Richard Holden MP: written questions 2025
1652 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Intelligence Services: Unpaid WorkCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40581More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 25851 on Intelligence Services: Unpaid Work, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the eligibility criteria for the 2025 M15 and SIS internship sche
Answer: In recent years, UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) has run a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC to individuals who have particular skills and expertise, want to work in a ...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordTrade Union Officials: Facilities AgreementsCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40580More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29026 on Trade Union Officials: Facilities Agreements, what his planned timetable is for publishing facility time data for 2024-25; and what month will be u
Answer: Self-reported public-sector trade union facility time data, collected under the Facility Time Regulations, will be published in line with our standard timelines for this data set and the timelines under the previous administration.The Trade Union (Facilit...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40579More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21403 on Cabinet Office: Pay, what the monetary gross paybill is, excluding pension contributions and National Insurance in aggregate for staff in the (a) Wom
Answer: The salaries of the Senior Civil Servants responsible for the Women’s Equality Unit, Race Disparity Unit and Disability Unit and salary cost of their reports was published in January as part of Cabinet Office transparency reporting and can be found under ...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign Investment in UK: National SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40578More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps has his Department taken to improve the speed of reviews conducted under the powers of the National Security and Investment Act since 5 July 2024.
Answer: The Government always seeks to conclude reviews under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act as swiftly as possible. Reviews under the NSI Act are subject to statutory timelines. The Act is also kept under regular review to ensure it is operating...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordDelivery UnitCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40577More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 25671 on Delivery Unit, on what dates each of the stocktakes have taken place.
Answer: I refer the honourable gentlemen to the answer given to PQ25671.
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40576More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will provide details of (a) gifts, (b) donations, (c) donations in kind and (d) hospitality that Ministers in the Department including Downing Street, have accepted that have since been paid back to the or
Answer: All gifts and hospitality that are received in a ministerial capacity are declared on the Register of Ministers’ Gifts and Hospitality in line with ministers’ obligations under the Ministerial Code.The Parliamentary codes of conduct are a matter for Parli...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordIndustrial Disputes: National SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40575More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025 to Question 29005 on Risk Assessment, whether the National Security Risk Assessment on industrial action has changed in light of the expected (a) repeal of the Trade Un
Answer: All risks in the internal, classified National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) are kept under review to ensure that they are the most appropriate scenarios to inform emergency preparedness and resilience activity and to reflect the risk landscape. The Nat...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40574More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether staff are permitted to hold more than one government pass with different (a) names, (b) photographs and (c) genders.
Answer: Civil Servants are only allowed to hold 1 Government Pass (Common Civil Service Pass or GovPass) at any time. In 2020, under the previous administration, an exemption was introduced, which allows for individuals to apply for a second pass to reflect their...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordAlex ChisholmCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40573More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date Sir Alex Chisholm was given permission by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments to take up a role with Boston Consulting Group.
Answer: Sir Alex Chisholm was provided with his final advice from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on 30 October 2024. The advice was published on ACOBA’s page on GOV.UK on 12 March 2025, and is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHMS AchillesMinistry of DefenceTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2025 to Question 28586 on HMS Achilles, for what reason the Committee chose to recommend to the Sovereign the name of HMS Achilles.
Answer: The name HMS Achilles was considered in light of the forthcoming VE and VJ Day anniversaries and given its WWII battle honours at the River Plate and Okinawa. The name also has a very fine heritage outside of WWII, having been borne by six ships previousl...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament record10 Downing Street: ShopsCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40571More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 6 February 2025 to Question 27913 on 10 Downing Street: Shops, whether the goods manufactured in China and sold in the Downing Street Gift Shop are produced in Xinjiang.
Answer: None of the products sold in the Downing Street gift shop are produced in Xinjiang.
