Every parliamentary written question tabled by Charlie Dewhirst this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 221–240 of 259 · Cabinet Office
Whether the new Cabinet Secretary has recused himself from any policy areas.
Any relevant outside interests for the new Cabinet Secretary will be published in the usual way.The Cabinet Secretary has previously recused himself from aspects related to Infected Blood issues and this remains the case in his current role.
What steps his Department has taken to safeguard British semiconductor firms from hostile foreign involvement; and how many transactions in that sector have been referred to his Department under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 since 5 July 2024.
The National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 gives the Government powers to scrutinise and potentially intervene in acquisitions of control over entities and assets in or linked to the UK that may pose national security risks. All areas of the economy are within scope, and qualifying acquisitions of entities in 17 areas of the economy - of which semiconductors are typically covered by both the Advanced Materials and Computing Hardware areas - must be notified to and receive approval from the Government. The Government publishes annual reports to provide information about the transactions that it has been notified about and those it subsequently called in for a national security assessment. The period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will be covered in the next annual report, which will be published later this year.
With reference to paragraph 60 of the Government response to the 17th Report of Session 2022-23 of the House of Lords Constitution Committee, Permanent Secretaries: their appointment and removal, HL 258, published on 20 October 2023, what recent progress his Department has made on preparing guidance on best practice; whether that guidance will apply to civil servants in the devolved administrations on areas relating to reserved matters; and when he plans to publish that guidance.
I refer to the answer to PQ 14099.
Whether agreement is required from a Minister in his Department before departments employ recruitment consultants for use in public appointment campaigns.
The Governance Code on Public Appointments sets out the process for departments to follow when considering the use of recruitment consultants for public appointment campaigns.The Governance Code requires departments to seek ministerial agreement on the use of recruitment consultants. It also requires the Cabinet Office to be consulted.
With reference to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question HL2210 on Government Departments: Communication, which communications campaigns have been (a) downsized and (b) ended following the review.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer provided by HMT to Question 20957 on 10 January 2025.
Who are the members of the Civil Service Board; how often does it meet; and where does it meet.
The members of the Civil Service Board are listed on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-service/about/our-governance The Civil Service Board meets approximately 10 times per year. Meetings are generally held at 70 Whitehall, London and virtually.
How many transactions have been blocked under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 since 5 July 2024; and which transactions were blocked.
The Government publishes notices of final orders made on GOV.UK - this includes cases that are blocked, unwound, or cleared subject to conditions. The Government also publishes annual reports to provide information about the transactions that it has been notified about and those it subsequently called in for a national security assessment. The NSI Annual Report 2023-24 was published on 10 September 2024 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-security-and-investment-act-2021-annual-report-2023-24. The period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will be covered in the next annual report, which will be published later this year.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2024 to Question 15229 on Senior Civil Servants: Freedom of Information, what best practice guidance does the (a) Cabinet Office FOI Clearing House Internal Review and (b) its successor provide to departments on the level of seniority at which information on civil servants should normally be disclosed in response to FOI requests.
The Cabinet Office has not issued either internal or external guidance on whether Freedom of Information Act requests requesting information on senior civil servants should be disclosed. All requests are considered on their own merits in all circumstances.
How many special advisers have affiliated to the First Division Association; and whether special advisers are a collective bargaining unit.
Details of Trade Union memberships are not held by Civil Service employers. I refer to PQ 5303, which confirmed that there are currently no collective bargaining agreements for Special Advisers.
Pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024, to Question 5280, on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, if he will list each of the (a) job titles and (b) associated unit of the Senior Civil Service roles that were not open to external candidates.
I refer the honourable member to the answer provided on 11 November. We are unable to provide a more detailed breakdown without individuals potentially being identifiable.
Who provided the lectern used by the Prime Minister for his press conference at Pinewood Studios on 5 December 2024.
The lectern was loaned by the Labour Party.
With reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed Great British Energy against the requirement that the creation of a new ALB should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the three tests in Chapter 2 of that guidance Great British Energy met.
The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is working through the approval process, in parallel with the passing of the Great British Energy Bill, to establish Great British Energy (GBE).
Pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 15193 on Ministers: Code of Practice, for what reason the Prime Minister included the previously removed duty for ministers to comply with international law in the new Ministerial Code.
The reference has been reinserted into the Ministerial Code to provide clarity. This does not place any new duties on ministers; it brings together duties which exist elsewhere.
How many of the reviews by Departments of public bodies in the financial year 2023/24 as part of the Public Bodies Review Programme (a) have been completed, (b) remain outstanding and (c) have been abandoned.
Of the 50 public body reviews planned for 2023/24, 34 were completed. Nine remain in progress and seven are currently paused as the team progresses other work to deliver value for money.
How many staff work in the mission delivery unit; and what its (a) function and (b) remit is.
The Mission Delivery Unit has c 30 FTE. The core purpose of the Mission Delivery Unit is to advise the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on the delivery of the five Missions.
How much his Department has spent on carbon offsetting for Ministerial travel since 5 July 2024.
As was the case under the previous administration, the Cabinet Office does not offset business travel, choosing to reduce rather than offset carbon emissions. However, official Prime Ministerial flights are carbon offset as part of the contractual arrangement for the GBNI flight.
With reference to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's web page entitled Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: spending over £0, published on 10 October 2024, if he will publish a corresponding copy of the spending by his Department on (a) electronic purchasing cards and (b) Government procurement cards over £0 for August 2024 broken down by (i) expense type, (ii) supplier, (iii) item text, (iv) merchant category, (v) amount and (vi) date.
The guiding policy setting out the requirement to only publish GPC transactions over £500 remains in place. Guidance is available to all government departments on gov.uk at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e8b402686650c18ce2cb541/Procurement_Cards_-_Pan_Government_Policy_V4_06042020.pdfIn support of the Government’s Transparency agenda, the Cabinet Office publishes GPC spend data over £500 on gov.uk.
How many Civil Service fast stream applicants self-declared a disability in each year for which figures are available.
The Fast Stream campaign data, including data pertaining to applicants with disabilities, is published annually and available on gov.uk.
Whether he has issued guidance to Cabinet colleagues on engagement with the 48 Group.
No guidance has been issued on engagement with the 48 Group specifically. The Cabinet Office routinely assesses information pertaining to external bodies and groups to guide Ministerial engagement.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8637 on Cabinet Office: Vacancies, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the length of the application window on the effectiveness the recruitment process.
The vacancy adhered to the Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles, which state: “the time allowed for advertising must be suitable for attracting a sufficiently strong and diverse field of applicants, taking account of the nature of the role and the relevant job market.”