Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mike Wood this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1,141–1,160 of 2,405 · this parliament
Whether he uses external disinformation (a) indexes and (b) metrics when making SAFE framework assessments.
SAFE assessments examine whether the publishers have a history of publishing or broadcasting disinformation, with the intent to deceive. There is no predefined list of sources we rely upon.
Pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90737 on Cabinet Office: Remote Working, if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the last meeting for which minutes are held.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office does not intend to place a copy of the minutes of the last Cross Government Working Flexibly Group Meeting Minutes in the library as these are considered confidential. We are unable to disclose membership of the Group on the grounds of data protection, however, the group meets on an ad hoc basis only and does so in a hybrid manner.
Pursuant to the answer of 23 December 2025 to Question 99838 on Senior Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay, what was the (a) policy basis and (b) business case for the previous Cabinet Secretary being given an exit payment greater than that set out in the model Permanent Secretary contract.
The severance payment was made in accordance with paragraph 18.1 in the Permanent Secretary model contract. The business case was made on the basis that the Cabinet Secretary departed the Civil Service, and it was calculated on the basis of the Civil Service Compensation Scheme i.e. 1 month’s pay (capped at £149,820 salary) for each year of service.
What the cost is of developing, operating and maintaining the Internal Coaching Service digital platform.
The Internal Coaching Service digital platform cost a one-off setup fee of £1,000 (excluding VAT).The ongoing cost is an annual licence fee of £7,500 (excluding VAT). This fee covers maintenance, unlimited change requests, and support for the internal coaching team.There is no upper limit to the number of coaches and coaches that can use the platform.
Pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025 to Question 90737 on Cabinet Office: Remote Working, if he will publish the members of the Cross-Government Group on Working Flexibly; and whether it meets remotely, in hybrid manner or in person.
The Minister for the Cabinet Office does not intend to place a copy of the minutes of the last Cross Government Working Flexibly Group Meeting Minutes in the library as these are considered confidential. We are unable to disclose membership of the Group on the grounds of data protection, however, the group meets on an ad hoc basis only and does so in a hybrid manner.
With reference to the report entitled Civil Service sickness absence, 2025 published on 16 December 2025, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of Civil Service (a) long-term and (b) short-term sickness rates.
Civil Service sickness absence data, published on 16 December 2025, indicates a rise in both long-term and short-term sickness absence across the Civil Service, both since the previous year and over the past decade.(Source: Civil Service sickness absence data published on 16 December 2025)
With reference to the Integrated Security Fund Annual Report 2024–25, of 30 October 2025, if he will establish a due-diligence process to ensure that ISF programmes scored as principal for gender equality are not used to advance ideological objectives.
The Integrated Security Fund delivers programmes which align to UK national security and resilience priorities. Programmes promote gender equality where it is relevant and appropriate.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 100332 on Public Appointments: Political Impartiality, what was the source of the political activity data for 2024-25 contained within the 2024-25 annual report of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, page 41, published on 17 December 2025.
Political activity information is collected from candidates as part of the public appointments digital service’s online application process. This was the source of the Commissioner’s data.
With reference to the Our management section of the Cabinet Office website and further to his Department's document entitled Special advisers: code of conduct, updated on 6 November 2024, for what reason Jonathan Powell is listed in the management section.
The National Security Adviser sets direction – on behalf of the Prime Minister – for national security and foreign policy in the National Security Secretariat. Some leadership and corporate responsibilities – such as the line management of civil servants, accounting or matters affecting a civil servant’s career such as recruitment, promotion, reward and discipline – are not carried out by the National Security Adviser.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99828 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, what is the campaign or topic associated with (a) Government Digital and Data and (b) Great Futures.
Government Digital and Data is related to recruitment, and Great Futures forms part of the wider GREAT campaign which encourages international audiences to visit, study and do business with the UK.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99825, on Tom Kibasi, whether he served the full two month secondment in Downing Street.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 2 January 2026, Official Report, PQ 99825.
Pursuant to the answer of 4 September 2025, to Question 73325, on Armed Forces: Conferences, if he will place in the Library the equivalent Cabinet Office guidance for officials on contact with the media.
There are currently no plans to publish this guidance as the area remains subject to ongoing policy development.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026, to Question 99822, on Publications: Gender, on how many occasions since July 2024 has a publication or publisher failed a SAFE assessment.
