Richard Holden MP: written questions 2025
1652 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Government: PolicyCabinet OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44596More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Spring Statement 2025 on 26 March 2025, whether changes have been made to the Government’s missions’ (a) metrics and (b) methodology.
Answer: The Plan for Change set out clear and transparent milestones, and our plan to achieve them. These milestones allow the public to track our progress and hold the government to account for their delivery. There have been no changes to these milestones since...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Business and Trade: Zero Hours ContractsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44595More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department (a) employs staff and (b) uses contractors on zero hour contracts; and whether any (i) staff and (ii) contractors are paid less than the London Living Wage.
Answer: The Department for Business and Trade does not use zero hours contracts for staff or contractors. Civil Servants are employed either as Senior Civil Servants or as one of the Delegated Grades with salaries determined by the relevant pay bands. The Departm...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: AviationMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44594More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 39690 on Ministers: Aviation, how many RAF Envoy flights for Ministers have been made since 1 January 2025.
Answer: Since 1 January 2025 there have been five tasks relating to travel by Ministers on the RAF Envoy.It has been the practice of successive administrations not to publish granular information relating to the official movements of Ministers and those accompany...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMilitary Aircraft: MinistersMinistry of DefenceTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44593More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department provided helicopter journeys for Ministers from other Departments between 4 July 2024 and 31 December 2024.
Answer: No Command Support Air Transport helicopter flights were provided to Ministers from other Departments between 4 July 2024 and 31 December 2024.
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLord MandelsonForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44592More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 28503 on USA: Diplomatic Service, if he will publish that guidance on publication of declarations of interest.
Answer: Cabinet Office guidance outlines the process for declaring and resolving conflicts of interest for Senior Civil Servants. The guidance can be found on Gov.uk.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: StonewallForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44591More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 26 February 2025 to Question HL5029 on Stonewall: Arms Length Bodies and Government Departments, whether he plans to allocate funding to Stone
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's (FCDO) LGBT+ rights programme, which started in 2023 , aims to transform the lives of millions of LGBT+ people around the world. This is done by tackling systematic violence, persecution, and exclusion by...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordClient EarthForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44590More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has allocated funding to Client Earth since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Based on review of available data held centrally, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has not allocated any funds to Client Earth since July 2024.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMembers' InterestsHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44589More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 24487 on Members’ Interests, whether (a) gifts and (b) hospitality which are registered and then (i)
Answer: This is not a matter for the House of Commons Commission.The rules are set out in the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022 (HC 1083).https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordParliament: TelevisionHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44588More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, which public bodies have a live television feed to Parliament other than BBC Parliament; and what the annual cost is of such a subscription.
Answer: Other than BBC Parliament, there are no other live television feeds from public bodies to Parliament. Before migration to the internet over five years ago, the following channels from public bodies were available (in addition to BBC Parliament):Northern I...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordParliamentary Estate: ArtworksHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44587More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what (a) portraits and (b) other artwork from the Parliamentary Art Collection that were previously on display have been moved to storage since (i) the dis
Answer: 80 artworks moved from display to storage between dissolution (30 May 2024) and 4 July 2024, of which none were portraits. Since 4 July 2024, 405 artworks have moved to store, of which one was a portrait.These changes have been for a number of reasons: mo...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPolitical Parties: FinanceHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44586More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what guidance has been provided to hon. Members on whether they must declare the date that a political donation was (a) received by the linked recipient an
Answer: This is not a matter for the House of Commons Commission.The rules are set out in the Code of Conduct and the Guide to the Rules relating to the Conduct of Members, approved by the House on 12 December 2022 (HC 1083).https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordWinston Churchill: ArtworksHouse of Commons CommissionTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44585More
Question: To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether any changes have been made to the display of (a) portraits and (b) busts of Winston Churchill on the Parliamentary estate since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Items from the Parliamentary Art Collection are on display in corridors, meeting and Committee rooms as well as private offices. Since 4 July 2024, no changes have been made to the display of busts of Winston Churchill on the Parliamentary estate. In the ...
Answered 25 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSmoking: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44584More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to extend the swap to stop scheme for smoking cessation; and whether he plans to allocate ring-fenced funding for a future extension of that scheme.
