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 document entitled Statistical bulletin - Civil Service Statistics: 2025, published on 30 July 2025, for what reason the proportion of staff in his Department who have self-reported a disability have risen from 8.9% in 2015 to 16.9% in 2024; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of his Department's recruitment policies on the number of staff self-reporting a disabilitiy in this time period.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The figures referenced are Civil Service wide, rather than Cabinet Office departmental statistics. The correct 2025 figure is 17.9%. This increase is most likely due to a range of activity conducted by departments to increase self-reporting rates as well as any recent recruitment activity.
Recruitment is delegated to departments. The Cabinet Office would not be involved in relation to the assessment of recruitment policies within departments. However departments should continually monitor impacts in accordance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
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 4 September 2025, to Question 70499, on Public Bodies: Unpaid Work, whether the parental occupations of a (a) tool-maker and (b) factory owner are deemed to be eligible working class socio-economic background for applicants to the Fast Stream Summer Internship Programme.
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 Answers of 4 July 2025 to Question 63007 on Government Departments: Equality and of 12 June 2025 to Question 54833 on Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Equality, whether he considers the appointment of the Diversity and Inclusion Manager in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to be consistent with the application of the ban on standalone Equality, Diversity and Inclusion roles.
Answered by Anna Turley - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
The Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Expenditure Guidance requires that departments consider whether any standalone EDI related roles should be incorporated into broader HR. Recruitment is a delegated matter where departments make their own decisions to reflect their individual circumstances.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost to the public purse was of each official reception in 10 Downing Street since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As under previous administrations, details of official receptions are published in quarterly transparency returns on gov.uk.
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 March 2025 to Question 37432 on Prime Minister: Communication, and with reference to the Cabinet Office FOI Internal Review response IR2025/05101 of 29 May 2025, for what reason the Answer of 19 March 2025 2025 to Question 37432 on Prime Minister: Communication states that there are 43 FTE civil servants in the 10 Downing Street communications team and the Government Communications Service audit states that there are less than 5 FT communications staff in 10 Downing Street.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Government Communications Service audit provided in IR2025/05101 was a placeholder figure due to incomplete data. As caveated in the response to IR2025/05101, the GCS data collection is voluntary, and some organisations were not captured by this process.
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 March 2025 to Question 37808 on Prime Minister: Recruitment, if he will list the job title of each position in the Prime Minister’s Office that was filled by exception since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As was the case under the previous Government, where over 9,000 such exceptions were used in the year ending March 2023, exceptions are a long-established part of bringing talent and expertise into the Civil Service. A list of appointments by exception (SCS2 and above) are published and updated on the Commission’s website available here: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/publications/pb2-recruitmentexceptions/
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the name of each of the Prime Minister's (a) special representatives, (b) envoys and (c) direct ministerial appointments who were in post on 2 September 2025.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The names of special representatives, envoys and direct ministerial appointments are published on gov.uk at the time of their appointment.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the iphones provided to No.10 staff use a Virtual Private Network.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It is a longstanding principle that for security reasons, it would not be appropriate to comment on 10 Downing Street’s IT systems.
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 written statement of 21 July 2025 entitled Government of service, HCWS870, whether the Civil Service Commission will include political members nominated by the main political parties in the House of Commons.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
As set out in the Written Statement of 21 July 2025, HCWS870, the Government has decided to close the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) and to transfer its function to provide independent advice on the application of the Business Appointment Rules (BARs) in respect of the most senior civil servants and special advisers to the Civil Service Commission (the Commission).
The requirements for membership of the Civil Service Commission and the appointment of Commissioners are set out in the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and do not include political members nominated by the main political parties.
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 written statement of 21 July 2025 entitled Government of service, HCWS870, whether the Ethics and Integrity Commission will consider complaints relating to alleged breaches of ethics and integrity.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Written Ministerial Statement "Government of Service", laid on 21 July 2025, outlines the role of the Ethics and Integrity Commission. Further detail on the Commission will be published when it becomes operational on 13 October 2025.