Tag: Cabinet Office

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 7 April 2025.

Every quango across government will be reviewed, with a view to close, merge or bring functions back into departments if its continued existence cannot be justified.

• The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster has written to departments to justify every quango otherwise they’ll be closed, merged, or have powers brought back into the department.
• Changes will drive efficiency and reduce bureaucracy as part of Prime Minister’s Plan for Change, delivering security and renewal for working people.
• New era of global instability means Government must go further and faster in reform.
• Government will consider what legislation may be required to deliver these reforms.

Every quango across government will be reviewed, with a view to close, merge or bring functions back into departments if its continued existence cannot be justified.

The review, commissioned by the Cabinet Office at the request of the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, is the latest move to re-wire Whitehall and produce a more productive and agile state. It is part of our Plan for Change, delivering security for working people and national renewal.

This follows news last month that NHS England will be brought back into the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) to put an end to the duplication resulting from two organisations doing the same job in a system currently holding staff back from delivering for patients.

Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden MP said:

We are taking action to ensure decisions of national importance that affect everyone in this country are made by those who have been elected to do so.

Only by fundamentally re-wiring the state, can we deliver our Plan for Change to secure Britain’s future and serve working people; kick-starting economic growth, rebuilding the NHS and strengthening our borders.

The review will aim to drive out waste and inefficiency across Whitehall, reducing duplication and bureaucracy – saving the taxpayer money and cutting the cost of ‘doing government’.

It is expected that quangos with large policy functions could be brought back into departments, bringing ministerial, elected, scrutiny back to major decisions that affect the public. This would also retain the expertise and experience of staff working in these areas.

All departments must demonstrate the necessity of each one, operating under the presumption that these bodies will be affected unless there is compelling justification for their separate existence.

Where independence from Ministerial decision making is essential, such as quangos which scrutinise government or protect the rule of law, then these will remain unaffected.

The Cabinet Secretary and departmental Secretaries of State and Permanent Secretaries will be held directly accountable for the Arms Length Body (ALBs) that continue to exist following the review.

The review will consider four key principles:

• Ministerial policy oversight – if a policy is of national importance then Ministers should have appropriate oversight and control of its development. Major decisions that affect the country and the public should be taken by those elected by the country to do so.
• Duplication and Efficiency – government should drive out duplication and inefficiency wherever possible, this includes if there is duplication of policy or delivery work between ALBs and Ministerial departments.
• Stakeholder Management – the fact that government needs to engage stakeholders should not be a reason for an ALB to exist, government itself should be working hard to engage with a variety of partners at every stage.
• Independent Advice – where there is a clear justification for independent advice, then this should be conducted at arms length.

Many ALBs are set up in legislation, and previous work to deliver these changes has been hampered by the difficulty in updating and changing individual pieces of ALB legislation. As part of this work, the Government will consider what legislation may be required to ensure the reviews announced today can be implemented and delivered upon.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 April 2025.

Spending taxpayer money on unnecessary branded merchandise and staff ‘away days’ will be banned in the latest crackdown on wasteful spending across departments.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 7 March 2025.

Welsh language training now available to all civil servants through the Civil Service Learning website

Every civil servant in the UK can now access free Welsh Language training thanks to a new initiative.

Government Skills has been collaborating with the National Centre for Learning Welsh to offer civil servants easy access to free Welsh Language training—provided by the Welsh Government—via a programme called Work Welsh.

It is the first time every civil servant in the UK has been given access to free learning on Civil Service Learning, which is specifically focused on helping them learn a new language.

Promoting the Welsh language

Dame Antonia Romeo DCB, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice and Permanent Secretary Place Champion for Wales and a Welsh language learner herself, said:

“This initiative underpins our commitment to promote the Welsh Language and ensure its presence across all Government departments – supporting the Welsh Government vision to have one million people speaking Welsh by 2050.”

This opportunity is the result of an initiative led by Professor Kim Ann Williamson MBE, Strategic Advisor to the Wales and the Northern Ireland Head of Place with the great support of Rich Williams (Ministry of Justice), Alison Dods (Department of Work and Pensions), Dave Martin (Government Skills) and our Joint Heads of Place for Wales Ross Maude (DCMS) and Professor Tom Crick MBE (DCMS).

An important milestone

Kim Ann, who herself relocated from London to Wales some 28 years ago, said she believes that learning a new language can be a vital part in staff development.

“It’s an important milestone to be able to offer civil servants this opportunity and it highlights our determination to support diverse and thriving civil service communities in regions and nations across the UK.

