The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 2,865 tabled · 2,674 answered

Written questions by Holden.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (2,865)Department for Transport (1016)Cabinet Office (760)Treasury (165)Department of Health and Social Care (124)Department for Business and Trade (105)Department for Education (93)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (76)Ministry of Defence (75)Home Office (75)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (74)Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (53)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (41)

Showing 261280 of 760 · Cabinet Office

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4 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

How many and what proportion of the attendees at the Plan for Change launch event on 5 December 2024 were invited by the Government.

Reply

All invitations were sent by the Government.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

If he will require the National Security Adviser to publish details of meetings with external organisations other than senior media executives.

Reply

As a special adviser, the National Security Adviser is bound by the transparency obligations set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54828 on Civil Servants: Training, if he will publish the full training (a) documentation and (b) modules prepared for the course.

Reply

It is not possible to share these products as they are interactive e-learning and videos that need to run on learning management systems. We would not publish learning content or materials themselves, as they might contain internal policy details, or intellectual property owned by a third party.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54280 on Civil Servants: Pay, whether civil servants in her Department that are relocated outside of London will have their pay reduced; and whether civil servants employed in new locations outside of London will lose their London weighting.

Reply

I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer on 3 July (PQ 63008). The Cabinet Office does not have London Weighting. There are separate London and National pay ranges. If an employee relocates from a London to National location on a voluntary basis, their salary would reduce to the equivalent point on the opposite pay range.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

What guidance has been given to Cabinet ministers by the (a) Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards and (b) Cabinet Office on whether Ministers who personally receive donations from trade unions (i) must and (ii) need not recuse themselves from (A) official government meetings and (B) decisions relating to those specific trade unions.

Reply

As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an established process in place for the declaration and management of private interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Any advice given to ministers as part of this process would be in confidence.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

With reference to his Department's press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme, published on 28 November 2024, what the percentage take-up rate was for (a) UK Government departments and (b) arm's-length bodies separately.

Reply

His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme was a voluntary programme offering a free, framed portrait of The King to any eligible public institution that requested one. Following the conclusion of the scheme, a breakdown of the take up was published on gov.uk.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54822 on Cabinet Office: Directors, whether Baroness Casey will be a member of the Cabinet Office Board.

Reply

I refer the Hon. member to PQ 54822.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54820 on Civil Service: Equality, if he will make it his policy to (a) publish the new network guidance on gov.uk and (b) place it in the House of Commons Library once finalised.

Reply

Guidance for Civil Service Staff Networks is in development. This will be internal guidance which is not usually published.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54760 on Civil Servants: London, whether he plans to require any civil servants based in London to compulsorily relocate as part of the Places for Growth scheme.

Reply

London-based civil servants will not be required to compulsorily relocate as part of Places for Growth. Role relocations will occur predominantly through churn and some London-based civil servants may choose to voluntarily relocate.

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 28 May 2025 to Question 53204 on Central Government: Empty Property, whether the InSite database is accessible to the public.

Reply

The InSite database is an internal government system and is not accessible to the public. While the data held in InSite informs public outputs such as official reports, the platform itself is not publicly available due to data protection, security, and operational sensitivity considerations. Members of the public can view information on vacant or surplus government-owned properties via the Government Property Finder: https://www.gov.uk/find-government-property

3 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

With reference to paragraph 1.24 of the Review Body on Senior Salaries publication Forty-seventh annual report on senior salaries published in May 2025, what steps the Government is taking to reduce excessive (a) bureaucracy and (b) process in the Civil Service.

Reply

This Government is committed to creating a productive and agile state. This includes reducing bureaucracy and simplifying processes through adoption of digital technology and AI tools, improving Ministerial oversight and accountability in arms-length bodies, streamlining approval processes, creating a cost-conscious culture that relentlessly roots out waste, drives efficiency, and protects taxpayers’ money, and establishing a more productive, higher-skilled civil service with stronger accountability for performance.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366 on Cabinet Office: staff, whether his Department has a target for (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory exits; and what communications have been sent to civil servants on this matter.

