13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhether he has had discussions with the European Commission on the EU's Buy European policy.
ReplyThe Government routinely engages with the EU across a whole range of issues. Given the UK is one of Europe’s largest economies, and an integral part of existing supply chains, we have been clear with EU counterparts that the UK and EU should be working together to tackle the challenges we all face in terms of promoting economic security as well as boosting growth and productivity.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedIf he will publish FOI response FOI2025/18072, of 5 December 2025.
ReplyI refer the Hon Member to the answer given in UIN 99528.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhether Ministers in his Department authorised the recall of National Archives papers due for release in December 2025 in relation to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
ReplyAs a matter of routine and under the terms of the Public Records Act redactions are made to government documents where FOI exemptions that persist for historic records apply. Closures are approved by the Advisory Council on National Records and Archives before transfer to The National Archives. Any release is subject to an extensive review process, including engaging expert stakeholders and no list should be considered final until it is released to the public.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhether the Cabinet Office uses the Global Disinformation Index service.
ReplyThe Government Communication Service in the Cabinet Office does not use this service.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedFurther to the policy paper, Outcome of the exploratory discussions on the possible participation of the United Kingdom in the European Union’s internal electricity market, published on 22 December 2025, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of dynamic alignment on the ability of the UK Government to deregulate.
ReplyAn electricity agreement with the EU will cut the cost of trading electricity with the EU - this means lower wholesale costs and ultimately lower bills. To unlock these benefits we are prepared to take the pragmatic decision to align with EU rules in the national interest. The outcome from exploratory talks is clear that where we align with EU rules as part of any future electricity agreement there would be adaptations and phasing-in periods to ensure the rules work for the UKelectricity sector, as well as decision-shaping rights when new EU policies are made.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWith reference to the policy paper entitled Outcome of the exploratory discussions on the possible participation of the United Kingdom in the European Union’s internal electricity market, published on 22 December 2025, whether he has made an estimate of the cost of the UK being a member of the EU electricity market.
ReplyAn electricity agreement with the EU will cut the cost of trading electricity with the EU - this means lower wholesale costs and ultimately lower bills. To unlock these benefits, we are prepared to make an appropriate and proportionate financial contribution to support relevant costs, such as accessing specific agencies or databases required for market participation. Nothing has been agreed yet and we will work through the specific details in negotiations to ensure any contribution represents value for money for the UK taxpayer.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhat key performance indicators have been set for the Public Sector Reform Test, Learn and Grow Strategic Delivery Partner contract; and whether financial penalties apply for non-performance.
ReplyThe Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership. Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data. Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedFurther to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, how the publication timetable was determined.
ReplyThe timetable for publishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is set by the Government Commercial Function (GCF). The data for July to September 2025 was published on time, and in the usual way. Since this Government has come into office, the GCF has shortened the overall publication timeline of KPIs from approximately 16 to 12 weeks. This allows for the performance data to be published closer to the reporting period, thereby improving the transparency of government contract performance for the public.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedFurther to the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for July to September 2025, published on 25 December 2025, for what reason the Government People Group PeopleScout Ltd contract has a KPI where the Supplier will only accept work commissions directly from the customer, and not from VH or depts.
ReplyThe process was designed and implemented to improve operational efficiency. Through streamlining our commissioning and invoicing approach we have demonstrated our continuous improvement ambition for effective contract management.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhether he plans to set targets for the number of civil servants appointed based on their socio-economic background.
ReplyAs set out in the Civil Service People Plan 2024-2027, we are committed to ensuring we attract, develop and retain talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds to create a modern Civil Service, now and for the future. There are no plans to set targets for the recruitment of civil servants based on their socio-economic background.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 9 December 2025 to Question 94708 on Senior Civil Servants: Training, what the syllabus is for the training; and whether it includes equality, diversity and inclusion training.
