Mike Wood MP: written questions 2025
1186 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Cabinet Office: Artificial IntelligenceCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42239More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether officials in his Department are allowed to use DeepSeek.
Answer: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2025 in response to question UIN 38348.
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordEuropean Court of JusticeCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42238More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2025 to Question 26195 on European Court of Justice, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the jurisdiction of European Court of Justice rulings in the
Answer: There has been no change in the jurisdiction of European Court of Justice rulings in the UK. I have regular exchanges with my EU counterparts on our obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHonoursCabinet OfficeTabled 28 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42237More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has a strategy for identifying people for the future award of honours and dignities.
Answer: The Cabinet Office Honours team is working with other government departments to make the honours system representative of UK society, this is in line with the Prime Minister’s priorities for the honours system.
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordMinisters: Corporate Hospitality and Official GiftsCabinet OfficeTabled 27 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41868More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality: Publication Guidance, published on 30 January 2025, if he will add large social media companies including (a) X, (b) Meta an
Answer: The Cabinet Office publishes a monthly register of all gifts and hospitality received by ministers in a ministerial capacity. This includes gifts and hospitality received by social media companies. The Government keeps the guidance on Ministers' Gifts and...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPermanent Secretary Remuneration CommitteeCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41439More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14113 on the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee, whether Permanent Secretaries on the Committee are bound by its decisions on remuneration, and what
Answer: The role of the Permanent Secretary Remuneration Committee (PSRC) is to provide an annual independent assessment about the performance of individual Permanent Secretaries and make recommendations to the Prime Minister on pay awards for Permanent Secretari...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Conditions of EmploymentCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41438More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 January 2025 to Question 21347 on Conditions of Employment, whether his Department has issued guidance on non-contingent labour contract which explains that direction on their use.
Answer: The Cabinet Office does not have guidance on non-contingent labour contracts as this is not a generally used term.
Answered 2 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHonoursCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41437More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025, to Question 30682, on Honours, for what reasons the three Honours campaigns were closed and then later re-opened; and how many of the subsequently-successful candidate
Answer: In reference to my response to question 14712, the three campaigns were closed and reopened to allow for the widest range of applications. All three campaigns are still in progress, so there are at present no successful candidates.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: CommunicationCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41436More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Government Communications Service holds on spending on (a) external marketing, (b) external public relations and (c) other forms of external communications by (i) his and (ii) other Departme
Answer: All departments and ALBs are responsible for their own business planning process. During this process, they will decide their allocation of advertising, marketing, and communications (AMC) spending. If their spend breaches the advertising, marketing and c...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41435More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 19414 on Non-departmental public bodies, how many arm's length bodies other than non-departmental public bodies the Government has (a) announced it will open,
Answer: As said in my previous answer of 8 January 2025, the Cabinet Office maintains records and oversight of formally established Arm’s Length Bodies. No ALBs have been formally established since 4 July 2024. Individual departments are responsible for any propo...
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Freedom of InformationCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41434More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will take steps to (a) speed up the handling of Freedom of Information requests across Government and (b) reduce the number of refusals to those requests.
Answer: FOI compliance statistics for all government departments are published on a quarterly basis on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/government-foi-statistics. Between July-September 2024, across all departments, 90% of requests were respond...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: RecruitmentCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41433More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2024, to Question 6057, on Prime Minister's Office: Vacancies, what proportion of external recruitment competitions in 10 Downing Street resulted in the selection of a succe
Answer: Due to the small number of individuals in scope, release of this information would disclose personal data of the Civil Servants involved.
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSpecial Advisers: Industrial DisputesCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41432More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29023 on Special Advisers: Industrial Disputes, whether he has issued guidance to special advisers on whether they may undertake industrial action with spec
Answer: The Cabinet Office has not issued any such guidance.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordBaroness GustafssonCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41431More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many days’ notice the House of Lords Appointments Commission was given to clear and undertake due diligence in relation to the appointment of Baroness Gustafsson of Chesterton.
