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 2,121–2,140 of 2,423 · this parliament
Whether his Department has issued guidance on policing announcements during the pre-election purdah period.
The Cabinet Office published guidance on conduct for civil servants during the pre-election period on 20 March. The guidance includes advice on government announcements during the pre-election periodThe guidance can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/election-guidance-for-civil-servants
Whether he plans to make reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
The Government has taken the decision to close the consultation to reform the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, which began in 2017. The scheme terms as set out in 2010 will remain in place but the Government remains open to reviewing the terms of the scheme in the future.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) utilising or (b) amending the provisions of the Trading with the Enemy Act 1939 to designate Russia as an enemy for the purposes of that Act.
The Trading with the Enemy Act 1939 can only be used in relation to countries that are at war with the UK. The UK is not at war with Russia, so we cannot use the Act. The UK has implemented extensive sanctions against Russia, which already significantly restrict trade and other financial dealings with Russia. We have sanctioned 2,300 individuals from Russia, and our sanctions have deprived Russia of $450 billion in revenue since February 2022. We, along with international partners, have excluded Russia from the SWIFT system, which stopped Russian banks from conducting financial transactions worldwide in a fast and efficient manner. Russian imports into the UK have fallen by more than 98 per cent compared to pre-invasion levels, and UK exports to Russia are down by more than 80 per cent.
Whether he plans to fly the bisexual flag at 10 Downing Street.
There are currently no plans to fly the bisexual flag at 10 Downing Street.
With reference to the press notice entitled Radical action plan to cut red tape and kickstart growth, published on 17 March 2025, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of measures in the Equality law call for evidence, published on 7 April 2025, on the Government's target to reduce the administrative cost of regulation on business by a quarter.
The Call for Evidence on Equality Law, published on 7 April 2025, seeks evidence on how we can better remove barriers to ambition and success for everyone, to improve the lives of working people and strengthen our country as part of our Plan for Change.The purpose of the Call for Evidence is not to put forward detailed policy proposals and it would therefore not be possible or appropriate to produce an impact assessment at this stage. All evidence submitted to the Call for Evidence will be taken into account when developing policy. We will assess the impact of any proposed policy in the normal way, working in partnership with business, trade unions and civil society, to ensure any potential impacts are fully considered.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2025 to Question 42039 on Cabinet Office: Staff, what the average number of staff attached to the Skills Match Hub was in each of the last six months.
The Skills Match Hub operates with a dynamic staffing model that adapts to the evolving needs of various business units. Consequently, the number of individuals associated with the Hub at any given moment can fluctuate. These variations typically arise from internal reorganisations or the return of staff from temporary assignments where their previous roles have since changed. This inherent fluidity means the precise staffing level is subject to continuous adjustments.
Pursuant to the Answer of 8 April 2025 to Question 42602 on Stonewall subscriptions, whether MI5 pays subscription fees to Stonewall.
MI5 last renewed its paid membership as a 'Diversity Champion' of Stonewall in October 2024.
Pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41050 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme: China, if she will place in the Library a copy of each representation from CityUK in relation to China and the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.
The Government does not routinely publish correspondence from external organisations and stakeholders as this may inhibit the free exchange of views and information necessary for the effective conduct of policy development.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question 44591 on Stonewall: Arms Length Bodies and Government Bodies, if he will make it his policy to discontinue his Department's partnerships with Stonewall.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) works closely with a range of civil society organisations to defend the human rights of LGBT+ people around the world. This has included valuable work with Stonewall to reduce violence and discrimination towards LBT+ women in the Caribbean, Southern Africa, and Eastern Europe; protect LGBT+ people in high-risk situations; and relocate the most vulnerable LGBT+ people from Afghanistan. Future funding decisions will be taken as part of the spending review, in keeping with FCDO policies.
Innovation and Technology, how many Senior Civil Service vacancies have been filled through the succession select tool.
Zero Senior Civil Servant vacancies have been filled through the succession select tool; it does not form part of the recruitment or selection process for Senior Civil Servants. It is a tool used to aid internal talent management and is not used to fill vacancies.
If he will make it his policy to stop public bodies imposing equality, diversity and inclusion requirements on private sector companies which are not otherwise directly required by primary legislation.
The Public Sector Equality Duty (the PSED) requires organisations in scope to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people. The scope of the PSED is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (the Act). It extends to all public authorities listed in Schedule 19 of the Act and all parties carrying out public functions. This includes private sector and voluntary organisations when carrying out public functions. The Government expects regulating public authorities to ensure organisations comply with their legal requirements. It is not the role of regulators to intervene where legal requirements do not apply.
What recent discussions he has had with the European Union on fishing rights.
We are discussing a range of issues with the EU and I met my counterpart Maroš Šefčovič in London last week (29 April). We will not give a running commentary on those discussions. We remain committed to protecting the interests of our fishers and meeting our commitments on marine protection.
What guidance his Department has issued on transparency in relation to levels of remuneration for direct ministerial appointments.
The Cabinet Office has not issued specific guidance on transparency around remuneration offered when making direct ministerial appointments.
How many people have been reappointed to public appointments since 4 July 2024;, who they were; and what the bodies were.
There have been 194 reappointments to regulated public appointment roles recorded on the Cabinet Office’s public appointments digital service since 4 July 2024. These reappointments are published on the announcement page of the public appointments website.
Whether he plans to use AI technology for public appointments.
AI technology is not currently used in the public appointments process. AI technology may be used in the future to support certain elements of the process.
Pursuant to the Answer of 23 December 2024 to Question 20489 on Treasury: Media, on what basis Freuds Communication was given the contract for Ministerial media training; and whether there was a competitive tendering process.
The award of the contract complied with HM Treasury’s standard procurement procedure for requirements of this value and was awarded following a competitive process. Guidance for the award of below-threshold contracts is publicly available on gov.uk: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (HTML) - GOV.UK
What his policy is on the acquisition of UK Artificial Intelligence firms by foreign-owned firms.
The government has powers under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to review and, where required, intervene in investments that may pose a risk to national security. The NSI Act both facilitates investment into sensitive sectors - such as artificial intelligence - with appropriate safeguards where needed and provides powers to act where necessary and proportionate.
If he will take steps to publish a frequently asked questions section as part of the Civil Service Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Expenditure Guidance, published on 14 May 2024.
There are no plans to publish a frequently asked questions section for this guidance.
Whether he plans to update the Memorandum of Understanding between the Civil Service Commission and his Department.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Civil Service Commission and the Cabinet Office has been replaced by a consolidated Framework Agreement for the Independent Offices (covering the Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the Commissioner for Public Appointments). This was published on 18 February 2025.
How many transactions have been statutorily notified to his Department under the terms of the National Security and Investment Act since 5 July 2024.
The government publishes information on the operation of the National Security and Investment Act (NSIA) in the NSIA Annual Report. The most recent report, covering the 2023/24 reporting period, can be found on GOV.UK. The government received 753 mandatory notifications in that period.Data on the number of mandatory notifications received between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, broken down by month, will be published in the next Annual Report later this year.