Written questions by Burghart.

If he will publish the framework agreement between his Department and the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACoBA) is an independent body sponsored and funded by the Cabinet Office. ACoBA is part of the ‘Independent Offices’ and shares a secretariat and Accounting Officer with the Civil Service Commission and the Office for the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Work is well advanced on a new Framework Document for the ‘Independent Offices’ which will be published in due course.

Whether framework agreements with Arm’s Length Bodies can be unilaterally changed by Departments.

As per the guidance set out by HM Treasury Framework Agreements are agreed between the department and the Arm’s Length Body jointly and then submitted to the Treasury Officer of Accounts.

Whether (a) the Cabinet Office and (b) Civil Service Pensions holds data on the salary of each civil servant.

The Cabinet Office holds data of the salary of each civil servant as at the 31st March in each year, through the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey collection.The pension scheme administrator, MyCSP, holds essential contribution, salary and other scheme data which is provided by employers monthly via an electronic monthly interface.

If he will list all formal notifications his Department has submitted to the Commissioner for Public Appointments since 4 July 2024.

Since 4 July 2024 the Cabinet Office has engaged with the Commissioner for Public Appointments to seek approval of Senior Independent Panel Members for two recruitment campaigns: the Chair of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and the Chair of the Advisory Committee on Public Appointments (ACOBA).

Whether framework agreements between his Department and Arms Length Bodies are approved by Ministers.

Ministers have direct involvement in approving the strategy, outputs and objectives of Arms Length Bodies (ALBs). This ensures that ALBs remain aligned and can effectively deliver the commitments and objectives of the government. Ministers are responsible for the appointment of the Chair and Board Members, in most circumstances, through open and fair competition. The Board, once appointed, is responsible for maintaining accountability of senior officials to Ministerial objectives.Framework Agreements are usually approved by the Principal Accounting Officer / Permanent Secretary on behalf of the department. However when revising a Framework Agreement, or establishing a new ALB, the relevant Minister will be engaged on the contents of the document.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2024 to Question 8129 on Ministers: Workplace Pensions, what the percentage employer contribution to the Parliamentary Contribution Pension Fund for the Ministerial Pension Scheme is in the 2024-25 financial year.

The exchequer contribution to the Ministerial Pension Scheme in the financial year 2024–25 is 10.5% of pay per annum.

With reference to the Government response of January 2024 to the17th Report of the House of Lords Constitution Select Committee of Session 2022/23 on Permanent Secretaries: their appointments and removal, HL 258, published on 20 October 2023, what progress he has made on updating the Senior Appointments Protocol; and if he will publish the updated Protocol.

The Senior Appointment Protocol is being updated and will be published in due course.

When he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to enact reforms to the House of Lords other than those set out in the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill.

The Government’s manifesto set out a number of commitments to reform of the House of Lords. The manifesto was clear that, as an immediate reform, it would introduce legislation to remove the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the House of Lords. The House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill has now completed its passage through the House of Commons and had its first reading in the House of Lords on 13 November 2024. This is the first step in reform of the House of Lords and it is right that the Government focuses on completing the passage of this Bill.

With reference to the letter of 30 September 2024 from the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster letter to the Senior Salaries Review Body, when the Office for Pay Review Bodies was set up.

The Office of Manpower Economics was set up in 1971. Its name was changed to the Office for the Pay Review Bodies on 1 October 2024, to reflect better the role of the organisation.

With reference to the Office for Statistics's press release entitled New partnership between statistical authorities of the UK and the EU, published on 9 October 2024, what role Ministers had in approving this arrangement; and if he will publish the text of the agreement and any associated documentation.

Article 730 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) negotiated between the UK and EU in 2021 provides that ‘Eurostat and the United Kingdom Statistics Authority may establish an arrangement that enables cooperation on relevant statistical matters’. The 2024 Lievesley Review of the UK Statistics Authority included a recommendation to prioritise the establishment and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Eurostat in line with Article 730 of the TCA. The Government’s response, led by then Minister Baroness Neville Rolfe, was to agree and stated that: ‘The Cabinet Office supports these recommendations. Given the UKSA’s international standing there should be a continued emphasis on their role as a thought leader among our international peers.’ Following the July election Cabinet Office Ministers have received progress reports on activity to deliver against this recommendation and welcome the new arrangements that are now in place. The publication of the text is a matter for the Office for National Statistics, which operates independently as a Non Ministerial Department.