Answer: The Swap to Stop scheme provides local services with vape starter kits to support smokers to quit, alongside behavioural support. The Swap to Stop scheme was launched in November 2023, and has provided local services with vape starter kits to the value of...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSmoking: Health ServicesDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44583More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding for local stop smoking services was allocated to swap to stop schemes in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024; and how much funding for local stop smoking services his Department plans to allocat
Answer: The Swap to Stop scheme provides local services with vape starter kits to support smokers to quit, alongside behavioural support. The Swap to Stop scheme was launched in November 2023, and has provided local services with vape starter kits to the value of...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLobbyingCabinet OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44582More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on whether the requirement to record informal lobbying approaches applies to special advisers.
Answer: The expectations surrounding the conduct of special advisers are outlined in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. No additional guidance has been issued by the Department to special advisers concerning the requirement to record informal lobbying appr...
Answered 22 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: DirectorsCabinet OfficeTabled 7 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44581More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 23 October 2024 to Question HL1472 on Government Department: Directors, whether the (a) No10 Appointments Unit and (b) Cabinet Office Appointments Team hold information on the number of
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not hold this information.
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Advisers: Trade Union RecognitionCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44032More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will place in the Library a copy of the request from FDA for voluntary recognition of a trade union for special advisers.
Answer: The government does not publish such information.
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEquality: Public ConsultationWomen and EqualitiesTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44027More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8801 on Equality Act 2010, whether those plans include a public consultation with each public authority in legal scope of the new duty; and whether the New
Answer: The Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty in the Equality Act 2010. The duty will require specified public bodies, when making strategic decisions, to consider actively how their decisions might help to reduce the inequalities asso...
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record9 Downing Street: Repairs and MaintenanceCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44026More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30828 on 9 Downing Street: Media, and with reference to the Cabinet Office: spend data over £25,000 - February 2025, published on 27 March 2025, whether the
Answer: The referenced entry is unrelated to the 9 Downing Street media room. The cost of these works will be published in due course in Cabinet Office transparency returns.
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44025More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, in what circumstances new public bodies do not have to meet the last resort test in the Approvals Process guidance for new Arm's Length Bodies.
Answer: An ALB needs to pass at least one of three tests: (1) it is a technical function that requires external expertise (2) it needs to be delivered with political impartiality, or (3) it needs to be delivered independently from Ministers to establish facts and...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Government: AccountabilityMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 903637More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps she is taking to ensure that local government is accountable for its decisions.
Answer: Councils are democratic institutions accountable to the communities they serve. We are strengthening that accountability through clearer expectations, stronger local scrutiny, and a renewed focus on outcomes. Together, these measures are building a more t...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: CorrespondenceCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43227More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the transparency data entitled Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and Peers, updated on 23 May 2024, for what reason there are different target response times for different Department
Answer: As outlined in the Guide to Handling Correspondence, all Government departments and agencies must aim to respond to correspondence within 20 working days. Government departments and agencies can set their own more ambitious deadlines if they want to do so...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAmbulance Services: Private Sector and Voluntary OrganisationsDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43226More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how often the NHS has made use of Private and Voluntary ambulances in the last five years; whether the NHS is planning to reduce or increase their use; and what is the estimated impact of their use
Answer: The requested information is not held. National Health Service ambulance trusts may procure support from private ambulance services during periods of peak demand to supplement the NHS’ ambulance fleet. Ambulance availability is therefore monitored on a da...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUK Defence InnovationMinistry of DefenceTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43125More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether UK Defence Innovation will be an arm’s length body.
Answer: No. UK Defence Innovation will report to the National Armaments Director in the Ministry of Defence, as part of the new operating model being established through Defence Reform.
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RedundancyCabinet OfficeTabled 1 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43124More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants exits will be funded by the £150 million government employee exit schemes; and whether this will include civil service compensation scheme payments for (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory ex
Answer: The Cabinet Office and HM Treasury are working together to determine how best this investment can be used by departments to support their individual exit schemes, the terms of which will vary from organisation to organisation.
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record
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