Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what is the status of the negotiations with the European Union on the Youth Experience Scheme, and whether the UK is discussing making financial contributions to the EU.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have agreed that we will work towards the establishment of a balanced youth experience scheme with the EU. We are committed to implementing the outcomes of the May 2025 Summit in a timely manner and so are working towards concluding negotiations by the time of the next EU-UK summit.
We have been clear that the scheme should be in line with the UK’s existing schemes, such as Australia and New Zealand, but the exact parameters are subject to ongoing negotiation. This will not include financial contributions to the European Union - that is not how youth mobility schemes operate.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to update the Announcements: Direct Ministerial Appointments portal with details of current post-holders.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is a requirement of the published Guidance on Making Direct Ministerial Appointments that departments should announce publicly such appointments generally at the time at which an appointment is made. The Direct Ministerial Appointments announcement portal, which went live in December 2025, brings together these announcements from across government. Direct Ministerial Appointment announcements prior to the creation of the portal were published on departmental news pages.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026, to Question 103784, on Public Appointments: Political Activities, what the (a) name and (b) position is of each person who declared political activity.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon. Gentleman back to PQ 103784.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 2 December 2025, to Question 93745, on Cabinet Office: Social Media, if he will name the specific social media influencers who were paid to advertise the government in relation to the (a) Free School Breakfast Club, (b) National Living/Minimum Wage, (c) Warm Homes, (d) Audacious Kingdom and (e) Greater Together campaigns.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
These campaigns are used to raise awareness about government schemes and initiatives and promote the UK internationally.
The government recognises content creators as an important way to reach and engage audiences online.
Please note, some data has been withheld due to commercial and wider sensitivities.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many pubs within the Huntingdon constituency are a) Free Houses and b) currently under a Pubco.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.
A response to the Hon gentleman’s Parliamentary Question of 26th January is attached.
Feb. 02 2026
Source Page: Joint statement on the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee and Trade and Cooperation Agreement Partnership Council meetings, 2 February 2026Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how he plans to change the hiring criteria for Senior Civil Servants.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Our approach to hiring for the Senior Civil Service (SCS) is changing to place greater value on frontline delivery, innovation, and private sector experience.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2026, to Question 104805, on Senior Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay, whether the former Cabinet Secretary’s exit payment was made through the (a) the Civil Service Compensation Scheme, (b) the Injury Benefit Scheme or (c) another Civil Service scheme.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Cabinet Office accounts (page 86), the payment for the former Cabinet Secretary was a severance payment, with the value calculated using the Civil Service Compensation Scheme tariff.
Asked by: Baroness Falkner of Margravine (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many times they have declined to lay before Parliament a draft statutory code submitted by an arm's-length body between January 2015 and December 2025, where that code has not been subject to litigation; and what were the titles of those draft statutory codes.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The information requested is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office.