Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 109541 on Jean Monnet Action: Finance, whether UK educational institutions will participate in the Jean Monnet Actions in relation to (a) supporting European Union studies, (b) the Jean Monnet Network on internal policy and (c) teacher training.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
I refer the hon. Member for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire to the answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 114071.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department gives weight to written consultation responses from organisations which are deemed extremist.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
It is up to each department to carry out due diligence when choosing to engage with any organisation or individual and, if asked, we will advise and share information to help others inform their decisions. As announced in the Protecting What Matters publication last week, we are currently updating and embedding the 2024 engagement principles which will assist public bodies to not confer legitimacy, funding or influence on extremist groups.
We will also publish an annual ‘State of Extremism’ report which will arm frontline, public sector workers with the information they need to identify and confront extremism in the UK.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of procurement rules on bank lending to SME companies involved in defence.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government is committed to making SMEs a national priority, ensuring they have a fair opportunity to win public contracts and setting ambitious SME spend targets.
As set out in the Defence Industrial Strategy, the MOD is backing British Jobs, British Industry and British innovators. Since July 2024, we have signed 1,100 major contracts, with 84% of our annual spend going to British companies.
In January we launched a dedicated Defence Office for Small business Growth to boost opportunities and access to defence contracts and the supply chain, on top of our commitment to double direct spend with SMEs by £2.5 billion by May 2028.
Delivering on the commitments made in the Strategic Defence Review and the Defence Industrial Strategy, we are developing a dedicated Defence Finance and Investment Strategy (DFIS). This is supported by a new Defence Investors’ Advisory Group, bringing together senior expertise from venture, growth, private capital, and banking to address barriers to financing and investment in the sector.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK students have studied abroad under the Turing scheme by country in the most recent year for which figures are available; and at what cost.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The 2023/24 academic year is the most recent year for which data is published on placements completed using Turing Scheme funding and the associated costs. In 2023/2024, 32,714 UK students took part in international placements through the Turing Scheme, travelling to 153 countries. The most popular destinations were Spain (4,728), France (3,178), Italy (1,841), the United States (2,468), Australia (1,002) and Japan (750).
Across all sectors, the scheme spent £82.8 million of funding in that year on placements for students in higher education, further education and vocational training, and schools. The department does not hold information on the cost of placements by individual destination country.
A full breakdown of destinations and funding is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/turing-scheme-funding-outcomes-2023-to-2024.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether advice on the (a) strengths and (b) weaknesses of individual appointable candidates were given to the Prime Minister by the Civil Service on the appointment of the (i) previous and (ii) current Cabinet Secretary.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
I refer to my answer 115556, the Cabinet Manual sets out that the Cabinet Secretary is appointed directly by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister receives advice from the First Civil Service Commissioner, but is the final decision maker.
The announcement of the previous Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “this appointment was made following a full fair and open external competition, chaired by the First Civil Service Commissioner.”
The announcement of the current Cabinet Secretary (here) explained that “the Prime Minister and the First Civil Service Commissioner agreed a process to appoint a new Cabinet Secretary. Once this process was complete, the First Civil Service Commissioner confirmed that Dame Antonia Romeo is an exceptional candidate of the highest calibre, having run two of the largest operational departments in Government, and confirmed her track record makes her the right candidate for the role.
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 review recruitment practices in the public sector.
Answered by Satvir Kaur - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The public sector - healthcare, education, emergency services, and infrastructure - has delegated authority to determine their own recruitment needs, job roles and hires in line with organisational and industry guidelines.
With regard to the Civil Service, the Government is committed to ensuring it attracts, develops, and retains talented people from a diverse range of backgrounds. To support this, we are currently reviewing and implementing several measures.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2026, to Question 119894, on Gambling Commission: Managers, which individual(s) reviewed and approved the conflicts of interest in relation to the departing staff joining Hawkbridge, and whether there are any conditions imposed on the staff, similar to the business appointments applications process; and whether there is any gardening leave provision.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gambling Commission Chair is responsible for ensuring that any potential conflicts of interest are managed effectively in relation to departing staff. During any notice period, individuals will step back from duties which might present risks of a conflict of interest, with these duties being taken over by relevant Commission staff. Following departure, staff would be bound by confidentiality obligations and post-employment restrictions, namely limits on the use of confidential information and limits on engagement with matters relevant to their former responsibilities.
The Gambling Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees of the Gambling Commission to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure. If an individual takes up employment in or related to the gambling industry, they must also notify the Chair of any upcoming regulatory decisions affecting their new employer.
The Gambling Commission’s Employee Code of Conduct is already freely and publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website at the following address: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/policy/corporate-governance-framework/code-of-conduct-for-employees
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2026, to Question 119894, on Gambling Commission: Managers, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Employee Code of Conduct.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Gambling Commission Chair is responsible for ensuring that any potential conflicts of interest are managed effectively in relation to departing staff. During any notice period, individuals will step back from duties which might present risks of a conflict of interest, with these duties being taken over by relevant Commission staff. Following departure, staff would be bound by confidentiality obligations and post-employment restrictions, namely limits on the use of confidential information and limits on engagement with matters relevant to their former responsibilities.
The Gambling Commission’s Corporate Governance Framework requires former employees of the Gambling Commission to maintain safeguards against conflicts of interest for six months after their departure. If an individual takes up employment in or related to the gambling industry, they must also notify the Chair of any upcoming regulatory decisions affecting their new employer.
The Gambling Commission’s Employee Code of Conduct is already freely and publicly available on the Gambling Commission’s website at the following address: https://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/policy/corporate-governance-framework/code-of-conduct-for-employees
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether NHS data will be integrated into the Digital ID database.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
No. There will be no new single central database storing all government data on a person in one place. We will design the digital ID system to be secure, with only the minimum amount of data collected and stored.
Data will primarily remain securely in the parts of the system where it already exists. For instance, data about someone’s health will remain with the National Health Service.
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 page 48 of the Cabinet Office consultation paper on Digital ID, 10 March 2026, CP1498, whether prospective employees who do not have a passport or a Digital ID will be able to take up a job.
Answered by James Frith - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Digital right to work checks will be required by the end of the Parliament. Anyone starting a new job will be able to use the new, free digital proof of identity for these right to work checks - or do a digital check of other documents, including your passport.
The design and rollout of digital ID will be accompanied by an inclusion programme across the UK.