Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mike Wood this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 961–980 of 1,524 · Cabinet Office
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77545 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, whether his Department has undertaken expenditure (a) directly and (b) through contractors on digital influencers outside the New Media Unit since 4 July 2024.
The Cabinet Office has worked with influencers outside of the New Media Unit.
If he will publish the substantive information released on 21 October 2025 under the Freedom of Information Act, ref FOI2025/12565.
All Freedom of Information requests are considered on their individual merits in accordance with the relevant legislation. A copy of the information released in the response will be deposited in the House Library.
Whether the Prime Minister has had recent discussions with the Chinese government on the planning application for the Chinese Embassy in London.
The decision to call in the planning application for the proposed Chinese Embassy was made by the former Deputy Prime Minister, in line with current policy on call-in. This decision is subject to a quasi-judicial process and independent from the rest of government.
If he will publish the Model Contract for Senior Civil Servants.
Contracts for SCS are not published publicly, so we will not be publishing a model contract.
Pursuant to the Answers of 3 September 2025 to Questions (a) 70458 on Government Departments: Directors and (b) 71225 on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, through which process previous political activity of a regulated appointee is publicly declared if that political activity falls under the definition of political activity under the Governance Code on Public Appointments but does not fall under the definition of political activity under the guidance for Non-Executive Board members interests.
The Governance Code on Public Appointments requires the public disclosure of political activity within the last five years for successful candidates. The Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies requires appointees to comply with the rules of the appointing body on handling conflicts of interests, which typically require the public declaration of potential conflicts, usually in the body’s register of interests. The general guidance on the declaration of interests process for Non-Executive Board Members, which would include political activity, is published on Gov.uk, with the intention of standardising the management and publication of such interests across UK Government departments in order to increase consistency and transparency around those interests, as recommended by the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee.
Pursuant to the Answers of 26 September 2025, to Questions 75632, 74515, 74202, on Civil Service: Unpaid Work, whether the Office for National Statistics classifies the occupations of (a) tool-makers, (b) factory owners, (c) Members of Parliament, (d) Ministers of the Crown and (e) civil servants as working class under the NS-SEC framework.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd October is attached.
If he will make it his policy to review his Department's guidance entitled Government Function: People – Continuous Improvement Assessment guidance, in the context of the judgment of the Supreme Court in For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers [2025] UKSC 16.
A Continuous Improvement Assessment Framework is a management tool designed to provide consistent, comparable management information that supports functional assurance and continuous improvement. We will review and update policy wherever necessary to ensure it complies with the latest legal requirements.
Pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2025 to Question 63340 on Civil Servants: Location, if he will publish the Civil Service relocation policy released by Cabinet Office under the Freedom of Information Act, ref: FOI2025/12570 of 28 August 2025.
We will place a copy of the Cabinet Office's relocation policy, as released in FOI2025/12570, in the Library of the House. The policy in question applies only to Cabinet Office staff rather than the wider Civil Service.
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 75447on Trade Union Officials: Facility Agreements, whether the Cabinet Office guidance on facility time has changed since July 2024; what is the maximum permitted amount of facility time as percentage of the overall paybill.
The Cabinet Office guidance on facility time has not changed since July 2024. The guidance states that facility time costs in the Civil Service should not represent more than 0.1% of a department’s paybill.
Whether he his Department applies nationality criteria to contractors who work on Government IT programmes.
All contractors working in central government will go through National Security Vetting at a level that is appropriate for the work they are expected to deliver, as decided by the relevant departmental body. As a minimum, all government contractors will be cleared at Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) level. This vetting includes identity checks, employment history, unspent criminal convictions, and the right to work in the UK. If the role is deemed to require additional security clearances, such vetting will be undertaken. The government will engage the best qualified individual for the role regardless of nationality, as long as they have the appropriate security clearance deemed necessary for the role (including the right to work in the UK).
Pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2025 to Question 74666,on Intelligence Services: Unpaid Work, which internship schemes with the security services are white British people eligible to apply to.
In recent years, the UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) has run a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC to individuals who have particular skills and experience, want to work in a particular area and/or are from demographics and backgrounds under-represented across Government. The eligibility criteria for specific internship schemes in UKIC are made publicly available on agency websites at the time when they are advertised.
Pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2025 to Question 63002on Department of Health and Social Care: Permanent Secretaries, for what reason the Permanent Secretary was appointed as a temporary civil servant on a SCS contract, rather than as a permanent civil servant under the provisions in paragraph 2.1 of the Permanent Secretary Model Contract.
The department launched a fair and open competition to appoint a Permanent Secretary in January 2025. As a result of this process, Samantha Jones was found to be an appointable candidate for this role. However, during the recruitment process it was announced that NHS England would be brought back into DHSC. This significantly changed the scale and objectives required of this role. In light of these changes the Civil Service Commission agreed a three year fixed term appointment by exception, on the Senior Civil Service Model contract.
Whether (a) the Social Mobility Commission and (b) Office for National Statistics classifies police officers as (i) working class.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 21st October is attached.
What is the Office for National Statistics’ National Statistics Socio-economic classification of (a) Members of Parliament and (b) peers in receipt of the Writ of Summons.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Questions of 21st October is attached.
Whether the (a) National Security Adviser or (b) his Deputies have discussed the Chinese Embassy with the Chinese Government.
The government has a clear and consistent policy not to comment on any of the NSA’s, or his deputies’, meetings with external parties, for obvious reasons to protect sensitive information pertaining to this country’s national security. This has been the case under successive governments.
With reference to the Government Response to the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Report on Iran, published on 4 September 2025, what is the timetable for the review on vetting policy by the Government Security Group.
Security vetting policy and processes are kept under constant review by the Government Security Group (GSG) in the Cabinet Office. This ongoing review is designed to ensure security vetting policy and processes are fit for purpose, to provide the greatest possible assurance for all individuals, including parliamentary staffers.
Whether any guidance has been issued to (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers on (i) ministerial and (ii) special adviser conduct during the Labour Party deputy leadership contest in addition to existing (A) ministerial and (B) special adviser codes.
Ministers, special advisers and civil servants are expected to adhere to their respective codes of conduct at all times and a reminder of these obligations in the context of the deputy leadership elections was provided.
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 70517 on Government Departments: Directors, which departments did the five leave from; and what was the cost to the public purse of exit packages.
Although the directors may have left their post, they have not necessarily left their organisation, or the Civil Service. The Government Departments were:Foreign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroDepartment for EducationDepartment for Business and TradeDepartment for Science, Innovation and Technology Any cost to the public purse would not be centrally held as directors are directly employed by their department.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2025 to Question 67904 on Universities: Fees and Charges, whether the European Commission has requested that EU students be given home fee status under the proposed UK-EU youth mobility scheme.
We have agreed, under the UK-EU Common Understanding, that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We have agreed that any scheme will be capped and participants’ visas time-limited. We have not agreed to offer home fee status to EU students. We have also been clear that it should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes with countries like Australia and New Zealand. The exact parameters are subject to discussion and we cannot give a running commentary of ongoing negotiations.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2025 to Question 77545 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, whether the influencers are (i) contracted directly by the New Media Unit or (ii) procured through a third party agency.
The New Media Unit delivers campaigns to support the government missions and government priorities. The New Media Unit’s planned spend is £10.9m. No external individual contractors are employed by the New Media Unit. However, we use third party suppliers to support New Media Unit campaigns.