“Learning Welsh can help foster inclusive teams, particularly where there are Welsh-speaking colleagues. It’s also a wonderful way to forge closer links with the local community and support the Welsh language, heritage and culture.”

Launch in Cardiff

The learning is among a range of courses available on the National Centre for Learning Welsh’s website. But, by providing access via Civil Service Learning, Government Skills is ensuring that civil servants get easy access to the free learning. It can also monitor numbers accessing the learning from the Civil Service.

Representatives from more than 14 government departments attended the launch of the Work Welsh language learning in Cardiff and had the opportunity to hear from Dame Nia Griffith MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales speaking in support of this new learning opportunity.

Work Welsh is accessible via Civil Service Learning.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 7 March 2025.

Joe Griffin has been appointed as the new Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. Joe, who is currently Director General, Strategy & External Affairs in the Scottish Government, was chosen following an open and fair competition chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner. The appointment has been made by the First Minister of Scotland in agreement with the UK Cabinet Secretary. Joe will take up the post on 7 April 2025.

First Minister John Swinney said:

My thanks go to JP Marks for his devoted public service and leadership of the Civil Service. My Cabinet and I are grateful for the invaluable advice he has provided during his time at the Scottish Government. I join with so many across the Scottish public sector and beyond in wishing JP every success in his new role at HMRC.

I welcome Joe Griffin’s appointment as Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government. He brings a wealth of experience to this role from his distinguished career in the Civil Service. I know from his record of delivery, not least on the massive expansion of early learning and childcare which he led, that Joe will deliver an unyielding focus on delivering for the people of Scotland.

Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald said:

I would like to congratulate Joe on his appointment.  He brings extensive experience from his roles at Scottish Government, including as Director General for Strategy and External Affairs and previously Director General for Education and Justice. Joe is well placed to lead the organisation and provide excellent support to Ministers.

 I would like to thank JP Marks for his leadership of the Scottish Government over the last three years.

Joe Griffin said:

It is a privilege to be appointed Permanent Secretary and lead the Civil Service in the Scottish Government.  I am grateful to the First Minister and the Cabinet Secretary for this opportunity.

My focus will be on working with colleagues and partners to drive progress and deliver the government’s four priorities; eradicating child poverty, growing the economy, tackling the climate emergency, and ensuring high quality and sustainable public services. I look forward to leading the organisation as we deliver in the service of Scotland.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 March 2025.

The UK Government and European Commission gave a statement after the Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework meeting.

The Specialised Committee on the Implementation of the Windsor Framework met today, co-chaired by officials from the European Commission and the UK Government.

The co-chairs took stock of the implementation of the Windsor Framework since the last meeting on 22 October 2024. They noted overall progress on the implementation of the Windsor Framework, notably in the area of human medicines, where the specific arrangements previously announced started applying on 1 January 2025.

The co-chairs discussed further work underway in the areas of sanitary and phytosanitary goods / agrifood, pet travel, customs and veterinary medicines and trade, with a view to ensuring full implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework. They agreed to continue to step up implementation progress in these areas, which remains essential to ensure that the safeguards and flexibilities of the Windsor Framework operate for people and businesses in Northern Ireland and protect the Union’s Single Market.

They noted the importance of continued constructive joint work to support implementation efforts and monitor progress in looking ahead to forthcoming milestones, to ensure the full, timely and faithful implementation of all the elements of the Framework.

The Committee co-chairs also took stock of the work of the Joint Consultative Working Group and its structured sub-groups.

They reiterated the importance of continued joint engagement with Northern Ireland stakeholders.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 25 February 2025.

A new public procurement regime under the Procurement Act 2023 is now in force.

• Procurement Act 2023 now in force, delivering growth, driving value for money, and giving small businesses greater access to nearly £400billion of yearly spend.
• Strong new powers to exclude and debar suppliers from contracts on grounds of national security or poor performance.
• Public can scrutinise procurement decisions on new Central Digital Platform.

New laws putting growth, small businesses and transparency at the heart of public contract awards are now in force, as part of a transformation of the government’s commercial landscape that delivers on the Plan for Change.

A more open public procurement regime driving value for money is now in place through the Procurement Act 2023, which sets rules that all public bodies must follow when they buy goods and services.

The Act will boost growth by slashing red tape for small and medium sized businesses applying for government contracts – combining multiple regulations into one simple set, and publishing procurement data in a standard, open format on a Central Digital Platform.