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: AviationCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40570More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) Cabinet Office Commercial team and (b) any other public body holds information on which Ministers and officials have used the Commercial Air Transport Contract to have helicopter travel provided;
Answer: The Cabinet Office Commercial team is responsible for managing and operating the Central Cabinet Office Corporate Travel Agency Contract, which includes provisions for the booking of aviation assets. This contract has not been used for helicopter travel b...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Services: Arms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40552More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the document entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, published on 15 March 2018, and in the context of the proposed abolition of NHS England, whether his Dep
Answer: It is for the relevant Minister to decide if policy within their portfolio should be delivered through the creation of a new public body. Departments seeking to establish an Arm’s Length Bodies must submit three business cases as part of the approval pro...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: CorrespondenceCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40551More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has responded to correspondence from Baroness Carr following Prime Minister’s Questions on 12 February 2025.
Answer: The Lord Chancellor issued a response on 19 February 2025.
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Public ExpenditureCabinet OfficeTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40549More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportionate reduction in spending will be required in each (a) Department and (b) arm’s length bodies in (i) 2024-25, (ii) 2025-26, and (iii) 2026-27.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not hold details about the spending plans of other government departments. Plans can be found in HM Treasury’s Estimate publications and fiscal statement documentation. Departments, including the Cabinet Office, publish forward pla...
Answered 10 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCrown Commercial Service and Government Property Agency: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39591More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) Government Property Agency and (b) Crown Commercial Service plan to recognise any diversity and inclusion (a) days and (b) weeks in 2025.
Answer: As in previous years, the Government Property Agency and the Crown Commercial Service engage with staff networks and other relevant stakeholders on any plans for diversity and inclusion days.
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordMigrationCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39590More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 December 2024 to Question 19065 on Migration, what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of levels of net migration in each year between 2024-25 and 2029-30; and how t
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 19th March is attached.
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39589More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate the Office for National Statistics has made of the change in headcount of the public sector since June 2024.
Answer: Employment in the public sector was estimated at 6.14 million in December 2024. This is an increase of 50,000 (0.8%) since June 2024. This trend is due in part to the conversion of some local authority schools (classified in local government) becoming aca...
Answered 27 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPermanent Secretaries: Dismissal and RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39588More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14099 on Permanent Secretaries: Recruitment, what his planned timetable is for the implementation of those recommendations.
Answer: I refer the honourable gentleman to my previous response for PQ 14099.
Answered 26 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordIndependent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and Propriety and Constitution Group: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39587More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 24882 on Tulip Siddiq, how many staff work in the (a) Independent Adviser’s secretariat and (b) Propriety and Ethics directorate excluding that secretariat.
Answer: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer of 17 September 2024 (UIN 4672), which sets out the responsibilities of the Propriety and Ethics Directorate. There are currently 20.47 FTE working on propriety and ethics functions within the directorate. With...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: TrainingCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39586More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21391 on Cabinet Office: Christmas, if he will publish the guidance on away days, staff days and celebrations.
Answer: An internal awayday, staff days and celebrations policy was introduced in September 2023, under the previous administration. The previous administration did not publish this policy externally, and as with many internal staff policies, there are no current...
Answered 28 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39585More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 21066, how many full time equivalent staff work in each of those established business units.
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 recordCivil Servants: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39584More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average salary cost of a civil servant was in each year between 2009 and 2024.
Answer: Information on both the mean and median salary of civil servants is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics. The annual publications from 2006 to 2024 with accompanying data tables containing mean and median salary measures can be found at ...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39583More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 7344 on Civil Servants: Pay, what the estimated salary cost for 2025 was projected to be in (a) March 2025 and (b) June 2024.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not routinely produce salary cost projections for future years across the Civil Service. Pay and reward matters are delegated to individual departments for grades below the Senior Civil Service. The Prime Minister has announced tha...
Answered 25 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 19 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39582More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 24247 on Public Appointments, on how many occasions Ministers have rejected Advisory Assessment Panel advice and asked that a competition is re-run since 5 J
Answer: The public appointments digital system, run by the Cabinet Office, enables departments to effectively and consistently manage their public appointment campaigns. It shows the current stage of a campaign and the outcome when completed. However, the system ...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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