There are currently 67 publishers who have been assessed but not included in the inclusion list. It is important to note that this may not completely prohibit use for government communications. A publisher may still be utilised for relevant campaigns, provided appropriate campaign-specific guardrails are implemented to mitigate potential risks.
Pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2025, to Question, 90238, on Government Communications Service: Staff, if he will publish the number of (a) headcount and (b) FTE Government Communication Service staff in each government department, central public body and Arm’s Length Body, including NHS, according to information collated in the most recent Government Communications Service audit; and what are the aggregate figures.
Please see the table below that contains the full-time equivalent figures for departments. These figures incorporate the ALBs, which are grouped under their respective sponsoring organisations. Sponsor OrgFTEAttorney General's Office97.72Cabinet Office406.85Department for Business & Trade348.06Department for Culture, Media & Sport451.20Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs389.94Department for Energy Security & Net Zero294.24Department for Education285.90Department for Transport630.47Department of Health & Social Care772.76Department for Science, Innovation & Technology333.67Department for Work & Pensions239.39Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office149.12HM Revenue & Customs294.10HM Treasury84.35Home Office197.44Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government124.15Ministry of Defence501.54Ministry of Justice285.96Northern Ireland Office17.00Supreme Court of the United Kingdom≤5.00Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland16.00UK Export Finance20.90Office of the Secretary of State for Wales7.80
Pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2025, to Question 65368, on Empty Property, what records does the Office of Government Property’s Insite database hold on the number of (a) residential and (b) non-residential public sector properties which are vacant or empty.
The Office of Government Property’s InSite database brings together property information provided by central government departments to support oversight of the government estate. (a) Residential propertiesInSite does not hold centrally validated records on the number of residential public sector properties that are vacant or empty. Responsibility for managing residential properties, including determining and recording vacancy status, rests with the individual owning departments. The Cabinet Office therefore does not hold a central record of vacant or empty residential public sector properties. (b) Non-residential propertiesInSite holds information on non-residential public sector properties that are vacant or surplus, based on information provided by departments to support cross-government estate oversight, with coverage continuing to develop as the system matures. This includes:Operational use; anda Vacant Space dataset, which records vacant spaces within non-residential buildings that remain in operational use. Data drawn from InSite is also published on gov.uk at https://www.data.gov. uk/dataset/a3ad62cf-d8a2-4d3b-b3c6-24c35c5e0f71/the-government-property-estate-including-buildings-and-land to ensure continued transparency. These datasets relate to non-residential property only and reflect the information provided by departments at the time of publication.
What consideration has been made of requiring Digital ID to sign into social media accounts.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK, including on the possible range of uses of the digital credential.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2025 to Question 100334 on Public Appointments: Social Class, and the Commissioner for Public Appointment’s annual report of 2024-25 published in December 2025, on what date in 2024-25 did the Cabinet Office start to ask applicants for public appointments of their social class; and his Department provides guidance; and whether it is compulsory for applicants to provide this data.
Socio-economic background questions were added to the application process on the public appointments digital service in May 2024. All candidates are required to provide a response to these questions as part of their application, but they can state ‘prefer not to say’ if they wish. Guidance on completing diversity questions, including socio-economic background, is provided to candidates via the digital service.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99528 on Ministers: Corporate Hospitality and Official Gifts, whether Ministers are required to inform the Cabinet Office where a gift or hospitality is accepted by a Minister and the gift is subsequently returned, refunded or repaid.
Annex A, Paragraph 8 of the Ministers' Gifts and Hospitality: Publication Guidance, available on GOV.UK, outlines the process to be followed if the status of a gift changes at a later date.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 99536 on Ministers: Public Appointments, what is an internal desk note; and what legal or constitutional status do they hold.
There is no formal definition of what constitutes an internal desk note, but it is generally considered to mean a document containing internal procedural advice on the technical and policy considerations that should be taken into account by officials when implementing an area of policy. Such documents offer guidance on good practice, sometimes in interpreting legislative responsibilities, but do not in themselves hold any legal status.
Pursuant to the answer of 2 January 2026 to Question 100340 on Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment, how many senior civil servants have been recruited to posts not advertised externally in the last 12 months.
Between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2025, there were 90 provisional offers made for Senior Civil Service (SCS) posts (permanent and temporary) that were advertised across government but not advertised externally. This is data obtained from Civil Service Jobs and does not include internal recruitment, which might have been conducted within a department. As per our External by Default policy, SCS vacancies which are not advertised externally must be approved by a Minister or Permanent Secretary equivalent in non-Ministerial departments.