It is bolstered by a new National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) that sets out this government’s Mission-led priorities which the public sector must have regard to in its procurement activity.

The changes open up opportunities for small businesses to bid for public sector contracts, helping deliver growth and opportunity across the UK. It ends late payments that put small businesses at risk, introducing a mandate of 30-day payment terms for all public sector contracts.

Costs for both business and the public sector will be reduced through simple new processes that drive innovation, offering greater flexibility for buyers to tailor procurement to their exact needs. For example, providing public bodies more opportunities to negotiate with suppliers, and using built-in stages to procurement cycles such as demonstrations and testing prototypes.

Cabinet Office Minister Georgia Gould said:

Public sector procurement can now fully deliver on the Plan for Change – unleashing local growth, opening up opportunities and embedding transparency and accountability.

The Procurement Act, supported by our new National Procurement Policy Statement, will tear down barriers that stop small businesses from winning government work, giving them greater opportunity to access the £400 billion spent on public procurement every year, investing in home-grown talent and driving innovation and growth.

Shirley Cooper, Crown Representative for Small Businesses, said:

This once–in-a-generation change to public procurement laws will provide enormous opportunities for small businesses to take a greater share of contracts.

The Act, which goes live alongside our bold new National Procurement Policy Statement, will drive economic growth and deliver on the Government’s Missions and the Plan for Change.

I thank the public sector for the considerable amount of work done to prepare for and understand these new rules, and how they can fully benefit both businesses and the taxpayer.

To deliver on this, a Central Digital Platform is now in operation which will streamline processes and cut red tape, allowing suppliers to register their details and see all bidding opportunities in one place. This will encourage more suppliers to bid for government work, increasing competition and in turn supporting economic growth.

Citizens can also scrutinise public procurement data published on this platform, as part of the Act’s rules for greater transparency.

The Government will also use tough new powers to investigate supplier misconduct, including underperforming suppliers and those that pose security risks to supply chains, with the ability to debar or exclude them from contracts.

The Procurement Review Unit (PRU) and National Security Unit for Procurement (NSUP), now operational as dedicated resources in the Cabinet Office, will carry out this work. The NSUP will take robust action against any organisation, actor or entity which presents a national security threat.

ADDITIONAL QUOTES

Emma Jones CBE, founder of Enterprise Nation, said:

Accessing public sector work can act like a growth accelerator for SMEs. Government contracts are solid and reliable and pay within 30 days. They help SMEs develop and invest in new processes, products and efficiencies, as well as take on more staff in their local community.

By seeing Government procurement through this lens, opening up contracts to more diverse and community-based businesses will be a powerful way to deliver economic growth.

My organisation has already been busy readying SMEs for this moment. This legislation is the beginning of the next step in the journey to increasing government spend with SMEs and boosting the economy.

Terry Corby, founder and CEO of Good Business Pays, said:

The public sector spends around £300 billion every year and represents a huge opportunity to drive growth in the UK. Buying more from SMEs, making it easier for them to tender for work and get paid faster will help drive growth in our communities across the UK.

The commitment to pay all suppliers through the supply chain in under 30 days is important. If implemented well, the new Procurement Act will represent the biggest step-change towards best practice payment culture. I founded Good Business Pays five years ago, and provide a great example for all commercial organisations to follow.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 25 February 2025.

The Government is pleased to announce the shortlisted design teams for the national memorial to Queen Elizabeth II.

The shortlisted design teams include:

• Foster + Partners with Yinka Shonibare and Michel Desvigne Paysagiste
• Heatherwick Studio with Halima Cassell, MRG Studio, Webb Yates and Arup
• J&L Gibbons with Michael Levine RDI, William Matthews Associates, Structure Workshop and Arup
• Tom Stuart-Smith with Jamie Fobert Architects, Adam Lowe (Factum Arte) and Structure Workshop
• WilkinsonEyre with Lisa Vandy and Fiona Clark, Andy Sturgeon Design, Atelier One and Hilson Moran

The finalists were shortlisted following the first stage of a two-stage open competition. Designers were required to submit examples of previous projects relevant to the vision for the memorial set out by the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, alongside details of the unique skills of their multi-disciplinary teams. The competition attracted a wide range of excellent creative talent from across the UK and internationally. The shortlisted teams will be required to submit their design concepts later in the Spring.

The winning design team will be announced in Summer 2025 after the Selection Panel reviews the five shortlisted teams’ concepts. Design teams have been asked to create a memorial masterplan that celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s extraordinary life of service and provides a space for pause and reflection. The designs will also be assessed against wider criteria, including value for money, placemaking and visitor experience.

