Written questions by Wood.

With reference to page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, published on 23 October 2025, who authorised the change in reporting methodology to exclude Government Commercial Function and Fast Stream staff from the Department’s workforce figures; and on what evidential or accounting basis that decision was made.

The statement on page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 only refers to the staff included in ‘Section 2.12 - Diversity and Inclusion’ does not refer to data provided in earlier sections on departmental headcount. These individuals are included in the departmental headcount on Page 99 under the 4,370 Cabinet Office staff recharged to other government departments. Government Commercial Function and Fast Stream staff are excluded from Section 2.12 as they work full time in other government departments and so are not part of the day to day workforce of the Cabinet Office. This change in how diversity information was presented in the report was signed off by a senior civil servant in the department’s HR function.

With reference to page 113 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, for what reason dividends from associates are treated as income in the Statement of Outturn against Parliamentary Supply.

Section 8.13 of Consolidated budget guidance issued by HM Treasury states that: “Financial transactions involve the exchange of financial assets and liabilities. Financial transactions mainly impact on the resource budget through the returns received or paid on these financial assets or liabilities (for example, interest received/paid on a loan, or dividends received/paid on equity). Financial assets also impact on the resource budget through changes in their valuation.” Therefore, all dividend income received from associate companies should score to RDEL as income. Dividends from associate companies are not recognised as income in the financial statements because International Accounting Standard IAS 28 Investments in Associates and Joint Ventures, states: “When using the equity method, dividends received are not recognised as income in the consolidated income statement; instead, they are treated as a return of capital and reduce the carrying amount of the investment in the statement of financial position.”

With reference to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, if he will publish the terms of reference of the Staff Board.

The Staff Board serves in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee and is not a mandatory component of the Corporate Governance Code. Its Terms of Reference are not subject to external publication.

With reference to page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, published on 23 October 2025, how many staff were excluded from the Cabinet Office workforce figures as at 31 March 2025 as a result of the decision to omit Government Commercial and Fast Stream personnel from the Department’s data.

The statement on page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 only refers to the staff included in ‘Section 2.12 - Diversity and inclusion’ and does not refer to data provided in earlier sections on departmental headcount. These individuals are included in the departmental headcount on Page 99 under the 4,370 Cabinet Office staff recharged to other government departments.

With reference to the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, published on 30 October 2025, whether any ISF-funded programme has been reviewed or sanctioned for misreporting, exaggerating, or fabricating Gender Equality and Social Inclusion marker data since April 2024.

The Integrated Security Fund (ISF) is unaware of any instance of Gender, Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) markers being misreported, exaggerated, or fabricated. The ISF operates under clear rules and requirements on GESI embedded throughout the programme lifecycle. These ensure reporting is accurate, consistent and monitored in-year. In 2024/25, all Integrated Security Fund (ISF) programmes underwent an annual review, and every programme also undergoes a closure review when it ends, both of which include a dedicated assessment of GESI performance.

Further to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, page 110, (a) how many total staff days were taken as paid special leave for volunteering in 2024–25 under the Cabinet Office volunteering policy, (b) what the estimated cost was to the Department and (c) how many officials participated.

Volunteering is a way in which the Cabinet Office supports and encourages its staff to develop both professionally and personally, by enabling them time to engage in activities and practical challenges which endeavor to have a positive impact in their local community. From 1st April 2024 to 31st March 2025, there were collectively 191 reported days of volunteering leave taken by 105 individuals. The approximate salary cost of the days recorded for these individuals is £26,000 across the Cabinet Office. Cabinet Office staff are entitled to take up to five days of special paid leave per performance year (01 April - 31 March) for volunteering activity as part of their Personal Development Plan.

With reference to page 66 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, who sits on the staff Board; how members of the Staff Board were selected; and whether any formal appointment process, eligibility criteria and rotation system is in place.

The Staff Board is advisory and comprises Cabinet Office Staff of delegated grades (Grade AO - Grade 6). Approximately 20 members sit on the Staff Board. Members serve on the Staff Board for a minimum term of one year and a maximum term of two years. Information on the role of the staff board is set out on the Cabinet Office’s intranet. Staff are able to apply to be a member at any time via an online form and are placed on a waiting list until a vacancy arises. The Cabinet Office Governance Team review applications and conduct short interviews with potential candidates before appointments are made. The Staff Board provides a vital platform for staff to inform decisions made by the Executive Committee (ExCo). The appointment process seeks to encourage and attract a diverse pool of applicants from all business units, locations, and grades, aiming for a balanced representation of professional and personal characteristics.

With reference to pages 111 to 114 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, for what reason his Department’s new strategic outcomes were adopted during the year while the Estimates remained based on previous departmental objectives.

The Cabinet Office’s strategic outcomes were updated following the election to ensure that these reflected the new government’s priorities. These changes were reported to the Public Administration and Parliamentary Affairs Committee on 19 March 2025. The financial reporting against these outcomes was updated at the earliest opportunity on HM Treasury systems and will be reported against in the 2025/26 Accounts.

With reference to the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, 30 October 2025, whether he will publish the raw Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) scoring data for all ISF programmes in 2024–25, including departmental lead, delivery partner, and spend.

