of interests as the new Ambassador to the United States.
Answer: There is an established mechanism in place for the management of interests held by all Senior Civil Servants. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. In line with guidance, the FCDO does not...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record10 Downing Street: ShopsCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23475More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any products originating from China are stocked by the 10 Downing Street gift shop.
Answer: Most suppliers of the 10 Downing Street gift shop are British companies, and many of the items are made in the UK. A very small number of items are manufactured overseas, including China. This was the case under the previous government.
Answered 16 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordInternational Criminal CourtForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23474More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he considers the International Criminal Court to be a foreign court.
Answer: The International Criminal Court (ICC) is an international court based in the Netherlands. The UK is a State Party to the Rome Statute, the international treaty which established the ICC, and is one of the founding members. The ICC Act 2001 gives effect t...
Answered 30 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: EqualityTreasuryTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23473More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Financial Conduct Authority’s consultation entitled Diversity and inclusion in the financial sector – working together to drive change, which closed on 18 December 2023, if she will recommend t
Answer: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is a non-governmental body which is independent from the Treasury. Parliament has given it broad powers to make rules for the purpose of advancing its statutory objectives. It is for the FCA to determine the next step...
Answered 20 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordEquality: Impact AssessmentsTreasuryTabled 13 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 23472More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish all internal equality impact assessments produced for measures included in the Autumn Budget 2024 and lay copies of them in the House of Commons library.
Answer: HM Treasury carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics in line with both our legal obligations and our strong commitment to breaking down barriers to opportunity.In the interests of transparency, HM Treasury...
Answered 21 Jan 2025
Original Parliament record
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