The team that is ultimately selected following the competition will add, in discussion with the Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee, an artist or sculptor for the figurative representation of Her Late Majesty, and this appointment will be announced in Summer 2025.

The site for the new national Queen Elizabeth II Memorial will include the area of St James’s Park adjacent to The Mall at Marlborough Gate, and land surrounding the pathway down to the lake, including the Blue Bridge. The site was chosen because of its proximity to the ceremonial route of The Mall, its historical and constitutional significance and personal connection to Queen Elizabeth.

The final design will be formally announced in April 2026, to coincide with what would have been Queen Elizabeth’s hundredth birthday year.

The Queen Elizabeth Memorial Committee was established by the UK Government and Royal Household in 2023 and comprises eight senior figures from across British public life, selected for their expertise, and chaired by The Late Queen’s former Private Secretary Lord Robin Janvrin.

The Committee is also continuing its work to develop proposals for a UK-wide legacy programme to commemorate Queen Elizabeth.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025.

Today (Thursday 13 February) the UK Government is introducing legislation to remove the legal barrier to Roman Catholics holding the office of Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

The Lord High Commissioner is appointed to attend the proceedings on The King’s behalf as the Sovereign’s representative to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland – the governing body of the Church of Scotland, which meets each May in Edinburgh.

The Lord High Commissioner makes opening and closing addresses and carries out a number of official functions. The Assembly meets annually to hear reports from the councils and committees, makes laws and sets the agenda for the Church of Scotland.

Currently, Roman Catholics are legally restricted from holding the office of Lord High Commissioner due to historic legislation, including the Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829. The Government will introduce a short and narrowly-focused Bill – the Church of Scotland (Lord High Commissioner) Bill – to remove this restriction. Individuals of other faiths and none can currently hold the office.

The Bill will facilitate the upcoming appointment of Lady Elish Angiolini as the Lord High Commissioner for 2025.  Lady Elish would be the first Roman Catholic to hold this office.

Lady Elish Angiolini is a practising Roman Catholic and has a distinguished background in law and academia. Her appointment will be a significant gesture of unity, goodwill and collaboration between the Church of Scotland and the Catholic Church in Scotland, following the St Margaret Declaration signed in 2022.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 13 February 2025.

Thousands of small businesses across the country will have more opportunities to win valuable contracts with public sector organisations, kickstarting local economic growth and innovation

• Complicated government buying processes will be simplified to make it easier for small businesses to win contracts, bringing jobs and growth to local areas and across the UK as government delivers on its Plan for Change.
• Alongside measures for small business, companies that win public sector contracts will be told to advertise vacancies at local job centres to help get Britain back to work and breaking down barriers to opportunity for millions across the country.
• Further measures introduced to cut government waste and drive value for money.

Thousands of small businesses across the country will have more opportunities to win valuable contracts with public sector organisations, kickstarting local economic growth and innovation and creating jobs for local communities as the Government delivers on its Plan for Change.

Measures announced by the Government today will speed up and simplify procurement processes in the public sector, where £400 billion is spent each year on essential goods and services – driving growth and improving the lives of working people.

The changes outlined today include proposals for a major shake-up of spending rules, with local councils able to reserve contracts for small businesses to maximise spend within their area and help boost local economies.

Alongside this, a new duty will be placed on firms that win contracts with government bodies to advertise jobs at job centres, delivering real change for people, bringing good jobs closer to home and getting Britain back to work.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS), will gear all parts of the public sector towards delivering growth. The new rules include eight actions to return public procurement back into the service of the country and working people, and drive forward the Plan for Change.

Georgia Gould, Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, said:

Businesses tell me that the current system isn’t working. It is slow, complicated and too often means small businesses in this country are shut out of public sector contracts.

These measures will change that, giving them greater opportunity to access the £400 billion spent on public procurement every year, investing in home grown talent and driving innovation and growth.

This new policy statement sets out our vision for how procurement can put this country back into the service of working people, and deliver our Plan for Change – by making sure the public sector is committed to growing the economy and empowering our communities with innovation and opportunity.

Current processes require Social Value measures on contracts, which put requirements on businesses to help bring forward positive change in communities and the country as a whole.

However, there are currently multiple different approaches used across the public sector and potentially many different criteria, confusing business and making it harder to ensure the commitments made are actually delivered.

