Written questions by Wood.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 August 2025 to Question HL9337 on Ministers: Official Residences, if he will publish the internal document which states that the sponsoring department will pay the council tax bill for the Minister.

Ministers are advised on allocation of an official residence that the responsibility for payment of council tax depends on whether the property is their primary or secondary residence. This is a long-standing policy position in place for successive administrations, reflected in a parliamentary question to the then Prime Minister the Rt Hon Sir Tony Blair as follows: “The level and responsibility for payment of council tax is determined on whether the property is the Minister's main or secondary residence. If a main residence, the responsibility for payment of the tax falls to the Minister. If the property is a secondary residence, responsibility for payment falls to the responsible Department.” This question is available at the following link: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199900/cmhansrd/vo000605/text/00605w14.htm#00605w14.html_spmin0.

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on making the appointment of Ambassadors subject to the regulated public appointments process.

Heads of Mission are civil servants and as such are subject to different recruitment and appointment rules and processes to public appointees. The Cabinet Office has no plans to make such roles subject to the regulated public appointment process.

Pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70468 on Government Communication Service: Staff, what is the most recent estimate of the headcount size of the Government Communication Service, using the same methodology used by the Cabinet Office in the response to FOI IR2025/05101.

The figures cited in the parliamentary question and the FOI Internal Review of Government Communications remain the most up to date information available as the 2025 Data Collection is still undergoing validation.

How many Permanent Secretaries have left their posts since July 2024; and what was the cost to the public purse of exit packages.

Since July 2024, thirteen Permanent Secretaries have left their posts. Any exit package costs are published in Departmental Annual Reports and Accounts for the financial years in which they were made.

With reference to the Answer of 17 September 2025 to Question HL10221 on Baroness Shafik, what Baroness Shafik's remuneration is.

It would not be appropriate to comment on individuals. The level of remuneration and the management of relevant outside interests for this role have been agreed in line with relevant guidance and processes.

When he plans to publish an updated list of Ministerial responsibilities.

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to Question HL10390 of 26 September.

If he will publish the interests of the new Executive Director of Communications in 10 Downing Street.

There is a rigorous process to ensure any potential conflicts of interest are captured, and have appropriate mitigations in place to reflect specific circumstances. Ahead of his appointment, the new Executive Director of Communications in 10 Downing Street fully complied with this process.This is set out in the Special Adviser Code of Conduct and lists of Special Adviser interests are published annually.

With reference to paragraph 2.43 of the Spring Statement 2025, CP 1298, published on 26 March 2025, how many civil servants have left through the employee exit scheme.

Information on the number of civil servants that have left under employee exit schemes is not held centrally.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 75722 on Government Departments: Advertising, how much was spent by each Department by (a) platform and (b) programme or activity.

For section (a) please see the below table, noting that some figures may differ slightly from those previously stated in the referenced parliamentary question. This is due to different accounting practices related to departmental reporting categorisations versus billing categorisations. The information is being provided in this format to protect potential sensitivities. METALINKEDIN IRELAND LIMITEDNEXTDOORPINTERESTREDDIT UK LIMITEDSNAPCHATTIKTOK INFO TECH UK LTDWEARE8 LTD£ 11,609,948.92£ 5,387,475.63£ 377,751.18£ 484,954.15£ 2,224,133.70£ 5,590,619.38£ 381,702.50£ 10,000.00 For section (b), the information requested is not held in a format suitable for publication.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025, to Question 70477, on Cabinet Office: Marketing, how much has been spent on digital influencers by the New Media Unit since its establishment.

The total amount spent on digital influencer marketing by the New Media Unit since its establishment is £114,796.51. This investment has supported multiple campaigns of varying scale and reach. Influencers have proven to be effective in reaching audiences that traditional marketing channels find hard to reach.

On what date 10 Downing Street became aware of the text messages that led to the resignation of the Prime Minister's Director of Strategy on 15 September 2025.

It would not be appropriate to comment on individuals.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of clause 3(2)(a) of the Public Authority (Accountability) Bill on freedom of speech.

The Public Office (Accountability) Bill - known as the ‘Hillsborough Law’ - was introduced in Parliament on 16 September 2025. The Bill includes a new offence of misleading the public. It applies where a public authority or public official acts with the intention of misleading the public (or is reckless as to that possibility) and they know, or ought to know, that their act is seriously improper. This offence has been designed with Hillsborough at the front of mind and is intended to capture the most serious instances of public officials or authorities misleading the public.

What his Department's policy is on allowing trade union activities to be funded from trade union facility time at public expense.

The Cabinet Office Facility Time Framework states that the default position within the Civil Service is that paid time off will not be given for trade union activities. In exceptional circumstances, should a department wish to provide paid time off for activities, it will need to be agreed by their Secretary of State or Chief Executive.

Whether any civil servants in his Department have been granted authorisation to attend the (a) Labour, (b) Conservative, (c) Liberal Democrat, (d) Scottish National Party and (e) Reform party conference in a private capacity in 2025.

This information is not held centrally within the Cabinet Office.

When the Prime Minister was informed of the content of the files obtained by Bloomberg relating to Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein.

The Prime Minister knew the content of the emails obtained by Bloomberg early in the evening of Wednesday 10 September.

If he will publish guidance for civil servants on conduct in the pre-election period prior to (a) UK parliamentary and (b) devolved legislature by-elections.

There are no plans to publish guidance for civil servants on conduct in respect of UK parliamentary by-elections or devolved legislature by-elections. The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants and civil servants are expected to adhere to these standards at all times.

With reference to the Civil Service 2024/2025 External Expenditure on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, published on 30 May 2025, whether his Department holds data on arm’s length bodies expenditure authorised by those bodies in 2024-25.

Expenditure which is exempted under the requirements of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Expenditure Guidance must be reported to the Cabinet Office by departments and ALBs who employ civil servants.Reported expenditure is published annually.

Whether the proposed new socio-economic duty will apply to the (a) Sentencing Council and (b) Parole Board.

The socio-economic duty will require specified public bodies to actively consider how their strategic decisions might help to reduce the inequalities of outcome associated with socio-economic disadvantage. We are currently working toward commencement of the duty, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively and include more detail on which public bodies the duty applies to.

With reference to the Government press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of police officers will be eligible to apply for the Summer Internship Programme in her Department in 2026.

I refer to the answer given to PQs UIN 74202 and 74515. https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-02/74202https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2025-09-02/74515

If the Government will make it its policy to ensure that the former Deputy Prime Minister is not given a severance payment.

This Government has introduced reforms to Ministerial severance pay to ensure severance payments are proportionate and fair. These changes will come into effect from 13 October. In the interim, while this is implemented, decisions as to whether a Minister accepts a severance payment is for the outgoing Minister.