ReplyThe Senior Leaders Scheme (SLS) is a 12 month leadership programme aimed at SCS1 Deputy Directors which focuses on creating a diverse and robust pipeline through to the most senior roles in government. The curriculum consists of four core modules: DevelopmentCollaborationFuturesTransformation These modules are supported by executive coaching, action learning sets and elective masterclasses; ‘Futures Capability’ and ‘Practical Networking’ There is no specific module or training on equality, diversity and inclusion within SLS, although inclusive leadership is inherently part of the programme. The Directors Leadership Programme is a 12 month leadership programme aimed at high performing SCS2 Directors which focuses on systems leadership, biases and power, public interest, building cultures of respect, as well as leading at scale. This is done through a selection of residential modules, action learning sets, frontline experiences as well as workshops involving communicating including storytelling. Although the topics look at inclusion in leadership, there is no specific EDI content or module.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025, to Question 70484, on Government Departments: Training, how many quarterly Statements of Work have been agreed to date under the Work Order for Project 7114; and if he will publish those statements.
ReplyThe Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership. Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data. Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 23 September 2025, to Question 70484, on Government Departments: Training, who was on the evaluation panel for Project 7114, whether it included officials who had previously worked with Public Digital Ltd; and if he will publish the conflict-of-interest declarations made in connection with that procurement.
ReplyThe Test, Learn & Grow programme is being delivered jointly by the Cabinet Office, MHCLG and local authority partners, complemented by a support partner, the Test, Learn & Grow Partnership. Due to the nature of personal data, we are precluded from publishing information on the evaluation panel. The procurement followed standard best practice in line with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR15), and the contract is being managed proactively with use of benchmarking and performance data. Two quarterly statements of work have been agreed under the Work Order. Due to commercial sensitivities, we cannot publish the statements nor can we disclose the key performance indicators.
13 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 21 October 2025, to Question 82673 on Government Departments: Social Media, how much has been spent on social influencers through (a) OmniGov and (b) Pablo Unlimited since July 2024.
ReplySpend on influencer costs (exclusive of agency fees) since July 2024 to the date of this PQ is £365,331. This figure is reflective of currency conversion rates at the time of the request. Please note, some data has been withheld due to commercial and wider sensitivities.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWith reference to his Department's document entitled Political Peerages - Citations, published on 10 December 2025, if he will publish Dame Ann Limb's curriculum vitae given to the House of Lords Appointments Commission for her appointment.
ReplyAs a matter of policy we do not publish information relating to individuals' peerage nominations.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWith reference to his Department's press release entitled WPP appointed to be UK Government’s lead media agency, published on 22 December 2025, whether the framework in the press release is Crown Commercial Services RM6364 framework, Lot 1: Media Strategy, Planning and Buying.
ReplyYes, the referenced press release is in relation to Crown Commercial Services RM6364 framework, Lot 1: Media Strategy, Planning and Buying.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWith reference to the Agenda for the Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights meeting on 18 December 2025, if he will place in the Library a copy of the presentation by the3million and British in Europe.
ReplyInformation on matters discussed at the Specialised Committee on Citizens’ Rights is available here: Citizens’ Rights Specialised Committee meeting, 18 December 2025: joint statement - GOV.UK. As is stipulated by Rule 13 of Annex VIII of the Withdrawal Agreement, meetings of the Specialised Committee are confidential. The3million and British in Europe can be contacted directly to request any material shared at the meeting. The UK and the EU are committed to working cooperatively to ensure full and faithful implementation of the citizens’ rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedWhat the cost is of developing, operating and maintaining the Internal Coaching Service digital platform.
ReplyThe Internal Coaching Service digital platform cost a one-off setup fee of £1,000 (excluding VAT).The ongoing cost is an annual licence fee of £7,500 (excluding VAT). This fee covers maintenance, unlimited change requests, and support for the internal coaching team.There is no upper limit to the number of coaches and coaches that can use the platform.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90737 on Cabinet Office: Remote Working, if he will publish the members of the Cross-Government Group on Working Flexibly; and whether it meets remotely, in hybrid manner or in person.
ReplyThe Minister for the Cabinet Office does not intend to place a copy of the minutes of the last Cross Government Working Flexibly Group Meeting Minutes in the library as these are considered confidential. We are unable to disclose membership of the Group on the grounds of data protection, however, the group meets on an ad hoc basis only and does so in a hybrid manner.
12 Jan 2026·Cabinet Office·Answered
AskedPursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 73727 on Civil Servants: Personnel Management, whether that guidance has been published.
ReplyGuidance on Mutually Agreed Exits is published on the Civil Service Pension Scheme Administrators website. We have no plans to publish any further guidance.