Mike Wood MP: written questions 2025
1186 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Chagos Islands: SovereigntyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54793More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning
Answer: The costs associated with the deal will be split between the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. None of the funds will be classed as development aid.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: FlagsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54792More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 43485 on Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Flags, whether his Department has had discussions with Westminster C
Answer: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has had no discussions with Westminster City Council on this matter.
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment AidForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54791More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to improve the (a) transparency and (b) accountability of Official Development Assistance.
Answer: Aid Transparency remains a high priority for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The FCDO was rated "Very Good" in the most recent Aid Transparency Index and was the leading foreign ministry on the Index.We publish detailed ...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordForeign, Commonwealth and Development Office: HolidaysForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54790More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, on how many occasions he has taken a personal holiday following an official visit; and how the travel costs were paid for in those circumstances.
Answer: The standards of conduct expected of ministers are set out in the Ministerial Code. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office does not routinely comment on the personal travel arrangements of protected individuals.
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Hospitality: WinesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54789More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the (a) type of alcohol, (b) make and (c) vintage was of each bottle of alcohol consumed from the Government Wine Cellar at each Number (i) 10 and (ii) 11 Downing Stree
Answer: No alcohol from the Government Wine Cellar has been consumed at receptions held at Number 10 and Number 11 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: Press ConferencesCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54788More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what factors determined the timing of the Prime Minister's press conference on the Immigration White Paper on 12 May 2025.
Answer: I refer the Hon. Member to the transcript of the Prime Minister's speech at the press conference on 12 May 2025, available on gov.uk.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54787More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the name is of each unit within the business unit of 10 Downing Street; and whether any changes have been made since 4 July 2024.
Answer: As was the case under the previous administration, it would not be appropriate to provide a list of individual teams within 10 Downing Street.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDiego Garcia: Military BasesMinistry of DefenceTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54786More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the press release entitled UK secures future of vital Diego Garcia Military Base to protect national security, published on 22 May 2025, if he will publish the Government Actuary's Department as
Answer: I hope the hon. Gentleman will understand that it is not normal practise for government departments to release details of financial calculations commissioned from the Government Actuary's Department.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: Redundancy PayCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54785More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the costs of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme in the 2025-26 financial year.
Answer: This information is not published by the Cabinet Office on behalf of the Government as departments are responsible for the management of exit schemes. Costs are published in each department's annual report and accounts.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPublic Expenditure: British Indian Ocean TerritoryTreasuryTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54784More
Question: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Mauritius concerning the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Ga
Answer: The Government has applied the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) most recent long-term forecast of economic determinants, in accordance with Green Book guidance on economic appraisal. For years 14 to 99 of the agreement, the GDP deflator has been e...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54783More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 12700 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information provided by the Cabinet Office to the Civil Service Commissi
Answer: There are no plans to publish this information in the Library. This information contains personal data and publishing it in the Library would be considered a breach of data protection legislation. The report that this information was used to inform is ava...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Public AppointmentsCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54782More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 6095 on Cabinet Office: Public Appointment, for what reasons those direct ministerial and public appointees left their posts.
Answer: I refer the Honoural Member to the answer he was given to PQ UIN 6095 on 13th November 2024.
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length Bodies: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54781More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 47335 on Civil Service: Equality, whether the Government monitors exemptions permitted to the guidance on Civil Service equality, diversity and inclusion expendi
Answer: The exemption requirement from the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance does not apply to arm’s-length bodies. As stated in paragraph four of the guidance, for arm’s-length bodies, the Principal Accounting Officer, in consu...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54780More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy for each Department to routinely publish details of recruitment principle exceptions below SCS2 level.
Answer: I refer the Rt Hon gentleman to the answer to PQ_29020. Aggregate data is published on details of appointments by exception below SCS2 grade. There has been no change to these arrangements since the new government took office
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Remote WorkingCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54779More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the attendance of civil servants in his Department as a proportion of assigned workforce to each building.
Answer: Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office ...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: AviationCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54778More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the cost of domestic flights undertaken by the Prime Minister set out in the Freedom of Information Act response with reference FOI2025/05760 included carbon offsetting.
Answer: The flights in-scope of FOI2025/05760 were not carbon offset. This is in line with the Carbon Offsetting Reduction Scheme.
Answered 18 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54777More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 28 November 2024 to Question 15239 on Arms Length Bodies: Equality, what exemptions have been authorised by (a) departments and (b) arm's length bodies.
Answer: For departments, external equality, diversity and inclusion expenditure for financial year 2024/2025 has recently been published on Gov.uk. Delegated authority from a minister to a Permanent Secretary has been reported to the Cabinet Office for the follow...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCorporate Hospitality and Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54776More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, for what reason transparency data on (a) Ministerial gifts and hospitality and (b) senior officials and special advisers are published with different frequencies.
Answer: Following updates to the Ministerial Code in November 2024, the Government moved publication of Ministers' gifts and hospitality from quarterly to monthly. This brought declarations broadly in line with those required by Members in Parliament. As with pre...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54775More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18217 on Government departments: electronic purchasing card solutions, what information his Department holds on the reasons for which some Departments publi
Answer: 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/5e8b4026...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Electronic Purchasing Card SolutionCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54774More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many responses from his Department to Freedom of Information Act requests have detailed Government Procurement Card spending below £500 in the last two years.
Answer: To establish the number of FOI responses in the last two years which have detailed Government Procurement Card spending below £500 would require a review of all responses issued by the Cabinet Office during that period and can only be provided at dispropo...
Answered 4 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54773More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many staff are employed in each Minister’s office.
Answer: There are 39 staff, at multiple grades, who support the 8 Cabinet Office ministers in private office roles. MinisterNumber of staff in Private OfficeChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster8Minister for the Cabinet Office6Minister Oppong-Asare4Minister Reeves...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDepartmental CoordinationCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54772More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the written statement entitled Plan for Change: Milestones for mission-led government, of 5 December 2024, HCWS285, if he will make it his policy to report every six months on the (a) metrics a
Answer: The Plan for Change sets out clear and transparent milestones, and our plan to achieve them. We published graphs and links to the statistics on the outcomes for these milestones. The statistical annex published on gov.uk on the Plan for Change – Milestone...
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Servants: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54771More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that all jobs advertised on the Civil Service Jobs website are publicly advertised.
Answer: The Civil Service Jobs website is fully accessible to the public. The website is used to advertise roles available to applicants who are external to the Civil Service, though departments may advertise on other websites. The website may also be used to adv...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Digital Service: Senior Civil ServantsDepartment for Science, Innovation and TechnologyTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54770More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans the Government has to appoint a permanent Chief Executive Officer of the Government Digital Service (GDS); and whether this appointment will be made following an open competi
Answer: The Government Chief Digital Officer (GCDO) leads the Government Digital Service (GDS), within DSIT. GDS is the digital centre of government. The current GCDO is in post on an interim basis. We will be appointing a permanent GCDO through an open competiti...
Answered 12 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Senior Civil ServantsCabinet OfficeTabled 30 May 2025AnsweredUIN 54769More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister met with any of the candidates shortlisted for the Cabinet Secretary position before the appointment.
Answer: The Cabinet Secretary was appointed through a fair and open competition, in line with longstanding process.
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament record
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