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 2,161–2,180 of 2,446 · this parliament
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.
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.
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The Memorandum of Understanding between the Civil Service Commission and the Cabinet Office has been replaced by a consolidated Framework Agreement for the Independent Offices (covering the Civil Service Commission, Advisory Committee on Business Appointments and the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.
Whether he plans to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the Industrial Strategy Council’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 22nd April is attached.
Whether the Government intends to lay a new Official Statistics Order to designate the National Centre of Policing’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 22nd April is attached.
Pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19408 on 10 Downing Street: Staff, how many (a) civil servants and (b) special advisers are assigned to work on foreign policy matters.
I refer the Hon Member to my answer of 17 December 2024, Official Report, PQ 19408.
What the wage bill of the (a) Civil Service, (b) central Government Departments and (c) public sector was in (i) June 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.
Salary data for the Civil Service is published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics, an Accredited Official Statistics release, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2024. The most recent estimated salary cost figures as at 31st March 2024 were provided in response to Peter Bedford MP’s question on 16th October 2024. Civil Service Statistics 2025 is due to be published on 30 July 2025.The Cabinet Office does not hold information on the wage bill for the wider public sector.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2024 to Question 12079 on Civil Service: Surveys, if he will publish the September to October 2024 People Survey data for staff in 10 Downing Street.
The Cabinet Office will not be publishing 2024 People Survey data for staff in 10 Downing Street. This data has been withheld in previous years and this has been approved by successive Ministers responsible for transparency since 2013.
What the headcount of the civil service (a) including and (b) excluding non-Departmental public bodies was in (i) June 2024 and (ii) the latest period for which data is available.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd April is attached.
If he will publish the declarations of interest of each member of the Child Poverty Taskforce.
The Child Poverty Taskforce is a ministerial taskforce and members' interests are published regularly, in line with the Ministerial Code.
Pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2024 to Question 18221 on Supreme Court: Judgments, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Supreme Court ruling on the (a) practices of the Cabinet Office and (b) its Arms Length Bodies.
As the ruling has no direct impact on the Cabinet Office, no considerations have been made as yet. The Cabinet Office will consider the impact, on the department and its Arms Length Bodies, in due course.
Whether he plans to restructure his Department to reduce Departmental expenditure.
We are reorganising the Cabinet Office into a more strategic, specialist, and smaller department as part of our plan to deliver £110 million in annual departmental expenditure savings by the 2028/29 financial year.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 December 2024 to Question 19635 on Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review, if he will publish the full terms of reference.
The Prime Minister announced on 25 February in the House that a single national security strategy would be published before the NATO summit in June 2025. A full terms of reference for the National Security Strategy will not be published, however the Strategy’s core aims are to: Cohere national security related reviews into a single narrative.Articulate the Government’s priorities in the national security space with the aim of making sure the country is safer, growing securely, and increasingly resilient against interconnected threats.
Innovation and Technology, whether appointments to the Regulatory Innovation Office will be included in the Public Bodies Order in Council; and whether the Chair appointment will be classified as a significant appointment.
The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) was established as an Office within the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology in 2024 to support regulators to update regulation, speed up approvals, and ensure different regulatory bodies work together smoothly. The Department will continue to evaluate and review the RIO’s governance arrangements and objectives to ensure its work aligns with transformative goals and delivers effective regulatory solutions. There are no immediate plans to seek inclusion on the Public Bodies Order in Council which would lead to regulation by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA).
Whether there is a framework agreement in place for the Senior Salaries Review Body.
The Cabinet Office is actively working to finalise a Framework Agreement for the Senior Salaries Review Body. This will be agreed in due course.
Pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 10991 on Civil Service: Zero Hours Contracts, how many Cabinet Office (a) staff and (b) contractors are on zero hour contracts in the most recent period for which data is available.
Cabinet Office has 423 Contingent Labour workers on zero hour contracts as at 28 April 2025 via the contract Cabinet Office has with Alexander Mann Solutions Ltd. Cabinet Office uses zero hours contracts to selectively manage temporary demand. To end exploitative zero hours contracts, under the government’s plans to Make Work Pay legislation will be brought in to give workers on zero hours contracts and workers with a ‘low’ number of guaranteed hours, who regularly work more than these hours, the ability to move to guaranteed hours contracts which reflect the hours they regularly work over a 12-week reference period.
What (a) countries and (b) international organisations the (i) Office for National Statistics and (ii) UK Statistics Authority has (A) signed and (B) planned to sign co-operation agreements or treaties with.
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 22nd April is attached.
Whether his Department has received recent representations from firms involved in transactions referred to his Department under the National Security and Investment Act since 5 July 2024.
Parties with an interest in acquisitions being reviewed under the National Security and Investment (NSI) Act 2021 can submit representations via the Investment Security Unit in the Cabinet Office. Given potential commercial and security sensitivities, the Government will not generally comment on review of specific acquisitions under the NSI Act, including what, if any, representations have been received.
With reference to his Department's guidance entitled Freedom of Information - FOI clearing house review, updated on 14 December 2023, when he plans to publish the guidance on cross-cutting themes that are specific to central government.
The Cabinet Office has published guidance on ‘Freedom of Information and the Role of Special Advisers’ and on ‘Communication by Spreadsheet’ on GOV.UK at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cabinet-office-and-freedom-of-information.
With reference to the Public and Commercial Services Union's press notice entitled PCS demands Cabinet Office meeting over Gaza, published on 26 July 2024, what discussions his Department has had with PCS.
The Cabinet Office regularly holds discussions with trade unions including the Public and Commercial Services Union. These discussions relate to Civil Service workforce matters. Information about Cabinet Office ministers' meetings are released quarterly on .gov.uk as part of the department’s transparency publications and can be found here.