Written questions by Wood.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the EU-UK Common Understanding, published on 19 May 2025, whether the dynamic alignment with the EU will apply to standards and regulations on the production and marketing of (a) wine and (b) other types of alcohol.

Rules related to the production and marketing of wine and spirits are outside the scope of the UK-EU SPS Agreement meaning dynamic alignment with the EU will not apply in these areas. Retaining this regulatory autonomy is important for this sector and will benefit the UK economy as a whole.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51150 on Freedom of Information and Written Questions: Costs, what the notional hourly cost of civil service time when assessing a written parliamentary question further to the £850 threshold under paragraph 218 of the Guide to Parliamentary Work is.

I refer the Member to my previous answer to PQ 51150. The cost limit is calculated at a flat rate of £25 per hour. The Guide to Parliamentary Work also makes reference to the Procedure Committee's advice that the threshold “be calculated only with regard to policy team time—it should not account for any central processing in parliamentary branches or WPQ teams, or the time taken by Ministers or their advisers” (paragraph 219).

What the average salary is of civil servants at each grade in his Department.

Details of the salaries of civil servants at each grade can be found in the quarterly organogram published at https://www.data.gov.uk/dataset/ff76be1f-4f37-4bef-beb7-32b259413be1/organogram-cabinet-office.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 51161 on Cabinet Office: Expenditure, what public service campaigns the Unlimited Group has supported since 4 July 2024.

The Unlimited Group has primarily supported the GREAT campaign within the Cabinet Office. The GREAT campaign continues to promote the UK internationally as a destination for tourism, education, and business.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 52335 on Civil Service: Equality, whether the Civil Service Inclusive Practice Team are responsible for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Civil Service; and if he will list their functions and responsibilities.

Organisational decisions about Equality, Diversity and Inclusion sit in individual departments. The Civil Service Inclusive Practice (CSIP) Team is part of the Government People Group in the Cabinet Office. The CSIP team sets the strategic direction for EDI for the Civil Service as a whole and is responsible for the development and delivery of the Civil Service EDI Strategy.

Communities and Local Government, whether her Department has issued guidance to local planning authorities on the (a) enforcement of and (b) inclusion of a (i) deposit and (ii) bond in section 106 agreements made in relation to embassies.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not issued specific guidance to local planning authorities on the (a) enforcement of or (b) inclusion of a (i) deposit and (ii) bond in section 106 agreements made in relation to embassies. Overall guidance on planning obligations can be found on gov.uk here.

Whether procurement guidance has been issued by (a) his Department and (b) the Crown Commercial Service to public bodies on equality, diversity and inclusion requirements for private sector companies which wish to bid for public sector contracts.

The National Procurement Policy Statement (NPPS) sets the Government's strategic priorities for public procurement in support of the Government’s missions. This includes delivering social and economic value. Procurement Policy Note 002 sets out how to take account of social value in the award of central government contracts, using procurement where relevant and proportionate to break down barriers to opportunity and increase productivity through opportunities for skills and jobs for growth.

Which central government residential properties are unoccupied, according to data held by the InSite database.

Individual departments are responsible for management of their respective residential properties, including status of occupancy. The Cabinet Office therefore does not hold information on which central government residential properties are unoccupied.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 49956, and the Answer of 16 January 2025 to Question 21390, both on Armed Forces: Equality, what his Department's policy is on spending on equality, diversity and inclusion across the public sector.

The controls outlined in the Civil Service Equality Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance which was published on 14 May 2024 remain in place.

If he will publish the Cabinet Office Freedom of Information Act response with reference FOI2025/05760 of 14 May 2025.

A copy of the response issued on the 14 May, with third party removed, has been deposite in the House Library .

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41435 on Arms Length Bodies, what the total number of Arms Length Bodies was on 4 July 2024; and what the total number was on 20 May 2025.

The Cabinet Office publishes an annual ALB Landscape Analysis around a year in arrears. The most recently published ALB Landscape Analysis was published on 17 December 2024 and is available here. The list of every Arm's Length Body that has existed between July 2024 and March 2025 is due to be published in 2026.

Whether the creation of the Ethics and Integrity Commission will involve the (a) abolition and (b) merger of (i) the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, (ii) the Committee on Standards in Public Life, (iii) the Public Appointments Commissioner and (iv) the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer he was given to PQ UIN 46285 on 28 April 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 45016 on Civil Service, if he will issue a Ministerial Correction to the Answer to attach the requested information.

The answer to Question 45016 has now been corrected to include an attachment with the requested information.

Pursuant to the Answer of 13 May 2025 to Question 48562 on Arms Length Bodies, what the sponsoring department is; and in what policy area Project Seahorse is exploring delivery options.

‘Project Seahorse' is considering delivery options for decarbonisation. If taken forward, it would be sponsored by The Department of Energy, Security and Net Zero.

Whether he plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the Border Security Command’s statistical outputs as official statistics.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 20th May is attached.

With reference to his Department's guidance entitled Public Bodies Handbook – Part 2: The Approvals Process for the Creation of New Arm’s-Length Bodies, whether his Department's public bodies team assessed the National Wealth Fund against the requirement that the creation of a new arm's length body should only be considered as a last resort; whether the Treasury provided evidence that alternative delivery models were considered; and which of the tests in Chapter Two of that guidance the National Wealth Fund met.

The UK Infrastructure Bank has become the National Wealth Fund with an expanded remit, therefore it is not a new ALB. It is captured by the government’s ongoing review of all ALBs, announced on 7 April. This review is part of the government’s plan to streamline the state by closing, merging or repatriating public bodies into departments unless their separate existence can be strongly justified.

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 May 2025 to Question 52338 on House of Lords Appointments Commission, whether other competitions have taken place since 4 July 2024 for the House of Lords Appointments Commission which have (a) concluded with appointees and (b) been cancelled after being opened.

There has been one recruitment campaign to appoint independent members to the House of Lords Appointments Commission since July 2024. This campaign is still live.

With reference to the Model Special Adviser Contract published on the Government's website, if he will publish a copy of the equivalent template contract for Permanent Secretaries.

As has been the case under successive administrations, contracts for Permanent Secretaries and all other SCS are not published publicly so we will not be placing a copy on GOV.UK.

What guidance his Department provides to the House of Lords Appointments Commission on the processes to follow when vetting peerages.

The House of Lords Appointments Commission is an independent, advisory non-departmental public body. The Commission is responsible for vetting all nominations for life peerages for propriety and advises the Prime Minister on these matters. Information about the Commission’s approach to vetting nominees for propriety is set out on its website.

Further to the Prime Minister's post on X dated 19 May 2025, what is the evidential basis for the proposition that the UK-EU Summit - Common Understanding will result in “lower food prices at the checkout” for consumers.

The UK-EU SPS Agreement will cut costs, remove red tape and reduce delays at the border for businesses for most agrifood products imported from the EU. Supermarkets have said publicly the SPS Agreement will help to ease the pressure on food prices.