Richard Holden MP: written questions
1068 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Government Departments: PolicyCabinet OfficeTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49960More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what changes have been made to the write-round process in relation to allowing the Chair of the Sub-Committee to obtain clearance without a substantive response from the members of the Sub-Committee since 4 July
Answer: It is the prerogative of the Prime Minister, on advice of the Cabinet Secretary, to determine the proceedings of Cabinet and its committees, including decisions reached via correspondence. The principle of collective responsibility requires that the priva...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: Unpaid WorkCabinet OfficeTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49959More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which ethnic groups are eligible to apply to the Civil Service Early Diversity Internship Programme.
Answer: The Early Diversity Internship Programme ceased recruitment in 2023. The Civil Service Fast Stream offers a Summer Internship Programme which is open to all young people.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport: Disclosure of InformationLeader of the HouseTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49958More
Question: To ask the Leader of the House, if she will review the practices of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on disclosing information under (a) FOI and (b) parliamentary question.
Answer: I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the response provided to his question 24243.As I have previously said, I encourage Hon. Members to raise any specific issues they may have with myself.
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Corporate Hospitality and Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49957More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to chapter three of the Ministerial Code, published in November 2024, whether any further guidance has been provided by (a) his Department and (b) HMRC on paying tax on (i) gifts and (ii) hospital
Answer: The Ministerial Code outlines that "if a minister wishes to retain a gift, they will be liable for any tax it may attract." The decision to accept a gift or hospitality is fundamentally a matter of personal judgement for ministers, who must dete...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Forces: EqualityMinistry of DefenceTabled 2 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49956More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2025 to Question 39113 on Armed Forces: Equality, when he took the decision to (a) pause and (b) cancel the review into armed forces equality, diversity and inclusion.
Answer: Following the announcement of the General Election on 22 May 2024, a decision was taken to pause work on the Secretary of State’s review of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion policy. On 4 September 2024 direction was given that the Review would not be staf...
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: Employers' ContributionsDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49062More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of the cost of the increase in employers National Insurance contributions that will be met by (a) additional support from her Department and (b) schools i
Answer: The government has agreed that public sector employers will receive support in recognition of the increase in their National Insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025.Schools have autonomy over their budgets in order to respond to the needs of their ...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSchools: ExpenditureDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49061More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of school budgets spent on (a) teaching staff, (b) other staff and (c) non-staff costs.
Answer: School funding and costs varies on a school-by-school basis as each school operates in their own unique contexts. Each school has autonomy to allocate their budgets to best meet the needs of their pupils to ensure they have the best opportunities in life....
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness and Voluntary Organisations: RegulationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49060More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43474 on Business: Regulation, whether the target to reduce the cost of compliance will be net of the cost of regulation on (a) business and (b) the v
Answer: As the Prime Minister has committed to, the government will cut the administrative costs of regulation to business by 25% by the end of this Parliament. We will publish the approach to measuring these administrative costs in due course.
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordBusiness: RegulationDepartment for Business and TradeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49059More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43474 on Business: Regulation, whether the target to reduce the cost of compliance includes the costs of assimilated EU law.
Answer: Assimilated law, formerly retained EU law, is domestic law. It was created by the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (EUWA) and came into effect at the end of the United Kingdom’s post-Brexit transition period, on 31 December 2020. The government’s target to cut th...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordMinistry of Defence: EqualityMinistry of DefenceTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49058More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an estimate of expenditure by the armed forces on equality, diversity and inclusion.
Answer: Ministry of Defence accounts are published annually and made public; there are no plans to provide a further breakdown of the data to include, among other things, an estimate of expenditure relating to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordNetwork Rail: LobbyingDepartment for TransportTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49057More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of Network Rail's compliance with his Department's guidance entitled Rules on lobbying for Non-Departmental Public Bodies.
Answer: As a Non-Departmental Public Body, Network Rail is subject to Cabinet Office rules which prohibit attendance at party conferences and the use of consultancies for lobbying activities. I have received assurances from Network Rail that they adhere to the gu...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Senior Civil ServantsCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49056More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many members of the Senior Civil Service in his Department are in post on a temporary basis, at each grade.