I refer the Honourable Member to my answer given to Parliamentary Question 91383. Whilst the Integrated Security Fund (ISF) does not track or disaggregate reporting or expenditure by Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) scoring specifically, the ISF meets its transparency obligations and programme details are published where possible. However, data for some ISF programmes cannot be released publicly due to national security sensitivities. The ISF funds a variety of ‘programmes’, each of which is designed to achieve a specific national security objective. Each programme can then be broken down into individual ‘projects’ which work towards the programme’s objective. There is a requirement whereby all programmes should include at least one project where gender is a primary objective (an ‘E’ rating under OECD GESI markers, which is the highest rating), and all projects must have met, or be working towards meeting, a minimum standard whereby gender equality is part of the project’s objectives, but not the principal reason for undertaking the project (a ‘C’ rating).

With reference to pages 8 and 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether the Department’s target to reduce headcount by up to 1,200 roles has been met in part through the reclassification or exclusion of Government Commercial or Fast Stream staff from Cabinet Office workforce totals.

The statement on page 107 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2024-2025 only refers to the staff included in section 2.12. Diversity and inclusion and does not refer to data provided in earlier sections on departmental headcount. These individuals are included in the departmental headcount on Page 99 under the 4,370 Cabinet Office staff recharged to other government departments and therefore has no impact on the Department’s target to reduce headcount by up to 1,200 roles.

With reference to page 66 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether the Executive Committee affirmed and documented its understanding of the Department’s purpose and its own role and responsibilities in a board operating framework.

There is no requirement in the Corporate Governance Code for Executive Committees to have a Board Operating Framework and so the Executive Committee does not have a board operating framework.

Pursuant to the answer of 29 August 2025, to Question 69015, on Government Department: Official Cars, whether the Cabinet Office has released information on expenditure on Ministerial cars through the Government Car Service under the Freedom of Information Act since 4 July 2024.

The Government Car Service (GCS) transferred to the Cabinet Office from the Department for Transport, as a result of a machinery of government change, on 1st April 2025. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests relating to GCS prior to that date were answered by the Department for Transport. Since 1st April 2025, information on expenditure has been released by the Cabinet Office in response to FOI requests, where appropriate, and in line with the terms of the Freedom of Information Act.

If he will publish the guidance issued to departments referenced in the letter from the Paymaster General to the Institute for Government of 14 October 2025.

There are no plans to publish this guidance.

How many applications for the restoration of honours or medals have been received since February 2021; and how many have been granted in each year since.

Since 2021, the Ministry of Defence has received 24 applications for the restoration of medals from, or on behalf of, LGBT Veterans who had forfeited medals. Nine of these cases were found to be eligible for restoration, usually qualifying under the Government’s disregard process for convictions for decriminalised sexual offences (consensual gay sex). The annual breakdown of applications received, and of those approved, is: 2021: 11 requests with two successful.2022: Three requests with none successful.2023: Three requests with one successful.2024: Four requests with three successful.2025 (to date): Three requests, all of which have been successful.

Pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2025, to Question 84247, on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, if he will make it his policy to amend guidance to require disclosure of previous political activity to be declared within and at the time of the gov.uk announcement of the appointment.

The Governance Code on Public Appointments requires that relevant political activity, as defined within the Code, should be publicly disclosed for successful candidates. This is expected to happen at the time that a department or appointing body announces the successful candidate. Or in the case of those appointments subject to pre-appointment hearing by a House of Commons select committee, the preferred candidate.

Whether Tom Kibasi was a (a) direct ministerial appointment, (b) special adviser, (c) secondment, (d) civil servant recruited by exception or (e) permanent civil servant, when working in 10 Downing Street.

Tom Kibasi was recruited via secondment.

How much his Department has spent via Berry Bros Ltd since 4 July 2024.

All relevant spending is available in the Cabinet Office’s government procurement card transparency return for March 2025 which can be found on gov.uk

How many applications for the restoration of honours or medals have been received since February 2021; and how many have been granted in each year since then.

Since 2021, the Ministry of Defence has received 24 applications for the restoration of medals from, or on behalf of, LGBT Veterans who had forfeited medals. Nine of these cases were found to be eligible for restoration, usually qualifying under the Government’s disregard process for convictions for decriminalised sexual offences (consensual gay sex). The annual breakdown of applications received, and of those approved, is: 2021: 11 requests with two successful.2022: Three requests with none successful.2023: Three requests with one successful.2024: Four requests with three successful.2025 (to date): Three requests, all of which have been successful.

What the names, roles and dates of appointment of the members of the Forfeiture Committee are; how each member was selected; and which members are classified as independent.

The Forfeiture Committee is chaired by a Permanent Secretary on delegation from the Cabinet Secretary. This is currently Dame Sarah Healey, MHCLG. She has been in post as Chair since July 2025. The other permanent member is the Treasury Solicitor, currently Sussana McGibbon. She has been a member of the Committee since March 2021. The Committee has four independent members, drawn from the Chairs of the ten independent honours committees. These Chair appointments are made through a Public Appointments process. The current independent members are Sir Hamid Patel, John Booth CVO, Stephen Kelly and Dame Jane Dacre. Each was appointed to the Forfeiture Committee in October 2022.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63005 on Prime Minister: Aviation, and with reference to the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act disclosure of 5 September 2025, FOI reference: FOI2025/12575, if he will place the disclosure in the Library; and what (a) is the value of the yearly payment to EDF to carbon offset flights using the C-GBNI airframe and (b) notional volume of carbon emissions are offset.

I will arrange for a copy of FOI2025/12575 to be deposited in the Library of the House. The yearly payment to carbon offset flights using the G-GBNI aircraft is calculated at the end of each financial year based on the flights that have taken place to ensure accuracy.