Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Internal Drainage Boards: FinanceDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16251More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department planned to provide to drainage boards [for the 2024-25 financial year] on (a) 1 July 2024 and (b) 20 November 2024.
Answer: Internal drainage boards (IDBs) are independent statutory public bodies that are locally funded. As a matter of course they are not funded by the Government but can apply for government grants to deliver specific outcomes. For example, funding under the g...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordCounselling and Psychiatry: VATTreasuryTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16245More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing VAT from services provided by (a) psychotherapists and (b) counsellors.
Answer: Many services provided directly or supervised by registered health professionals are exempt from VAT, meaning no VAT is charged to the final consumer. However, this relief does not apply to professionals who do not have statutory registers. The UK’s appro...
Answered 3 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordConditions of EmploymentDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 26 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 16244More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the ability of employers to contact a (a) full-time and (b) part-time employee outside of their (i) normal and (ii
Answer: The right to switch off is not part of the Employment Rights Bill. It will be delivered through a statutory Code of Practice which will be the subject of a full public consultation in due course. The consultation will give interested parties the opportuni...
Answered 4 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordPolice: Employers' ContributionsHome OfficeTabled 25 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15908More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will reimburse police forces with the cost of proposed increases to employer national insurance contributions.
Answer: The Government will fully compensate police forces for the impact of the changes to National Insurance Employer contributions.Details on the allocation of this funding will be confirmed at the provisional police settlement in mid-December.
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordVeterans: AgeMinistry of DefenceTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of veterans are over retirement age.
Answer: Census data for England and Wales in 2021 and Scotland in 2022 showed that there were approximately 1,071,000 veterans of UK Armed Forces living in Great Britain who were aged 65 years and over, the most relevant age bracket available from the Census data...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15240More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 October 2024 to Question 5742 on Civil Servants, whether his Department has a policy on recruitment to the civil service in advance of the spending review.
Answer: The Government is committed to delivering value for money for the taxpayer. In the Budget, the Chancellor announced a 2% productivity, efficiency, and savings target for all government departments. Decisions on the future size of the Civil Service will fo...
Answered 2 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordArms Length Bodies: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15239More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question HL1058 on Civil Service: Equality, whether the exemptions process applies to arm's length bodies.
Answer: Yes. As paragraph 4 of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance makes clear, the same exemptions process applies to Civil Service arm’s-length bodies, except the ALB’s Principal Accounting Officer, in consultation with the ...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Codes of PracticeTreasuryTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15238More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the compliance of the announcement of the new debt rules to the media first with section 9.1 of the Ministerial code.
Answer: The announcement on the changes made to the debt fiscal rules was made in the Budget statement on 30th October.
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Political ImpartialityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 4 October 2024 to Question 4699 on Civil Servants: Political Impartiality, whether there have been disciplinary investigations of potential breaches of political impartiality r
Answer: The information you have requested is not on a central system. Gathering this information would require input from team leaders and will incur disproportionate costs. Within the Civil Service Code and re-iterated within the DWP’s Standards of Behaviour po...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15236More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 18 September 2004 to Question 4680 on Civil Service, how many staff in the Cabinet Office have no post.
Answer: At any point in time, there is likely to be a small number of individuals who have been displaced due to restructures within their business units or, for example, have returned from a loan from another department and their role no longer exists. The exact...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record10 Downing Street: Government Art CollectionCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15230More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 8943 on 10 Downing Street: Government Art Collection, what works from the Government Art Collection with what reference numbers have been (a) added to and (b
Answer: The Government Art Collection website lists the artworks on display in Downing Street: https://artcollection.dcms.gov.uk/?s=&display=artworkonly&search_place=Downing+Street
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordSenior Civil Servants: Freedom of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15229More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) internal and (b) external guidance his Department has produced for Departments on whether Freedom of Information Act requests requesting information on senior civil servants should be disclosed.