Reply

As set out in the Answer of 17 June 2025 to Question 59366, in line with the 2025 Spending Review, we are restructuring the Cabinet Office into a more strategic, specialised, and smaller department to achieve £110 million in annual expenditure savings by the 2028/29 financial year. Our focus is on identifying budgetary savings rather than meeting a specific headcount target.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54800 on Government Departments: Press Offices, if he will publish the guidance on the use of party political commodities at Government press conferences.

Reply

I refer the Rt Hon Member to my answer of 21 March 2025, Official Report, PQ 47333.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54781 on Arm’s Length Bodies: Equality, whether there is any monitoring of the EDI spending exemptions authorised by Arm’s Length Bodies; and whether there is any requirement on Arm’s Length Bodies to publish details of the exempted expenditure as Whitehall departments are required.

Reply

The Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance published on 14 May 2024 applies to all Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs) who employ civil servants. As such, those ALBs are required to publish details of the exempted expenditure as Whitehall departments are required.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

If he will publish the response to the Freedom of Information Act request reference FOI2025/05753 of 12 June 2025.

Reply

The request document will be deposited in the House Libraries.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 57737 on European Parliament Members: Workplace Pensions, which public body holds information on the pension scheme liabilities for UK MEPs from 2009 up to the date the UK left the EU.

Reply

The European Parliamentary (United Kingdom Representatives) Pension Scheme closed to new members in 2009. Active members were able to continue contributing to this scheme or to join a new European Union (EU) Members of the European Parliament (MEP) scheme. HMT holds information on the pension scheme liabilities for this scheme and the information is available in the Consolidated Fund Accounts 2023 to 2024 page 37 section 7:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/consolidated-fund-account-2023-to-2024In 2009, the EU implemented a uniform pension scheme for all MEPs, replacing the previous system where MEPs received pensions and salaries from their respective member states.MEPs elected from 2009 onwards are members of the EU pension scheme and the UK’s share of the pension liabilities are covered by the EU Exit agreement. Information about the EU scheme liabilities can be found at the following link on the UK Parliament website:https://committees.parliament.uk/work/3906/exiting-the-eu-the-financial-settlement-inquiry/#:~:text=As%20part%20of%20the%20ongoing,the%20estimated%20settlement%20and%20why.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54812 on Government Departments: media, if he will list the 180 companies that expressed an interest in providing external public relations under the RM6364 Media and Creative Framework.

Reply

The procurement process under RM6364 Media and Creative Framework is currently live. As such, we are unable to disclose details of the interest expressed by individual companies at this stage, as doing so would be likely to prejudice the commercial interests of the Crown Commercial Service and the bidders engaged in the bidding process. Further information will be made available in accordance with procurement confidentiality and competition rules as the process progresses. The agreement is due to be awarded in December 2025.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025 to Question 49382 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, whether the relevant narrative entry in the transparency data will show which OCS invoice relates to the refurbishment of the Downing Street media room.

Reply

The Government Property Agency is awaiting OCS' submission of an application for payment for the costs for the 9DS Media Suite.

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

What estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse for Senior Civil Service pay in the (a) 2024-25 and (b) 2025-26 financial years.

Reply

The latest paybill information for the Senior Civil Service can be found in the 2025/26 annual report by the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB).

2 Jul 2025·Cabinet Office·Answered
Asked

With reference to the entry in his Department's publication entitled Cabinet Office Commercial Pipeline 2024-26, of 31 October 2024 P2465: CO COMMERCIAL: Venue Booking Services, who the supplier is of those services.

Reply

Calder Conferences Limited is the current supplier providing Venue Booking Services to the Cabinet Office. This contract started in February 2023 under the previous administration.

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Sources
SourceUK Parliament Members API
MethodQuestion and answer text as published. Question preamble (“To ask the…”) trimmed for readability; answers shown in full.