Written questions by Griffith.

Whether the potential use of eGates set out in the UK-EU Common Understanding will include an exemption from the upcoming EU Entry Exit system requirements for fingerprinting.

UK national travellers will be required to register in the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES). Exemptions will be in place for UK nationals who are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries or otherwise long-term resident in the EU. Implementation of the EES is a matter for the EU and its Member States, and subject to ongoing EU legislative processes.

How many notifications under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 involving foreign acquirers have been (a) received and (b) cleared unconditionally in each month since the Act came into force.

The Government publishes an annual report with details of activities under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act each financial year. This includes the number of notifications received by month, number of final notifications (acquisitions which are called in for detailed review and then cleared), and notifications received by origin of investment. Annual reports can be viewed on GOV.UK.

When the Prime Minister plans to respond to the letter of 25 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

A response will be issued in due course.

When the Prime Minister plans to respond to the letter of 13 February 2025 from the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs.

A response was issued on 19 March 2025.

How many UK nationals emigrated from the UK for long-term purposes in the (a) third and (b) fourth quarter of 2024.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 4th March is attached.

How many public contracts awarded by the Crown Commercial Service since 5 July 2024 have included mandatory commitments to publish suppliers’ (a) gender and (b) ethnicity pay gaps.

Contracts are established between the supplier and the individual contracting authority.

What proportion of procurement training for staff in his Department since 5 July 2024 has been delivered by organisations affiliated with trade unions.

Information on supplier organisations’ affiliation with trade unions is not held.

Pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 23923 on Nissan, if he will provide the schedule for the publication of ministerial transparency data on meetings.

Details of ministers’ meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK. Data for the period of July to September 2024 will be published shortly.

Whether his Department offers paternity leave to its staff from their first working day.

To be eligible for statutory paternity leave, Cabinet Office policy currently requires employees to meet a series of qualifying conditions, including the requirement to have worked continuously for the Civil Service for at least 26 weeks by the 15th week before the date the baby is due.As with any changes to employment legislation, internal policies and processes will be updated as appropriate in line with the Government’s legislation on employment rights. .

With reference to his Department’s Corporate report entitled Public Bodies 2020, published on 15 July 2021, if he will update the data on non-departmental public bodies, executive agencies and non-ministerial departments.

The last public bodies landscape, a publication showing spend and headcount data of arms length bodies, was last published for 2019/20. An updated version of this publication, covering data from 2022-23, will be published on gov.uk in due course.

If he will set out the (a) terms of reference and (b) duration of the appointment of Crawford Falconer KCMG to his Department as Second Permanent Secretary and Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser.

In accordance with the Civil Service policy for Permanent Secretary roles, the DBT Second Permanent Secretary was appointed for a period of five years (August 2017 - August 2022). The period of appointment was subsequently extended to December 2024.

What guidance he issues to the Civil Service Commission on considering the Northcote-Trevelyan principles when assessing applications for appointment made by exception.

The statutory basis for the management of the Civil Service is set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The Act requires the Civil Service Commission, which is independent of Government, to publish a set of principles to be applied for the purposes of appointing civil servants on merit on the basis of fair and open competition. The recruitment principles are published here:https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/publications/recruitment-guidance/