Written questions by Wood.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question HL15477 on Lord Mandelson, whether Ministers are being consulted on whether their electronic communications are provided or are not provided or are redacted in Government responses to Humble Addresses.

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23 February and the Government’s statement on 11 March which set out an update on the Government's process for complying with the Humble Address motion. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with urgency and transparency ensuring proper process is rigorously followed.

Whether the Cabinet Office approached Global Counsel in relation to responding to 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 24 March 2026 to Question HL15477 on Lord Mandelson, whether special advisers, including Jonathan Powell, have any role in making recommendations on redactions of material relating to the Government response to the Humble Address.

I refer you to the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 16th March, and the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves. All relevant material is being prepared for publication, including the appropriate checks relating to national security, international relations, legal privilege and the protection of personal data.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 110815 on Special Advisers: ICT, whether (a) special advisers and (b) senior civil servants have auto-delete functionality turned on for (i) corporate and (ii) non-corporate communication devices when discussing government business.

The policy covering non-corporate communication channels is published on gov.uk, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/non-corporate-communication-channels-for-government-business/using-non-corporate-communication-channels-eg-whatsapp-private-email-sms-for-government-business-html

Pursuant to the Answer of 12 March 2026 to Question 118784 on Leader of the House: Written Questions, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Cabinet Office Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 113610 in light of his answer to Question 118784.

Due to the small size of some teams, releasing this information with the specified detail could create concerns regarding personal data.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) her Ministers were consulted on and approved the exit payment to Lord Mandelson over and above the special payment approval by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government's statement and release of information on 11th March, providing an update on the response to the Humble Address. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament's instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 121095 on Civil Servants: Dismissal, what is the policy of the Cabinet Office on whether a civil servant (a) can or (b) should be dismissed for dishonesty on their job application or associated job interview and vetting processes.

All Civil Servants are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service Code and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. Applicants for Cabinet Office roles are required to sign a declaration stating that the information they provide during the recruitment process is true and relates to their own experiences. If it is discovered that an applicant or Cabinet Office employee has given false information or withheld relevant details during the recruitment or vetting process, their application may be rejected and/or considered in line with departmental discipline policy. This may result in dismissal and implications for the employee’s security clearance. Internal policies and processes in response to dishonesty will only apply to Cabinet Office staff, with Ministers and other departments out of scope. The Cabinet Office adheres to the relevant national security vetting policies. A range of considerations related to vetting and honesty may be relevant to a vetting decision. Any indication from employee or contractor records of unreliability in a security context (e.g., disciplinary action related to abuse of trust, carelessness, dishonesty, lack of discretion, or disregard for security controls) may result in an adverse security decision regarding an individual's vetting.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120840 on National Security Council: Disclosure of Information, if he will make it his policy to make a statement to Parliament on the conclusion of the leak inquiry.

In line with the policy of successive administrations, we do not comment on live leak inquiries.

Whether Gordon Brown’s letter to the Cabinet Secretary on Lord Mandelson, and the response, is in scope of the inclusion of documents for publication following 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. The Government is working to ensure that Parliament’s instruction is met with the urgency and transparency that it deserves.

Pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2026, to Question 44467, on Government Departments: Social Media, if he will request that the Ethics and Integrity Commission consider this issue as part of their commissioned review into lobbying and transparency.

The Prime Minister's letter to the Ethics and Integrity Commission Chair, dated 11 March 2026 and published on GOV.UK, sets out the policy areas the Commission has been asked to review.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51163 on Prime Minister: Email, whether emails which 10 Downing Street which are automatically removed after 90 days that have not otherwise been saved for long-term storage are still considered to be held for the purposes of Government responses to Humble Addresses.

I refer you to the Government's response to the Urgent Question tabled on 12th February, the Written Ministerial Statement in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister that same day, and the Oral Statement on the 23rd February, in the name of the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, which set out an update on the Government's process and that Departments have been instructed to retain material that may be relevant to the motion.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 115555 on Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, whether the Cabinet Office review into Labour Together requested evidence from the journalists who had been included in the APCO Worldwide and Labour Together dossier.

I refer the Hon Member to the response given to PQ 116772.

What types of information are routinely recorded from the Number 10 private office on the internal PMPost system for the official record.

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

What steps are being taken to improve the timeliness of (a) Hon Member and (b) public correspondence replies by the Cabinet Office.

The Cabinet Office is committed to providing timely and high-quality responses to correspondence from Parliamenterians and the wider public. The Cabinet Office regularly reviews and refreshes departmental processes, including the use of new digital tools, to ensure it meets these commitments. Annual Government data on response rates to Parliamenterian correspondence will be published in due course.

With reference to the Government's publication entitled A message from Prime Minister Keir Starmer to the Civil Service, published on 8 July 2024, what steps Cabinet Office has the taken to deliver on the Prime Minister's commitment to deliver open and transparent government.

Since the General Election, the UK government has introduced a new monthly Register of Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality, is working to deliver the Public Office (Accountability) Bill to introduce new duties of candour, has revised and strengthened the Ministerial Code and strengthened the role of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards. In addition, the government has recently launched the call for evidence to inform the next National Action Plan for Open Government.

Pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2025 to Question 119320 on Cabinet Office: Public Appointments, if he will make it his policy to publish the information on outside individuals in an anonymised or Barnardised format.

I refer to my answer to PQ 119320, in accordance with data protection regulations, we do not provide information about candidates in Civil Service recruitment processes, and there are no plans to publish in an anonymised or Barnardised format.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question HL15477 on Lord Mandelson, whether Ministers are able to (a) provide a steer, (b) submit requests or (c) exercise a veto of Civil Service decisions to deem that material (i) is out of scope or (ii) should be redacted.

As set out in the Humble Address debate of 4th February, the process is being conducted and led by the Cabinet Secretary who has delegated the role to the Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary. Civil servants are of course accountable to Ministers, who are in turn accountable to Parliament.

Whether the 10 Downing Street Events and Tours team holds data on the (a) cost of individual official receptions that take place in Downing Street and (b) the number of attendees or accepted invitations.

As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 115555 on Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards, if he will make it his policy to review the terms of reference of the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards to allow a review the conduct of a former Minister, including to determine whether there was a serious breach of the Ministerial Code that would trigger the forfeiture of a Ministerial severance payment.

The terms of reference for the Independent Adviser on Ministerial Standards are set out in the Ministerial Code and are a matter for the Prime Minister.

With reference to the Cabinet Secretary's objectives 2026-27, published on 7 April 2026, how the new Cabinet Secretary's objectives differ from those set for (a) Simon Case and (b) Chris Wormald.

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