How many Government procurement cards have been issued across the Civil Service.

The number of Government procurement cards issued across the Civil Service is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.

How many private secretaries each Minister in his Department has.

There are 34 members of staff, at multiple grades, who support the seven Cabinet Office ministers.

How much has been spent on (a) new furniture, backdrops and fittings in and (b) other refurbishment of the 9 Downing Street Press Briefing Room since 30 May 2024; and on what items this was spent.

No money has been spent on new furniture, backdrops, fittings or other refurbishment of the Press Briefing Room in 9 Downing Street since 30 May 2024.

Whether he plans to increase the pay bands of Permanent Secretaries.

The Government is committed to delivering value for money for the taxpayer. We will publish written evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) later this year, and will consider any recommendations from the SSRB on the remuneration of Senior Civil Servants, including Permanent Secretaries, when it reports next year.

How many civil servants (a) are members of the Alpha pension scheme, (b) are members of the Partnership pension scheme and (c) have opted out of both schemes.

As at 31 October 2024, there were 588,623 active members of the alpha pension scheme. As well as civil servants, the Civil Service Pension arrangements cover employees of certain non-Civil Service organisations, such as non-Departmental Public Bodies, if they meet the Cabinet Office policy on eligibility for entry and legislative requirements on funding. As at 30 June 2024 there were 8,748 active members of the partnership scheme. As at 31 October 2024, a total of 3,894 people had opted out and were not members of either pension scheme.

For what reason his Department's About Us web page lists the Government's priorities for 2021-22.

This page has been amended and will be updated further in due course.

Pursuant to his Answer of 17 October 2024 to Question 8846 on Further Education: VAT, if she will set out the reasons why further education colleges are unable to recover the VAT they have incurred on their expenditure.

Section 33 of the VAT Act 1994 provides a scheme that allows local authorities (LAs) and similar public bodies to refunds of VAT equal to that incurred on purchases of goods and services relating to their statutory non-business activities. The scheme was introduced to prevent VAT falling as a burden on local taxation. As funding for maintained schools is channelled via LAs, maintained schools benefit from the scheme. Section 33B, which allows academies to recover the VAT they pay, was introduced in April 2011 to ensure that academies were not disincentivised from leaving LA control.FE colleges and sixth forms are not eligible for VAT refunds as they do not fit the objectives of either Section 33 or Section 33B (protecting local taxation or encouraging academisation). Almost all sixth form colleges (the second most common type of FE college) have the choice to restructure as 16-19 academies, enabling the recovery of VAT under the refund scheme; however, many choose not to.

With reference to Item 26 on page 118, Table 5.1, of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC295, published on 30 October 2024, if she will set out the methodological difference with the monetary figures listed for RDEL compensation to public sector employers and adult social care, in Table 3.2 in the Office for Budget Responsibility's Economic and Fiscal Outlook, October 2024, CP1169.

The OBR memo line was incorrect and it has now been amended - Correction on 7 October 2024: The published Economic and fiscal outlook included an incorrect definition of the policy and its costs. We have made this correction to the highlighted cells above and detailed this correction in the Correction slip within the Economic and fiscal outlook.- to align with the published figure on page 118, Table 5.1, of the Autumn Budget 2024.

Pursuant to the answer of 6 November 2024, to Question 12294, on Employer’s Contributions: Ministry of Defence, and with reference to Item 26 on page 118, Table 5.1, of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC295, on the allowance for impact of the National Insurance Contributions on public sector organisations, whether this will include funding to mitigate the NI insurance rise for (a) GPs, (b) NHS dentists, (c) NHS-funded hospices, (d) privately-funded hospices, (e) universities, (f) further education colleges, (g) children’s care homes, (h) care homes for the elderly which have residents funded by local authorities.

The Treasury routinely uses the Office for National Statistics (ONS) classification of the public sector boundary, for example in relation to public sector spending, public sector borrowing and public sector debt.

When he plans to publish the terms of reference for Intertrade UK.

I confirmed the appointment of Baroness Foster as the chair of Intertrade UK on 19 September and work is continuing on other necessary preparatory activity. We will announce further details - including the Terms of Reference - in due course.