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 1,221–1,240 of 1,553 · Cabinet Office
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51956 on 10 Downing Street: Energy Performance Certificates, what steps his Department has taken to improve the energy efficiency of 10 Downing Street since July 2024.
I refer the Hon. Member to my answer of 04 June 2025, Official Report, PQ 54015.
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 and (b) targets set out in that plan.
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 – Milestones for mission-led government provides further detail. These milestones will allow the public to track our progress and hold the government to account for their delivery.
How many transactions referred to his Department under the National Security and Investment Act have involved private equity firms connected to state-backed sovereign wealth funds since 5 July 2024.
The Government publishes an annual report on the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021, with information about the transactions that it has been notified about and reviewed. The period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will be covered in the next annual report, which will be published later this year. NSI Annual Reports do not present the number of acquisitions reviewed involving private equity firms connected to state-backed sovereign wealth funds as the Investment Security Unit does not routinely collect this information.
If he will publish the Government Campus training course materials entitled Equality Analysis: Making Scrutiny Relevant to Promoting Equality.
Equality Analysis: Making Scrutiny Relevant to Promoting Equality is delivered by a third party supplier, who owns the intellectual property. An outline for this course can be found on the prospectus online:https://prospectus.governmentcampus.co.uk/02-diversity-equality-and-inclusion/equality-analysis-making-scrutiny-relevant-to-promoting-equality/
Pursuant to the answer of 19 November 2024, to Question 13438 on Civil Servants: Recruitment, if he will place in the Library a copy of the text on diversity included in civil service job adverts.
The current text was agreed by the previous administration and has not changed under the current government. The text included in Civil Service Job adverts is: Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
Whether his Department's guidance on away days has been updated since the publication of the press release entitled Government-branded merchandise and away days banned on 6 April 2025.
The Cabinet Office has updated the guidance on the use of external venues for events and away days.
Whether the Lead Government Non-Executive Director is a non-executive member of the Cabinet Office Board.
The membership of the Cabinet Office Board will be established once the Non-Executive Board Member campaign has concluded.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 May 2025, to Question 49766 on Cabinet Office: Staff, and the associated SCS data, for what reason there no salary data for the EU Relations Secretariat Senior Civil Service staff in the February 2025 dataset.
The February 2025 dataset is based on data as at 31 December 2024. At this point EU Relations Secretariat staff had commenced work in the Cabinet Office but had not completed their payroll transfer from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Hence they were represented in our structure but did not have pay information attached. Their salary data was included in the April publication and will be included in future publications.
What guidance has been issued by (a) his Department and (b) the Government Communications Service on whether (i) photographs and (ii) video footage produced by the Civil Service which is not (A) in the public domain and (B) subject to an open license can be use by political parties.
As per GCS Propriety guidance, content created by the civil service should always be used as part of official government communications before being repurposed by Special Advisers or Ministers for political purposes.
If he will make it his policy to ensure that all jobs advertised on the Civil Service Jobs website are publicly advertised.
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 advertise roles for inter- and intra-departmental moves, which enables an appropriate method of talent management and bears in mind the downward pressure on the cost of the Civil Service.
If he will make an assessment of the statistical validity of ethnicity pay reporting in small sample sizes, in the context of the Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.
It is important that ethnicity pay gap reporting by employers is accurate and statistically valid. The public consultation on mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting seeks views on the proposed approach, including questions about data collection, reporting and minimum sample size. The proposed minimum of 10 employees is intended to protect the privacy of employees and to produce statistically robust data. We are also engaging with a wide range of organisations and specialists, including employers who are already reporting, to understand the challenges of data collection. The findings from the consultation will inform the development of measures in the draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill.
Whether he considered making the Government Lead Non-Executive Director a regulated public appointment.
The most recent Public Appointments Order in Council, which sets out all regulated public appointments, was made at Privy Council on 15 November 2023. The Government Lead Non-Executive was not included at that time or any time prior. Consideration of whether a role should be regulated, including whether it should be a significant appointment or subject to pre-appointment scrutiny, should happen at the point the role is created (in this case 2010), and mechanisms exist to make such changes outside of the periodic process for updating the Order in Council and the published lists. The most recent appointment of the Government Lead Non-Executive in January 2025 was made via an open and transparent recruitment process. This was the first time this appointment has been done in this way. All prior appointments were made directly by the Prime Minister of the day without competition.
With reference to the press notice entitled Appointment of Cabinet Office Board Lead Non-Executive Board Member, published on 26 May 2025, whether the new Cabinet Office Lead Non-Executive Board Member has made a (a) public appointments declaration of political activity and (b) board member declaration of interest.
The Lead Non-Executive Board Member declared all interests in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments during the appointments process. Any relevant declarations made during this process can be found on the public appointments website. The individual also declared interests as a Board Member. Any relevant declarations made in line with this guidance can be found on the Cabinet Office’s website.
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.
I refer the Honoural Member to the answer he was given to PQ UIN 6095 on 13th November 2024.
Pursuant to the Answer of 20 May 2025 to Question 51389 on Civil Service: Equality, what his planned timetable is for issuing the guidance.
A further update will be provided in due course.
If he will place a copy of the civil service training modules entitled Civil Service Expectations in the Library.
The details of the learning objectives and course outline are provided on the online prospectus available at: https://prospectus.governmentcampus.co.uk/01-workplace-essentials/xcs-civil-service-expectations/
How many Government Procurement Cards are held by staff in 10 Downing Street.
As of June 2025, 10 Downing Street held 34 Government Procurement Cards. The number of cards held has decreased under this administration since July 2024. In line with the guidance, only staff with an operational need, including travel, maintain a card.
What pay rise will be given to special advisers for the 2025-26 pay round; and whether it will be subject to negotiation with the First Division Association trade union.
In line with the wider Civil Service, there is no contractual entitlement to an annual increase in pay. The government’s policy is that a pay award will be considered annually, and any such award will be linked to the approach taken for the Senior Civil Service. No decisions about a pay award for special advisers for 2025-26 have yet been made.There are currently no collective bargaining agreements with the FDA for Special Advisers.
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.
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 following departments:Department for Science, Innovation and TechnologyHM TreasuryMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentDepartment for Business and TradeCabinet OfficeHome OfficeDepartment for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for Transport The exemption requirement does not apply to arm’s-length bodies. As stated in paragraph four of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, for arm’s-length bodies, the Principal Accounting Officer, in consultation with the Board, must authorise the expenditure.
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.
As was the case under the previous administration, it would not be appropriate to provide a list of individual teams within 10 Downing Street.