Richard Holden MP: written questions 2025
1652 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Defence: ProcurementTreasuryTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65149More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she is taking steps to help ensure that SME firms with defence contracts are not de-banked by financial institutions.
Answer: The government recognises that access to banking services is vital for people and businesses across the UK. It is this government's firm position that no firm should be denied access to banking services solely on the grounds they work in defence. The upco...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordBank Notes: DesignTreasuryTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65148More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether her Department is (a) (i) represented on and (ii) consulted by and (b) able to veto the decisions of the Bank of England's Banknote Character Advisory Committee.
Answer: The roles and responsibilities for the production and issuance of banknotes are detailed in the Currency and Bank Notes Act 1954 and the 2025 Memorandum of Understanding on the financial relationship between HM Treasury and the Bank of England. The Bank o...
Answered 14 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: Northern IrelandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65049More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the licensing and regulation of animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Answer: Animal welfare is a devolved matter in the UK. This means that responsibility for animal welfare policy in the individual nations is the responsibility of the relevant nations’ Ministers. However, Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a ran...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: WalesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65048More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on the licensing and regulation of animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Answer: Animal welfare is a devolved matter in the UK. This means that responsibility for animal welfare policy in the individual nations is the responsibility of the relevant nations’ Ministers. However, Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a ran...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: ScotlandDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65047More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the licensing and regulation of animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Answer: Animal welfare is a devolved matter in the UK. This means that responsibility for animal welfare policy in the individual nations is the responsibility of the relevant nations’ Ministers. However, Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a ran...
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Official HospitalityCabinet OfficeTabled 4 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 65044More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of the attendees at the Plan for Change launch event on 5 December 2024 were invited by the Government.
Answer: All invitations were sent by the Government.
Answered 23 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordNational Security Adviser: MeetingsCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64919More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will require the National Security Adviser to publish details of meetings with external organisations other than senior media executives.
Answer: As a special adviser, the National Security Adviser is bound by the transparency obligations set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Answered 7 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLiving Wage and Minimum Wage: PublicityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64918More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62768 on Pay: Publicity, what the aggregate value was of the payments to the six digital influencers; and if he will name those influencers.
Answer: Influencer marketing is a credible paid communications channel, which is considered for government advertising campaigns and can be an effective way in reaching audiences that the Government and traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.We used th...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordStamp Advisory CommitteeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64917More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2025 to Question 62346 on Postage Stamps, whether his Department hold copies of the (a) agenda (b) minutes and (c) papers of the Royal Mail’s stamp advisory committee.
Answer: The Stamp Advisory Committee advises Royal Mail on future stamp designs. The Postal Museum’s online catalogue lists copies of Stamp Advisory Committee minutes which are available to the public for research in line with Royal Mail’s retention policy.
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLoneliness: Health EducationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64916More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of the communications campaign entitled, Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness, on mental health outcomes.
Answer: Whilst the Better Health - Every Mind Matters: Loneliness campaign is no longer running, information, advice and signposts to organisations which can support people experiencing loneliness remains available on the Better Health – Every Mind Matters websit...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: BureaucracyCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64835More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 1.24 of the Review Body on Senior Salaries publication Forty-seventh annual report on senior salaries published in May 2025, what steps the Government is taking to reduce excessive (a
Answer: This Government is committed to creating a productive and agile state. This includes reducing bureaucracy and simplifying processes through adoption of digital technology and AI tools, improving Ministerial oversight and accountability in arms-length bodi...
Answered 13 Aug 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Trade UnionsCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64834More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance has been given to Cabinet ministers by the (a) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (b) Cabinet Office on whether Ministers who personally receive donations from trade unions (i) must a
Answer: As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. A...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSchool Support Staff Negotiating Body: Public AppointmentsDepartment for EducationTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64833More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether appointments to the School Support Staff Negotiating Body will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the chair appointment will be classified as a Significant Appointment.
Answer: The Chair of the School Support Staff Negotiating Body will be appointed in line with normal practice and the Governance Code on Public Appointments with guidance from the department’s Public Appointments Team.
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordKing Charles III: ArtworksCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64832More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme, published on 28 November 2024, what the percentage take-up rate was for (a) UK Government depa
Answer: His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up was published on g...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: LocationCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64831More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54760 on Civil Servants: London, whether he plans to require any civil servants based in London to compulsorily relocate as part of the Places for Growth scheme.
Answer: London-based civil servants will not be required to compulsorily relocate as part of Places for Growth. Role relocations will occur predominantly through churn and some London-based civil servants may choose to voluntarily relocate.
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64830More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54820 on Civil Service: Equality, if he will make it his policy to (a) publish the new network guidance on gov.uk and (b) place it in the House of Commons Librar
Answer: Guidance for Civil Service Staff Networks is in development. This will be internal guidance which is not usually published.
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64829More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54280 on Civil Servants: Pay, whether civil servants in her Department that are relocated outside of London will have their pay reduced; and whether civil servan
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer on 3 July (PQ 63008). The Cabinet Office does not have London Weighting. There are separate London and National pay ranges. If an employee relocates from a London to National location on a voluntary basis, their sal...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCentral Government: Empty PropertyCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64828More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2025 to Question 53204 on Central Government: Empty Property, whether the InSite database is accessible to the public.
Answer: The InSite database is an internal government system and is not accessible to the public. While the data held in InSite informs public outputs such as official reports, the platform itself is not publicly available due to data protection, security, and op...
Answered 11 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: DirectorsCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64827More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54822 on Cabinet Office: Directors, whether Baroness Casey will be a member of the Cabinet Office Board.
Answer: I refer the Hon. member to PQ 54822.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: TrainingCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64826More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54828 on Civil Servants: Training, if he will publish the full training (a) documentation and (b) modules prepared for the course.
Answer: It is not possible to share these products as they are interactive e-learning and videos that need to run on learning management systems. We would not publish learning content or materials themselves, as they might contain internal policy details, or inte...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordSenior Civil Servants: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64571More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse for Senior Civil Service pay in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.
Answer: The latest paybill information for the Senior Civil Service can be found in the 2025/26 annual report by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordResearch: DatabasesDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64570More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether board appointments to the National Data Library will be included in the Public Appointments Order in Council; and whether the chair for the National Data Library will be classif
Answer: The National Data Library remains under policy development. Any public appointments related to the National Data Library would follow due processes and be subject to the Governance Code for Public Appointments.
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record9 Downing Street: Repairs and MaintenanceCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64569More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49382 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the relevant narrative entry in the transparency data will show which OCS invoice relates to the refu
Answer: The Government Property Agency is awaiting OCS' submission of an application for payment for the costs for the 9DS Media Suite.
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordData, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent ReviewCabinet OfficeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64568More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 53901 on Data, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent Review, how the UK Statistics Authority plans to inform (a) Parliament and (b) the public of
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 2nd July is attached.
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordLiving Wage and Minimum Wage: PublicityDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 2 Jul 2025AnsweredUIN 64567More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54274 on Government Departments: Publicity, if he will publish the spending control business case and approval for the 2025 National Minimum Wage and N
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28th May 2025 to question 52688 (Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament).
Answered 10 Jul 2025
Original Parliament record
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