Richard Holden MP: written questions 2024
322 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Civil 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 recordRemuneration CommitteeCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14704More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his letter to the Chair of the Senior Salaries Review Body, published on 30 September 2024, who the members of the Government Commercial Organisation Remuneration Committee are.
Answer: Members of the Remuneration Committee are: two Non-Executive members (including the Chair), the Government Chief Commercial Officer, and two independent members comprising a senior Cabinet Office HR representative and a HM Treasury representative.
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: SecondmentCabinet OfficeTabled 18 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14703More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 15 June 2023 to Question 188973 on Civil Servants: Secondment, whether he has taken steps to increase the data available.
Answer: Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are a key route to bring essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing ...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordKnives: SalesHome OfficeTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14485More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent the sale of dangerous knives online.
Answer: The Government is committed to strengthening the law around online sales which is why a rapid review is being conducted into the online sale and delivery of knives and how controls can be strengthened. The review is being taken forward by Commander Stephe...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: ProcurementCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14484More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 11029 on Government Departments: Procurement, what the criteria will be for including a foreign company on the debarment list.
Answer: The Procurement Act 2023 does not differentiate between domestic and foreign suppliers . For any supplier to be added to the debarment list, a minister of the crown must be satisfied that the supplier is either an excluded or excludable supplier (as defin...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14483More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether his Department has issued guidance to other departments on using AI to (a) read and (b) analyse responses to government consultations.
Answer: The digital centre of government within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, has been established to bring together central digital, data, technology and AI teams and act as a catalyst for technology adoption and service transformation a...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordLobbying: Disclosure of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14482More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued to other departments on the circumstances in which consultant lobbying firms attending (a) meetings and (b) hospitality must be declared on ministerial transparency return
Answer: Guidance on ministers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK at https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.pdfDepartments are required to publish details of ministerial meetings...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14480More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's transparency data entitled DWP and CMG: spending over £500, August 2024, published on 24 October 2024, for what reason her Department spent (a) £1,249 at John Lewis, (
Answer: All these transactions would fall into the ‘Barrier Spend’ Category which is where the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) should be considered to remove barriers that are; preventing claimants from moving closer to the job market, hindering a claimant’s search f...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Work and Pensions: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department's transparency data entitled DWP and CMG: spending over £500, July 2024, published on 3 September 2024, for what reason her Department spent (a) £533 at Back Market, (b)
Answer: All these transactions would fall into the ‘Barrier Spend’ Category which is where the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) should be considered to remove barriers that are a) preventing claimants from moving closer to the job market, b) hindering a claimant’s sea...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGeneral Practitioners: Closures and MergersDepartment of Health and Social CareTabled 15 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14471More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has statutory powers to prevent the (a) merger and (b) closure of GP services.
Answer: The Health and Care Act 2022 included new powers in the National Health Service Act 2006, giving my Rt. Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, increased oversight of, and the option for earlier involvement in reconfiguration of se...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinisters and Special Advisers: MeetingsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14355More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department issues guidance to Department's on the publication of meetings attended by (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers.
Answer: Guidance on ministers’ and special advisers’ transparency returns is published on GOV.UK.Ministers’ transparency guidance is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6604110bf9ab41001aeea39c/2024_04_02-Ministers-Transparency-Guidance.p...
Answered 19 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: PayCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14354More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost was of civil service pay (a) including and (b) excluding National Insurance employer contributions in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not hold actual outturn payroll costs for all Civil Service departments and organisations. However, the estimated total snapshot paybill cost as at the 31st March 2024 is £28.1bn. This includes salary costs, in year and end of year...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14353More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the Civil Service of proposed changes to (a) statutory rights for trade union equality representatives and (b) facility time and associated office facilities
Answer: The Employment Rights Bill is a significant step towards ensuring workplace rights are fit for a modern economy and aims to strengthen the work of unions and union representatives in the workplace and support growth. The Government published impact assess...
Answered 27 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: X CorpCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14352More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Government's policy is on paying for advertising on X.
Answer: The Government uses a range of channels to reach and engage the public. Any use of these platforms is assessed against the high standards for digital safety set out in the Government Communication Service (GCS) SAFE framework.
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordMinisterial PowersTreasuryTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14351More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether any ministerial directions have been issued since 6 July 2024.
Answer: Details of all published Ministerial Directions can be found on the GOV.UK website [1] .There have been no Ministerial directions published since 6 July 2024.Information on confidential Ministerial Directions is not published. As set out in Managing Publi...
Answered 22 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: Business InterestsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14350More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether declarations of interest by (a) special advisers, (b) direct ministerial appointments, (c) non-executive directors and (d) other public appointments are published on a public Register of Interests.
Answer: With regards to publication of special adviser interests, I direct the Rt Hon member to PQ5030.For departmental non-executive directors, individual boards publish all relevant interests of individual board membersDeclarations of interest for public appoin...
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic Appointments: Business InterestsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14349More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether (a) direct ministerial appointments and (b) public appointments are required to declare interests.
Answer: Prospective appointees to both public appointment and direct ministerial appointment roles are required to make a declaration of any potential conflicts of interests with the role and activities they are being asked to undertake.
Answered 25 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordGovernment Bills: Impact AssessmentsDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14348More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent guidance his Department has provided on when Departments should publish a regulatory impact assessment when bringing forward a Bill to Parliament.
Answer: The general requirement for departments to make available the final impact assessment of a government bill introduced to Parliament is set out in the Guide to Making Legislation, published by the Cabinet Office, and affirmed in the Better Regulation Frame...
Answered 21 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Business InterestsCabinet OfficeTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14347More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether former civil servants are required to make a business appointment rules application to undertake (a) temporary and (b) one-off items of work during the regulated period after their departure from Crown e
Answer: Civil servants at SCS payband 2 and below only have to make business appointment rules applications if their proposed role meets one of the seven triggers set out in the Rules. Civil servants at ACOBA level (SCS payband 3 and above) have to make an applic...
Answered 26 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordOffice for Equality and Opportunity: MarriageWomen and EqualitiesTabled 14 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14346More
Question: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what role the Office for Equality and Opportunity has in informing Government policy on marriage.
Answer: The Office for Equality and Opportunity’s role in informing Government policy on marriage relates to equality and discrimination, as it is responsible for the protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010, which include marriage and civil partners...
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordParking: Pedestrian AreasDepartment for TransportTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14069More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help tackle pavement parking.
Answer: In 2020, the Department undertook a public consultation on options for changing the way pavement parking is managed outside London. Our plan is to publish a formal response to the consultation, summarising the views received and announcing the Government...
Answered 18 Nov 2024
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector: LogosCabinet OfficeTabled 13 Nov 2024AnsweredUIN 14068More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that public sector bodies use the King's cypher rather than Queen Elizabeth II’s cypher.
Answer: The Cabinet Office, in collaboration with the Royal Household and the College of Arms, has developed and issued guidance on the use of all state symbols, including the royal cypher.This guidance is intended for use by the entire public sector.
Answered 20 Nov 2024
Original Parliament record
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