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 1,821–1,840 of 2,423 · this parliament
If he will publish the Terms of Reference for the (a) Civil Service Muslim Network and (b) Civil Service Race Forum.
Staff networks are volunteer networks, organised by employees within various Civil Service Departments. As the Terms of Reference are internal documents of volunteer-led networks, there are no current plans to publish them. All network activity must align with the values and standards set out in the Civil Service Code.
What the average annual value of London weighting for civil servants in his Department was in the latest period for which data is available.
The Cabinet Office does not have a London Weighting Allowance. There are separate London and National pay ranges. An individual’s pay, paid as a salary, is determined by the location of their designated office, as set out in their contract.
Whether there is a target headcount for the size of the Civil Service.
I refer to my answer for PQ 59029 on 16 June 2025.
Pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 41436 on Government Departments: Communication, if he will publish each substantive programme of advertising, marketing and communications spending above the £100,000 control threshold that has been approved since 4 July 2024.
Spending above the £100,000 control threshold is published as standard on the transparency data page of gov.uk, found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/search/transparency-and-freedom-of-information-releases?parent=cabinet-office&keywords=advertising+marketing+and+communications&organisations%5B%5D=cabinet-office&order=relevance
With reference to the Government press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, how many Civil Service internship schemes the Government will run in 2026; and what the eligibility requirements of each will be.
As we set out in August, we will be opening our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. We will determine eligibility based on parental occupation at age 14 in line with guidance from the Social Mobility Commission. The Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme is a cross government internship programme led by the Cabinet Office. All other internship programmes across the Civil Service, arm’s length bodies and public corporations are responsible for setting their own eligibility criteria to suit the specific needs of the recruiting organisation. The exact number of other internship programmes and their eligibility criteria is not held centrally. For those who do not meet the criteria for the Summer Internship Programme but wish to pursue a career in the Civil Service, there are other opportunities for them to explore via the Civil Service Jobs website (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/) or the Civil Service Fast Stream (https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/fast-stream/).
With reference to his Department's press release, Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service' published on 1 August 2025, whether the socio-economic background criteria for civil service internship schemes proposed for 2026 apply to the internship schemes of (a) arm’s length bodies and (b) public corporations.
As we set out in August, we will be opening our Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme exclusively for undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds for 2026. We will determine eligibility based on parental occupation at age 14 in line with guidance from the Social Mobility Commission. The Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme is a cross government internship programme led by the Cabinet Office. All other internship programmes across the Civil Service, arm’s length bodies and public corporations are responsible for setting their own eligibility criteria to suit the specific needs of the recruiting organisation. The exact number of other internship programmes and their eligibility criteria is not held centrally. For those who do not meet the criteria for the Summer Internship Programme but wish to pursue a career in the Civil Service, there are other opportunities for them to explore via the Civil Service Jobs website (https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/) or the Civil Service Fast Stream (https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/fast-stream/).
With reference to the Civil Service EDI Expenditure Review Data published on 29 May 2025, if he will list each of the external organisations that provided learning and development in 2023-24.
The Civil Service EDI Expenditure Review has concluded and there are no further plans to provide additional information to the information already published relating to 2023-24.
If he will publish a list of each ongoing (a) statutory and (b) non-statutory public inquiry, including the year it was established.
The table below sets out the list of open statutory and non-statutory inquiries and the year in which they were established. This includes inquiries that have published but not yet closed. The table does not include public inquiries which have been announced but have not yet been formally established, namely inquiries into events at Orgreave, the death of Patrick Finucane and the Independent Commission on Grooming Gangs. Year establishedInquiryStatutory or non-statutory2025Nottingham InquiryStatutory2025Independent inquiry into Manston short-term holding facility / Manston InquiryNon-statutory2025Southport InquiryStatutory2023Jalal Uddin InquiryStatutory2023Cranston InquiryNon-statutory2023Andrew Malkinson InquiryNon-statutory2023Thirlwall InquiryStatutory2023Inquiry into the preventability of the Omagh bombingStatutory2022Independent inquiry relating to AfghanistanStatutory2022Dawn Sturgess InquiryStatutory2022Fuller InquiryNon-statutory2022Angiolini InquiryNon-statutory2022UK Covid-19 InquiryStatutory2021Lampard InquiryStatutory2020Post Office Horizon IT inquiryStatutory2017Infected Blood InquiryStatutory2015Undercover Policing InquiryStatutory2004Robert Hamill InquiryStatutory
Pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2025 to Question 54270 on Government Departments: Directors, and with reference to the guidance entitled Non-Executive Board Member declaration of interests process, published on 28 November 2024, whether the threshold for declaring political activity as a Board Member is (a) the same and (b) different from that set out when applying for a public appointment in the Governance Code on Public Appointments; and whether previous political activity needs to be declared as a Board Member.
