To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, whether external providers or expert advisers supporting the Review signed non-disclosure agreements.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, whether external providers or expert advisers supporting the Review signed non-disclosure agreements.

There is what might be an important innovation in the text of this year’s sovereign grant annual report and accounts, which the Bill refers to and which the Minister is describing. Usually, the description of the sovereign’s role includes the term “defender of the faith”, but that term does not...

There is what might be an important innovation in the text of this year’s sovereign grant annual report and accounts, which the Bill refers to and which the Minister is describing. Usually, the description of the sovereign’s role includes the term “defender of the faith”, but that term does not...

Research from the Department for Education confirms that children who move schools frequently often suffer poor outcomes, particularly children with special educational needs. That is why a number of armed forces families—people on average incomes—choose independent education to minimise the disruption that results from their postings. May I ask the Secretary of State, with her new Education team, whether she will publish—perhaps jointly with the Ministry of Defence—research showing whether the introduction of VAT on school fees has led to an increase in the number of in-year moves, especially among service families?

Research from the Department for Education confirms that children who move schools frequently often suffer poor outcomes, particularly children with special educational needs. That is why a number of armed forces families—people on average incomes—choose independent education to minimise the disruption that results from their postings. May I ask the Secretary of State, with her new Education team, whether she will publish—perhaps jointly with the Ministry of Defence—research showing whether the introduction of VAT on school fees has led to an increase in the number of in-year moves, especially among service families?

Resilience is obviously the crucial question for the country, and the Government are right to be focusing on the need to strengthen the centre of Government to achieve that. My concern is about the legislation that has been trailed. According to a leak—presumably from a briefing from the Cabinet Office—reported in The Times this week, the Cabinet Secretary is proposing to take new powers to direct permanent secretaries of Government Departments. Will the Minister confirm whether legislation is planned to change the statutory basis of the civil service? Most importantly, does he think that the Cabinet Secretary should or should not have the power to direct permanent secretaries?

Resilience is obviously the crucial question for the country, and the Government are right to be focusing on the need to strengthen the centre of Government to achieve that. My concern is about the legislation that has been trailed. According to a leak—presumably from a briefing from the Cabinet Office—reported in The Times this week, the Cabinet Secretary is proposing to take new powers to direct permanent secretaries of Government Departments. Will the Minister confirm whether legislation is planned to change the statutory basis of the civil service? Most importantly, does he think that the Cabinet Secretary should or should not have the power to direct permanent secretaries?

I want to be constructive because I welcome the creation of a stronger centre, with a proper political centre in No. 10 and a corporate HQ for the non-political functions. My question to the Minister is: what is the residual point of the Cabinet Office in this new structure? Some...

I want to be constructive because I welcome the creation of a stronger centre, with a proper political centre in No. 10 and a corporate HQ for the non-political functions. My question to the Minister is: what is the residual point of the Cabinet Office in this new structure? Some...

If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2 September.

If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 2 September.

Q10

.

Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire) (Reform):

I applaud the Prime Minister’s focus on civil society and on support for young people, but the fact is that in his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester youth employment did not improve. In fact, it got worse and no amount of taxpayer-funded support is going to fix that. Will the Prime Minister accept that the way to get young people into work is to provide meaningful tax cuts for businesses and to ensure that people who can work should be working?

Q10

.

Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire) (Reform):

I applaud the Prime Minister’s focus on civil society and on support for young people, but the fact is that in his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester youth employment did not improve. In fact, it got worse and no amount of taxpayer-funded support is going to fix that. Will the Prime Minister accept that the way to get young people into work is to provide meaningful tax cuts for businesses and to ensure that people who can work should be working?

The Bill contains a lot of useful tightening of electoral law, and we are having a very important debate this afternoon. It is important that we think about how we police donations from abroad and from home. I pay tribute to the remarks made by the hon. Members for Hexham...

The Bill contains a lot of useful tightening of electoral law, and we are having a very important debate this afternoon. It is important that we think about how we police donations from abroad and from home. I pay tribute to the remarks made by the hon. Members for Hexham...

No, I am not going to give way.

It is their right to support a political cause in their own country, where they are registered to vote and of which they are citizens. It is absolutely wrong to traduce them in that way.

Some suggest that the Bill will restore trust in...

No, I am not going to give way.

It is their right to support a political cause in their own country, where they are registered to vote and of which they are citizens. It is absolutely wrong to traduce them in that way.

Some suggest that the Bill will restore trust in...

No, I will not.

