Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he takes steps to ascertain whether Ministers occupy official Ministerial residences as primary residences.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
I refer the Hon Member to PQ 95895, PQ 81873, and HL 9337.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Freedom of Information requests his Department has received relating to the Government Car Service since 1 April 2025; and how many have been (a) refused and (b) disclosed.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Government Car Service (GCS) transferred to the Cabinet Office from the Department for Transport, as a result of a machinery of government change, on 1st April 2025. Freedom of Information (FOI) requests relating to GCS prior to that date were answered by the Department for Transport.
Since 1 April 2025, the Cabinet Office has received 15 FOI requests relating to the GCS. Of the 11 requests that have been closed, five requests were granted in full and one request was refused in full. Other outcomes were that the information was already planned for publication, that the information was not held, or that responding to the request would have exceeded the cost limit.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 18 November 2025, to Question 88660, on Elections: Proof of Identity, what is the policy of Government Social Research on using the terms (a) sex and (b) gender.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government Social Research Profession is a professional membership body for social researchers working across government. It supports professional social researchers employed directly by departments through providing opportunities for learning, development, career support and technical development.
The Government Social Research Profession is part of the Government Analysis Function, which sets expectations for analysis, as set out in the Government Functional Standard. In using the terms ‘sex’ and ‘gender’, government analysts should have regard to relevant data harmonisation standards published by the Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service.
The Office for National Statistics and the Government Statistical Service are currently partway through a review of their harmonised standards. That review is focused on developing updated and new harmonised standards for Sex, Gender Identity, Disability and Ethnicity
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will publish the Freedom of Information Act disclosure released by the Government Actuary’s Department on 4 August 2025 with reference Internal Review response to FOI252626.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government Actuary’s Department released information on 4 August 2025 in relation to a Freedom of Information request. The content of that response is provided alongside this PQ response.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to pages 131–132 of the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, what the annual cost is of operating the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists; whether registration fee income was netted off against those costs; and what net (a) surplus and (b) deficit was recorded in each of the last three financial years.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
In each of the last three years - two of which were under the last government - the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists has recorded a consistent net deficit as shown below:
| 2022-23 | 2023-24 | 2024-25 |
| £’000 | £’000 | £’000 |
Annual cost of operating the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists | 321 | 324 | 353 |
Registration Fee income was netted off against those costs | -212 | -217 | -246 |
Net Deficit/Cost | 109 | 107 | 107 |
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Cabinet Office Annual report and accounts 2024-2025, HC1372, 23 October 2025, whether any of the £90 million of Crown Commercial Service dividend income retained by his Department was (a) passed back to CCS, (b) used to subsidise its operations and (c) used to reduce management fees paid by departments and public bodies using CCS frameworks.
Answered by Chris Ward - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
None of the £90 million in Crown Commercial Service (CCS) dividend income retained by the Cabinet Office was returned to CCS. Consequently, none of the dividend was used to subsidise its operations and none was used to reduce management fees paid by departments and public bodies using CCS frameworks.