Answer: The House of Lords Appointment Commission vets all nominations for life peerages to ensure the highest standards of propriety. The process for vetting nominations of those who are intended to serve as Ministers is the same as the process for all other nom...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41430More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to his Department's guidance entitled The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether the Cabinet Office Public Bodies Team assessed Skills England against the requireme
Answer: The Department for Education is currently working through the approval process to establish Skills England as an Arm’s Length Body. The completion of business cases as part of this process considers viable delivery mechanisms and the three tests.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNational SecurityCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41429More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many transactions have been voluntary notified to his Department under the terms of the National Security and Investment Act since 5 July 2024.
Answer: The Government publishes information on the operation of the National Security and Investment Act in the NSIA Annual Report. The most recent report, covering the 2023/24 reporting period, can be found on GOV.UK. The government received 120 voluntary notif...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Senior Civil ServantsCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41428More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Senior Civil Service roles in the Cabinet Office have been permanently filled by people who were initially appointed on an interim or temporary basis by grade in the last 12 months.
Answer: Since 24 March 2024, 7 Senior Civil Service roles in the Cabinet Office have been permanently filled by people who were initially appointed on an interim or temporary basis in the last 12 months.
Answered 17 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: DirectorsCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41427More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2025 to Question 28582 on Government Departments: Directors, whether non-executive directors who are consultant lobbyists are required to recuse themselves on all matters re
Answer: Non-Executive Directors who are consultant lobbyists are required to recuse themselves on all matters relating to their lobbying clients. Non-Executives are required to recuse themselves from any and all matters relating to any conflict of interest.
Answered 3 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPrime Minister: TravelCabinet OfficeTabled 26 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41415More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has taken steps to reduce his business travel since 4 July 2024.
Answer: Travel plans will always vary and are decided with consideration of the best use of a Minister’s time and in the interests of the taxpayer. Security considerations are also taken into account.As was the practice under the previous Administration, informat...
Answered 8 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordGovernment Departments: Political ActivitiesCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41110More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 29029 on FCDO: Speeches, what guidance his Department has issued on whether substantive and scripted Ministerial speeches in government buildings which are
Answer: As outlined in the Ministerial Code, Government property should not generally be used for work that is in its essential nature about constituency or party political activities. The Permanent Secretary at the FCDO has explained that the essential nature of...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordNew Media Unit: StaffCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41109More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2025 to Question 30683 on Cabinet Office: Media, how many staff are assigned to the New Media Unit; what grades they are assigned at; and whether this includes special advis
Answer: The New Media Unit is currently made up of departmental loans while it is in its initial phase. There are no special advisers assigned to the New Media Unit. Recruitment for its permanent structure is ongoing.
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment and Use of Supply Chain Finance (and associated schemes) in Government ReviewCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41108More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2024 to Question 14769 on Civil Servants: Secondment, which of the recommendations from the Boardman report which have not been implemented will not be taken forward by the
Answer: The 2021 Boardman report recommended the interchange of resources between government and the private sector. We are committed to promoting the recruitment of external employees into roles in government at all levels of the Civil Service to fill critical s...
Answered 19 May 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: EqualityCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41107More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 20 January 2025 to Question 24253 on Cabinet Office: Equality, which diversity and inclusion (a) days and (b) weeks and (c) months were marked from July 2024 to December 2024 inclusive
Answer: As has been the case under previous administrations, the Cabinet Office marks a range of events throughout the year. During the period from July 2024 to December 2024 inclusive, this included marking events such as Rosh Hashanah, Black History Month, Nati...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordArms Length BodiesCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41106More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish a list of every Arm’s Length Body that exists as of January 2025.
Answer: The Cabinet Office publishes an annual ALB Landscape Analysis around a year in arrears. The most recently published ALB Landscape Analysis was published on 17 December 2024 and is available here. The list of every Arm's Length Body that exists as of Janua...
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCivil Service LearningCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41104More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what equality, diversity and inclusion courses are provided by Civil Service Learning.
Answer: The only cross Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) course provided through the Cabinet Office’s central training contracts is Civil Service Expectations.
Answered 2 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordCabinet Office: Corporate HospitalityCabinet OfficeTabled 25 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 41103More
Question: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to ensure that transparency returns from his Department include an indicative value of any hospitality received.
Answer: The Ministerial Code already requires ministers to declare the estimated value, where possible, of any hospitality received above de minimus levels. As has been the case under successive administrations, special advisers and senior officials are not requi...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament record
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