The guidance for declaring Non-Executive Board Member interests, with a particular reference to declaring political activity, differs from the Governance Code on Public Appointments as its scope is limited to current interests an individual holds. The guidance published on 28 November 2024 requires Non-Executive Board Members to declare any current political activity. There are strict rules in the Code of Conduct for Board Members of Public Bodies about political activity (sections 3.11 - 3.15). As stated in the code of conduct, any breaches are also considered a breach of the terms of appointment. Declarations of previous political activity is a requirement during the Public Appointment process so that advisory assessment panels can assess whether the activity should be taken into account when determining a candidate’s suitability for the role.
What is his Department's preferred methodological (a) definition and (b) classification of a working class person.
The refocused Fast Stream Summer Internship scheme will give talented undergraduates from lower socio-economic backgrounds the opportunity to see what a career in the Civil Service is like. We will assess eligibility for the summer internship scheme based on parental occupation at the age of 14. The Social Mobility Commission (SMC) identifies this as the most accurate measure of socio-economic background.
Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2025 to Question HL6565 on Senior Civil Servants and Special Advisers: Pay, what is the (a) salary level and (b) grade of seniority at which there is a policy of public disclosure on an individual public servant’s remuneration in response to a Freedom of Information Act requests.
Departments publish salary information for all their Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles in quarterly organograms on data.gov.uk and for all SCS operating at Board level in their Annual Accounts. The Cabinet Office will publish a new 2025 'high earner' list for senior public officials, linked to the Treasury's senior pay control threshold (published in guidance here), in due course. The Cabinet Office routinely publishes the salaries of those special advisers earning equivalent to senior civil servants in the Annual Report on Special Advisers which is available on gov.uk.
When he plans to publish the public sector trade union facility time data for the 2024-25 financial year.
We intend to publish the self-reported public sector trade union facility time data in line with our standard timelines for this data set, which will be before the end of this year.
How many times the UK Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Open Government has met in 2025.
The UK Multi-Stakeholder Forum for Open Government (MSF) has not met during 2025. The MSF last met on 17th July 2024 and plans for reconvening the MSF are currently being developed.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the eligibility criteria for the MI5, MI6 and GCHQ Summer Intelligence Internship on people from disadvantaged white working class backgrounds.
In recent years, UK Intelligence Community (UKIC) has run a number of internships and placement schemes. They are designed to provide insight about what it is like to work in UKIC to individuals who have particular skills and experience, want to work in a particular area and/or are from demographics and backgrounds under-represented across Government. Any internship participant wishing to subsequently apply for employment with UKIC or the Civil Service is required to take part in a fair and open competition, in the normal way, with selection based on merit.
Pursuant to the Answer of 21 January 2025 to Question 23677 on Transgender People, whether his Department has completed its revision of the guidance on gender reassignment.
The current model Gender Reassignment HR policy and guidance was issued in 2019. A review to update it was started in 2023 under the previous administration. The recent Supreme Court ruling in the For Women Scotland case and revision of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Code of Practice has had implications for this review. This is therefore ongoing and the revised policy and guidance will be shared with departments in due course.
What is the estimated (a) mean and (b) median salary of a civil servant in (i) 2024-25 and (ii) 2025-26, and what is the estimated monetary value of the employer contribution to their Civil Service pensions.
The most recent data on mean and median salaries for the Civil Service can be found in the Civil Service Statistics publication. The latest data published as at 31st March 2025 can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025. Data is not yet available for 2025-26. The estimated employer contribution for a Civil Servant to the Civil Service Pension Scheme is £6.6bn for 2024-25. The estimated employer contributions for 2025-26 is not currently known. (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6761a6d6d20fc50099e1904e/E03252376_-_HC_481_Civil_Superannuation_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_23-24_Web_Accessible.pdf)
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2025 to Question HL9068 on Civil Servants: London, if he will list the 11 buildings he plans to close by 2030.
In addition to the buildings named in the announcement on Places for Growth dated 14 May 2025 (102 Petty France, 39 Victoria Street and Caxton House), a further 8 buildings will close by 2030. Details will be announced following the conclusion of ongoing commercial discussions. This represents value for money for the taxpayer, delivering £94m in savings per annum whilst ensuring that London continues to be a vibrant place for Civil Servants to work.
If he will publish the Government Communication Service guidance entitled Guidelines for influencer marketing; and whether influencers must declare the source of their government funding.
There are no current plans to publish the Guidance for Influencer Marketing. As per Advertising Standards Authority regulation, influencers must make sure ‘advert’ or ‘#Ad’ is clearly visible at the start of any paid for influencer content and it is obvious that it is an advert paid for by the UK Government or part of a government campaign.
Whether the Government plans to introduce a (a) minimum and (b) maximum permitted workplace temperature in central government buildings.
The Government follows the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance derived from The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. The minimum temperature for workplaces is already stipulated by HSE and is readily available online. See here. There is currently no equivalent maximum temperature.
If he will publish any (a) external and (b) internal guidance produced for NATO members on what types of spending may be included in the definition of spending for (i) defence and (ii) security and resilience.
The publication of NATO's defence spending guidance for core defence and security related investment is a matter for NATO.