Written questions by Wood.

If he will publish (a) Government People Group and (b) his Department's guidance on staff working compressed hours.

The government does not publish internal documents.

What guidance his Department has issued on pension forfeiture in relation to (a) Civil Service and (b) Ministerial pensions.

Guidance on the forfeiture process for the Civil Service Pension Scheme is provided on the scheme website within the Employer Pension Guide.No guidance has been issued on forfeiture for the Ministerial Pension Scheme.

Whether Civil Service Compensation Scheme severance payments to departing Cabinet Secretaries are pensionable.

The terms of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme (CSCS) are the same for all employees regardless of grade. Compensation payments made under the CSCS are non pensionable.

Whether Tim Allan’s special adviser declaration of interests will be listed in the next annual special adviser report.

As has been the case under successive administrations, the interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office.

With reference to his speech entitled Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether training delivered under Learning Frameworks 2.0 will cease to be procured from external suppliers.

Many of the Civil Service’s training needs can be delivered in-house, by civil servants. However, it is important to note that the Civil Service will always want to bring in expert knowledge, insight and learning from outside the Civil Service to ensure that civil servants have the right technical knowledge and skills.The National School of Government and Public Services will deliver more training in house - especially for leadership and management, and core skills. Over the course of the next three years, Government Skills will increase the focus on in-house delivery where it is sensible to do so and, by April 2029, we will have moved to a new delivery model where we work directly with more suppliers.Over this three year period, the Cabinet Office will use the Learning Frameworks 2.0 contracts to deliver training services to the Civil Service whilst the infrastructure needed by the National School of Government and Public Services is established.

Whether applicants for civil service roles self-certify their ethnicity.

Yes. Candidates may self-certify their ethnicity when applying for Civil Service roles, though it is optional and is not included in decision making regarding appointments.

With reference to his speech Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, by what mechanism Ministers will set KPIs for the Senior Civil Service; and whether those KPIs will be issued in writing.

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

With reference to his speech entitled Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether KPIs set by Ministers will be subject to consistency checks by his Department.

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

With reference to his speech entitled Move fast. Fix things, delivered on 20 January 2026, whether Ministers will have the authority to amend KPIs during a performance year.

The Cabinet Secretary is introducing a new accountability and performance framework for Permanent Secretaries, designed to focus on delivering the Prime Minister's priorities and holding people to account for doing so. As part of this, objectives for Permanent Secretaries, underpinned by clear KPIs and expectations, will be agreed with Secretaries of State and reviewed regularly throughout the year. All SCS performance outcomes will be subject to Cabinet Office consistency checking.

Whether he plans to ask the Government Communication Service to amend its 2025 Branding Guidelines in relation to advice on Devolved Nations.

An immediate update is not scheduled. When the routine review and update is next conducted, all applicable sections could be subject to revision.

What guidance the Propriety and Ethics Team has issued to Departments on accepting hospitality from consultant lobbyist firms.

The Ministerial Code sets out the principles ministers must consider when deciding whether to accept hospitality.

What steps he is taking to improve the delivery confidence assessment by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority of the Falcon programme.

The Cabinet Office continues to receive support from the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority for the Falcon Programme. All key recommendations from the review have been addressed including:Appointing a new Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) supported by an experienced Programme Director.Additional specialist resources have been deployed including an experienced programme planner and a comprehensive plan has been produced.

Pursuant to the answer of 7 January 2025 to Question 21399 on Cabinet Office: Staff, how many headcount staff work in the EU Relations Secretariat as of 20 February 2026; and how many are EU citizens.

As of February 2026, there are around 80 members of staff in the EU Relations Secretariat. A detailed breakdown for the structure for the European Relations Secretariat is available as part of the Cabinet Office organogram of Staff Roles & Salaries on gov.uk. Data is not held regarding the citizenships of staff members, however, data on the wider Civil Service, including on nationality, is published regularly on gov.uk.

With reference to the publication, Expenditure Over £25,000 - December 2025 (Cabinet Office Core), of 29 January 2026, what the purpose was of the £40 million payment to Cabinet Office entitled ROCE Dividend.

The £40 million relates to the dividend that the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) pays to the Cabinet Office (CO) as detailed in CCS's Annual Report and Accounts.

What steps he is taking to improve the delivery confidence assessment by the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority of the Transforming Public Procurement programme.

The delivery confidence assessment of the Transforming Public Procurement programme is rated “Green”, which demonstrates high confidence for delivery already. Information on delivery confidence assessments is available in the National Infrastructure and Service Transformation Authority’s Annual Report for 2024-25 which is published on gov.uk.

With reference to the publication, Expenditure Over £25,000 - December 2025 (Cabinet Office Core), of 29 January 2026, what the purpose was of the payments to Accenture UK Ltd under the heading GCS New Media Unit Prog.

Unlimited was acquired by Accenture. Accenture is now the agency responsible for delivering comprehensive, end-to-end campaign solutions for public service campaigns.

With reference to the Contractfinder contract, Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer, published 25 November 2025, ref: C19SF08RF25, what the terms of reference are for the expert report for the Inquiry.

The requirements for the Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer contract (ref: C19SF08RF25) can be found at Annex 2 – Specification of the redacted Short Form Contract attached to the Contracts Finder notice. Annex 2 states the requirements as being an independent and expert opinion on...Labour Market Inequality and the Welfare System, and Macroeconomic Policy and Public Finances and the contract involves the analysis and input of 2 expert witnesses.

With reference to the Contractfinder contract, Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer, published 25 November 2025, ref: C19SF08RF25, whether the Resolution Foundation was selected via competitive tendering.

The Expert report - Resolution Foundation - Smith / Brewer contract (ref: C19SF08RF25) was not procured via competitive tendering and instead via a below threshold direct award. The direct award was made in accordance with the Procurement Rules and associated policies.

With reference to the Cabinet Office contractfinder publication, Provision of Equalities Case Studies, 14 November 2025, Ref: CCZZ25A11, what the terms of reference are of the social research being commissioned; and what the timetable is for the publication of that social research.

This Government is committed to breaking the link between background and success and ending the ceiling on the ambitions of people in Britain. The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) is working on delivering the Government’s Plan for Change, helping to ensure that equality issues are actively considered in all five missions. This project will feed into resources to help equip policy makers across government departments working on the Opportunity Mission with an understanding of how people’s lives are impacted by their personal characteristics, to support robust policy development and in line with the Public Sector Equality Duty.

Whether the Public Inquiry Response Unit is involved in compliance with the Humble Address motion of 4 February 2026.

Staff from across the Cabinet Office including but not limited to the Public Inquiry Response Unit and the Propriety and Constitution Group are involved in compliance with the Humble Address motion as necessary.