Written questions by Edwards.

If he will take steps with Cabinet colleagues to share data between Departments on matters that affect trends in the level of the cost of living.

The Government has set out a Plan for Change, outlining our ambitious yet achievable milestones, including raising living standards in every part of the United Kingdom to ensure working people have more money in their pockets. The Government is working to ensure that public sector data is fit for purpose, trusted, ethically managed, and reused for the public good with robust safeguards for privacy, regardless of the individual departmental source. Cabinet Office ministers are actively working with ministerial colleagues in other departments to encourage data sharing to support the delivery of the Government’s Plan for Change.

What steps his Department is taking to support good mental health among civil servants.

The Civil Service provides its employees with a comprehensive range of health and wellbeing tools and policies to ensure that employees remain in work or return to work as quickly as possible following absence due to ill health. The Cabinet Office is fully committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of its civil servants, and has introduced a range of initiatives aimed at promoting good mental health. Managers within the Cabinet Office are provided with training to identify early signs of mental health issues and offer appropriate support. Cabinet Office employees also have access to a confidential employee assistance programme (EAP), which offers mental health support, including counselling services.