The Government will be updating and streamlining the system used by all central government departments and their agencies to align it with the Government’s missions.

This will make it simpler to use, giving small businesses a better chance when bidding for contracts, and will make sure companies who profit from government work give back to the community.

Small Business Minister Gareth Thomas said:

For too long small businesses have been stuck on the sidelines of the procurement process with complicated bureaucracy and a confusing system. That changes today.

These measures will mean small firms can more easily offer their expertise to key projects both locally and nationally, helping SMEs to scale up, securing jobs and creating opportunities across the country.

AI and Digital Government Minister Feryal Clark said:

There is a £45 billion jackpot of potential productivity savings if we make full use of technology across our public services, it is not an opportunity we can miss.

To get this right, we need to make sure public sector organisations can get their hands on the right technology for them, quickly. That’s why our Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence will help the rest of the public sector invest in long-term solutions and stop hasty quick fixes.

Alongside the NPPS, a range of measures to support its delivery and make savings across government are also being introduced.

This includes the development of a new AI tool for commercial teams across government to cut bureaucracy wherever possible – such as to simplify redacting contracts and quality assurance of procurement documents.

As first announced in the blueprint for a modern digital government, a new Digital Commercial Centre of Excellence will also be set up in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to embed a “buy once and well” attitude, and drive innovative solutions to problems facing our public sector, securing long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes for digital and IT products and opening up opportunities for small and medium businesses to work on digital transformation.

The current system is broken: two departments might buy two types of equipment for the same purpose, requiring two teams with different individual skills to service and maintain.

The new approach means buying only once – requiring only one team, and one set of skills, removing duplication, saving the taxpayer money, and reducing waste in government.

A new Commercial Innovation Hub is also being considered, to establish a golden link across government departments, embedding learnings from extraordinary events such as vaccine procurement into our day to day processes. This will support departments to deliver greater value from the new flexible powers offered by the Procurement Act – and act as a workshop to seek out innovative commercial solutions that drive greater value.

The NAO recently estimated there are between 8,000 and 21,000 frameworks available to public sector buyers through external third party organisations. These agreements are often not transparent, with hidden fees and charges, racking up the cost of common goods and services.

A new Register of Framework agreements will be produced, shining a light on those rip-off frameworks from third party providers that are profiting off our local councils and NHS, taking money away from front line services.

The Government will also be consulting on more reforms including a requirement for large contracting authorities to publish their three-year targets for small business and social enterprise spend and report on this annually – as well as the exclusion of suppliers from contracts worth more than £5million if they don’t complete prompt payments of invoices.

The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 12 February 2025.

Completed legislation will widen compensation service to all eligible victims of the Infected Blood Scandal.

• New draft laws will be debated and approved by Parliament before becoming law in March
• Over £13.4 million already paid out to infected individuals, and £11.8 billion allocated in the Autumn Budget

Today the government will deliver on its commitment to complete its legislation underpinning the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, which will widen the compensation service to all eligible victims of the Infected Blood Scandal.

This will ensure that parents, partners, children, siblings and some carers of those who contracted illnesses will also be able to apply for compensation, and take another important step towards justice.

Existing legislation underpinning the compensation scheme applied to people who contracted illnesses, as a result of the scandal, rather than those who were indirectly affected.

This first phase of legislation was established in August 2024, just weeks after the General Election. It gave the Infected Blood Compensation Authority the powers to pay compensation to both living and deceased victims who contracted illnesses.

The Government allocated £11.8 billion in the Autumn Budget to compensate victims of the Infected Blood Scandal, with these new laws setting out more detail on how funds will be administered.

The draft laws will be debated and must be approved by both Houses of Parliament to then formally be established as laws, which the Government hopes will happen by the 31st March 2025.

Once this happens, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority will have the required powers to pay compensation to all victims who are eligible under the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is an independent organisation set up by the Cabinet Office on recommendation from the Infected Blood Inquiry. It has already started to provide compensation to victims who contracted illnesses, with over £13.4 million paid by mid-January.

Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office, The Rt Hon. Nick Thomas-Symonds MP, said:

This Government is determined to deliver justice for the victims of the Infected Blood Scandal and is going further than any other before.

Having met many of the infected blood community, I know the scale of suffering people have endured. These new laws will be vital to delivering compensation to people who did such a huge amount and often suffered so much themselves when caring for their loved ones who contracted life-changing illnesses.

I hope that completing this legislation and allocating over £11 billion in the budget brings a sense of reassurance to the community of how committed this government is to delivering justice.