Answer: The Cabinet Office has not issued either internal or external guidance on whether Freedom of Information Act requests requesting information on senior civil servants should be disclosed. All requests are considered on their own merits in all circumstances...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordFormer Ministers and Senior Civil Servants: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15228More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has issued guidance on the minimum length of time since leaving government a previous (a) Minister and (b) senior official can be appointed as (i) an Independent Panel Member and (ii) a Se
Answer: The Cabinet Office has not issued guidance on the composition of Advisory Assessment Panels for public appointments that is specifically in relation to ex-ministers and ex-senior officials becoming panel members. However, the Cabinet Office publishes the ...
Answered 28 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Digital Service: FujitsuDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 20 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 15227More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of its contract with Fujitsu Services Ltd for the GDS Digital Service Platforms One Login project prior to agreeing
Answer: The GOV.UK One Login programme is subject to regular scrutiny and reporting to assess and ensure project objectives have been met, including through the Government Major Projects Portfolio. The Infrastructure and Projects Authority has provided positive r...
Answered 29 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office and Prime Minister: TravelCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14976More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5291 on Cabinet Office and Prime Minister: Travel, if he publish his Department's intranet guidance.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not publish its intranet guidance for Travel policy in the public domain as it is intended for internal staff use only.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Trade Union OfficialsCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14975More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2024 to Question 5290 on Civil Servants: Trade Union Officials, whether he plans to (a) collate and (b) publish data on trade union facility time after the repeal of the Trade
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer given to PQ 5290 on 11 September 2024.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordProcurement: National SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14974More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2024 to Question 10699 on Procurement: National Security, what the topic was of the evaluation that met an exemption under the Act.
Answer: The topic of the evaluation which is currently exempt from publication is Defra’s Northern Ireland Programme.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14973More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 7 October 2024 to Question HL1058 on Civil Service: Equality, whether Departments are required to report exemptions to his Department.
Answer: Yes. Departments are required to report exemptions under the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance to the Cabinet Office.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Disclosure of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14972More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2024 to Question 12416 on Government Departments: Disclosure of Information, whether it is his policy that Government transparency data should be (a) available and (b) search
Answer: This Government is fully committed to transparency and to looking at how the range of information published can be improved and made as useful as possible.
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordRevenue and Customs: Bank ServicesTreasuryTabled 19 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14970More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what criteria HMRC awards a contract to provide it with banking services; and whether those criteria include (a) the ownership of the bank and (b) whether the Government owns shares in the bank.
Answer: The criteria HMRC uses as a contracting authority to award Government banking services are guided by the Cabinet Office Sourcing Playbook, and for clarity includes the following: Economic & Financial Standing,Security & Accessibility,Management Ac...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14901More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 October 2024 to Question 8125 on Government Departments: Staff, if he will publish an updated organogram for his Department on data.gov.uk.
Answer: We are committed to publishing an updated organogram on data.gov.uk. Work has already begun to do this.
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: SecondmentCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14769More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress he has made on implementing the recommendations on secondments in his Department’s report entitled A report by Nigel Boardman into the Development and Use of Supply Chain Finance (and associated sc
Answer: The Civil Service is committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds, to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future.Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are an important ...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordHonours: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14712More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which competitions for appointments to Independent Honours Committees have been (a) terminated without appointment and (b) re-opened since 5 July 2024; and what the cost of those competitions was.
Answer: Since 5 July 2024, competitions for appointments to the (i) Community and Voluntary Service (ii), Parliamentary and Political Service, and (iii) Diversity and Outreach (formerly called Representation and Outreach) Honours Committees were closed and reopen...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Conflict of InterestsCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14711More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's publication entitled Business Critical Models in the Cabinet Office, published on 31 October 2024, if he will publish his Department's Register of British Interests.
Answer: The Register of British Interests is a report that contains national security and commercial sensitivities. As a result, it is not released to the public, as has been longstanding practice including under the last administration.
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: AviationCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14705More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which public authorities hold information for the purposes of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 on (a) which (i) domestic and (ii) overseas flights for Prime Ministerial travel have been carbon offset and (b)
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 21 October 2024, Official Report, 8434.
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →