Written questions by Lowe.

How much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

A full Departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The majority of Departmental advertising expenditure is undertaken by the three branches of the Armed Forces to aid recruitment. Generic advertising expenditure outside of this remit is not held centrally. The most recent available information on tri Service recruitment advertising can be found here: Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament and here Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament

Media and Sport, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Communities and Local Government, how much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

How much her Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend, which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

How much his Department has spent on (a) social media promotions, (b) influencer marketing and (c) online advertising in the last 12 months.

Commercial sensitivities exist around aspects of this spend which could prejudice commercial interests. All spend in these areas are subject to the standard value for money assessments.

Representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to ensure women have access to safe spaces when visiting Parliament.

Everyone is welcome at UK Parliament and should feel safe being here. We strive to be an organisation which treats all our visitors with respect.All visitors are reminded of the Parliamentary Behaviour Code, which applies to everyone who visits and works in Parliament. The Behaviour Code requires users of the Estate to treat each other with respect. Visitors who behave in ways that constitute intimidation, bullying or harassment may be asked to leave the Estate.

What the total cost of external consultants across Government was in each year since 2019.

Individual Central Government departments publish expenditure on external consultants in their annual reports and accounts. The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

How many external consultancy projects have (a) overrun or (b) failed to deliver expected outcomes in each year since 2020.

From 2022, there have been no consultancy contracts, awarded by the Cabinet Office, that were subject to formal performance action or contract termination due to poor performance. Any informal concerns about the delivery of contract objectives would be managed by contract managers and data is not held on this centrally.Prior to 2022, individual Cabinet Office Business Units were responsible for contract management and central records for this period are therefore not available.The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

What proportion of civil servants have been subject to formal performance management in the last three years.

Departments have delegated responsibility for managing poor performance.

How many public sector contracts have been subject to fraud investigations in each year since 2019.

Information pertaining to the amount of public sector contracts subject to fraud investigations is not held by the Cabinet Office. This information would be held by relevant law enforcement authorities, or specific government departments, that carried out investigation. Tackling public sector fraud is a priority for this government. This government is taking strong action to reduce public sector fraud - ensuring that as much public money as possible goes to delivering vital public services. That’s why the government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill as part of the biggest fraud crackdown in a generation. The measures in the Bill will give us more tools to combat fraud, recover public money and allow the government to investigate fraud. The Public Sector Fraud Authority is also driving forward the development of the counter fraud approach across government, working with departments and public bodies to reduce the impact of fraud and build expert counter fraud services. The 2024 Autumn Budget and 2025 Spring Statement also announced the most significant package of measures to tackle fraud and error in recent history. The 2025 Spending Review highlighted that Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts these measures to deliver £9.6 billion in savings by 2030.

How many civil servants have been dismissed for (a) incompetence and (b) misconduct in each year since 2015.

Departments have delegated responsibility for decisions relating to dismissal of an employee. Civil Service statistics on the composition of the Civil Service workforce, including data on those leaving the Civil Service due to dismissals, are available on GOV.UK.

How many working days have been lost to stress-related illness in the civil service in each of the past five years.

Management Information on Average Working Days Lost due to mental ill-health, which includes stress-related illness, is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence

What the average daily rate of pay is for consultants working across Whitehall Departments.

This information is not held by the Cabinet Office.Pay for consultants is managed by each department individually, as they are accountable for their own consultancy pay details. Average rates may differ due to the type of consultancy and commercial structure around individual customer contracts. The Government is committed to stopping all non-essential expenditure on consultants, and reducing the reliance on contingent labour.

Whether any procurement contracts over £1 million were awarded without competitive tender in the last two years.

Details of central government contracts above £12,000 for procurements commenced before 24 February 2025 are published on Contracts Finder (https://www.gov.uk/contracts-finder). Contracts procured under the Procurement Act 2023 above £12,000 inc VAT are published on the Central Digital Platform Find a Tender service (https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Search). The details published online include whether each contract was let through competitive tendering.

How many and what proportion of civil servants work from home for more than 80% of their contracted hours.

This information is not held centrally. Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including flexible working arrangements, are made by the employing department. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office. Data for the latest period for which data is available can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

How many and what proportion of freedom of information requests made to her Department have exceeded the statutory deadline in the past year.

The Home Office’s Freedom of Information (FOI) performance data, including request volumes and timeliness, is published quarterly and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics

What the total value was of fraud detected across NHS procurement systems in each year since 2020.

The following table shows the value of the procurement fraud detected in the National Health Service in England for each of the last five years:YearProcurement fraud detected2020/21£9,100,0002021/22£9,300,0002022/23£3,200,0002023/24£5,800,0002024/25£3,000,000Source: the data is derived from the NHS related Consolidated Data Return. Notes:the table details the financial value of fraud detected in each financial year where the fraud area matches Cabinet Office fraud taxonomy where procurement is referenced; andfigures shown in this table are gross losses that do not include monies subsequently recovered as a result of loss recovery activity.

What the total value is of (a) unused and (b) expired PPE stock held by the NHS.

Data on personal protective equipment (PPE) items held in storage within individual National Health Service trusts is not held centrally. As of 16 June 2025, PPE items with a value of £24,496,465 are being held in storage by NHS Supply Chain for sale to NHS trusts. This stock is all in date. The programme to dispose of excess COVID-19 related PPE concluded in January 2025. Some excess stock was used to replenish the Department’s pandemic PPE stockpile, where possible and appropriate, based on anticipated PPE requirements during a pandemic. The value of in-date PPE held in the Department’s Pandemic Preparedness stockpile by NHS Supply Chain as of 16 June 2025 is £172,923,563. The value of expired PPE held in the Pandemic Preparedness stockpile is £12,514,945, pending replacement and disposal. Dynamic stockpiling will be the default for any new PPE we buy for the pandemic stockpile. Stockpiled PPE is being sold for use in the NHS wherever possible, before it expires. This represents better value for money by reducing costs for storage, procurement of new products, and disposal of expired products, as well as reducing waste.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much their Department has spent on (a) translation and (b) interpretation for languages other than (i) British Sign Language and (ii) languages native to the UK for people contacting (A) their Department and (B) its agencies in 2025.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spent around £215,000 on direct, external Interpreter and Translator costs, for the financial year 2024-25. Indirect Interpreter and Translator costs (for example, staff time, particularly where translation or interpreter type activities is not their primary role) are not included in this figure.The information required to delineate between Interpreter and Translator spend, as well as to which language spend pertains, is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.