Written questions by Wood.

Whether he has had discussions with JP Morgan on business rate discounts on offices in Canary Wharf.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to the transparency data, Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 26 March 2026, what was the purpose of the expenditure relating to (a) Marketing & Communications to Public Group International Limited of £38,040 and (b) Professional Services to Mediasense Communications Limited of £212,863.

This expenditure was incurred by the Government Commercial Agency (GCA), which transitioned from the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) earlier this year. The ​payment of £38,040​ to Public Group International Limited covered GCA communication enhancements, including website optimisation, developing the social media strategy, and updating buying guidance to reflect legislative changes introduced by the Transforming Public Procurement programme. The payment of £212,863 to Mediasense Communications Limited related to audit requirements for the RM6123 Media Services framework. This work provided assurance on financial transparency and contractual compliance, verification of management information and levy payments, and benchmarking to assess value for money against industry rates.

With reference to the transparency data, Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 26 March 2026, what is the purpose and nature of the expenditure relating to GRS - SURGE CONTRACT via PEREGRINE INTERNATIONAL.

The expenditure relating to "GRS - SURGE CONTRACT via PEREGRINE INTERNATIONAL" in February 2026 refers to the provision of flexible, ad-hoc recruitment support for the Government Recruitment Service (GRS). This contract enables GRS to scale its capacity to meet fluctuations in customer demand. In February 2026, the expenditure covered 41 unique recruitment actions across 13 government departments. These actions included application sifting, interview scoring, the provision of virtual panel members, and candidate support sessions for reasonable adjustments. This model ensures the timely delivery of essential recruitment services while maintaining financial efficiency.

With reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27 published on 7 April 2026, what steps the Cabinet Secretary plans to take to deliver her 2026-27 objective of protecting the interests of former Governments and former Ministers.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Media and Sport, with reference to the Gambling Commission's Corporate Governance Framework, paragraph 45, whether the prior approval process applies to staff members who join (a) law firms or (b) consultancies that advise the gambling industry.

Paragraph 45 of the Corporate Governance Framework refers to full, part time or fee-paid employment with a gambling licensee or an applicant for a licence, and may relate to consultancies that advise the gambling industry. It is one of a number of provisions of relevant codes of conduct and employment terms which may govern post-employment activity.

Innovation and Technology, whether she has issued guidance on whether firms in administration are subject to Subject Access Requests.

All organisations in the UK that act as data controllers are required to comply with the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, including data subject rights such as the right of access.When a firm enters administration, it continues to trade and remains in existence, although it is financially distressed and technically insolvent. Where it continues to act as a data controller, it remains subject to subject access requests in accordance with data protection law.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 109554 on Civil Servants: Performance Related Pay, if he will publish the minimum standards for diversity and inclusion in the SCS performance management framework.

The SCS performance management framework, which sets out the full set of SCS minimum standards, is published by Gov.uk.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118531, on Peers, whether the Governance Code on Public Appointments applies to the appointment of peers to the House of Lords.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 118531 on Peers, whether the Cabinet Office holds a desk note that is separate from the Governance Code on the processes to be followed for appointing political peerages by the Prime Minister.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Whether government-related text messages held personally by former No10 special advisers are in scope of the Humble Address on Lord Mandelson.

I refer you to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address.All government departments, ministers and relevant individuals have been instructed to retain and provide to the Cabinet Office all information they hold that falls in scope of the Humble Address motion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 4 September 2025 to Question 70519 on Public Inquiries, what has been the total cost to the public purse to date of the Cranston inquiry.

The Cranston Inquiry’s annual and quarterly financial reports are available on the Inquiry website. A final financial report will be published in due course.

With reference to the transparency data, Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core) published on 26 March 2026, which advertising, communications and marketing campaigns related to the expenditure by the GCS New Media Unit Programme through (a) Accenture UK Ltd, (b) TAG Europe Ltd and (c) Manning Gottlieb OMD.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

Pursuant to the Answers of 25 March 2026 to Question 119897 and of 3 February 2026 to Question 108241 on Mission Boards, on what dates the Break Down Barriers to Opportunity Mission Board has met since November 2025.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to the transparency data Expenditure Over £25,000 - February 2026 (Cabinet Office Core), published on 26 March 2026, what activities will be funded through the LGBT programme to the Council of Europe; and whether his Department plans to make further payments to this programme.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2026 to Question 113783 on Cabinet Office: Reviews, whether the Propriety and Ethics Team took a preliminary view on whether the Ministerial Code was broken before the matter was referred.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 18 March 2026 to Question 119406 on Ian Horobin, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of establishing a new convention covering the withdrawal of Government nominations to the peerage.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation

With reference to the Written Statement of 16 March 2026, on Government Response to the Nuclear Regulatory Review 2025, HCWS1398, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU Electricity Agreement on the (a) proposed deregulatory recommendations proposed in the Review and (b) maintenance of EU levels of environmental protection in the electricity sector.

The UK-EU Electricity Agreement will cut electricity costs, strengthen our energy security, drive investment and jobs, and help to achieve our Clean Power 2030 Mission. The Government’s reforms to nuclear regulation, which will make it easier to deliver nuclear projects, also support these objectives. The regulatory changes we are making will provide the best outcomes for both nuclear development and the environment, by offering a more streamlined and co-ordinated pathway to deliver environmental protections. There will be no change to the high environmental standards to which the Government is committed.

With reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27 published on 7 April 2026, what steps the Cabinet Secretary plans to take to deliver her 2026-27 objective that the civil service retains the confidence of all political parties.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 112179 on Ethics and Integrity Commission and Lobbying, whether conflict of interest (a) restrictions and (b) mitigations were implemented in relation to (i) Jonathan Powell and (ii) Inter Mediate.

There is an established system in place for the declaration and management of special advisers' interests. As has been the case under successive administrations, interests deemed relevant for publication for special advisers in No10 and the Cabinet Office are published on an annual basis by the Cabinet Office. Mr Powell sought and received advice on his interests. He has followed every element of the advice received.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the government transparency data, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for government’s most important contracts, Data for October to December 2025 for all departments, published on 31 March 2026, for what reasons the ICF Consulting Services Limited contract for Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Services requires the supplier to ensure that 50% or more of professional staff within the core team for service orders are female or non-binary.

The referenced KPI in Defra’s contract with ICF does not require the supplier to ensure that 50% or more of professional staff within the core team for service orders are female or non-binary, nor does it impose any minimum staffing requirement. Instead, the KPI reports the proportion of professional staff within the core team who are female or non-binary, assessing performance against three published bands: below 25%, 25–49%, and 50% or above. The supplier reported within the highest band in the published data, which is likely the source of the 50% figure cited. This form of reporting is intended to provide transparency on workforce composition within significant contracts and reflects both Defra’s approach to considering diversity as part of its wider procurement framework and the supplier’s own stated values.