Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 18 July 2025 to Question 66652 on Military Aircraft: Ministers, whether the RAF Command Support Air Transport fleets include (a) Airbus A321 G-GBNI, (b) Airbus A330 ZZ336, (c) Dassault Falcon 900LX Envoy IV G-ZAHS and G-ZABH.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
No, the RAF Command Support Air Transport (CSAT) fleet comprises of two Envoy IV Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft, G-ZAHS and G-ZABH.
The Voyager aircraft, ZZ336, is operated alongside the main fleet of RAF Voyagers, on behalf of the RAF by AirTanker. It has a secondary role and can be tasked under Op VESPINA for the use of Head of State or Head of Government on State business only.
The Airbus A321 (G-GBNI) is not a military aircraft. It is tasked by the Cabinet Travel Office under Government contract.
CSAT is a military function, delivered to aid operational effectiveness including senior military leader partner engagements, crisis early entry, and the movement of operational information. It is separate to wider Government and Royal VIP passenger movement, delivered through the Ministerial Air Transport Contract and Royal Transport Office respectively.
Military tasking of CSAT remains the priority throughout.
This Government is committed to securing value for money for taxpayers. We cancelled the VIP helicopter contract which wasted millions under the previous Government. The money saved from cancelling this contract will be returned to Defence’s core budget- an estimated £40 million.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on industrial action in the NHS.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to reforming trade union legislation, to bring it into the 21st century. We want to create an industrial relations framework fit for a modern economy and workplaces that work for everyone.
The Department of Business and Trade has published an overarching economic analysis of the Employment Rights Bill, namely the Employment Rights Bill economic analysis, a copy of which is attached. It has also published a specific impact assessment on the repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016, the Repeal of the Trade Union Act 2016, a copy of which is also attached.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the proposed new socio-economic duty will apply to the (a) Sentencing Council and (b) Parole Board.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The socio-economic duty will require specified public bodies to actively consider how their strategic decisions might help to reduce the inequalities of outcome associated with socio-economic disadvantage. We are currently working toward commencement of the duty, which includes drafting statutory guidance that will clarify how the duty can be applied effectively and include more detail on which public bodies the duty applies to.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on (a) advertising and (b) other services for the recruitment of the Director of the Government Communications Service.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Department spent nil on advertising for the recruitment of the Director of Communications.
The competition was supported by Odgers: details of the contract award and value are available here: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/d8567b6f-e373-4d10-b258-4becc193c100
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Civil Service HR Secondments Unit holds on the number of secondments (a) into the Civil Service from outside organisations and (b) from the Civil Service to outside organisations.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Secondments into the Civil Service from other sectors are a key route to bring essential skills and experience into the right roles and teams, enabling talented individuals from outside the Civil Service to contribute to the work of Government by sharing critical capabilities and innovative thinking for a set period of time.
A secondments data commission was introduced in April 2023 to provide insight on inward and outward secondments taking place across government. The Cabinet Office has worked closely with departments to increase the amount, detail and quality of the data available. Responses are now received from all ministerial departments. Data captured includes the number of secondments into and out of the Civil Service by Department, organisations seconded to and from, and secondees’ grades.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government Property Agency plans to install air conditioning in government buildings.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
In Government Property Agency (GPA) managed buildings we hold responsibility for the lifecycle maintenance and upgrade of office assets. This will include the replacement of heating, ventilation and cooling (HVAC) systems of buildings. When these assets reach the end of their serviceable life it is the GPA who will be responsible for replacing them in the most efficient manner. This will vary between buildings but will either be upgrading with the most efficient (HVAC) replacement available or the introduction of newer carbon friendly technologies such as air-source heat pumps. The final investment decision is based on longevity in the building, initial capital cost and the efficient maintenance and overall life running costs.
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 Answer of 31 July 2025 to Question HL9824 on Government Departments: Public Lavatories, when that guidance was last updated.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Government Workplace Design Guide was publicly updated in March 2022 and it is publicly available on gov.uk. The Government Property Agency's Inclusive Design Standards were published internally in March 2020 and is not currently available online.
Both the Government Workplace Design Guide and the Inclusive Design Standards are actively being updated and guidance relating to toilet provision in government hubs will be updated to align with the requirements of Toilet Accommodation: Approved Document T. The guidance will also be updated accordingly on receipt of further guidance from the Equalities and Human Rights Commission expected in the Autumn.
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 Government press release entitled Internship Scheme To Get More Working Class Students Into Civil Service, published on 1 August 2025, whether children of (a) House of Commons Ministers and (b) civil servants will be eligible to apply for the Summer Internship Programme in 2026.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
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 and the Office for National Statistics definition.
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 1 April 2025 to Question 40584 on 9 Downing Street: Media, if he will publish the (a) social value outcomes reports and (b) diversity reports from the last four quarters.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
OCS will complete their own Social Value Outcome and Diversity reports. The GPA does not have any other plans or routes to publish Social Value delivery or diversity reports.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with which (a) external processors and (b) IT suppliers are (i) special category data and (ii) other personal data shared under the College for National Security Privacy Notice, published on 19 June 2025; and whether any data is stored outside the UK.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
No identifiable information is currently collected or stored by or with external processors or IT suppliers. Basic information required to allow courses to operate is stored on Cabinet Office systems and in line with information management best practice. As the College for National Security develops, personal data will need to be collected, managed and stored, and the College is currently considering how best to do that.