Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Holden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 2,741–2,760 of 2,912 · this parliament
Whether Ministers are required to declare (a) spent and (b) unspent criminal convictions when they are formally appointed.
There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.
With reference to his Department's press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty The King’s free Portrait Scheme, published on 28 November 2024, if he will list each (a) UK, (b) Welsh and (c) Scottish Government public body which was eligible for but did not order a free portrait.
Public authorities throughout the United Kingdom were given an opportunity to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty The King if they wanted to display it in their building. This was a voluntary scheme to mark the accession of His Majesty The King. The announcement was originally made on 1 April 2023 and the scheme was launched in November that year and closed for applications in August 2024.As it was a voluntary scheme, there was no obligation for public authorities to apply for a portrait. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the list of individual authorities and institutions which did not order a free portrait.
Media and Sport, what discussions the Prime Minister has had with (a) representatives of the British Museum and (b) the Greek government on the Elgin Marbles.
The Prime Minister met the Greek Prime Minister on 3rd December. I would refer the Rt Hon Member to the read-out of their meeting. Decisions relating to the care and management of the Parthenon Sculptures are a matter for the British Museum Trustees.
Whether the Government has a policy on appointing Ministers of the Crown with (a) spent and (b) unspent criminal convictions.
There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.
With reference to the press release entitled Conclusion of His Majesty the King’s free portrait scheme, published on 28 November 2024, which local authorities did not request a portrait, excluding town and parish councils.
Public authorities throughout the United Kingdom were given an opportunity to apply for a free portrait of His Majesty The King if they wanted to display it in their building. This was a voluntary scheme to mark the accession of His Majesty The King. The announcement was originally made on 1 April 2023 and the scheme was launched in November that year and closed for applications in August 2024.As it was a voluntary scheme, there was no obligation for public authorities to apply for a portrait. It would therefore be inappropriate to disclose the list of individual authorities and institutions which did not order a free portrait.
What information the Government holds on how many Ministers have criminal convictions.
There is an established process in place for the appointment of ministers.Expectations of the standards of conduct expected of all government ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code.
If he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of variations in practice on the publication of Government Procurement Card and Electronic Purchasing Card transaction data by Government Departments.
The policy setting out the requirement to publish Government Procurement Card transactions over £500 remains in place. This is available to all government departments on gov.uk at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5e8b402686650c18ce2cb541/Procurement_Cards_-_Pan_Government_Policy_V4_06042020.pdf The policy clearly sets out the standard that departments must publish to, which includes transaction date, transaction reference, merchant name and the amount spent.
What plans he has to amend the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991.
The Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991 (MoPSA) includes provision for severance payments to ministers and certain office-holders.The Chancellor announced in July that ahead of the Spending Review she would review eligibility for ministerial severance payments based on time in office, as set out in MoPSA. This review is ongoing.
Whether his Department has organised away days for Senior Civil Service officials since the dissolution of Parliament.
From the dissolution of Parliament on 30 May 2024 until the State Opening of Parliament on 17 July 2024, the Cabinet Office has not organised any away days for Senior Civil Servants (SCS). There have been two SCS Leadership Conferences since then, one on 23 July 2024 and another on 10 October 2024.
What assessment he has made of the implications for the Government's policies on departmental check-off arrangements of Supreme Court judgment [2024] UKSC 41 relating to (a) Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Public and Commercial Services Union [2023] UKSC 75; (b) Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs v Public and Commercial Services Union [2023] UKSC 76 and (c) Secretary of State for the Home Department v Public and Commercial Services Union [2024] UKSC 77.
Departments are responsible for the development of their own workforce policies, subject to the framework of instructions set out in the Civil Service Management Code. This includes the administration of check-off arrangements.
With reference to the Civil Service Jobs advertisement reference 378636, why four positions are being recruited; whether they are new positions; and whether the former incumbents left since 4 July 2024.
The roles advertised are to support No10 buildings facilities team. They are replacement roles due to vacancies and upcoming retirement, which existed under the previous government – not new roles.
Whether there are plans for 10 Downing Street to communicate via the Blue Sky social media channel.
The Government continues to look at ways to make sure the government’s digital communications better reflect the way the public now consumes information online.
How many special advisers in 10 Downing Street cover foreign affairs.
Special adviser appointments are published annually.
When Sue Gray's employment as a special adviser ended.
Sue Gray’s employment as a special adviser ended on 6 October 2024 following her resignation that day.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the (a) environmental principles and (b) equalities impact assessment for the Chagos Islands handover decision.
HM Government recognises the importance of environmental and equalities considerations in the context of the BIOT Sovereignty agreement. Both parties have committed to ensuring that all aspects of the sovereignty transfer align with international legal standards including on environmental protection, as well as considerations of equality and inclusivity where relevant. Relevant assessments will be managed in line with standard protocols.
Whether members of the Lobby may take photographs on flights travelling with the Prime Minister.
The lobby is able to take photographs on flights with the Prime Minister when conditions allow.
Whether the Prime Minister plans to publish his tax return on gov.uk for 2023-24.
There is an established process in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.As set out in the List of Ministers' Interests (November 2024), as part of the ministers' interests process, Ministers are asked to confirm that their tax affairs are up to date and that the arrangement of their affairs is consistent with their overarching duty to comply with the law. The List of Ministers' Interests is available on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-ministers-interests
With reference to the Prime Minister's oral contribution of 4 December 2024, Official Report, column 291, on what evidential basis he stated that two of the Leader of the Opposition’s predecessors had convictions for breaking covid rules.
My Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister was referring to the Fixed Penalty Notices received by two former Prime Ministers for breaking COVID lockdown rules. The Prime Minister is happy to clarify that a Fixed Penalty Notice does not constitute a criminal conviction. He stands by the relevance of raising to the attention of the House that two former Conservative Prime Ministers were fined by the police for breaking the COVID rules that they put in place for others.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes in liability for inheritance tax on levels of tax avoidance.
At Autumn Budget 2024, the Government took a number of difficult but necessary decisions on tax, welfare, and spending to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services. These were tough decisions given the situation we inherited from the previous administration, but the Government has done so in a way that makes the tax system fairer and more sustainable. These decisions included reforming the inheritance tax rules on pensions, agricultural property relief, and business property relief. The Government published a technical consultation on the changes to inheritance tax rules for pension funds and death benefits at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/inheritance-tax-on-pensions-liability-reporting-and-payment. The Government also published information about the reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief at www.gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms. In accordance with standard practice, a tax information and impact note will be published alongside the draft legislation before the relevant Finance Bill.
What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of changes in the number of firms offering bank accounts for trusts.
Ensuring all individuals have access to the appropriate financial services and products they need is a key priority for Government and is vital to supporting people’s financial resilience and wellbeing, and ensuring that individuals are able to fully participate in the economy. In most circumstances, decisions on the provision of services such as trust accounts are commercial decisions for individual banks and building societies and the Government does not intervene.