Answer: There were 60 SCS1, 21 SCS2, and less than 5 SCS3 in post on a temporary basis on the 31st of March 2025.
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49055More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41271 on Government Departments: Equality, whether trade union diversity networks are eligible for trade union facility time.
Answer: Departments are responsible for deciding whether to grant facility time for individual trade union members or trade union representatives. Departments should refer to the Facility Time Framework to inform their decision.
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Political ActivitiesCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49054More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 41110 on Government departments: political activities, whether there are limits on the amount of party political content that Ministers can deliver in speeches
Answer: While guidance is not expressed in terms of specific limits, the primary purpose of any ministerial speech must be government business and the essential nature of the speech should not be party political.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: StressCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49053More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 43964 on Cabinet office: stress, how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers were signed off absent due to stress in the business unit of 10 Downing S
Answer: Information about sickness absence in the Cabinet Office is published regularly on gov.uk. The latest data publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024/civil-service-sickness-absence-2024-repor...
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament record9 Downing Street: Repairs and MaintenanceCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49052More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 44026 on 9 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance, what the purpose associated with the referenced entry of £122,086.70 on OCS was.
Answer: The referenced entry of £122,086.70 for OCS on the February disclosure notice relates to OCS' regular monthly Fixed Facilities Management services provided to Government Property Agency properties in the North. For clarity, this does not include the No. 9...
Answered 20 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Sector Fraud AuthorityCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49051More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 April 2025 to Question HL6032 on Arm’s Length Bodies, whether the Public Sector Fraud Authority is in the process of being set up.
Answer: The government introduced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill in January, giving us more tools to combat fraud, allowing the government to investigate fraud and recover public money.The Bill also provides the potential for the Public S...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Protection AuthorityDepartment for EducationTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49050More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent progress her Department has made on setting up the child protection authority.
Answer: The government has committed to consulting on a roadmap to establish a Child Protection Authority for England by the end of 2025. The design and delivery of this Authority requires consultation, including with child protection experts and victim groups, t...
Answered 8 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil ServantsCabinet OfficeTabled 29 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 49049More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the actual attendance of civil servants in the office as a proportion of assigned workforce to each government building.
Answer: Central 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. The latest data for the period Janua...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordIdentity Cards: Digital TechnologyDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48565More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans he has for (a) digital identity cards and (b) a national identity database.
Answer: The Government has no plans to create digital identity cards or a national identity database.
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAdvisory Committee on Business Appointments and House of Lords Appointments CommissionCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48564More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason the public appointment process for the (a) Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and (b) House of Lords Appointments Commission members has been cancelled.
Answer: Ministers exercised their rights under the Governance Code on Public Appointments not to appoint any candidates for the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments Chair role. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster informed the Chair of the Public Admin...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: CommunicationCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48563More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the average number of days for a write-round clearance to be approved by the (a) Parliamentary Business and Legislation Committee and (b) Economic and Domestic Affairs Secretariat
Answer: The principle of collective responsibility requires that the privacy of ministerial discussions at Cabinet and its committees should be maintained. It is therefore a long-established precedent that information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet and it...
Answered 7 May 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48562More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 12 April 2025 to Question HL6032 on Arm’s Length Bodies, what Project Seahorse is.
Answer: Project Seahorse is exploring delivery options. The Government will set out further details in due course.
Answered 13 May 2025
Original Parliament recordData, Statistics and Research on Sex and Gender Independent ReviewCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48561More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the (a) Office for National Statistics and (b) UK Statistics Authority plan to publish a response to the recommendations of the Independent review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, publ
Answer: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 28th April is attached.
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordAdvisory Committee on Business AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48560More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Pursuant to the answer of 8 April 2025, to Question 43946, on Alex Chisholm, what steps have been taken to address the staffing issues, and what impact has this had on the processing time of Business Appointment
Answer: The Cabinet Office, as the sponsoring department of ACoBA, has supported the Committee’s secretariat to recruit the additional staff it required to ensure it is fully resourced to deliver its core functions to agreed timescales.
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →