Mike Wood

The National Audit Office (NAO) is independent of government and was not a recipient of the letter from the Government Chief Commercial Officer.

However, between 24 April 2025 and 31 August 2026, the NAO spent £3,555 (including VAT) on branded goods and merchandise such as pens, tote bags and notepads to be used over a full year. Branded merchandise is used on conference stands at a range of outreach events.

As an independent public body, the National Audit Office (NAO) is not part of the Government Communications profession. The NAO currently has a permanent headcount of 15 communications professionals working on external and internal communications.

The Information Commissioner's Office submitted a Spending Review bid as part of the Government's Spending Review process. The Government considers bids from a range of its arms length bodies. Final funding allocations have been determined through the Spending Review process and details of settlements are announced through the usual government channels. The Government does not routinely publish details of individual funding bids submitted as part of Spending Review discussions.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is independent of Government and is responsible for deciding how Freedom of Information Act complaints are prioritised, investigated and resolved. Whilst DCMS sponsors the ICO, government policy for Freedom of Information sits with the Cabinet Office.

The Department does not hold the operational information requested. The ICO publishes information about its performance and case-handling activity on its website and reports annually to Parliament on its approach to complaints and investigations.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is independent of Government and is responsible for deciding how Freedom of Information Act complaints are prioritised, investigated and resolved. Whilst DCMS sponsors the ICO, government policy for Freedom of Information sits with the Cabinet Office.

The Department does not hold the operational information requested. The ICO publishes information about its performance and case-handling activity on its website and reports annually to Parliament on its approach to complaints and investigations.

Artworks installed and de-installed in government buildings are routinely published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/government-art-collection-gac-artworks-installed-and-deinstalled-from-government-buildings

Staff on the Digital ID programme were existing Civil Service staff who, in line with standard Civil Service practice, are currently being redeployed to other government priorities.

A full business case had not yet been finalised prior to the cancellation of the national Digital ID programme. As such, a full estimate of planned expenditure for 2025-26 onwards is not available.

The Civil Service business appointment rules do not apply to Gambling Commission employees. The Gambling Commission's employee Code of Conduct and employment contracts provide the Commission with the ability to manage conflicts of interest. We have no plans to review the number of staff leaving the Gambling Commission to work in the gambling industry, or the length of appropriate restricted periods for conflicts of interest. The Gambling Commission regularly reviews employee turnover, and should any trends be identified, they have confirmed these will be reviewed as necessary. The Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure.

Given the specific nature of job titles and ability to individually identify employees, these titles have not been provided.

The Civil Service business appointment rules do not apply to Gambling Commission employees. The Gambling Commission's employee Code of Conduct and employment contracts provide the Commission with the ability to manage conflicts of interest. We have no plans to review the number of staff leaving the Gambling Commission to work in the gambling industry, or the length of appropriate restricted periods for conflicts of interest. The Gambling Commission regularly reviews employee turnover, and should any trends be identified, they have confirmed these will be reviewed as necessary. The Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure.

Given the specific nature of job titles and ability to individually identify employees, these titles have not been provided.

The Civil Service business appointment rules do not apply to Gambling Commission employees. The Gambling Commission's employee Code of Conduct and employment contracts provide the Commission with the ability to manage conflicts of interest. We have no plans to review the number of staff leaving the Gambling Commission to work in the gambling industry, or the length of appropriate restricted periods for conflicts of interest. The Gambling Commission regularly reviews employee turnover, and should any trends be identified, they have confirmed these will be reviewed as necessary. The Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure.

Given the specific nature of job titles and ability to individually identify employees, these titles have not been provided.

While DCMS Ministers are accountable to Parliament for matters concerning the National Gallery, the Gallery remains operationally independent from the Government, with all decisions about building management and flag flying taken by its trustees. As set out in response to Question 18835. I would therefore continue to refer the Member to the National Gallery.

From February 2026, the power to appoint new trustees and a Board Chair was vested in the trustees of the Southbank Centre, having previously been a power reserved for the Secretary of State for the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). This change to the charity's governing document was made with the Secretary of State's consent. This change is set out in the Southbank Centre's Annual Report and Accounts for 2025-26, which were laid in Parliament on 15th July 2026.

This now means the Southbank Centre operates in line with other independent arts organisations. As a charity, all Southbank Centre trustees are subject to charity law, and as an Arts Council-funded organisation, the Southbank Centre must adhere to the expectations on appointments set out by the Arts Council.

The Southbank Centre does not currently receive funds directly from the Department, but is supported as a National Portfolio Organisation by Arts Council England. Standard Terms and Conditions for National Portfolio organisations, along with Arts Council's "Relationship Framework" which sets out how Arts Council works with funded organisations and its expectations of them.

These are available at the following weblink: https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/NationalPortfolio23/key-information-2023-26-npos-and-ipsos#t-in-page-nav-1

Details of Government contracts above £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Order Schedule 20 of the awarded contract (Procurement reference CCZZ25A11) provides the requested information.

The Council of Europe funding is directed at projects that take place in some of Europe's most challenging environments for LGBT+ individuals, and although specific details are withheld from the public domain, these funds have not directly funded projects in the UK.

Case law has established that gender-critical beliefs are protected under the Equality Act 2010.

We have consistently said that we expect all duty bearers to comply with the law as clarified by the For Women Scotland Supreme Court ruling.

Under the legislation, these appointments are made by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. The No10 Appointments Unit was consulted in the usual way.

The decision to redact the names of staff Members in the Register of Interests of Members’ Staff is a matter for the Committee on Standards. The decision is set out in the Committee’s Seventh Report of Session 2024–26 (HC 1629).

Ministers and officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of policy matters. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk.

DCMS also engages with a range of civil society organisations in developing online harms policy, including where it relates to public safety. As part of this, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate has participated in official-level roundtables with the department in 2024 and 2026.

The department has not received representations from Amnesty International on either regulation of the press or legislative action to impose limitations but is aware of the published statement from its networks.

Ministers and officials from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport regularly engage with stakeholders on a range of policy matters. Details of ministerial meetings are published on a quarterly basis on Gov.uk.

DCMS also engages with a range of civil society organisations in developing online harms policy, including where it relates to public safety. As part of this, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate has participated in official-level roundtables with the department in 2024 and 2026.

The department has not received representations from Amnesty International on either regulation of the press or legislative action to impose limitations but is aware of the published statement from its networks.

DCMS has no plans to make changes to the 4th National Lottery Licence.

In line with the approach taken for preparing for previous licences, planning for future operations will be considered at an appropriate time, in accordance with public procurement policy and best practice.

The UK Soft Power Council has met five times in plenary since its launch. Information on the Council's membership and its full meetings is published on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-soft-power-council-membership-and-terms-of-reference

Over the past three financial years, Office for Equality and Opportunity headcount has been as follows:

• April 2024: 127 FTE
• April 2025: 141 FTE
• April 2026: 167 FTE

This staffing will ensure delivery of manifesto commitments such as parts of employment rights legislation, pay gap reporting consultations, updating the Code of Practice and the Conversion Practices Bill, alongside delivery of other ministerial priorities.

As the UK’s technical authority for cyber security, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is the lead public body responsible for providing cyber security advice and support to industry on such matters.

Ofcom, as the telecoms regulator, is responsible for monitoring and enforcing public telecoms providers’ compliance with their legal obligations under the Communications Act 2003, as amended by the Telecommunications (Security) Act 2021.

DCMS, as the lead government department for telecoms, is responsible for developing policies, including legislation, to help ensure the security and resilience of the UK’s public telecoms networks and services.

The Church Commissioners have indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

The Church Commissioners were represented at COP29 by Olga Hancock, Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment. In her role as Co-Lead of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance Policy Workstream, she engaged, alongside other investors, with senior negotiators on a range of finance-related issues, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) and Article 6 carbon market arrangements, to encourage a high level of ambition from COP participants.

The Church Commissioners also contributed to a climate finance roundtable hosted by the UN High-Level Climate Champions and met with ministers and heads of delegation from OECD member countries.

In advance of COP29, Church Commissioners staff convened an online meeting in October 2024 involving investors and officials from the US State Department's COP29 Finance Team. They also held discussions with representatives of His Majesty's Government and the Government of Canada.

The Anglican Communion were represented at COP29 by Archbishop Julio Murray Thompson, Bishop of Panama, former Primate of the Iglesia Anglicana de la Region Central de America and Martha Jarvis, the Anglican Communion's Permanent Representative to the United Nations; their primary work focused on climate finance, supporting indigenous communities, and, as part of the Faith Pavilion, supporting efforts to tackle global debt.

At COP30, the Anglican Communion delegation was led by Archbishop Marinez of the Amazon, who hosted faith groups in Belém, Brazil. Shortly before COP30, Archbishop Marinez visited London to meet Members of both Houses of Parliament. The visit was organised by the Lord Bishop of Norwich. During the visit, the Church Commissioners and the Bishop of Norwich jointly hosted a meeting with Archbishop Marinez to discuss priorities for COP30, engage with local churches, and encourage prayer and support for the conference.

We are working to introduce legislation on mandatory ethnicity and disability pay gap reporting for large employers as soon as parliamentary time allows. Mandatory reporting dates are subject to the passage of necessary legislation.

We will continue to engage with large employers and other interested stakeholders as the plans are developing, and ensure that they are kept informed of timescales.

The EHRC is an independent arm’s length body that is operationally independent of the Government, and it is for the EHRC to decide on how it allocates its budget and operational activity. The Equality Act 2006 sets out the legal duty for the Secretary of State to lay before Parliament a copy of EHRC's Annual Reports and Accounts for the previous financial year. On 8 July, the EHRC published its Annual Report and Accounts for the financial year 2025-2026, which can be found here: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/about-us/transparency-and-corporate-reporting/annual-reports.

In our manifesto, we committed to strengthening protections against dual discrimination. Last year we launched a call for evidence on this commitment, as well as a number of other areas of equality law.

The Government remains committed to strengthening protections against combined discrimination in the most effective way. We are giving responses to the Call for Evidence on Equality Law careful consideration and will confirm next steps in due course.

The Treaties section of the UK Parliament’s website lists international agreements which are subject to parliamentary scrutiny under the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. An official record of the UK's treaty obligations under international law is also available via the UK Treaties Online resource.

A full list of public bodies subject to the SED will be published upon commencement. The Socio-Economic Duty (SED) will embed consideration of socio-economic disadvantage into public sector decision-making. It will require specified public authorities to have due regard to how their strategic decisions can reduce inequalities of outcomes associated with socio-economic disadvantage.

We are currently working towards commencement, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively. As part of this process, we are working with listed public bodies to ensure the guidance supports them effectively.

The interim Director General for Digital Transformation was appointed as a temporary civil servant on a fixed term contract.

Participants were paid £550 provided they attended all seven sessions across both online and in-person formats. This payment rate was determined in line with industry standards for research participation and public deliberation.

Gambling Commission employees are Public Servants and therefore are not bound by the Civil Service Code. The Gambling Commission has its own Employee Code of Conduct which reflects public service principles.

The Gambling Commission hope to have completed the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive by the end of the calendar year.

There are currently 9 FTE staff contracted to our office in Feethams House, Darlington Economic Campus. DCMS currently occupies 6 work stations in Feethams House.

The National Gallery is operationally independent of the government and decisions about public engagement, including those relating to the NG Citizens programme, are taken by its trustees.

Participants are paid for their time at a rate of £15 per hour and are reimbursed for relevant expenses.

The National Gallery is operationally independent of the government and decisions about public engagement, including those relating to the NG Citizens programme, are taken by its trustees.

Participants are paid for their time at a rate of £15 per hour and are reimbursed for relevant expenses.

The Secretary of State's Code of Practice on the Management of Records issued under section 46 the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Code) provides general guidance to departments and wider public authorities on the keeping, management and destruction of records. The Keeper of Public Records supervises and guides departments in their selection of public records for permanent preservation under section 3(2) of the Public Records Act 1958, issuing a high-level records collection policy. Individual departments make decisions on how long to retain their records in line with this guidance. There is no guidance in the Code or otherwise issued by The National Archives relating specifically to consultations or calls for evidence.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) regulates equality law across England, Wales and Scotland and human rights across England & Wales.

The EHRC is independent of the government and makes its own enforcement and regulation decisions, including any inquiries and investigations it decides to conduct.

The National Lottery Community Fund (‘TNLCF’) has not spent any funds on public affairs services provided by Lexington Communications since July 2024. Since this date, TNLCF has spent £41,725 (excluding VAT) on research services provided by Lexington Communications. This research enables TNLCF to report on key performance indicators linked to its Corporate Plan.

The Office for Equality and Opportunity (OEO) has spent nothing on branded merchandise since April 2025, adhering strictly to guidelines that limit procurement to essential, value-for-money operational items.

The Social Mobility Commission, which is an advisory non-departmental public body within the OEO family, spent £1,152.69 in 2025 on the following one-off items to update its branding for its symposium:

• 9 roller banners
• 1 lectern cover

These items will be reused for future events.

The Government has committed to speeding up decision making and delivery for the British people. As part of this, a proportionate approach is being taken to equalities impact assessments, so that they improve policy and outcomes. Guidance for public authorities is already available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities/public-sector-equality-duty-guidance-for-public-authorities.

This Government is committed to commencing the socio-economic duty. We are currently working towards commencement, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively. As part of this process and to maintain pace, we are engaging directly with listed public bodies to ensure the guidance supports them effectively.

The UK Government has provided funding for the Council of Europe’s LGBTI project alongside previous iterations of the fund for many years across consecutive government administrations.

Pursuant to the answer on 30 June 2026 to Question 9611, specific details of the funded activities are withheld from the public domain by the Council of Europe. Consecutive UK governments have made this voluntary contribution as a lump sum, rather than directing it toward individual initiatives or activities; it is for the Council of Europe to determine how the funds are spent.

This Government is committed to listening to all viewpoints and believes it is vital to engage with a wide range of stakeholders. When it comes to striking a balance of views, we aim to lower the temperature and look for common ground away from highly divisive arguments. Gender critical views remain to be protected as a philosophical belief under the Equality Act 2010, and trans people are protected from harassment or discrimination under the Equality Act 2010.