The second implicit principle that we now need to bring to the surface is that we are one country, speaking a common language, taking part in a single election concerning matters about our country. That means election materials printed in English and the other native languages of...

No, I will not.

The second implicit principle that we now need to bring to the surface is that we are one country, speaking a common language, taking part in a single election concerning matters about our country. That means election materials printed in English and the other native languages of...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, if she will list the names and professional affiliations of the expert advisers appointed to the Review; and what steps have been taken to declare, register, and manage conflicts of interest...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, if she will list the names and professional affiliations of the expert advisers appointed to the Review; and what steps have been taken to declare, register, and manage conflicts of interest...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, on what dates the contracts awarded to external providers for the Review will be published on Contracts Finder; and if she will publish the unique procurement reference numbers for those contracts.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, on what dates the contracts awarded to external providers for the Review will be published on Contracts Finder; and if she will publish the unique procurement reference numbers for those contracts.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, what the total projected budget is for external support for the Review; and from which departmental budget this expenditure is being drawn.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 July 2026 to Question 16618, what the total projected budget is for external support for the Review; and from which departmental budget this expenditure is being drawn.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) the adequacy of results issued by Pearson for this year’s Key Stage 2 SATs results, (b) that Pearson delivers future results on time and (c) that teachers have adequate access to appeals, in the...

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) the adequacy of results issued by Pearson for this year’s Key Stage 2 SATs results, (b) that Pearson delivers future results on time and (c) that teachers have adequate access to appeals, in the...

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what were the dates of any determinations made by the Church Commissioners in accordance with its duty under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 during the last ten years; what were the amounts of income determined on...

To ask the hon. Member for Battersea, representing the Church Commissioners, what were the dates of any determinations made by the Church Commissioners in accordance with its duty under section 2(1) of the National Institutions Measure 1998 during the last ten years; what were the amounts of income determined on...

Q5

.

Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire) (Reform):

I thank the Prime Minister for his service; he is a good man, and I wish him very well for the future.

Politics is not a joke. Every other party in this House, except Reform, has put forward as their candidate in the Clacton by-election a comedian with a dustbin on his head—[Interruption.]. It might be—if hon. Members will listen—that a man with his head full of rubbish is a fitting representative of the mainstream parties in this House. I think the Prime Minister endorsed the bin man, but will he clarify who, if he will not put up a Labour candidate, he wants to win in Clacton?

Q5

.

Danny Kruger (East Wiltshire) (Reform):

I thank the Prime Minister for his service; he is a good man, and I wish him very well for the future.

Politics is not a joke. Every other party in this House, except Reform, has put forward as their candidate in the Clacton by-election a comedian with a dustbin on his head—[Interruption.]. It might be—if hon. Members will listen—that a man with his head full of rubbish is a fitting representative of the mainstream parties in this House. I think the Prime Minister endorsed the bin man, but will he clarify who, if he will not put up a Labour candidate, he wants to win in Clacton?

If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 15 July.

If he will list his official engagements for Wednesday 15 July.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which external providers have been awarded contracts to support or conduct work for the recently announced Review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service; and if he will list the (a) name of each supplier, (b) financial value,...

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which external providers have been awarded contracts to support or conduct work for the recently announced Review into the Organisation, Performance and Transformation of the Permanent Civil Service; and if he will list the (a) name of each supplier, (b) financial value,...

I welcome the statement. I want to follow on from the question from the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson). Yes, Ministers must take responsibility for the contracts, but ultimately Whitehall fails to deliver value for money on behalf of the public. It is not enough to say that...

I welcome the statement. I want to follow on from the question from the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson). Yes, Ministers must take responsibility for the contracts, but ultimately Whitehall fails to deliver value for money on behalf of the public. It is not enough to say that...

The money in the DIP is clearly not enough, but it is welcome that some money has been found for defence, and I particularly welcome the new drone facility that is coming to Swindon in Wiltshire. In a genuinely constructive spirit, can I ask the Minister whether she is content with the model of defence procurement we have in this country, and whether she thinks that with a new Secretary of State and a new Prime Minister coming, now is the time to do a lot more to expedite the sort of innovative defence procurement that we will need to make the weapons for the future?

The money in the DIP is clearly not enough, but it is welcome that some money has been found for defence, and I particularly welcome the new drone facility that is coming to Swindon in Wiltshire. In a genuinely constructive spirit, can I ask the Minister whether she is content with the model of defence procurement we have in this country, and whether she thinks that with a new Secretary of State and a new Prime Minister coming, now is the time to do a lot more to expedite the sort of innovative defence procurement that we will need to make the weapons for the future?